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Global award ambitions achieved

Global award ambitions achieved

Jul 3, 2024

Home · Case Study · ResQ

Global Award Ambitions Achieved

ResQ is a leading contact centre with over 2,000 employees across three UK-based sites.

The company, which was founded in 2006, helps clients, which include Scottish Power, EE and Vodafone, to grow and nurture their customer base.

The number one priority for the ResQ team is to provide their clients with a world-class experience — something they achieve through their genuinely passionate team and innovative cloud technology.

ResQ

ResQ Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“Award entries can be a big-time investment. Therefore, it’s important to think strategically about which categories to enter and make sure they’re done well! EC-PR’s collaborative approach, coupled with their ability to extract the required information from the business and distil it into a submission that would impress the judges was invaluable support. 2022 has been an award-winning year for ResQ in which EC-PR played an important role in these wins.”

Chief Marketing Officer, ResQ

Dangers and Desires

There was no doubt that ResQ could boast an impressive service and team of people, but what they lacked was the time to shout about it. They had all the potential to be award winners, but none of the time to nominate themselves.

The company realised what they were missing — according to the British Quality Foundation, small businesses which win awards can see a 63% increase in income as a result; large companies can see a 45% increase.

By not entering awards, ResQ risked falling into comparative obscurity against competitors who were investing time in awards. Yet, nominating themselves meant further stretching an already-stretched marketing department.

The good news was that ResQ recognised the importance of its objective and acknowledged its limits in achieving it. This meant they understood the need to seek external help from the experts.

Design

On appointment, the first thing we did was to identify ResQ’s core target accolades, which was a mixture of prestigious industry and local business awards. Our goal was to collate all the information needed to craft the nominations on behalf of ResQ and, ultimately, be shortlisted and win as many of the target accolades as possible within the campaign’s duration.

Campaign delivery

  • Identify target awards
  • Craft entries
  • Create a timeline
  • Win awards!

Identify target awards

Working closely with ResQ’s senior team, we established their vision for award entries/wins. Their target list of 10 included:

  • The European Contact Centre and Customer Service Awards 2021 (ECCCSAs)
  • The UK National Contact Centre Awards 2021 and 2022 (UKNCCA organised by the CCMA)
  • UK Contact Centre Forum (UKCCF) Awards 2022
  • North East Contact Centre Awards 2021 (NECCA)
  • Hull Live Business Awards 2022

Craft entries

We suggested that to help ResQ achieve their goal of entering and winning awards without losing precious time, we would support in the drafting, editing and finalising of 10 targeted award entries. We would also offer editing support on an additional two award entries.

Create a timeline

To ensure we worked together effectively and everyone knew the deadlines, responsibilities and expectations, we created a clear timeline over the 12 weeks before the first submission was due. This allowed time for up to three rounds of edits to make sure the timelines were realistic and that the best possible work could be produced.

We also put forward our recommendations for key areas to focus on, which we carefully aligned with guidelines for judging criteria, and advised on supporting assets to strengthen the entries.

Tangible triumphs

Out of the 10 award entries we wrote for ResQ, they were shortlisted for 9.

Successes included:

UKNCCA 2022

  • Gold Award for Best Health & Wellbeing Programme
  • Gold Award for Most Effective Colleague Engagement Programme
  • Bronze Award for Outsourced Contact Centre of the Year

UKNCCA 2021

  • Silver Award for Best Health & Wellbeing Programme

UKCCF 2022

  • Gold Award for Recruitment Team of the Year

North East Contact Centre Awards 2021

  • Shortlisted for People Engagement Award

Hull Live Business Awards 2022

  • Business of the Year Award (over 51 employees)

Distinction

From picking up just one silver award at the UKNCCA awards in 2021, with our help, ResQ received two gold and one bronze award from the same awarding body in 2022.

The top wins were for ‘Best Health & Wellbeing Programme’ and ‘Most Effective Colleague Engagement Programme’ — exactly the areas ResQ wanted to be recognised for, as these categories highlighted the lengths the company went to support their team.

