For all the strategy, data and insights that go into an ad campaign, the creative is always somewhat subjective. What one person—or an entire demographic—might find compelling might fall flat with another.

When Mu Sigma, a Bangalore-based data analytics and consulting firm, enlisted us to help launch their new presence in the US market, we had a feeling that the way they were marketing themselves back home wouldn’t resonate with the business community here.

Their current ad campaign equated the journey of business transformation to climbing a mountain, and the need for a sherpa—Mu Sigma—to be your guide in making the right decisions along the way.

With US-based competitors like Deloitte, Accenture and McKinsey taking a more straightforward, business-focused creative approach, there was definitely opportunity for Mu Sigma to stand out, but there was also risk in not being taken seriously.

To ensure brand consistency between India and the US, we kept the core message of the “Sherpa” campaign, but reworked the language and visuals to better engage a US business audience.

We then launched targeted ad campaigns on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook—initally to create awareness and then to generate highly qualified leads. The ads drove clicks to a campaign-themed landing page teeing up Mu Sigma’s problem-solving approach and teasing downloadable case studies.

As we tested new ads on a variety of topics and verticals—supply chain, CPG, pharma, aviation and more—new case studies were added to the landing page. Twitter and Facebook ad traffic could view the case studies by providing an email address, giving us the ability to retarget them, while LinkedIn Lead Gen ads collected contact information from prospects in exchange for case study access.

By the end of the 3-month effort, Mu Sigma had successfully planted their flag in the US business consulting world with a campaign that helped put them on the map.