Distinction in defence

Distinction in defence

Distinction in Defence

BMT is a maritime-orientated high-end design house and technical consulting firm driven by a passion for solving complex, real-world problems.

Their ‘Highly Autonomous Warship Technologies’ (HAWT) offers a vision for the future of increasingly autonomous naval operations, underpinned by safe, secure and lean-crewed warships.

BMT Group

BMT Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“DSEI was a significant event for BMT in launching our highly autonomous warship concept, providing a key platform for us to lay out our vision into how the complexities of transitioning to naval autonomy could be navigated. We know we have the ability to offer insightful counsel to address this complex challenge, and we know this is grounded in our efforts to work with navies and industry to get under the skin of these challenges to help resolve them. Our challenge was in communicating this to the market, and the results we achieved and continue to enjoy as a result of outreach around DSEI have proven to be invaluable in raising BMT’s profile in this space.

“The results of this campaign allowed BMT to not only reach our target audiences at and around the show, it has turned a four-day event into an ongoing campaign of proactive media interest that continues to this day, delivering value that far surpasses the original objectives of the launch campaign.

“Thanks to the brilliant efforts of the EC-PR team, the paper has gone from strength to strength with over six magazine headlines and four front cover articles.”

Jake Rigby

Research & Development Lead, BMT

The company has conducted extensive research in collaboration with navies, government and defence technology institutions to develop and capture a deeper level of understanding of the roadmap for the integration of AI and automation in naval operations.

Dangers and Desires

To fully harness their work, BMT wanted to launch its new HAWT to the defence market, and saw DSEI — one of the most important events in the defence industry calendar — as the ideal opportunity to do it.

The challenge of achieving this aim was not to be underestimated. DSEI is a very well-attended event, showcasing over 1,000 defence and security suppliers from 58 different countries. On top of that, while BMT had a strong pedigree in naval ship design, awareness of the company’s offering in the defence market was inconsistent.

Our media connections and stakeholder engagement experience, coupled with our deep knowledge of the defence and technology sectors, meant we were ideally placed to take on the challenge of positioning BMT as experts in naval autonomy.

Design

Our main objectives included releasing a new insight paper, and achieving media coverage in top-tier publications.

According to BMT’s brief, we centred our activity around the DSEI event. In targeting DSEI to launch the concept and insight paper, we faced a large, crowded, global event where the incumbent players largely dominate the news cycle.

 Campaign goals

  1. Increase BMT’s visibility within the defence sector
  2. Amplify their presence at DSEI
  3. Establish a dominant share of voice in the key areas of naval autonomy.

Our approach

  • Launch a media outreach programme to top-tier defence trade media outlets
  • Secure thought leadership articles
  • Exploit opportunities afforded by the release of the insight paper.

Deliverables

  • Press releases
  • Press interviews
  • Social media content
  • Journalist liaison

Sustainability

We engaged with journalists before, during and after DSEI to ensure BMT had a substantial share of voice in key media titles over a sustained period.

Article placements

100% of the articles placed were in tier-one target media. Coverage included four front cover articles.

Media coverage included:

We secured interviews for BMT with journalists before DSEI and at the event, achieving a strong and authoritative voice on naval autonomy even within a crowded news cycle.

Coverage from the launch of the insight paper was secured during the show and featured as one of Shephard Media’s top stories in its ‘show daily’ on the first day of the event.

Distinction

Through ongoing engagement with the media after DSEI, we have successfully sustained the media’s interest in BMT and the company’s insights into naval operations. BMT is now considered a recognised authority on the subject and its share of voice on naval autonomy continues to grow.

What started out as a launch opportunity for BMT to highlight its understanding of naval requirements, turned into a springboard for continued PR growth, which went way beyond the original challenge.

BMT’s key differentiator is their research and critical insight. They always knew this. Thanks to our strategic media and thought leadership campaign, now their target industry knows it too.

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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.

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Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Igniting Interest in Insurtech Startup

Concirrus is a UK insurtech which offers digital solutions for speciality fields of insurance — namely, marine and automotive.

