Archives: Case Studies

Yugabyte

Establishing a Brand in Europe

Challenge

Yugabyte, the leader in open source distributed SQL databases, was keen to take its story to Europe, and demonstrate to CIOs, CTOs and data infrastructure heads that its disruptive database cloud native technology enables the highest levels of enterprise business growth and productivity.

How>

Yugabyte had a minimal UK and European brand profile to start with; and without a first mover PR advantage, the thought leadership campaign kicked off with the development and execution of powerful and relevant hot topics, such as: databases for digital transformation, cloud data security, transactional data performance, data layer management, topics that supported the brand reputation programme, social media activity and helped shorten the sales cycle across Europe.

Impact

The campaign started in the UK, and after the first six months, had already seen a significant increase in the firm’s competitive media share of voice, all of positive sentiment.  Working to execute an earned media programme, along with providing consultancy around shared and owned media channels, we are now ramping up our efforts to support Yugabyte in the DACH region. With impactful and high-quality media coverage generated in outlets such as: Information Age, The Register, Digital Bulletin and Finextra, all amplified across the outlet’s and the executive’s social channels, the firm’s growth prospects in the region are set to explode.

 

 

 

Conker

Driving Productivity with Business-Rugged Mobile Devices

Challenge

Conker is a UK manufacturer of rugged tablets and mobile devices. It wanted to establish and extend its brand across its target audiences in the UK and highlight the value of its devices in supporting an enterprise mobility strategy and driving business productivity.  The team also wanted to demonstrate its customer-centric approach and industry thought leadership.

How

Conker had a minimal profile to start with, so the campaign focused on establishing a positive brand awareness for Conker and its proposition, highlighting the value of Conker’s technology and approach versus its larger competitor set.   Following a messaging and planning workshop, we began to build the business profile by increasing targeted industry analyst and media chatter and coverage around relevant topics such as: digital transformation, business productivity and enterprise mobility.

Impact

Our initial campaigns led to significant growth in Conker’s competitive share of media voice in the UK.  Conker, along with its devices, and the issues it champions received volumes of unique, high-quality coverage in construction, engineering, business, warehouse & logistics, manufacturing and the core tech media.  Through thought-leadership articles, reviews, white papers, partnerships, events and webinars, the company was able to drive its lead generation machine, and it featured in leading media, such as Computing, Computer Weekly, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro, BIM+, Construction UK Magazine and Logistics Manager.

ECR Retail Systems

Driving Contactless MPOS Payments

Challenge

ECR Retail Systems, one of the leading MPoS specialists, already had some great brand customers in the Rail and Ticketing sectors, but the firm wanted to extend its market share, and enter the airline sector, to help airlines drive ancillary revenue.

How

Although a market leader, its profile was minimal, so we were tasked with initially supporting the launch of the ECRGo2, the industry’s first fully-certified, all-in-one contactless, handheld mobile point of sale (MPoS) device for the airlines, and other sectors. Complementing the direct marketing efforts, we worked to create the right news hook (linked to the VISA and MasterCard contactless mandate), proof points and creative imagery to drive interest amongst target media. We also established and started to build ECR’s social media profile, all focused on supporting the firm’s sales efforts.

Impact

With this initial project campaign, we secured approx. 30 pieces of quality media coverage, which had a positive and direct effect on the brand, and the sales effort. Premium coverage appeared in publications including: HMGAerospace, Travel & Tour World, Global Travel Industry News, Electronic Payments International, Fintech Finance, Finextra and Global Banking & Finance Review. The total estimated ‘media’ view coverage within a week hit: 3.5 million views. This initial successful starter project led to a broader ongoing PR programme.

PGi

Disrupting the Telecoms Disrupters

Challenge

PGi, the world’s largest dedicated provider of collaboration software and services, had a minimal profile in the UK & Europe, at a time when the telecoms sector is ripe for disruption. Analyst firm, Ovum, said that the telecoms industry will lose a combined $386 billion between 2012 and 2018, from customers using over-the-top (OTT) voice applications. PGi needed to communicate its core message, with impact, to the carrier community and demonstrate how it could help operators.

How

We used the Carriers World event in London as the backdrop to re-introduce media to PGi. We used data, thought pieces, infographics, analyst insight and references to support the programme. This resulted in building initial journalist relationships with PGi and quality coverage – all demonstrating how carriers can develop their own OTT strategy and ensure that they can leverage their existing network assets to create new revenue streams.

Impact

This smart media programme helped to further establish PGi’s proposition, amongst UK and European wide media, and operators. PGi has been re-introduced to all the major UK telecom and mobile operator press as well as the IT and technology media. Positive media coverage, chatter and relationships, were established at key outlets including Global Telecoms Business, Total Telecom, Vanilla +, Telecoms.com, Capacity, TelecomEngine, Telemedia, Computing & ITPro Portal.

This initial successful starter project has led to a broader ongoing PR programme for PGi in the region.

Tendril

Delivering a personalised energy experience in Europe

Challenge

Energy utility firms in the UK and Europe are under constant scrutiny about the rates that they charge UK consumers for energy. Tendril is a cloud-based software and analytics company that works with utility companies globally to help them deliver personalised energy experiences for consumers. However, as a newcomer to the UK and Europe, the problem it faced was that no one knew about the firm’s proposition, so we sought to change that perception.

How

European Utility Week (EUW) is one of Europe’s largest annual energy utility events. Our initial project approach involved implementing an effective influencer monitoring programme, and some smart media & analyst relations outreach. Our online media monitoring gave Tendril a better understanding of the European market landscape and issues, which was used to guide the media debate. We also used Tendril’s attendance at EUW to connect with all the major media and analyst influencers, so that we could smartly tell the Tendril story to them.

