When smart metering was in its infancy in California, ckdt principal, Stephan Burckhardt, helped build awareness around intelligent homes and this new technology. He was involved in a large public affairs campaign for major urban waste disposal issues in Switzerland, which has some of the toughest environmental standards worldwide.

ckdt created environmental and social reports for major global companies, and Stephan developed strategic communications for an industry-leading 3BL (triple-bottom line) project in Ghana.

Burckhardt with sustainable energy guru and recipient of ten honorary doctorates, Amory Lovins.

The communications and marketing components surrounding issues of migrating to best practice clean technology, and, even more importantly, building the required political will, stakeholder consensus and public buy-in are complex and more critical than ever.

The public will not move to large scale behavioural change without B2B and consumer stakeholders

1.   Understanding the issues
2.   Seeing the benefit of the “move to clean” while accepting inevitable down-sides
3.   Forming an emotional link and buy-in to the above and
4.   Leveraging these into permanently changed behaviour (the most difficult and critical step)

Strategic marketing and values-based environmental communications are key success factors, especially with adverse or conflicting economic drivers, one for which ckdt has been and is making significant and lasting contributions.

Contact ckdt today to discuss your green, clean energy technology or service issues and see how carefully crafted and well executed communications and branding can significantly contribute to your bottom line success.

He has superior technical skills in communications, is dedicated and involved, has an imaginative approach to his work and is a constructive and open-minded team player.

- Tom Engelsman, President, Landis & Gyr Energy Management (now part of Toshiba)

I think the new website is excellent — really excellent.  It’s comprehensive, professional, and persuasive.

- Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Chairman, CSR Developments; Director, Triton Logging

We are very pleased with Stephan’s work; he is proving very thorough and easy to work with… Great job!

- Stuart Harrison, VP Marketing / Sales, Domestic Automation Company (PG&E smart metering trial)

In its second phase of growth, StarFish Medical wanted to reach a broader international market. ckdt helped the company better define its USP, differentiate its brand, and strengthen its online presence with target audiences from engineering to R&D and senior management.

Marketing activities included market research, advertising, media relations, video production, and a new website with a non-proprietary CMS, video and animation.

Talk with someone who knows technology. Contact ckdt today.

CSRD (Clark Sustainable Resource Developments – now Triton Logging) developed a major resource project in Africa. The mandate of ckdt was for a new website and an in-depth backgrounder of this complex, triple-bottom-line (3BL) project.

It gave this resource start-up higher visibility, the professional look it deserved, and better exposure to its stakeholders, partners and funders across three continents.

After 40 years, the hardwood trees in Lake Volta are still ready for harvest

CSRD had signed an agreement with the government of Ghana that would allow them to harvest the submerged hardwood in the world’s largest man-made lake.

With the recent agreement to join operations with Triton Logging, the project will now go ahead to make this operation the largest source of “green” tropical hardwood in the world (no release of carbon from harvested timber).

The backgrounder, written and designed by Burckhardt, included highlights and sections on the 3BL areas of the environment and community, as well as research and operations.

Talk with someone who knows technology and the service business. Contact ckdt today.

I think the new website is excellent — really excellent.  It’s comprehensive, professional, and persuasive.

- Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, Chairman, CSR Developments; Director, Triton Logging

Great work!  It looks terrific. Very creative, very informative.

I think it takes the viewer to parts of Ghana, it almost places them there.

- Michael Bush, CEO, CSR Developments

To help launch technology start-up Oprius Software at an industry event in Los Angeles, ckdt provided a marketing strategy and an integrated marketing campaign that included corporate identity management, web strategy, writing, media relations, and advertising specialties.

Primary site structure Oprius Software

The company went from being unknown to becoming a visible player in its target niche by quickly putting itself on the map in a highly professional manner.

Oprius was able to start on its hard climb to profitability in a very short time, especially considering the current economic challenges in the marketplace.

Talk with someone who knows technology. Contact ckdt today.

This production was a contribution to the fundraising efforts the technology industry association VIATeC makes every year.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and food have been collected and raised for the Mustard Seed food bank over the past years for the Holiday season.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1frq4F_ufE[/youtube]

The video not only

The video not only inspired member companies to give more in a competitive spirit, it served as an image piece to demonstrate the tech sector’s lively, fun and generous culture, and attract more talent to the area.

Talk with someone who knows the service business. Contact ckdt today.

When the insurance company Zurich Financial Services felt the need to raise its international profile in front of key audiences, it turned to ckdt communications to find a way.

Many areas of sponsorship had already been taken for years by other vendors, but Zurich wanted not only a category of its own, but also one that fit its philosophy and positioning.

Zurich Financial Services sponsors world rowing

Rowing was the perfect answer.

The team effort, partnership, precision timing, and special dedication in this quiet and powerful discipline matched the company’s coporate values. It provided an ideal platform to carry its messages to a wide audience in cooperation with the World Rowing Federation FISA.

ckdt services included an image campaign, event marketing, television spots, merchandising, and related activities.

Working closely with the client in a cross-disciplinary team, ckdt also developed a strategy for a first-of-its-kind intranet solution for the group, which could be implemented worldwide.

Talk with someone who knows how to market financial services. Contact ckdt today.

When Sun Microsystems (recently purchased by Oracle) introduced a powerful new workstation as a world-first desktop computer, it caused a sensation in the industry. A number of trade publications carried the “pizza box” machine on their covers and it was hailed as the fastest desktop Unix-machine at the time by far.

Sun Microsystems was bought by Oracle in January 2010

We focussed introduction activities mainly on intense media relations work across North America covering both trade and major business and daily publications.

A video news release with B-roll and company statements was distributed via satellite and reached millions of viewers.

Talk to someone who knows technology. Contact ckdt today.

The 100-year old industrial firm Landis & Gyr, a major supplier to the utility industry worldwide, needed to move from mechanical to digital technology, and update its business model. Burckhardt directed the communications efforts in the division most involved in a major restructuring that affected 4,000 employees.

As a senior member of a small change management team involving HR, OD and communications specialists, he headed an extensive internal and external communications and marketing effort that touched all stakeholders worldwide.

All required disciplines were linked in teams to serve internal and external customers spanning the globe

Leading both a vertical team in Energy Management and a horizontal team for Region Europe, Burckhardt implemented activities ranging from internal, multi-lingual media and major employee events, to corporate advertising, international customer conferences, electronic media, reputation management, and corporate services for senior management.

For a competent and trustworthy voice in your change management project, contact someone who’s been through it successfuly.

The highly sensitive announcement was generally very well received due to his thorough information strategy.

He has superior technical skills in communications, is dedicated and involved, has an imaginative approach to his work and is a constructive and open-minded team player.

- Tom Engelsman, President, Landis & Gyr Energy Management

When fourth generation, object-oriented database technology was starting to come into its own a few executives from Oracle Corp. formed Versant Object Technology.

Burckhardt supported the launch of this start-up venture by obtaining exposure with industry analysts, the local press, and the computer trade media.

This ensured that the excellent pedigree of the management team was leveraged into high credibility with the company’s key stakeholders from the time of its launch.

Relational data load in gaming (MMOG) for Versant object-oriented database

Fifteen years later, Versant has more than 50,000 installations worldwide and has been a highly reliable partner for such reputable organizations as Ericsson, Verizon, the U.S. government, and the Financial Times.

Talk with someone who knows technology. Contact ckdt today.

Exceptionally good service. Stephan proved thorough and effective in his role as a strategic consultant.

- CEO Versant Objet Technology (Versant Corp.)