Repositioning the business and launching the ‘new IQE’

Our Communications and business objectives for the Capital Markets Day were to:

• Reposition IQE in the eyes of investors, customers and its broader stakeholders
• Highlight the role of compound semi-conductors in modern life and the
   incredible market opportunity
• Showcase IQE’s unique technology solutions and differentiate the business
   from the traditional silicon-based semiconductor peers
• Demonstrate a new market-led approach to innovation that delivers for
   customers and captures greater value for IQE shareholders
• Launch new, ambitious strategic and financial growth targets
• Reinforce IQE’s ESG credentials and fundamental role it plays in the Net
   Zero transition
• Deliver a seamless, interactive hybrid event that captures the attention of
   IQE’s global audience

Our integrated strategic approach

From the outset IQE and Black Sun recognised that, in order to make an impact and shift perceptions, the 2022 CMD needed to step change what IQE had ever done before. It required impactful campaign creative, higher production values, and a contemporary multi-media presentation. Following focused messaging workshops and interviews with IQE’s senior leadership, the Black Sun team developed two critical deliverables:

• Position and messaging - Our campaign theme that emphasised its fundamental role in the technology landscape and generated excitement about the potential of the business; ‘Architects of tomorrow’ was chosen as both the headline for the CMD and a brand strapline for the future
  
  
• Visual rebrand - Aligned to the message, a new brand identity was created to reflect the modernisation and future ambitions of IQE. Further reinforcing the step change we were looking to achieve, a new visual identity, colour palette and creative treatment was launched at the CMD and has since been rolled out across the business. With this new conceptual message and visual style agreed, Black Sun worked alongside IQE to storyboard the presentation, along with choreographing the event experience across both in-person and online channels.
  
  
  
   

Hybrid event experience

Hosted at Numis, London and coupled with an interactive microsite for international livestreaming, the CMD was designed to have an engaging multi-channel experience. Black Sun managed the physical event from end-to-end, ranging from event collateral and banners to full staging, event dressing and audio visual displays.

Black Sun also built the microsite which included registration and event teasers pre-event, and streaming and live Q&A throughout the experience. In order to emphasise that IQE’s new strategic approach was already gaining traction, we adopted real life storytelling and customer testimonials. This became a core aspect of the CMD with videos adding real depth and excitement to the presentation.

For the CMD and IQE’s new launch, Black Sun developed a short corporate video that explored what it means to be the ‘Architects of tomorrow’, headlining IQE’s history, core capabilities, and market opportunity. This was coupled with 18 customer testimonials from around the world that showcased IQE’s partnerships, products and market-led approach to solutions development

Result: Energised and perfectly positioned

IQE’s CMD was a resounding success. In the hours following the event, the share price rose by circa 10%, culminating in an 18-month high in January 2023. Investors noted that the event showcased ‘a new IQE’ that felt ‘energised and perfectly positioned to capitalise on the market opportunity’.

The event attracted an attendance of 75 current and potential investors, whilst the livestream was watched by over 500 external stakeholders from across the globe.

Black Sun maximised IQE’s CMD by providing an end-to-end service from strategic messaging, through to full creative presentation, moving image, and event production and management:

• Dedicated interviews and deep dives with each of the senior leadership team
• Guidance on key messaging and presentation structure
• Refreshed corporate brand including new logo and digitally centric brand palette
• A new corporate video
• 18 customer testimonial videos
• Presentation creation
• Design and build of a dedicated event microsite
• Event planning and management
• Staging, event and audio visual