Your Brand Story is a critical one-page narrative that tells a story only you can tell. It’s like an extended elevator pitch. It shows how the pain is taken away or how new opportunity is gained in a way no other brand can do. It is the blueprint for all communications going forward.
MapleMama Craft Maple Spritzers: 100% Sweetened by Mother Earth
AstraZeneca: NYSE AZN – Diabetes Division
Jungle Disk: The Data Security Suite for Main Street
MV-1: First car built for people in Wheelchairs
Medspoke: The Mobile Revolution in Medical Staffing
Rackspace: NYSE RAX
The #1 Managed Cloud Company
Around 2003, Amazon built what became a computing revolution: the first, general-purpose, Public Cloud. API driven, virtualized, instantly provisioned, billed like a utility–it was a game changer for early users who could suddenly access immense computing resources on demand.
But as businesses needed to scale on these commodity-like Clouds, big problems appeared. The Clouds were incomplete because:
- General-purpose, commodity Cloud companies just provide raw infrastructure, built on thousands of low reliability, “disposable” servers. It lets them offer raw computing at what appear to be low unit prices–but only covers a fraction of the Cloud’s real costs. Because…
- These Cloud companies don’t manage or support the complex tools and technologies you need to make their fragile infrastructure reliable and efficient for your critical apps.
- The Cloud has to be managed by someone to build reliability and efficiency back in.
It means that you are responsible for engineering your software and systems to manage their fragile infrastructure. You have to hire people and become the Cloud expert. Otherwise, you suffer the pain of degraded performance, frequent downtime and all the extra costs that go with it.
But at Rackspace, we knew it didn’t have to be this way. We knew businesses would demand a choice: the ability to hire a company of specialists to manage all this complexity for them, so they could spend their resources elsewhere.
So we decided to offer that choice–a new category of Cloud that’s delivered as a unique integration of Cloud infrastructure and Cloud experts for every customer–so you have everything you need to design it, run it and scale it on day one. A new category we call Managed Cloud.
Here’s what we did:
- We made our cloud professional grade–built reliability into the infrastructure, so you don’t have to engineer it later on
- We began creating specialized Clouds to run services like Mongo DB, DevOps; and whole practice areas like SharePoint and Digital Commerce
- We developed a unique Hybrid approach to make multiple platforms work as one
- We wrapped it all in our legendary Fanatical Support—teams of cloud engineers and application specialists on call 24x7x365 to make your hardest problems simple.
And here’s what thousands of customers around the world are now getting:
- Cloud computing that takes out more real costs, more risk and more inefficiency than any commodity Cloud can. Value far beyond low unit prices.
- A Cloud that comes with all the experts you need to run it, so you can run your business. A different model: They sell units of computing. We sell units of Managed Cloud.
For these customers, the best Cloud is Managed Cloud. It’s why they’ve made us #1 in DevOps automation, #1 in services like MongoDB, #1 in Sharepoint, #1 in hosted private OpenStack Cloud, #1 in Digital Commerce and that’s just the beginning.
Rackspace. The #1 Managed Cloud Company
Back to top
+++
MapleMama: Craft Maple Spritzers
100% Sweetened by Mother Earth
Imagine a Sweetener That’s Good for you…
Until we created MapleMama—there was no soft drink or spritzer or soda or anything like it that was 100% sweetened by Maple—mother earth’s very own sweetener—so rich in minerals and over 54 anti-oxidants—it’s like nothing else on earth. Because nothing comes to us like Maple does. It’s from the life-giving sap that rises up from the deep forest soil, filtered by thousands of tiny rootlets, literally the stuff that makes the great forests burst open with life every spring! Artificial Splenda and cane sugar sure as heck can’t do that!
