Tag Archives | Media relations

Promoting the Cambridge Phenomenon

Objective

In their latest book about the ‘The Cambridge Phenomenon’. Charles Cotton and Kate Kirk wanted to stress the international impact of Cambridge ideas. Holdsworth Associates was asked to create a story to attract media coverage and add value to the event.

Strategy

The concept of the Cambridge Phenomenon’ has been discussed at length and frequently the city is criticised for creating ideas not businesses.  This view is outdated, so HA proposed to use a photograph of the new Cambridge skyline of cranes, to create an alternative image for the city.  We also invited spokespeople who have set up successful international businesses, or been the reason for multinational companies setting up R&D facilities in the cluster, to speak to the media at the launch.

Tech companies with different types of  international impact were sourced and  interviewed to gain case-studies. They were also  invited to bring demonstrations to the launch event to create filming opportunities for broadcast media and interest for attendees and journalists.

Business, finance and technology publications were targeted, alongside local and national outlets.

Implementation 

We developed stories with William Tunstall-Pedoe; the man behind Amazon Echo’s ‘Alexa’ software, Sebastian Manhart of Simprints, Professor Andrea Ferrari of the Cambridge Graphene Centre and Professor Chris Lowe of the University of Cambridge.

We commissioned a photograph of the new Cambridge Skyline to demonstrate visually the ‘new Cambridge’.

Content was produced on each of these contributors, with diverse press releases. Holdsworth Associates kept in contact with these organisations as the process unfolded, providing details of the event and organisation for the demonstration desks, wireless access etc.

The Cambridge Phenomenon - Global Impact book launch
Cambridge Phenomenon Global Impact book launch and media relations

 

Results 

The launch of the ‘Cambridge Phenomenon’ gained strong coverage in the national, broadcast and online media.

Coverage included:

  • The Times
  • BBC News
  • Cambridge TV
  • Science|Business
  • Engineering & Technology magazine
  • Business Weekly

Participating companies also benefited from wider coverage and gained stories for their websites and content for Twitter and social media outreach.

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Personalising investments to achieve media results

Generating media interest with investment stories - CIC Congenica

When generating media interest in investment stories, adding human interest can make them relevant to key audiences.

Objective

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) was to announce a £1million investment in the start-up company Congenica, a spinout from  the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Congenica, has developed a  diagnostic engine for Whole Genome Analysis, which provides new insights into rare genetic disorders. Although not a treatment, it would allow patients and their families to be better informed about their conditions and pave the way for development for improved therapies.

Both CIC and Congenica required coverage of the announcement to support  their respective aims.

How we did it?

The technology being developed by Congenica was complex and the funding amount, although substantial for Cambridge, was not significant for City papers.  Our media strategy therefore focused on the human impact of the investment, and what it would mean to families to gain a diagnosis and hence a prognosis.

Holdsworth Associates sourced patient case-studies, and quotes from patient support groups and experts to build a compelling PR story.

This approach gained coverage in wide range of media and enabled journalists from different disciplines to understand the potential of the technology.

Close working with key journalists ensured that the story was covered sensitively and all key messages were communicated effectively.

Results

  • Extensive coverage on major online news sites, including Daily Mail Online, ITV News and on over 100 regional news sites
  • Interview with Al Jazeera, gained international coverage, and an interview with Dr Tom Weaver was also broadcast on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
  • BBC Look East report comprising a pre-recorded segment and a live interview with Dr Tom Weaver. The pre-record was also available to view online as part of BBC Health
  • Regional print coverage across the country, including Eastern Daily Press and front page on Business Weekly

Some of the publications in which coverage was achieved included:

  • The Journal of Precision Medicine
  • Personalised Medicine
  • Drug Discovery World
  • Drug Target Review
  • Engineering and Technology Magazine
  • Labmate UK
  • Laboratory News
  • Manufacturing Chemist
  • Financial Times
  • Fortune
  • Scrip Intelligence
  • The Guardian
  • The Herald
  • The Telegraph
  • The Times
  • Angel News
  • Belfast Telegraph
  • Bio IT World
  • BioSpace
  • Business Weekly
  • Cabume
  • Cambridge Independent
  • genomeweb
  • Labiotech
  • News Medical
  • One Nucleus
  • pharmaphorum
  • Pharmafile
  • Pharmiweb
  • Science Business
  • UK BioIndustry Association
  • Yahoo Finance
  • Muscular Dystrophy News
  • Nature
  • BBC Look East
  • BBC North West Tonight
  • BBC Radio 4
  • BBC Radio Cambs
  • Innovate UK
  • ITV News
  • Cambridge News
  • Cambridge TV
  • City AM
  • Clinical Lab Products
  • Closing Circle
  • Computer Weekly
  • Digital Health
  • Eastern Daily Press
  • Heart FM
  • Fierce Biotech IT / Fierce Diagnostics
  • Front Line Genomics
  • Metro
  • MSN UK
  • PE Hub
  • Pharmafocus
  • PharmaTimes
  • unquote
  • BioPortfolio
  • Biotech and Money
  • Digital Media Net
  • Driven by Health with Care
  • Expert Review of Precision Medicine and Drug Development
  • Innovation Nexus
  • insider media
  • Iowa Science Interface

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Creating strong business stories

Objective

HSBC had been involved in a number of important deals, but had received little public recognition for its involvement. Holdsworth Associates was asked to create a PR campaign which would support HSBC’s position as a good partner for mergers and acquisitions within the mid market.

