Helping a corporate-advisory firm and symposium reach its targeted positive acquisition in just two years
Critical PR challenges
Data-center efficiency experts, including some of the finest minds in the field, wanted to escape the consultant ghetto and become an institution of industry renown and financial substance. The Institute had recently launched an annual symposium as its flagship, and needed to raise its public profile to attract a larger, higher level audience and client pool.
While data center efficiency is a sleepy topic for mainstream media, energy efficiency is a topic of broad interest. Antenna won them entry into the hot cleantech conversation.
Antennalysis
The group was rich in intellectual assets. We advised an executive profile and thought leadership campaign to elevate Institute's profile and thought-leadership position in mainstream business and vertical media -- reaching CIO, CFO and clean technology audiences. We developed strategies for the build-up, during the event and for increasing its echo after the fact to enhance prestige for the following year.
Antenna in action
- Positioned the Institute’s charismatic executive director as the “Dalai Lama” of data center energy efficiency
- Conducted pre-conference media outreach in response to relevant industry news and issues. This included proactive and reactive pitching. The first year, one media tour was conducted and the second year we led two: in San Francisco and New York City.
- Through multiple news announcements in advance, we leveraged the Symposiums’ impressive speakers.
- Drove media interest and participation by offering selected journalists a sneak peak at a major report with partner McKinsey & Co., scheduled for official release during the conference.
- Proactively enticed journalists to attend the event, supported their access to executives to interview, and followed through to ensure post-event coverage.
Antenna impact
- Created high-profile expert status for Institute leadership. Secured dozens of stories for Institute and Symposium, including coverage in New York Times, Forbes, Economist, NPR, ZDNet and many others. With increased media attention on Institute, the executive director was invited to write a bi-monthly column on Forbes.com.
- Elevated profile of Symposium among mainstream business media: Attracted 20+ reporters to Symposium.
- Elevated profile of Symposium among IT industry: Due to increased interest the Symposium needed to expand from the Orlando Florida venue to NYC.
- Built strong reputation for Institute among media: Incoming media queries rose exponentially each year.
Antenna increased excitement for the Symposium’s second year, attracted media to attend and write about the event. Those efforts further increased attendance, the level of speakers and number of media in attendance for Year Three, which was a knockout. Prior to the fourth year of the Symposium, the Institute was successfully purchased by a prestigious industry partner.
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