Promoting a partnership with Microsoft

Breadth Solutions Partners (BSP), a division of Microsoft, approached Riley Weiss for development of their branding initiative and microsite. BSP’s goal was to encourage programmers and developers to become Microsoft partners and promote their solutions to new communities.

The key finding of our research for this project presented a challenge: Microsoft carries the perception of a giant—an organization that doesn’t listen to the needs of its audience. BSP’s target group did not feel comfortable with Microsoft as a partner. In response to these findings, our design team produced a thorough brand style guide with a new design look and feel, web, event and email guidelines, as well as imagery and high-level messaging with a focus on partnership.

We developed a friendly, welcoming Breadth Solutions Partners’ brand, one that would encourage partnership and cooperation between programmers and developers and Microsoft. Through brand standardization and language targeted to overcome pre-existing negative perceptions, Riley Weiss helped BSP convert their audience into Microsoft advocates.