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| Engage PR Newsletter, Volume VI, Issue
1 February 20, 2008 |
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ENGAGE PR GOES TO THE MOVIESA tech PR firm promoting a film premiere? That's what happened when Fortify Software asked Engage PR to create a campaign to bring trade and business press to the first screenings of its ground-breaking film, "The New Face of Cybercrime," in San Francisco and New York City. Panel discussions featuring industry luminaries such as Howard Schmidt, president and CEO of R&H Security Consulting and former White House cyber security advisor, followed the screenings. Panel members discussed the security implications of cybercrime and answered questions from the audience. To gain media interest in the event, EPR used both traditional PR tools-press releases, media alerts, follow-up calls to reporters-and new social media tools. All releases and alerts included a link to a trailer of the film, posted on YouTube. Throughout, EPR emphasized the issue of cybercrime and the expert panels, rather than Fortify. The campaign was a resounding success. The goal was to have four to six reporters attend the events, and a total of 13 attended. As of February 19, 2008, more than 6,770 people had viewed the YouTube clip. Stories about the event started appearing right after the premiere in Government Security News, SC Magazine, eWeek, Dark Reading, and several security blogs. Other technology companies should follow Fortify's lead and try new avenues to get their message out that utilize both traditional and new media elements. Without risks there are no rewards!  PR CAMPAIGN HELPS XANGATI WIN INDUSTRY AWARDSNetwork World named Engage PR client Xangati one of the '10 IT Management Software Companies to Watch' in September 2007 and one of the 'Companies that Matter in 2008' in December. Network World editors and reporters create these lists based on their relationships with and understanding of companies, and their overall projected success. Xangati first came to the attention of Network World when EPR launched the company in June 2007. But the real work of the PR campaign came in sustaining the momentum of the launch to capture mindshare and educate the market about the need for Xangati's rapid problem identification (RPI) appliance, which provides IT a first response solution for end-user, application, and network performance and availability issues. EPR designed the campaign to influence editors and reporters by developing strong relationships with them, maintaining a steady flow of news about Xangati, offering briefings, regularly responding to press stories with insights and commentary, and taking advantage of relevant editorial calendar opportunities. These tactics built the ongoing relationships that resulted in Xangati's recognition by Network World.  |
Integrated New Media Campaign Boosts Awareness of Key Mobile Technology
UMAToday.com is a web destination promoting the industry affiliations, 3GPP standards efforts, and global adoption of Universal Mobile Access (UMA) technologies for fixed-mobile convergence. Launched just over one year ago, UMAToday.com now attracts more than 300 visitors a day and over 6,000 unique visitors a month. Kineto Wireless is the key innovator and leading supplier of UMA technology as well as a major sponsor of the site, which has grown to encompass a number of components:
Kineto developed the first UMA Today newspaper to provide a global update on UMA developments for 3GSM Barcelona in spring 2006. Based on the tremendous positive response to the initial issue, EPR and Kineto began planning an integrated PR and marketing campaign to further develop and expand the UMA Today brand. In October, 2006 Kineto successfully launched the blog site UMAToday.com, providing the industry with an online forum to deliver the latest news and discussion on UMA service deployments, products, and events. To enhance readership and expand UMA Today's Web presence, Engage PR provided Kineto with recommendations for blog topics and response opportunities on topical industry news and developments. Engage PR also has promoted UMAToday.com as a valuable resource for the media and analysts, with information on the global adoption of UMA and general market dynamics that impact operators, vendors, and suppliers. Through proactive outreach about new UMA-related webinars, Q&As, and trackbacks to other industry blogs in UMAToday.com, EPR has helped elevate both Kineto and UMA thought leadership. Today, EPR and Kineto continue to integrate multiple marketing initiatives with a variety of strategic and creative approaches to new media to build the UMA community and promote the global adoption of UMA.  Calix Delivers 1Gbps to Subscribers; Engage PR Delivers Big ResultsService providers are deploying more fiber and deploying it closer to the customer. Fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) uses optical network terminals (ONTs) to bring the fiber to the outer wall of a building. Engage PR client Calix, a market leader in GPON ONTs, upped the ante in September 2007 with its 700G ONT family, the first to deliver up to 1Gbps of bandwidth to subscribers' homes. Such high bandwidth helps service providers future-proof their networks, eliminating the need to upgrade ONTs for over a decade. Plus, providers can now offer significantly more capacity than their cable competitors can with DOCSIS 3.0. Before Calix featured the 700G line at the Telco TV show in October 2007, Engage PR and Calix spread the word about the new product. During trips to Boston, New York, and Chicago, the team spoke with 21 press and analysts, who were able examine a 700G ONT first hand. EPR also arranged two days of teleconferences. The reception was overwhelmingly positive; eight publications covered the launch, including Telephony, Telecommunications, and Lightwave. The biggest success was with cable publications, which covered Calix for the first time and discussed the advantage Calix provides telcos in the bandwidth wars with cable providers. This coverage was especially important because many of Calix' 400-plus telco customers also support cable plants. Engage PR also secured a case study with Broadband Properties about a customer that had already deployed the 700G and served as a reference for the launch. An innovative product, direct media outreach, and a strong customer reference secured a successful launch of the Calix 700G ONT family. With all of these components working together, Engage PR helped Calix to spread the word to its existing customers while building the company's name with an entirely new set of potential customers.
Industry Surveys Create Thought Leadership and Validate Clients' TechnologiesIn 2007, two of Engage PR's clients-Mformation Technologies and Reconnex-sponsored multi-part surveys to gain deeper insight into their markets. EPR helped develop PR strategies for the surveys that would support broader PR objectives. Mformation, a provider of mobile device management (MDM) solutions, was well-known in Europe, but EPR needed to introduce the company to key U.S. reporters and analysts and build awareness of the value of MDM. Coincidentally, Mformation had commissioned U.K. research firm Coleman Parkes to conduct a three-part survey of CIOs at top-500 enterprises in the U.S., the U.K., and Europe. EPR used the surveys in three different outreach programs designed to feature top MDM themes and statistics as well as topics of interest to the press, such as enterprise mobility and security for smartphones and feature phones. In the second half of 2007, EPR secured more than 35 introductory meetings with top-tier wireless press and analysts interested in the survey results, and positioned Mformation spokespeople as MDM experts who could provide more color on the findings. The meetings generated more than 20 stories as well as opportunities for Mformation to contribute to MDM trend stories and place bylined articles. EPR worked with Reconnex, a provider of data loss prevention appliances, and the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) to develop three quarterly surveys about best practices for protecting intellectual property (IP). By pitching the press an opportunity to speak with the ESG senior analyst who conducted the research, EPR secured more than 10 pieces of coverage per survey. The surveys also helped Reconnex shift the focus of discussion in the press from the loss of private data to the need to protect all sensitive data on the network, including IP. These projects have given Engage PR insight into how to ensure that client-sponsored surveys receive maximum press coverage:
Kiltz Adds New ResponsibilitiesEngage PR Account Director Kristin Kiltz is taking on new responsibilities that will engage her in more aspects of the agency's business. One of Kristin's passions is new business development, and she is already active in helping to bring on new clients to EPR. Now she will work to further hone her new business skills and to ensure that EPR achieves its 2008 development goals, which include expanding into new tangential markets. Kristin also has a keen interest in the 'people' side of the agency and will work with Human Resouces to ensure EPR remains one of the best places to work in the Bay Area, an accolade the agency has won three times in its five-year career.
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