The founders of MapleMama used to tap their own Maple trees in their yard in Western Massachusetts to make homemade maple syrup for the family. But as their little kids began growing up, they didn’t want to feed them chemical drinks like diet Dr. Pepper or sugary Coke. They wondered why they couldn’t make a drink with their own Maple. After all, the indigenous people of the area had been flavoring with Maple for 300 years. And they knew that Maple had amazing nutritional properties. It’s even used as a key ingredient by people looking to de-tox their bodies in cleansing regimens. So the family started concocting recipes on the kitchen stove with sparkling water and other natural flavors. And the kids loved it. And the neighbors loved it. And their friends started asking for it. And that’s how MapleMama was born.
One of our slogans is “Imagine a Sweetener that’s good for you.” Well now you don’t have to. You’re holding it in your hands.
Thanks for trying MapleMama. We hope you love it as much as we do.
Back to top
+++
AstraZeneca: NYSE AZN
Diabetes Division
Type 2 Diabetes is a often called a journey. But it’s a journey that no one wants to complete. It has three progressive phases:
First is the Diet and Lifestyle phase where we can manage our physiology with relatively benign adjustments in eating and exercise. Our bodies are still functionally independent.
Next is the Mid-Control phase. We now require the assistance of diabetes medication for healthy function, but since we still produce our own insulin and have a wide range of treatment options, we retain a large measure of independence and control, with less fear of acute complications.
Last is the Insulin Dependent phase. And now we are unremittingly tied to our medication and monitors for the rest of our lives. We must plan our activities around our illness, which can include a complex routine of regular blood glucose monitoring, counting carbohydrates, and calculating and injecting precise doses of insulin every few hours of every day. Access to our medicine becomes a matter of life and death.
While there is no doubt that Insulin replacement is a uniquely effective therapy–over the decades the word ‘Insulin’ has also become a symbol. Rightly or wrongly, being “on Insulin” signifies a milestone that diabetes patients desperately want to avoid. It means crossing the threshold into the phase of dreaded complications and life-changing inconvenience– from independence to dependence–even a sense of personal failure. Doctors also understand these fears and naturally want to help their patients delay this phase as long as possible.
At AZ Diabetes, this is our unique mission–to prolong every patient’s time in the Mid-Control phase; to delay insulin dependence for our patients as long as possible. That’s why, more than any other company, we specialize in providing the broadest portfolio of non-insulin medicines, support programs and research, designed to give you and your HCP a broader range of options to stay in control and delay or even avoid full insulin dependence as long as possible.
The portfolio aspect of what we do–what we call ‘Portfolio Care’–is a key feature of this commitment. It’s a different approach than focusing on stand alone, ‘one-size-fits-all’ medicines for the simple reason that there are no ‘one-size-fits-all patients.’ Portfolio Care for the mid-control phase means we constantly develop a whole range of non-insulin dependent options in different drug classes, explore new combinations, develop new molecules, create new support and even pricing programs–to help HCPs find more ways to individualize the care they give to every patient.
But our broad Portfolio will also include new non-insulin + insulin combination products for patients who need to bridge the gap with partial insulin replacement. Because our mission is not to fight Insulin as a therapy, it’s to fight and delay insulin dependence.
Modern medicine is increasingly the province of specialties and we believe the same is true for the modern medicine makers. For us, Non-Insulin Dependent Portfolio Care is the pathway to better personal care in a critical phase of Diabetes. And that means better care for millions of our patients around the world.
AZ Diabetes Portfolio Care. The Specialists in Non-Insulin Dependent Care.
Back to top
+++
Jungle Disk:
The #1 Data Security Suite for ‘Main Street’ Businesses
The shift from stand-alone computers to connected computers on the internet has caused a revolution in business productivity. But it’s also caused a revolution in risk–the risk of cyber-hackers destroying your data and putting you out of business from anywhere on the globe. And the threat is increasing at an alarming rate—up over 40% from 2014 to 2015 alone. The consequences have never been greater: according to one study, 43% of companies with a major loss of data never reopened. Only 6% survived long term.
Electronic files and data— the lifeblood of your business—is now under constant, active threat from ransomware, malware, viruses, bots and global networks of criminal hackers who can disrupt and destroy in seconds.
