CASE STUDY 3: EXECUTING MULTI-CHANNEL PRODUCT LAUNCH IN COMPETITIVE DEFENSE MARKET

Company: Maxar Technologies (USG Business Unit) Role: Content Marketing Lead Timeline: March - April 2025 (6-8 weeks)

THE CHALLENGE

Maxar was launching Raptor, a breakthrough GPS-denied navigation solution for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), into a competitive defense technology market. With GPS jamming and spoofing becoming operational realities in modern combat, military and commercial drone operators needed reliable navigation alternatives.

Raptor's vision-based positioning software offered a unique solution in the market: <7m accuracy in all dimensions without requiring additional hardware, added payload weight, or modifications to existing drone systems. The software works with commodity on-board cameras, using live video feeds and Maxar's proprietary 3m-accurate Vivid Terrain data to determine precise positioning.

The challenge: Execute a rapid go-to-market launch across multiple customer segments (Special Operations Forces, Original Equipment Manufacturers, and software integrators) that would establish Raptor as the leading GPS-denied navigation solution and capture market attention ahead of competitors. Each segment had distinct needs - SOF needed to understand operational benefits for procurement decisions, OEMs needed to evaluate integration requirements for their platforms, and software buyers required technical specifications.

MY ROLE

I joined the team as the launch entered execution phase and was responsible for creating the complete suite of launch assets across multiple formats and audience segments. Working under a tight 6-8 week timeline, I collaborated with the Communications Director, product managers, and sales account leaders to develop materials supporting both the public launch campaign and ongoing sales efforts.

WHAT I CREATED

Sales Enablement Materials:

  • Comprehensive Raptor product deck explaining capabilities, technical specifications, and competitive advantages

  • Supplementary slides enabling sales customization for specific opportunities and customer conversations

  • Demo reports showcasing Raptor's accuracy in real-world operational conditions

Multi-Segment Video Strategy: Recognizing that different customer segments needed different messaging, I developed a video content series that could serve multiple audiences:

  • 1 main product video explaining Raptor's core capabilities and unique value proposition

  • 3 segment-specific cutdown videos tailored for distinct audiences:

    • OEMs: Focused on integration simplicity and technical requirements

    • Special Operations Forces: Emphasized operational benefits and mission enablement

    • Software buyers: Highlighted technical specifications and platform compatibility

This approach maximized production efficiency while ensuring each segment received relevant, targeted messaging.

Thought Leadership Content:

  • Blog article positioning Raptor's differentiation in the GPS-denied navigation market, emphasizing the no-additional-hardware advantage and 3D terrain data superiority over 2D-based competitor solutions

CROSS-FUNCTIONAL COORDINATION

Successfully executing a launch at this pace required tight coordination across multiple stakeholders:

  • Product Managers: Provided technical specifications, performance data, and competitive intelligence

  • Sales Account Leaders: Identified customer pain points, objection handling needs, and prospect-specific customization requirements

  • Communications Director: Aligned all materials with broader launch campaign strategy and ensured consistent messaging across channels

The collaboration ensured all assets were technically accurate, sales-ready, and strategically aligned with Maxar's market positioning.

RESULTS

The coordinated launch successfully established Raptor's market presence and equipped sales with the tools needed for customer conversations:

Sales Adoption & Usage:

  • Sales teams actively deployed the deck at industry events and customer meetings

  • Supplementary slides enabled customization for specific opportunities and buyer contexts

  • Materials provided sales with confident talking points for technical product discussions

Market Engagement:

  • Main Raptor video achieved 665+ views on YouTube - 2-3x higher than typical Maxar product videos (which averaged 100-300 views), indicating strong market interest

  • Launch generated coverage from defense industry press and trade publications

  • Campaign contributed to broader awareness efforts supporting $56M in Raptor pipeline

Competitive Positioning: Successfully positioned Raptor as a differentiated solution emphasizing key advantages: no additional hardware requirements, no added payload weight, compatibility with existing forward-facing cameras, and unique 3D terrain data enabling operation in challenging environments where 2D solutions fail.

The multi-format, multi-segment approach ensured Raptor's value proposition reached diverse stakeholders within complex procurement processes, from technical evaluators to operational decision-makers.

KEY TAKEAWAY

Effective product launch execution in technical B2B markets requires the ability to translate complex capabilities into audience-specific value propositions while maintaining tight coordination across multiple stakeholders. By creating tailored assets for different customer segments and ensuring sales had both comprehensive materials and flexible customization options, the launch equipped go-to-market teams to have relevant conversations with diverse buyers in complex enterprise sales cycles. This demonstrates core product marketing capabilities: technical product translation, audience segmentation, launch execution, sales enablement, and cross-functional collaboration under aggressive timelines.