Differentiating Companies in Crowded Markets

Airespace Breaks Out from Pack of 20

The Need

Airespace needed to break out of a pack of 20-plus Wireless LAN (WLAN) competitors in a field dominated by Cisco.

The Approach

  • Change the focus of discussion from wireless issues such as security to Airespace's wireless pedigree
  • Position Airespace as the “dynamic Radio Frequency (RF) Expert” to differentiate it from competitors
  • Leverage OEM partners Alcatel and Nortel to validate Airespace's solution
  • Schedule product reviews that pitted Airespace's system against the competition

The Results

  • Airespace was profiled in Business 2.0, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CIO Magazine, and other publications
  • Engage PR secured a standalone weekly column written by Airespace in Network World
  • Winning all ten product reviews confirmed Airespace's technology leadership

The Takeaway

The public relations campaign changed the competitive landscape into a contest between Airespace and Cisco. Cisco acquired Airespace in January 2005 for $450 million—one of the biggest tech buyouts of the year.