Data backup alone used to be enough to protect your business from accidents like equipment failure and human error. But now that’s only half the battle. Today, you need equal protection from deliberate attacks to be safe. You need security against breaking and break-ins.
And that’s exactly what you get with Jungle Disk: the integrated security suite for ‘Mainstreet’ businesses from 2-250 employees. Our Data Threat Protection™ platform is double threat protection–a complete security combination that protects from both of kinds of threats: accidents and attacks in one simple, affordable package.
This level of protection used to be too complex and expensive for anyone but large enterprises with a big IT departments. But as these big enterprises tightened security, ‘Main Street’ businesses suddenly became prime hacker targets—increasingly subject to catastrophic attacks.
That’s why we built our Data Threat Protection platform to combine the most powerful, multi-layer military grade technology with the cost savings and speed of the cloud. It provides an active security shield that’s so simple to affordable to deploy, companies of any size can now have a digital fortress for their data.
Here’s how it works: Data Threat Protection merges encrypted backup and file sharing with a Unified Threat Management system for networks in one integrated solution:
Jungle Disk Unified Threat Management, powered by MyDigitalShield technology, provides network threat protection through a Cloud-Link™ gateway which provides firewall, virtual private network (VPN), data leak prevention, anti-malware, web content filtering, botnet protection, DDoS defense, intrusion prevention and more.
Jungle Disk Encrypted Data Backup supports Microsoft Windows™, Apple OS X™, and Linux operating systems with no file size or backup storage limits, AES-256 encryption, mobile data access and more.
To be accessible for any sized business, pricing is made easy with no pre-paid annual fees, no contracts, low monthly packages and no hidden costs.
With it’s unique ability to bring true Data Threat Protection to Main Street—Jungle Disk has already earned the trust of more than 25,000 businesses nationwide—from Law Firms, to Medical Practices, Financial Advisors, CPAs, and Real Estate Brokers—companies whose data is every bit as precious to their customers, owners and employees as it is for the biggest global enterprises.
They all know that in today’s hyper-connected world when it comes to protecting your data, it’s a jungle out there! Now they can have the best possible solution at the most affordable price. And so can your business.
Jungle Disk. The Data Security Suite for ‘Main Street.’
+++
Introducing the MV-1:
The First Car Built from the Ground Up for People in Wheelchairs
As people with disabilities, there is a bond we share because of the health, work, social and family challenges we face each day. And since we’re not a “mass market” per se, one of our biggest challenges has always been to make the commercial world understand our real needs and manufacture products fit for us—the way they seem to design products for every other specialized niche in the abled marketplace.
Nowhere is this more critical than in personal transportation—specifically, the vehicles we have to buy and drive. For people with disabilities, our car is not just a status symbol or an indulgence—it’s literally our lifeline to the rest of the world in every aspect. But like so much else in our world, purchasing a vehicle has often been a costly and difficult compromise. Instead of being a manufacturer’s first thought, we’ve been an after-thought.
To start with, our main option has only been to buy an “after-market” converted vehicle—an original factory van or truck whose frame was cut in half and its interior rebuilt by a different shop to become accessible and ADA compliant. This conversion process not only adds thousands to the cost, it leaves the frame weaker, heavier, less durable, and even voids the original factory warrantees! We’re forced to pay a lot more, to get a lot less in performance and affordability.
But now the big news is that a company has been formed specifically to design and build vehicles for our needs, our comfort and our safety from the ground up. These new mobility vehicles (MVs) will eliminate all the compromises, while costing thousands less than any converted vehicle ever made. Here’s how–
First, there is no more converting. Each vehicle is built from the ground up for its intended purpose without altering the factory frame. That means they can make it strong as a truck, but drive like a car. They designed it with the help of the people who’ll depend on it—people like us with disabilities and our advocates–so it would be more spacious, easier to maneuver inside, easier to carry cargo in the trunk, better to drive and simpler to enter and exit with wider doors and ramps. It’s specifically designed to be more durable and reliable—with a proven drive train and parts systems so it will last years longer, spend less time in the repair shop and cost less to maintain. And all that makes it safer too. In fact, it would keep its original factory warranties and safety ratings because its frame wouldn’t have to be cut in half and rebuilt before it drove its first mile.
