Stonewood, a specialist encryption company, had a great story to tell. The company is run by a retired British Army Officer and its products can have a dramatic impact on the security of data. However, whilst Stonewood was a successful company, PR had made a minimal contribution to their identity and positioning in the market. Despite having retained an agency for over 3 years, little coverage had resulted.
Setting up an SLA that would guarantee increased influence
Whilst an SLA in terms of coverage deliverables was a key criteria of Stonewood’s agency search, it also recognised that securing coverage was not just about picking up the phone and hoping that the journalist would be interested. They needed a storyboard that would guarantee that journalists and influencers would write about them.
Spark offered Stonewood the right mix of senior counsel to help with their positioning and to create a more outward looking focus for the campaign, and a team that was energetic and creative enough to turn this into interesting stories that the press would want to cover. Spark recommended that the company develop both product and issues-based messaging to ensure results, as the team felt the reliance on product stories may have contributed to the failure to secure coverage.
A phased campaign tied to industry issues
Stonewood’s campaign was divided into three phases. The first phase would target corporate influencers, the second military and the third national. The rationale behind this was that the corporate market was the most lucrative and untapped by Stonewood. Hitting the trade press first would lay the groundwork for establishing credibility and building brand. Subsequent national coverage would then further elevate its profile and kudos with core audiences.
Spark and Stonewood brainstormed sources for data that could support the business critical nature of their products. For example, there are hundreds of statistics in the public domain on the average value of a laptop and its content. Facts like these could be used as part of the PR campaign to ensure influencers recognised the significance of Stonewood’s solutions. As a result of the brainstorm Spark was able to create campaigns that included:
Identify Fraud Week – Companies involved in this event used it as an annual reminder that Identity Fraud costs £1.2 billion per year, meaning companies and individuals need to protect their data. Spark suggested that even though Stonewood was not sponsoring the event it could still contribute to the debate and even dominate the media coverage by offering a more controversial opinion. Stonewood’s campaign called for tougher penalties from the ICO and changes in the law. Resulting coverage included The Register, ZDNet and Computer Weekly.
Data Protection Act breaches response – High-profile cases are an obvious opportunity for coverage. The key is to respond quickly enough with pithy comment to ensure inclusion in the news cycle. Spark monitors for interesting breaches on Stonewood’s behalf and creates a sound-bite that talks about why these breaches are an increasing problem, why tougher penalties are needed and what could have been done to prevent specific examples. Coverage has included E-Week and Computer Business Review.
Government errors – Breaches in government security are obviously of national importance and therefore a national press opportunity. One of many cases that Spark pursued on behalf of Stonewood was lost MOD laptops, resulting in BBC radio coverage.
Direct impact through key verticals
The military press was a core audience and the only way to reach them is through publications such as Jane’s Homeland Security Review, read by 81% of senior government, military and industry officials. The types of stories that they would cover were different to either technology trade or national media, Spark recommended creating specific campaigns that would build inroads into the military market. For example, we were looking to develop a controversial but empathetic campaign focusing on the challenges the military is facing around cost reduction and changes to the threat landscape. We identified the defence spending review as a good hook, to challenge the thinking around military procurement and grab the attention of the core target audience. This campaign focused on a number of issues, including the fact that the armed services don’t combine their efforts on R&D. By doing so they could, for example, potentially save over £2 million on each helicopter purchased. Another campaign focusing on data as the weapon of destruction in modern warfare has also been very successful. Securing by-liners and comment in publications such as Defence Contracts Bulletin, Desider, G2 Defence and Janes Homeland Security Review has led to direct calls from military personnel, demonstrating that awareness has successfully reached Stonewood’s target audience.
Stonewood
Stonewood, a specialist encryption company, had a great story to tell. The company is run by a retired British Army Officer and its products can have a dramatic impact on the security of data. However, whilst Stonewood was a successful company, PR had made a minimal contribution to their identity and positioning in the market. Despite having retained an agency for over 3 years, little coverage had resulted.
Setting up an SLA that would guarantee increased influence
Whilst an SLA in terms of coverage deliverables was a key criteria of Stonewood’s agency search, it also recognised that securing coverage was not just about picking up the phone and hoping that the journalist would be interested. They needed a storyboard that would guarantee that journalists and influencers would write about them.
Spark offered Stonewood the right mix of senior counsel to help with their positioning and to create a more outward looking focus for the campaign, and a team that was energetic and creative enough to turn this into interesting stories that the press would want to cover. Spark recommended that the company develop both product and issues-based messaging to ensure results, as the team felt the reliance on product stories may have contributed to the failure to secure coverage.
A phased campaign tied to industry issues
Stonewood’s campaign was divided into three phases. The first phase would target corporate influencers, the second military and the third national. The rationale behind this was that the corporate market was the most lucrative and untapped by Stonewood. Hitting the trade press first would lay the groundwork for establishing credibility and building brand. Subsequent national coverage would then further elevate its profile and kudos with core audiences.
Spark and Stonewood brainstormed sources for data that could support the business critical nature of their products. For example, there are hundreds of statistics in the public domain on the average value of a laptop and its content. Facts like these could be used as part of the PR campaign to ensure influencers recognised the significance of Stonewood’s solutions. As a result of the brainstorm Spark was able to create campaigns that included:
Direct impact through key verticals
The military press was a core audience and the only way to reach them is through publications such as Jane’s Homeland Security Review, read by 81% of senior government, military and industry officials. The types of stories that they would cover were different to either technology trade or national media, Spark recommended creating specific campaigns that would build inroads into the military market. For example, we were looking to develop a controversial but empathetic campaign focusing on the challenges the military is facing around cost reduction and changes to the threat landscape. We identified the defence spending review as a good hook, to challenge the thinking around military procurement and grab the attention of the core target audience. This campaign focused on a number of issues, including the fact that the armed services don’t combine their efforts on R&D. By doing so they could, for example, potentially save over £2 million on each helicopter purchased. Another campaign focusing on data as the weapon of destruction in modern warfare has also been very successful. Securing by-liners and comment in publications such as Defence Contracts Bulletin, Desider, G2 Defence and Janes Homeland Security Review has led to direct calls from military personnel, demonstrating that awareness has successfully reached Stonewood’s target audience.