"In a word, Sally's PR activity was the equivalent of doubling my sales force."
Martin Hannah, Managing Director,
Verimation Ltd
OBJECTIVE
To raise Verimation's visibility with IT managers, decision makers and users within prospect companies, to support Verimation's sales effort and shorten the sales cycle. SG had to persuade the market, through the press, that Verimation, which was little known at the time, had a superior product to that being offered by IBM ... but with a budget far smaller than IBM's.
RESULTS
Verimation achieved a l00% success rate with its order announcement press releases. To date, everyone was covered by the press.
IBM abandoned OfficeVision 2. While it would be naive to claim that IBM made this decision because of a competitor's PR, SG did fully exploit the weaknesses in IBM's marketing of OV2 and there can be no doubt that the headlines generated made users question whether OfficeVision was a wise choice, these included :
"Volvo Software Firm overtakes IBM with Memo" - Computerworld, US
"IBM loses Office Users to Verimation's Memo",
"IBM drops OfficeVision for LANs - Verimation
enters the Fray"
"Gartner knocks IBM on Office Software Costs",
"Scottish and Newcastle replaces IBM's
OfficeVision with Memo",
"Scepticism Grows over OfficeVision",
"User Revolt over OfficeVision",
"OfficeVision or Office Mirage",
"General Accident Turns off IBM's OfficeVision",
"Mediocrity in the Office?",
"Blurred Vision",
"Cold Shoulder greets OfficeVision",
"Girobank bins OfficeVision",
"OfficeVision loses out at mainframe sites",
"OfficeVision faces Costs Challenge",
"A Phantom OfficeVision",
"IBM scraps OfficeVision 2",
"Dual Upset for OfficeVision",
"OfficeVision foundering",
"Lights out at IBM's Office",
"Birmingham kicks out IBM's Office Automation System",
"Insurers drop IBM kit".
As a result of Verimation's increased visibility, the company's new product announcements received positive coverage. Particular success was achieved in gaining regular coverage in the Financial Times, thereby alerting prospects at board level that investment in any Office System other than Verimation's merited careful consideration. The European edition of the Wall Street Journal carried an article on Groupware and Verimation was the only company to be mentioned in the opening paragraph.
In the USA, positive reports were produced by analysts such as :
- Seybold - "Verimation Offers Mail-Enabled Workflow and Desktop GUI Clients",
- Ferris Networks - "Memo now in PC Flavors"
- Gartner - "Memo: A Preferred Alternative to IBM's OfficeVision" and "Memo" Broadened Strategy Builds on Strength".
In the UK, Datapro also produced a fourteen-page positive analysis and Xephon named Memo as the "best overall" electronic messaging package in its user survey.
There was extensive US press coverage including a 3l column inch article on page 4 of Computerworld with the introduction : "Having quietly won several rounds against IBM's office mail systems in the US, a Scandinavian office systems vendor is now preparing an assault on IBM's OfficeVision ... the potential for users to realize considerable cost savings appears to be a key strategic weapon for Verimation Inc."
The client saved a considerable amount of management time by having one person handle PR, direct mail and the newsletter both in the USA and UK. Verimation's overall messages were thus co-ordinated and cohesive. Because SG works with an international perspective, the material was produced with worldwide usage in mind.
Martin Hannah, Managing Director of Verimation Limited: "Sally's work has now resulted in regular and always positive press exposure across the targeted IT publications, plus the Financial Times (twice with lengthy user stories). When telephoning 'cold' prospects salesmen find that there is a far more positive response than before, both with the IT contact and with the Board of Directors and other approving authorities. The sales cycle was thus dramatically reduced. This is in total contrast to the former situation. Converted prospects frequently say that our press coverage, newsletter and mail activity played an important part in their coming to us. Our business has undoubtedly benefited greatly ... In a word, Sally's PR activity was the equivalent of doubling my sales force."
STRATEGY AND TACTICS
Every customer order was used as a platform to explain Verimation's strategic direction and emphasise the price / performance of Verimation's products and user benefits. Every opportunity was taken to point out why competitors had either been replaced or had not been given the new order.
Two American analyst and press tours were arranged for the Corporate Marketing VP in America which involved meeting with over 30 leading analysts and editors in the USA. This was in addition to meetings arranged at trade shows and conference telephone calls.
American and UK users were interviewed by SG so that a database of user experience was available whenever the national and IT press wanted material for features. Feature ideas were also suggested and used by the press.
To further support the messages, SG produced a regular newsletter and direct mail.