ResQ can now proudly call itself a ‘multiple gold award-winner’, and we are delighted to have played a key role in that.

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Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

View all case studies
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Building a Bolder Brand

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Getting back brand control

Getting back brand control

Jul 3, 2024

Home · Case Study · Lloyds Maritime Academy

Getting Back Brand Control

Lloyd’s Maritime Academy, a subsidiary of Informa Plc, offers an enormous portfolio of online training resources to maritime professionals worldwide.

New to the business and leading a marketing team of six, Veronica Araujo’s prime remit is delivering successful performance marketing campaigns. Her team’s work is centred around generating leads to fill the hundreds of courses that Lloyd’s Maritime Academy offers globally.

Lloyds Maritime Academy

Lloyd’s Maritime Academy Case Study (Communication Strategy)

EC-PR Quote marks“The communication strategy development programme EC-PR delivered, returned control and authority to the marketing team. We feel a greater sense of brand ownership and appreciate the enormous value of the Lloyd’s name, which had become lost amidst delivering everyday tactics.

“As a marketing team, we are better aligned and empowered, and we are working hard to put our clients back at the heart of everything we say, do and develop.

“We now know exactly what we need to say to support our different target audiences at every stage of the buying cycle. The clarity and structure of the communication strategy, which EC-PR has provided us, has given us the set of tools and the plan we need so that everything we do makes sense. It is still very early days and I look forward to reporting on the impact the new strategy has had on our business.”

Veronica Araujo

Head of Performance Marketing, Informa Connect

Dangers and Desires

Veronica’s team sits under a sub-brand called KNect365 Learning. This was causing a great deal of confusion and dilution when marketing the Academy’s courses.

Veronica and her team had become aware that the business was not only operating in silos but was functioning on a tactical level rather than with an aligned strategy. As a result, Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s world-famous and prestigious brand was not being leveraged to its full effect.

When looking for a partner to help rectify and improve the situation, Veronica turned to EC-PR. Well-versed in the industry and with a track record of successful campaigns, we were perfectly placed to help the team achieve all their communication strategy goals.

Design

In an ever-increasing competitive landscape, it became clear that a more targeted and focused approach to Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s marketing and communications activities was needed.

Veronica had already initiated a quantitative brand perception study when she appointed us to design and deliver the branding programme.

The purpose of our work was to design a programme that would clarify how the brand was perceived by its key stakeholders, as well as develop a communication strategy that would provide clarity and consistency in its approach.

Our work would form the backbone for all marketing communications, and serve as a guide for all activities, including the PR programme we would subsequently deliver.

Campaign delivery

  • Identify the value proposition
  • Distinguish industry prioritisation
  • Develop a brand persona
  • Create positioning statements
  • Improve messaging

Identify value proposition

We undertook a full analysis of the industry sector to uncover and identify the Academy’s sweet spots and establish greater understanding of its value proposition.

The aim was to establish the Academy’s USPs that ultimately set it apart from its competitors and would help us to form the strategy that would clearly communicate the Academy’s benefits to maritime professionals looking to develop their knowledge through training.

Develop a brand persona

Working closely with Veronica and her team, we undertook a series of exercises and activities that mapped out the Academy’s key traits and tone of voice that would ultimately form the brand persona.

It was only once this important work was completed, and a brand persona established, that we could move onto creating the correct positioning statements to improve messaging across all channels.

Distinction

As a result of EC-PR’s work, Veronica and her team could confidently refine their marketing activities to deliver consistency and clarity across all channels, while leveraging the Lloyd’s brand to maximum effect.

The team felt that as well as harnessing the famous Lloyd’s name, they were better equipped to deliver their work and focus on clients’ needs.

The communication strategy work presented here was only phase one in what is set to be an ongoing undertaking of Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s marketing, but, importantly, it sowed the seed for future success, allowing the company to move forward with certainty and clarity.

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Show your brand’s mettle and grow it into its memorable, gorgeous potential.

Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

View all case studies
XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

Net Zero Heroes

2i

Building a Bolder Brand

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Achieving Clarity Through Strategy

Stand-out cybersecurity stories

Stand-out cybersecurity stories

Jul 3, 2024

Home · Case Study · Socura

Stand-out Cybersecurity Stories

Socura is a London-based firm which works to make the digital world a safer place. Socura’s Threat Detection and Response managed service (often referred to as MDR) helps organisations detect any advancing cyber threats and contain them.

Their service acts as an extension of clients’ in-house capabilities and is operated by a team of highly experienced security experts.

Socura

Socura Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“EC-PR’s in-depth understanding of the cybersecurity industry has helped secure internal buy-in among our key executives and position them as thought leaders in the market. EC-PR’s strategic counsel has added great value to our PR function and empowered us to become more strategic in our approach to communications.”

Andrew Kays

EC-PR Quote marks“We have been totally sold on the value of PR. EC-PR’s expertise, dedication and ability to transform our proposition into a compelling media narrative has not just built the foundations for our brand awareness and delivered outstanding thought leadership, but also generated additional marketing outcomes, such as propelling forward our SEO ranking and social media engagement.”

Anna Bancroft

Marketing Manager, Socura

Dangers and Desires

The biggest challenge for any new industry entry is getting noticed. This challenge is supersized for any new player in cybersecurity. In 2022, the sector demonstrated double-digit growth and a revenue growth of over £10 billion.

Socura was a new entrant to the highly competitive cybersecurity market and was looking to establish its share of voice and make its brand visible, valued and understood amongst target customers.

They were only too aware of the threat of competition and how crowded the marketplace was. To cut through the noise, they needed a communications partner with a proven track record of getting their clients out there.

Impressed with EC-PR’s past successes and in-depth understanding of the cybersecurity industry, Socura appointed us to help them achieve all their PR ambitions.

Design

We took a logical and strategic approach to Socura’s brief. To start with, we engaged in a research and thought-led exercise to establish the kind of topics that would be of interest to a cybersecurity audience.

The resulting information fed into the communications cycle, which allowed us to engage with key industry influencers and highly respected journalists within the sector.

Campaign Delivery

  • Brilliant Ideas Bank
  • Insight paper
  • Media outreach
  • Article placement

Brilliant Ideas Bank

Our proposed PR launch programme began with a Brilliant Ideas Bank — a repository of engaging ideas for thought leadership and industry commentary.

The ideas all tied in with issues concerning the industry at the current time and allowed us to convey Socura’s key messages to ensure their expertise was clearly communicated.

Insight Paper

An insight paper followed. This was titled ‘Cyber Security in a Post-Pandemic World’ and gave Socura the ideal opportunity to engage with their target media and show the extent of their relevance and knowledge.

The content of the paper provided valuable, free content for readers and further cemented Socura’s position as an expert in the field of cybersecurity.

Media outreach

Finally for the launch campaign, we carried out a highly targeted proactive media outreach that secured thought leadership articles, media interviews and brand mentions in the cybersecurity press, as well as the healthcare press — two sectors that were key for Socura.

Article Placement

The media outreach programme succeeded in generating coverage in tier 1 tech publications which included:

  • Information Age
  • PCR
  • CISO Mag
  • Infosecurity Magazine
  • HealthTech Digital
  • Tech Native

And

  • Influencer recognition on social media by the likes of Lisa Forte, a high-profile UK cybersecurity influencer.

Website traffic

There were also clear improvements to website traffic as a direct result of the PR launch. Visits to the website increased significantly — by 32%, while web page engagement was up by 54%, and engagement rate per web session increased by 89%.

Distinction

The PR launch we conducted translated Socura’s challenge into actions which produced tangible outcomes across the marketing spectrum. As a result, Socura was able to firmly position itself as a cybersecurity thought leader with a strong focus on healthcare.

The real risk for this new player in the market was that their launch would fall flat, being stifled by the noise coming from the established. With EC-PR’s help, the opposite happened. Socura started to become a known name in the industry within just months of launch, enjoying a strong share of voice, high visibility, and powerful brand impact — sturdy foundations to build even more communications success in the future.