How we did it?

Financial announcements are usually dry and of little interest to the regional media, so we decided to look at the people behind the deals and the long term benefit of selecting HSBC to the growth and stability of the company.

To create coverage within the Midlands regional and with business trade media, a series of case studies who had benefited from the deals were created to show the success of businesses – using the news hook of one year on. These were first person accounts based on interviews we conducted with with mid market directors.

Results

  • On target, sustained coverage in financial and business media and local stories in regional business pages
  • Quotes obtained from the company directors provided strong independent endorsement of HSBC. This raised the profile of the team with accountants and other potential partners as well
HSBC - Creating strong business stories

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Gaining profile with investors

Objective

Cambridge company CBL had developed a new technology that could spray dry vaccines, allowing them to be stored at room temperature without the need for refrigeration.

The technology had huge potential, but the challenge was how to reach and influence high net-worth individuals and encourage them to invest in a new vaccine technology.

How we did it?

Holdsworth Associates developed a communications campaign that would reach the hearts and minds of potential investors.

A story was created based on ‘developing world first’ market strategy. It clearly showed how the technology could save the lives of 10 million children within the existing aid budgets by removing the wastage in current vaccine programmes.

An animation was created for use by the broadcast media, and to embed online to explain the technology to potential investors.

Results

  • Widespread international exposure, including extensive coverage on the broadcast news programmes
  • The Minister for overseas development spoke on the subject, citing our vaccine argument
  • As a result CBL attracted the largest ever Angel Syndicate (high net worth individuals) and millions of pounds of funding

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Delivering consumer PR: from tech start-up to Apple app

Holdsworth Associates helped ViewRanger go from start-up to international player with public relations

Objectives

  • Launch ViewRanger
  • Raise the brand and product’s profile with potential customers in the UK and overseas
  • Support the company’s business development

How we did it?

Throughout our three years working with Augmentra, we created a sustained communications campaign by identifying and developing a regular flow of company/product stories aimed at different sections of the media. Press releases were researched, drafted and distributed on a monthly basis to a wide range of media including: outdoor pursuits, smartphone apps, travel, general interest and many more. During this time we built good relationships with key journalists who were interested in the technology.

In order to sustain a flow of newsworthy press releases we looked beyond straight ‘announcement’ stories. For example, we recognised that ViewRanger is great for locating friends on mountainsides, and even at music festivals, and created a light-hearted media story about using ViewRanger to find your tent which appealed to Chris Evans and secured 20 minutes on BBC Radio 2’s drivetime radio.

We proposed, planned and coordinated activities that would raise ViewRanger’s profile directly with potential customers. This included helping ViewRanger support charity activities such as The Incredible Solar Electric Flight and Hannah 100.

Additionally, we arranged support for walking festivals and gained a prime position for our client in the ‘Best British Walk’ category of the Great British Life website.

To ensure ViewRanger reached a wider audience, we also supported international launches securing coverage in the USA and Germany.

ViewRanger at Apple launch event - Apple Watch Series 2 app

Results

Coverage was sustained throughout the whole period in newspapers, magazines, broadcast, local and online media – appearing in over 250 different publications.

Highlights include: an interview with Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2; articles in The Independent and Daily Mail Weekend; and in magazines covering a range of hobbies such as Trek and Mountain magazine, Outdoor Photography, What Mountain Bike and Birding World.

The Viewranger app was reviewed by 35 journalists in a variety of media including BBC Wildlife, The Sunday Times and Country Walking magazine. During the time we worked with ViewRanger, we were delighted to support its growth from an early stage start-up to an established business.

Return project: PR to launch the Apple Watch Series 2

In September 2016, Holdsworth Associates were again asked to support ViewRanger thanks to the success of our earlier work.

ViewRanger was to be one of the launch apps for the Apple Watch Series 2, to be announced at the annual Apple event held in San Fransisco. In a live stage demo (pictured above), Head of Design Hannah Catmur took the audience on a virtual hiking tour of Four Mile Trail in the USA’s Yosemite National Park with the ViewRanger app providing turn-by-turn directions and highlighting key route features such as viewpoints, camping locations, and waterfalls.

Client comment

Holdsworth Associates produced results – good results – which helped us to establish our brand, raise our profile with initial investors, and grow our business.

Craig Wareham, Co-founder and CEO

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