Following are the 25 most strategically important New Zealand IT vendors, based on our panelists coming from both public and private sectors.
These NZ ICT vendors have experienced exponential growth locally, and in most cases, internationally.
They are very important to New Zealand IT user organisations that value the advantage of working with companies attuned to the needs of the local business community and are flexible and innovative at the same time.
Run The Red
Run The Red is known for its innovative marketing campaigns based around SMS competitions, like Telecom’s “Rock, Paper, Scissors” and “Push the Button – sink the F69 frigate”.
But these days, Run The Red has been increasingly working with corporates and government agencies in utilising SMS and mobile channels as essential business tools.
Ben Northrop, Director Marketing, explains these projects provide a long-term sustainable business model as opposed to marketing campaigns with limited time frames. CIOs and not just Marketing Managers, he says, are looking at mobile channels. “The mobile channel is becoming part of everyday life. It is a good business tool, not just a marketing tool”.
“Watch this space,” says Northrop, who founded the company in 1999 with Deborah Crowe, now Chief Operating Officer; and Justin Boersma, Business Development Manager. For instance, run The red has developed a secure, mobile banking service for PSIS using text messaging.
It is also working with the Inland Revenue Department in two campaigns. One involves the Working for Families program which has included an additional channel – SMS – for the public to request an information pack. It has developed an alert system for taxpayers who opt to receive text messages.
Northrop says the text channel is cost effective and meets the needs of certain groups of people. These include those coming from the lower socio-economic group, where English might not be the first language, and senior citizens who would prefer text messaging over phone banking because of hearing problems. “Some think texting is a youth thing, there is a lot more to it,” says Northrop.
Northrop says the founders choose the name Run The Red to enable it to stand out from other dotcom companies at the time. “We came upon the idea after almost running a red light,” he says. “It was appropriate for our culture. We have a culture of not stopping in getting what we want for our clients.”
Run The Red’s advantage over other companies working in the same space is their knowledge of seven years in the mobile solutions space, where they managed some of the largest and most successful projects involving millions of messages. They have also built a considerable expertise in other forms of mobile data, from MMS to 3G and WAP to palmtop.
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