When the world finally decides that your technology space matters, how do you change your marketing culture to compete and differentiate?
Critical PR Challenges
A prospective client who served the energy-utility industry came to Antenna with urgent PR needs plus much larger strategic concerns. As their competitors started bringing smarter marketing to the Smart Grid space, the company realized that having a superior product and great sales team wasn't enough. Despite the high quality of their offering, they often weren't getting asking into bids, let alone winning the pivotal pilots.
They had no in-house PR direction and their previous agency hadn't been a strategic self-starter. A pivotal trade show was just two weeks away, and they needed to start making a splash, fast.
Analysis
The fire drill was just a symptom. The deeper issue was the client’s need to establish themselves as technology visionaries, preserving their credibility as an independent voice in a new sector rapidly filling with larger companies. The client knew they needed to build media presence to increase their sales momentum. Antenna knew they needed fundamental assistance with their communication strategy, and support for their pursuit of a large, new investment round to fuel growth.
Antenna Group engaged the client in a strategy session, a brief time-out from product development hassles and constant travel to support geographic expansion. We saw the chance to help the client sell leadership, not just a product. Tactically, we advised the client to redefine their product as a set of modules and service offerings, each worthy of attention in its own right, that could be discussed competitively. We laid out a plan to set up conference appearances, submit our client for awards, and create a steady drumbeat of press coverage. We convinced our client that this approach was a necessity to keep them viable in a game where the stakes were steadily increasing.
We also suggested they outline a Road Map to Smart Grid Compliance (advice still not yet implemented), defined by a series of ten white papers pointing the way to key destination points.
Action
Within ten days of being hired, Antenna secured eight first-time journalist meetings at the initial event (representing all the media that attended the event), resulting in four immediate stories and ongoing, favorable coverage. We began engaging industry analysts, building up a few emerging voices who helped, in turn, to build up our client’s standing. All this led to badly needed column inches in the national and international business press, including stories in The Economist and BusinessWeek, and a starring position in the trades. Total coverage in just nine months increased tenfold over the previous year. Our client’s visibility soon trounced that of their startup rivals, halfway toward catching the giant multinational leaders. We helped plan and execute impressive appearances by our client at two leading industry conferences. Strategically, we helped position the client as a leader in two existing market categories and one new one, and participated in category naming.
The client agreed to two white papers toward the Road Map goal. Antenna wrote and strategically placed the articles.
Impact
The higher profile helped the company established sales partnerships with industry giants and secure tens of millions of dollars in a new venture funding round. The new investment and relationships carried our client through a slowdown in the US market as their industry awaited announcements of billions of dollars in new government funding. Our client’s customers were notable winners, and sales continued throughout as the client gained new customers in Europe. Analysts reacted with interest to Antenna’s offer to discuss our proposed new market category, setting aside time to meet in person with our client’s executives during the normally moribund US holiday period. Our client continued their momentum by strengthening their top management ranks with “name” additions.
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