Ping Identity: How We Rebranded in Europe After a Merger

In a Nutshell

CHALLENGES

• Limited access to C-levels early in the sales cycle

• Brand awareness gap in Europe

• Difficulty reaching prospects in the DACH region 

RESULTS

• Direct access to senior IT and security leaders

• Improved brand presence and awareness in virtual and physical spaces

• Strong follow-up and opportunity creation

The Full Story

Your organisation just went through a merger, and you need to reintroduce the enterprise brand to existing and new prospects. Hannah Wilson, Head of Field Marketing for Ping Identity, found herself in that position.

She has led a variety of marketing tactics, from face-to-face events and display ads to working with PR agencies. However, there came a point when her team struggled to reach the right decision-makers within target companies. They needed a stronger tool in their arsenal, and Aurora Live found them at the right time.

Difficulty Reaching C-levels Earlier

Ping Identity targets large enterprise organisations in sectors such as financial services, retail, automotive, airlines, as well as government and the public sector. In those companies, they aim to reach senior IT security and digital transformation decision-makers, C-suites, and the level below.

“We’re good at reaching business and technical champions, only connecting with C-levels until later in the sales cycle. Aurora Live helps us communicate with the higher-ups from the get-go, creating a big advantage for us.”

Finding the Right Partner for Rebranding and Expansion

Originally an American company, Ping Identity merged with the Nordic ForgeRock a few years ago. While ForgeRock had a strong brand footing in Europe, Ping Identity didn't.

Wilson aimed to bring the Ping Identity brand into focus and expand it across Europe. Aurora Live was a top-of-mind partner to complement Ping Identity’s marketing tactics as Wilson was already familiar with Aurora Live’s offerings.

“I used to work with Aurora Live back when it was Management Events, and it was successful for us.”

The success of the partnership continues as Wilson and her team have begun rebuilding the organisation’s brand and reputation through Aurora Live’s meetings and events.

“Aurora Live’s 15-minute meetings are a great door opener for us. It was the perfect time for us to come back on board.”

Connecting with C-levels Across Regions

Ping Identity uses Aurora Live to connect with prospects in the Benelux, Nordic, and DACH regions. Wilson shares that the sales team has attended 70 meetings so far, and 40% of those meetings resulted in a follow-up. In addition, the sales team has also bolstered the relationship by attending Aurora Live’s events.

“The in-person events are brilliant to follow up with people we spoke with. It's nice to carry on the connection that way.”

Branding and Networking for Enterprise Identity

Branding and networking are crucial in building enterprise identity as it’s a trust-led exercise for senior decision-makers. Wilson emphasises that she wants decision-makers to associate Ping Identity as providers of strategic business value and not just another security vendor. This is especially important as Ping Identity competes with big players in the business.

“The Aurora Live model supports us directly through the invitation-only process, and the logo visibility allows us to have that strategic business partnership with the C-levels through meetings and events. This allows us to engage with more senior leaders and increase our branding presence.”

A Scalable Way to Grow

Wilson has a steady rhythm with Aurora Live, and the collaboration is very much integrated into their day-to-day operations. Her team gets together to shortlist decision-makers that they want to meet and send out requests on the Aurora Live platform. Furthermore, her team does many pre-event briefings to ensure Ping Identity’s presence at Aurora Live’s events.

“I own the Aurora Live portfolio and discuss the meetings together with the regional leaders on what’s right strategy-wise, and once we have the meetings come through, we assign them to the account executives to attend.”

Wilson hopes to maintain the momentum of the Aurora Live collaboration and scale the engagement across the region via the 1-to-1 meetings and events. Aurora Live is a big investment, and Wilson aims to turn this demand into more bookings and opportunities.

“Aurora Live provides a scalable way to combine high-quality access to decision-makers, networking, and a structured operating model that can support our growth.”

*The insights have been edited for length and clarity.

About Ping Identity:

Ping Identity provides identity and access management solutions, from on-prem to hybrid to pure cloud, that help enterprises deliver secure digital experiences for employees, customers, and partners. They have over 1,500 global enterprise customers, with more than half in the Fortune100. Ping Identity also helps customers confidently embrace AI and automation with Runtime Identity, so they can continuously verify the identity, context, and intent of every AI agent and control their actions in real time.