Fifty Five and Five

Fifty Five and Five has an ongoing partnership with many parts of Microsoft – we have been working with them since day one of the company. Our relationships with the corporate Partner Marketing teams in the US and UK are very strong.

On one of our many visits to Seattle, we got chatting to some of the teams about the day-to-day challenges they face. One of the most fundamental issues they have is putting ROI on the marketing development funds (MDF) they give to partners around the world. Naturally, they decided to enlist Fifty Five and Five’s B2B web development expertise and creativity to solve these challenges.

We developed a bespoke web platform that allowed Microsoft to scan, analyse and score Partner marketing efforts at scale. Our product, ‘The Partner Benchmarking Tool’, was able to analyse data from thousands of companies and tens of thousands of channels. It used a combination of machine learning and AI algorithms to deliver real time insights.

It did this by running over 40 tests across all types of content. Not only can it check spelling and grammar, but it can also check the complexity of language and tone. It can report SEO signals and find technical errors and bugs in page code.

Ultimately it was able to answer the question… ‘Did giving marketing funds to this company result in better outcomes for us?’

For the first time ever Microsoft was able to look objectively at their use of MDF funds and understand the return on investment. We gave them a state of the art AI platform that generated insights they couldn’t get anywhere else.

Microsoft has always worked with partners to understand the financial performance of the partnership. With this exclusive platform from Fifty Five and Five they can now understand the partners marketing performance.

TCS wanted to deliver a memorable brand experience and tech demonstration at one of the biggest sporting events of the year. The idea was simple but ambitious. Create a digital activation where visitors could see themselves finish the race before it even began.

To make it work, we needed clean, branded footage of the iconic finish line, without any runners in shot, so that each user’s 3D avatar could be added in. But existing footage was expensive, crowded, and out of date. AI tools offered promise, but also introduced challenges with realism, landmark accuracy, and branding consistency.

We also had to work within tight limits. The experience had to run smoothly on mobile, render quickly, and avoid long queues. All of this had to happen within a month, under budget, and inside a busy event environment with limited Wi-Fi.

To deliver a smooth, memorable experience at scale, we designed a fast and automated flow from photo to finish line. Visitors accessed the microsite via a QR code, where trained brand ambassadors helped capture their photo. This image was then analysed using AI, which suggested avatar preferences like body type, skin tone, and hairstyle, including options to support prosthetic limbs.

Once confirmed, the data was passed to our avatar platform via API. A 3D model was generated automatically, placed into pre-rendered race scenes, and composited into a personalised finish-line video. This automation allowed us to render and return each video quickly, keeping queues short and the experience moving.

When the video was ready, users received an email notification inviting them back to the microsite. There, they could watch and share their video directly using their device’s built-in sharing options. Every step, from avatar creation to video delivery, was optimised for speed, accuracy, and mobile use, making the experience both seamless and scalable.

The activation was a success, with thousands of personalised finish-line videos generated and shared over the course of the event. After some early fine-tuning, the system ran smoothly and consistently, handling large volumes of users without delays.

Visitors returned to the microsite to view and share their videos, often bringing friends or family back to take part as well. The experience created a real sense of excitement and connection, helping people imagine the finish-line moment before they even started the race.

The activation also gained coverage from BBC News, adding to its reach and visibility. Feedback from the client was positive, and the project proved how AI-driven experiences can deliver high-quality personalisation at speed, even in high-pressure environments.

Google introduced Android Enterprise Essentials, a mobile device management service, with the aim of helping SMBs with an efficient and affordable way to manage and protect their devices. A critical need emerged to articulate its value clearly and persuasively to its partners in the SMB space. The challenge lay in developing a value proposition that resonated with the partner network, informing future GTM strategies and enabling consistent content asset creation for Chrome’s partner network.

Google’s goal for this value proposition project was to increase the Android partner audience, get partners excited about the Essentials opportunity and actively prioritise marketing and selling it to their customers, and increase the use of Android devices among SMBs.

After years of working in the Microsoft Partner Network, we have plenty of experience in and understanding of the SMB technology landscape. We crafted a value proposition to capture the essence and benefits of Android Enterprise Essentials in a succinct and compelling way. We also created messaging that could be easily communicated across various platforms and audiences. Through an in-depth analysis of Android Enterprise Essentials, we identified its unique features that set it apart from competitors.

To ensure the value proposition resonated with the client and their end users, we engaged in workshops and brainstorming sessions with stakeholders. Furthermore, we divided the audience into three segments: managed services providers, handset/contract sellers, and traditional IT services. For each segment, we developed audience personas, mapped current scenarios, and tailored the unique selling proposition and marketing voice accordingly.

The value proposition for Android Enterprise Essentials was aimed at clearly articulating how the product enhanced both security and ease of management, making it an ideal solution for SMBs. Google partners selling Android Essentials gained a better understanding of the product’s wide-ranging benefits, which enabled them to tailor their communication and focus their marketing efforts more precisely.

This strategic alignment led to more impactful GTM strategies, with partners identifying key industries for targeted campaigns. By providing them with a suite of well-crafted, informative, and persuasive marketing messaging, we equipped partners with the necessary tools to confidently engage and convince their target markets of the value Android Enterprise Essentials could bring to their businesses.