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Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

View all case studies
XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

Net Zero Heroes

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Building a Bolder Brand

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Achieving Clarity Through Strategy

From launch to leader

From launch to leader

Jul 3, 2024

Home · Case Study · Mason Advisory

From Launch to Leader

Mason Advisory is an independent and award-winning IT consultancy that specialises in helping businesses solve complex problems through the intelligent use of IT.

Established 20 years ago, Mason Advisory operates worldwide, serving various industries including education, government, legal, retail and FMCG among many others.

Mason Advisory

Mason Advisory Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“The Mason Advisory cybersecurity brand profile has grown significantly, with regular commentary in key press. Our straight-talking, clarity of thought and problem-solving credentials are communicated consistently. The recognition that our brand receives in the media ensures our consultants are considered critical partners in a highly competitive market.”

Steve Watmough

Chief Executive, Mason Advisory

Dangers and Desires

Mason Advisory saw an opportunity in the form of introducing a new cybersecurity service to its existing offering. The in-house experts were hired and put in place, and systems were ready to go. Being new to the market, however, Mason Advisory lacked a vital ingredient that proved to be barrier to success — presence in the cybersecurity market.

The solution came in the form of a media campaign provided by EC-PR. As technology PR experts, we were appointed to launch the company’s new cybersecurity service by establishing an online media presence. The objective was to make Mason Advisory visible and show that their offering was credible, despite them being new market entrants.

Design

Implementing a new media campaign begins at the strategy level. We kicked off proceedings by conducting research into the target audience and the media they consumed. We then performed an in-depth analysis into the topics covered by the publications and the frequency with which certain subtopics were discussed.

The next stage was to make tactical decisions based upon our findings, which formed the basis of our outreach programme.

Campaign delivery

  • Identifying issues
  • Interviews with the team
  • Media outreach
  • Expert articles

Identifying issues

The first step in our approach was to identify the most pressing issues facing the c-suite that would also interest cybersecurity media. The topics had to tie in with Mason Advisory’s key messages and act as a vehicle to transport them to the target audience in a way that was presented as valuable content to the reader.

Interviews with the team

Once we’d collated the main issues, we interviewed Mason Advisory’s cybersecurity experts. Using the quick and easy method of video interviews, we gathered insights without imposing too much on the team’s time. Our questions were sent in advance to maximise the meeting time and ensure the interviews were highly productive.

Media outreach

We delivered a focused media outreach campaign, which targeted relevant article pitches at key media titles. Through liaison with journalists, we established specifications and the required writing style to deliver high-quality content that was publication ready.

Expert articles

A key advantage of working with EC-PR is our technical knowhow and our ability to write about complex issues in a way which appeals to the media. Our team of writers got to work on composing the agreed articles. This approach saved our client a great deal of time and made sure that the copy was delivered in an appropriate journalistic style.

Placed articles

We produced 27 articles within the short (10 months) duration and 1 video introducing the client’s new cybersecurity service.

100% of the media articles we placed were in target tier 1 titles, and we arranged press interviews with 2 of Mason Advisory’s subject matter experts.

Tone of voice

The tone of voice and style we adopted was expertise with no nonsense. This became a recognisable characteristic of the articles and provided readers with easy-to-access and no-frills material, which got to the root of their problems quickly.

Distinction

The straight-talking tone of voice we used was enjoyed by Mason Advisory, who felt it aligned well with the problem-solving approach they were known for.

Mason Advisory’s CEO commented specifically that, because of our media campaign, their consultants are now viewed as critical partners in what is a highly competitive market — an outcome he directly attributed to the media coverage we generated.

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Show your brand’s mettle and grow it into its memorable, gorgeous potential.

Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

View all case studies
XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

Net Zero Heroes

2i

Building a Bolder Brand

AzteQ CUBe

Achieving Clarity Through Strategy

Positive supply chain reaction

Positive supply chain reaction

Jul 3, 2024

Home · Case Study · SELIS

Positive Supply Chain Reaction

SELIS (the Shared European Logistics Intelligent Information Space) was a three-year €17 million research project funded by the European Commission.

The project strived to bring together 37 partners from across Europe including research organisations, SMEs and large industry players. SELIS’ role was to deliver an open source, cloud-based intelligence platform for logistics collaboration.

SELIIS

SELIS Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“EC-PR has quickly grasped the complexities of the SELIS project and managed to transform them into a compelling media narrative.

“By building strong connections with our project partners and bringing them into media activities, they have strengthened the credibility of our story, which is important for future commercialisation of the project’s innovations. The results generated have been impressive.”

Dr. Takis Katsoulakos

MD, Inlecom Systems, the SELIS project coordinating partner

The aims of the project were to motivate faster, more efficient, flexible and sustainable supply chain ecosystems across Europe.

Dangers and Desires

After three years of promoting the project while it was in its research and development phase, the SELIS project team had experienced very limited success in raising awareness of the project among its key target audience.

The logistics community, which was set to be the main adopter and beneficiary of the project’s innovative platform, was largely unaware of the strides the project was making and SELIS wanted to change this. A new approach was required. It was time to call in EC-PR.

Design

Reaching the logistics community was pivotal to the success of the SELIS project. With this goal in mind, we devised an intensive three-month proactive media outreach programme that would target key journalists and influencers in the sector and raise awareness of the project across Europe.

Campaign Delivery

  • Profiling key journalists and influencers
  • Securing article placements
  • Arranging media interviews
  • Developing news announcements
  • Creating thought leadership articles and blogs

Targeting key journalists and influencers

Using our PR expertise and global database of journalists and influencers, we set to work creating a list of key media outlets and individuals across Europe who had an active interest in the logistics industry and could help spread the word about the SELIS project.

Securing article placements

Once our list was complete, we set about creating a series of outreach articles and news stories that celebrated the successful conclusion of the SELIS project and promoted the commercial benefits of adopting SELIS’ logistics collaboration models.

After an intensive and brief ramp-up period, the PR programme swiftly generated the first tangible results. This included press coverage in tier 1 media outlets, such as Forbes and Intelligent CIO.

Thought leadership articles

To generate further interest and highlight the benefits of the SELIS project, we created a series of expert articles featuring comment and insight from Dr. Takis Katsoulakos and Makis Kouloumbis of Inlecom Systems (the SELIS project coordinating partner).

As a result, we secured coverage across numerous industry outlets, including JOC.com, Logistics Voices, Supply Chain News, Computer Weekly and TechTarget.

Media interviews

To endorse the benefits of the SELIS project among its key target industry, we communicated the results of the SELIS ‘Living Labs’ (real-life testing environments) through a series of press interviews with key Living Labs partners from the industry and academia.

Distinction

In total, as a result of our targeted approach, we secured 15 pieces of coverage in trade and tier 1 business publications, 4 interviews with SELIS project partners, 3 feature articles in key industry outlets and 1 expert speaking opportunity.

Through the media networking that was built and exposure in target publications, SELIS succeeded in reaching their most desired audience, getting their message across and laying fertile ground for future communications.

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Show your brand’s mettle and grow it into its memorable, gorgeous potential.

Our Case Studies

We work closely with our clients to understand their unique challenges and goals, and develop tailored strategies that deliver measurable results.

Our case studies showcase a range of successful projects, including increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and establishing thought leadership in their respective industries.

Our experienced PR professionals have a wealth of knowledge and expertise, which they bring to each project, ensuring that our clients receive the best possible service. We use a data-driven approach to track and measure the success of each campaign, providing our clients with clear and transparent reporting.

Whether you are a start-up or an established business, our case studies demonstrate the value of effective PR and the impact it can have on your business.

View all case studies
XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

Net Zero Heroes

2i

Building a Bolder Brand

AzteQ CUBe

Achieving Clarity Through Strategy