Rebuilding a Market Leader's Digital Identity: Strategic Execution to Jumpstart An Enterprise Website Redesign
Once a dominant force in the industry, shifting market dynamics and increased competition had chipped away at our client’s leadership position. As part of their response, the company decided to bolster its marketing efforts. But one major obstacle stood in the way: an outdated website that no longer reflected the brand’s capabilities or ambitions.
As the most visible expression of a brand’s identity, the corporate website plays a central role in how a company presents itself to the world. But beyond branding, it directly influences how business is conducted. From demand generation and lead capture to customer engagement, investor relations, and even employee engagement, the website functions as a critical touchpoint for nearly every stakeholder group. A well-designed website doesn’t just reflect the business—it drives it.
The client’s current website lacked modern design, engaging content, and the functionality needed to support a revitalized marketing strategy. With a lean internal marketing team already stretched thin, the company didn’t have the time or resources to properly scope, manage, and execute such a critical digital initiative.
That’s where our team came in.
Our team has extensive experience leading critical digital transformation projects for enterprise companies—including website redesigns, post-acquisition integrations, EDI integrations, technology implementations and optimization, and large-scale program leadership. For this engagement, we combined our team’s expertise to provide strategic project management and marketing leadership to guide the client through every phase of the initiative—from building out comprehensive requirements to managing the RFP process and ultimately selecting a best-in-class design and development partner.
The Challenge
Our client faced several key challenges:
Limited internal resources and bandwidth to manage a complex, high-stakes project
Lack of clarity around technical, content, and design requirements for the new site
No formal RFP process in place for selecting a web development partner
Complex internal stakeholder dynamics spanning different business functions and units
The need to find a vendor with technical and creative expertise to meet evolving business needs
Our Solution
Unlike traditional consulting firms that operate at arm’s length, our firm takes a highly integrated, hands-on approach with our clients. For this project, we assembled a dedicated team with a deep understanding of the client’s business, plus extensive experience leading website projects. One of our team members was embedded on-site, leading key meetings, collaborating directly with internal stakeholders, and serving as a day-to-day resource throughout the project. This in-person presence was backed by ongoing strategic oversight and support from our firm’s senior partners, ensuring that the client benefited from both tactical execution and high-level guidance. Our collaborative model—working as an extension of the client’s team—allowed us to move quickly, build trust across departments, and deliver outcomes aligned with the organization’s broader goals.
Discovery
We kicked off with an in-depth planning and discovery phase, where we:
Project planning
We developed a detailed project roadmap outlining each step from initiation to vendor selection. This included establishing key milestones, deliverables, governance structures, and internal resource planning.
Stakeholder Engagement
We identified key stakeholders across the organization, conducting 25 interviews across 12 business units in 7 countries. We then recommended the composition of a cross-functional Steering Committee, clarifying roles and responsibilities to ensure alignment.
Requirements Gathering
Our team compiled a comprehensive set of technical, design, and content requirements to serve as the foundation for the RFP process.
RFP Development and Initial Vendor Sourcing
We developed a structured RFP process that included:
Clear selection criteria
A detailed project scope and evaluation framework
A short list of qualified vendors based on our market research
Introductory calls were conducted with eight prospective partners, and six were invited to participate in the formal RFP process.
Project leadership
Our team provided weekly project updates to keep the client informed and engaged throughout the process.
RFP Management
We issued the RFP along with a structured response workbook to ensure consistency in vendor submissions. During the Q&A window, we facilitated communication with vendors to address any clarifying questions, helping them better tailor their proposals to the client’s needs. After receiving the submissions, we consolidated and categorized vendor responses to highlight strengths and gaps, making it easier for stakeholders to compare options side-by-side.
Vendor Selection
We created a comprehensive scorecard system to evaluate each vendor based on their:
Technical expertise
Design capabilities
Strategic thinking
Overall fit with the client’s goals
We then narrowed the field to a shortlist of vendors who were invited to present their proposals. After evaluating each finalist’s strategic and creative vision, we made a final recommendation to the client’s leadership.
Throughout the RFP and vendor selection process, we worked as an extension of our client’s team and coordinated with the IT department to ensure the selected vendor met the client’s technical and security requirements for the website.
Finally, our team collaborated closely with the client’s procurement department to successfully execute a contract with the selected vendor partner. We guided the client through the complex procurement process by identifying the appropriate stakeholders to involve, facilitating internal reviews and approvals, and ensuring all necessary documentation and compliance steps were completed efficiently. By proactively managing this phase, we helped streamline what can often be a time-consuming bottleneck, enabling the project to move forward.
The Result
Through strategic planning, clear communication, and rigorous vendor evaluation, our team enabled our client to make an informed decision in selecting a vendor with the capabilities to build a website fit for an industry leader.
Just as important, we helped prevent this critical marketing initiative from being delayed or derailed during a time of economic uncertainty. Today, the company is on track to relaunch a modern, high-performing website that will support its renewed efforts to reclaim market leadership.