Case Study: Brighton Science
A new category in high-stakes manufacturing.
Moving from a niche player to a critical partner.
Issue
BTG Labs was founded in 2001 and was known for inventing a hand-held diagnostic tool that product engineers use to verify the cleanliness of surfaces on a production line before bonding them together. Despite a client roster that included major names like Lamborghini, P&G, NASA and 3M, they were still considered a small, niche player. In 2021, with new leadership and a focus on growth, BTG Labs was ready to unlock their true potential.
Insight
The cataclysmic shift in manufacturing from welds and rivets to bonding with adhesives has affected everything from cars to laptops to fighter jets. Yet these bonds can fail–and 90% of the time when they do, it’s not because of the adhesive (as commonly believed), but due to the state of the surfaces themselves. By making manufacturers aware of this issue–and giving them a way to prevent and solve it–we could elevate the company as an expert and move them up the value chain.
Solution
We coined the term Surface Intelligence–and positioned the company squarely as the leader in this new category. We recommended that they rename BTG Labs, which sounded like a small operation, to something more befitting a pioneer in manufacturing innovation: Brighton Science. A new “story” invited the industry to venture beyond known tools and processes into a more intelligent and connected view of modern manufacturing.
Not just a better mousetrap – a new offering in a new category.
Sometimes a company has great success with a product–and then can’t seem to grow or evolve beyond it. BTG Labs had invented a hugely useful tool, but the true value–and potential–of the company resided in the decades of trouble-shooting experience of its scientists and the tech expertise of new leadership. By “branding” this potent combination as Surface Intelligence, the company now has a distinctive story and offering–that it sells at a premium.
Shifting the business model – The BConnect Platform
In 2023, Brighton launched a major initiative to move their core offering from a manual process to a subscription-based service that includes hardware, software and consultative support. This complete solution enables customers to monitor and assess surface readiness at all points in the production cycle and share information across locations, functions and teams. It also provides a more stable and scalable revenue model for the business. Spyglass helped name and develop the platform, did UX design and developed the deck and the online materials that tell the new story.
Complete repositioning.
This positioning was brought to life across every touchpoint in the company–from internal meetings, sales tools and presentations, marketing and outreach campaigns to the platforms and tools themselves.
Results
The new name, identity and positioning is opening doors–and driving new business–for Brighton. In addition to upgrading current customers to the BConnect platform, the team is actively installing new data-driven Surface Intelligence Networks in leading manufacturing companies worldwide, and sharing their knowledge as thought leaders to peers and colleagues around the globe to advance the industry and enable next-level innovation.
Deliverables
- Positioning
- Name and Identity
- Website
- Product launches
- Customer communications
- Platform experience design
- Space design
- Selling story and deck
- Tradeshow and events
- Press releases
- Video