Impact

The team raised awareness of Tendril by setting up an effective UK and European press office. This enabled the team to place and write several high impact contributed articles across the key energy sector media. Conversations, media coverage and partnerships were established with: Utility Week, Engerati, Energetica International, International Renewable Energy, Renewable Energy World, IDG Connect and Computer Business Review. At EUW, several high profile meetings were set up, supporting the firm’s sales effort in the UK and Europe. This initial successful starter project led to a broader ongoing regional PR programme.

11 Health

Building the Future of Patient Led Healthcare

Challenge

11 Health, a connected medical health company, was founded on the principle that patients play a lead role in managing their care quality, and that positive outcomes are the result of good patient experiences, shared decision making and meaningful interactions with physicians, surgeons, nursing teams and healthcare professionals. Elate was brought on board to drive even greater brand momentum amongst its multiple business, clinical and consumer audiences, and support the firm’s growth ambitions.

How

With a visionary company founder at the helm of this British success story, who was also a long-term patient, and the creator of the Ostom-i Alert device, we first worked to smartly announce a new round of funding to the business community. This was followed by the official launch of this first ever patient-developed medical technology device, to help the 120,000 stoma patients in the UK that undergo stoma surgery. Working with an ecosystem of influencers and advocates, the programme was primarily targeted at the time-poor professional healthcare audience.

Impact

With a focused media and third party influencer programme, this initial activity helped to further establish the firm’s proposition and market vision. We introduced the 11 Health story to key healthcare media, and worked to establish important introductions to the most influential healthcare advocates. Positive media coverage, chatter and relationships, were established with target media outlets and influencers. The programme created significant eye-balls, momentum and initial sales interest for the device in the UK and US, as the 11 Health success story continues to gather pace globally.

Kony

Establishing a Thought Leadership Platform

Challenge

Kony, the enterprise mobility company, is at the forefront of app development. It wanted to take this message to the UK and Europe, and demonstrate to CIOs, developers, designers and business heads, that its platform enables rapid cross platform app development to drive business productivity. The team also wanted to demonstrate its innovation and industry thought-leadership.

How

Kony had a minimal profile to start with; so the campaign required the creation of an efficient and creative issues-based UK and European programme around relevant hot topics such as: business productivity, shadow IT, mobile security and wearables, topics that also supported the lead generation activity across Europe.

Impact

Our campaigns have led to a significant growth in Kony’s competitive share of media voice in the European region and globally. We created a seamless press office in the UK and Europe, that executes campaigns flawlessly, while providing consultancy about the UK and European market. In a recent period, we achieved over 100 pieces of unique, high-quality media coverage in the likes of CNN, The Sunday Times, CIO, CBR, Information Age, Computer Weekly, Finextra, in the UK, as well as Handelsblatt, ComputerWoche, Le Figaro and Economie Matin across Europe.

XMatters

Driving Intelligent Communications

Challenge

xMatters, an intelligent communications platform that connects business system insights to relevant people and business processes, sought to support its sales teams by increasing brand building awareness through PR. The challenge was to position xMatters as an industry thought leader across its key sectors including: enterprise tech (IT service desks), business continuity and customer communications.

How

Working closely with the European head of marketing, we created a flawless, results-driven educational programme that turned marketing campaign content into compelling media angles and coverage. This programme involved the development of local announcements, executive profiling, media and analyst relations, event PR and social media support across the UK.

Impact

We created a number of quality industry analyst meetings with the likes of The451 and Quocirca. The brand building programme achieved success in top tier enterprise, and public sector publications, including Computing, IDG Connect and Information Age. The company could now compare itself even more positively to its larger competitors.

Cat Phones

Bringing new levels of durability to mobile devices

Challenge

In a hugely competitive rugged mobile device sector, the challenge was to launch the new Cat B15 device from Bullitt Mobile Ltd, a global licensee of Cat phones, for Caterpillar Inc.

How

Following a messaging workshop, we defined the proposition, target markets, and value it brought to its consumer and business audiences, and planned to launch the phone at Mobile World Congress (MWC). Positioning it around being the most progressive, durable & rugged device available on the market at the time, we aimed to capture the attention of the consumer technology, national and B2B media. Playing up the device’s ability to withstand a significant drop, being submerged in water, as well as being dustproof and scratch resistant, journalists and analysts alike were intrigued to discuss and play with the device at Mobile World Congress.

Impact

Around MWC, this rugged device received rave reviews following the UK and European interviews that we set up. The device received volumes of quality media coverage in the national, gadget, consumer, sporting and B2B construction media. At MWC, one national technology Pan-European journalist tested the devices’ strength, by throwing it a great distance and height – it survived! Beyond the media acclaim, the business saw positive spikes and sales around the launch.

Lyris

Mind The Digital Marketing Gap

Challenge

We worked with Lyris, a global provider of digital marketing solutions, to drive market awareness, and support sales generation amongst its prospective customers globally.

How

We partnered with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to develop some unique IP-based research, for an initiative called: ‘Mind The Digital Marketing Gap’, which showed differences in digital marketing strategies and consumer preferences across sectors. The IP, alongside executive summaries, infographics, marketing collateral, social media, webinars and dedicated web site landing pages, indicated what consumers want from brands in different industries, and what is influencing their purchasing decisions. It compared challenges across the travel, clothing retail, banking, automotive, entertainment and media industries, and this was used across the PR and marketing programmes.

Impact

We secured a consistently high level of UK media coverage, from launch, and for several months afterwards, in national, marketing and vertical publications including: The Guardian, Retail Times, Drapers, MyCustomer, Direct Commerce and Diginomica. The media sentiment was favourable to Lyris, and the campaign also delivered a high number of relevant sales leads from research requests generated on the campaign’s landing page.