Campaigns

Composite Design Software

VISTAGY, Inc., built its reputation by developing FiberSIM software, a specialized computer-aided design environment for engineers who practice the "black art" of composite part design and manufacture. Founded in 1991 as Composite Design Technologies, Inc. (CDT), and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, this dynamic company has for years energetically pursued and educated its market. By 2000, FiberSIM software was the undisputed worldwide leader in its industry, but the company wanted to keep growing. In 2001, CDT created EnCapta software to complement popular computer-aided design tools and PDM systems, and the company changed its name to VISTAGY to reflect the broadened software lines. Change presented challenge: the company was determined to retain its pre-eminent position in the composites industry at the same time it was reaching out to new engineering markets.

Parker Group worked with CDT to define the messages and strategy for a focused media campaign. The corporate name change to VISTAGY was an opportunity to educate editors and industry analysts about the significance of EnCapta for engineers and designers. We wrote bylined articles for Computer-Aided Engineering, Machine Design, and Desktop Engineering to define the role EnCapta software plays in reducing product development times and costs. We placed dozens of other articles about EnCapta in such magazines as NASA Tech Briefs, Design News, Designfax, and Product Design and Development.

Parker Group also supported VISTAGY's FiberSIM sales program, which aimed to expand the use of composites throughout industry. We spoke with the editors of specialized journals in materials and composites manufacturing about the latest automation tools in FiberSIM. We explained to industry analysts and to the editors of a wide range engineering trade publications how FiberSIM takes the guesswork and much of the cost out of designing and manufacturing with composites. Our efforts resulted in coverage by Aviation Week & Space Technology, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, High-Performance Composites, and a host of other U.S., Canadian, and European publications.

Among the results of VISTAGY's media campaign were selection of EnCapta as the NASA Tech Briefs Product of the Month for May 2001 and a 2001 Innovations Award from Computer Graphics World. This industry recognition, and the publication track record, established branding for VISTAGY and generated sales leads from companies interested in EnCapta and FiberSIM. During 2001, VISTAGY grew a stunning 25 percent and began its first EnCapta implementation at a major aerospace manufacturer.