But because of this new company’s founding commitment, it’s doing even more. It wants to change our whole experience of buying and owning the car. That’s why they’ll be bringing the car to us to see at our homes or work or rehab place–not making us travel long distances to a show room. And they’ll pick the car up when it needs service. Small things maybe—but really important when it comes to ease and convenience.
No traditional car company either wanted or had the manufacturing efficiencies to build this vehicle. It took a whole new company based on the newest manufacturing technology and business models. One that’s building the cars for us from the ground up because of a commitment from the ground up.
The name of the company is VPG and its mobility vehicle is the MV1. It’s the company and the car that changes everything—simply because it’s the first car that’s built for us from the ground up.
+++
MedSpoke
The Mobile Revolution in Medical Staffing
Background
In recent decades nearly every industry and field of endeavor has undergone a revolution. It is the analog-to-digital revolution and it has forever changed the way we live, work and invent. Although it’s disruptive to the owners of the status quo–the shift from analog-to-digital creates so many opportunities and efficiencies, it’s both inevitable and unstoppable. It brings undeniable advantage to those who embrace it.
The Problem in Medical Staffing
Some industries have been quick adopters of the digital shift; some slower. But a surprising few have not even begun. Given the desperate need for efficiencies in healthcare today, it’s ironic that Medical Staffing is one of those outliers—a field still running in the analog era.
As a result, the system is increasingly overwhelmed and out of sync as:
- A growing percentage of doctors and providers are moving from captive employment in single practices to multiple affiliations and variable shifts;
- Hospitals are under constant pressure to fill those shifts at any cost.
- Both sides must rely on employer agencies running analog systems to schedule, assure that complex credentialing requirements are met, and to recruit the needed professionals.
And the consequences are increasingly acute:
- Doctors feel they are losing control of the time and compensation promised by their profession.
- Hospitals have no way of accessing the entire pool of qualified providers in their regions, too often having to fill positions on a last minute, emergency basis at triple cost.
- Medical Employers have a limited pool of local physicians to fill shifts, exposing them to the risk of losing hospital contracts unless they hire exorbitantly priced out-of-area staff.
Until Now…
The MedSpoke Revolution
Recognizing that change was long overdue for tens of thousands of medical professionals, a team of doctors, programmers and technology entrepreneurs got together to create a company called MedSpoke with one purpose in mind: to bring the digital revolution with its myriad advantages to medical staffing, once and for all. By merging Cloud computing power, state-of-the-art database and mobile UI technologies, and compiling a central data infrastructure on a region by region basis, MedSpoke transforms the staffing experience and its economies for providers and employers alike.
The MedSpoke Difference: Before and After
The result is a number of dramatic firsts for Medical Staffing:
- The first integration of medical Credentialing, Scheduling and Recruiting (iCSR)™. With MedSpoke iCSR, users can access…
- The first mobile user experience and centralized administrative process in medical staffing history.
For Doctors and Providers, it means–
- MedSpoke can provide a simple Mobile phone app that literally puts the world of staffing in the palm of their hands, 24/7.
- Now, they can instantly see shift availability in hospitals and facilities throughout their region, comparing compensation, time slots and workloads.
- Credentialing that used to take months, takes minutes!
- Doctors have control of their own shift staffing decisions, anywhere, anytime.
For Employers, it means–
- A region-wide, consolidated view of available shifts and status, a wider pool of credentialed physicians, and instant communication via a central dashboard.
- Credential status–including expirations—can be constantly monitored and updated.
- Significantly reduced overhead; much greater labor and administrative efficiencies.
The analog-to-digital shift has been called the Industrial Revolution of our time. Its effects have been transformational in nearly every aspect in every industry it’s touched. Now, finally, the Medical Staffing industry can make that shift—the MedSpoke shift.
MedSpoke. The Mobile Revolution in Medical Staffing.
Back to top