Their product, Quest, is made for the marine market and allows insurers to calculate risk more accurately through the use of large sets of historical data, machine learning and artificial intelligence..

Concirrus

Concirrus Case Study

EC-PR Quote marks“Having EC-PR as our PR partner gives us a huge amount of confidence that our successes are being communicated and our industry voice is being heard over our competition.”

“We are now recognised as a market leader within the marine insurance market, and we have established a strong foothold in other sectors as a result. I am blown away by the response we received on the Blueprint – we never anticipated so much engagement from senior leaders and influencers who were keen to contribute their knowledge and insights.”

Andrew Yeoman

CEO, Concirrus

Dangers and Desires

With approximately 174 high-growth companies currently active in the UK, data suggests that insurtech is one of the fastest-growing startup sectors in the country.

Breaking ground in an industry that’s been around for centuries isn’t easy, but it’s what insurance fintech Concirrus had to do to achieve its ambitions of successfully launching a new insurtech platform into the marine insurance market.

Despite the threats posed, Concirrus were determined to release its new AI platform, Quest, and wanted to make sure the sector sat up and took notice.

It was time to bring in ec-pr.

Design

For this campaign to be successful, it had to capture the attention, hearts and minds of c-suite level stakeholders in the established marine community. While the product was highly advantageous for users, the challenge was persuading an inherently change-averse industry that there are more efficient, and profitable, ways of doing business.

Campaign delivery

  • Communication strategy
  • Whitepaper
  • Social media assets
  • Thought leadership articles
  • Article placement

Communication strategy

As this was Concirrus’ first foray into PR, it was important that we began by building a clear communication strategy. The strategy addressed questions, such as: who are our target personas; what are our main messages; what does success look like; and what is the end goal?

Establishing target personas was key, as it allowed Concirrus to acknowledge the pain points, fears and desires of target customers, and address them in their communications.

Whitepaper

Only once the strategy was finalised did we progress to the plan and execution. The vanguard for our approach was the creation and launch of a whitepaper. The paper delivered hard-hitting insights for the sector, propelling Concirrus into the position of a leader in the insurtech field and gaining credibility in a market where previously it had experienced limited traction.

The whitepaper tactic enabled Concirrus’ senior team to collaborate with key opinion formers and embark on a series of one-to-one media briefings, which further enhanced their profile within the industry.

The whitepaper was downloaded 200 times. Engagement came from senior-level players in the industry, including AEGIS London, IUMI, SMIT Salvage, Swiss Re, Whitespace, AIMU (American Institute of Marine Underwriters).

Social media assets

For Concirrus to maximise its exposure of the whitepaper, the power of social media was harnessed. A bank of assets was created, including social videos, images and infographics, allowing the company to exploit the reach of the platforms while remaining true to the brand.

Thought leadership articles

When it came to achieving media publicity, a bank of thought leadership ideas, closely aligned with the pain points and challenges of Concirrus’ target personas, was created. As PR experts, we ensured all these ideas were designed with the target trade media in mind.

We secured 168 pieces of coverage for Concirrus as part of our work, all in tier 1 target publications, which included the Daily Telegraph, Insurance Times, Insurance Post, Lloyd’s List and Tradewinds.

As well as pitched article ideas and bespoke editorials, we made monthly announcements on Concirrus’ behalf. These included new contracts, partnerships and funding, and all contributed to Concirrus’ enhanced reputation as a dynamic force within the industry.

A high-trust media focus

For senior influencers and decision-makers to trust Quest, we needed to secure positive external validation. This is why the campaign was designed to achieve only 10% owned media, in comparison to 90% earned media.

Over the course of the campaign, website traffic increased by 30%, illustrating the significant tangible results of this PR launch.

Distinction

In independent research, 51% of respondents cited industry coverage as the top source of brand awareness. No wonder then that Concirrus successfully elevated its brand position as the go-to expert as a result of the campaign.

Andrew Yeoman, CEO of Concirrus, and his leadership team now enjoy monthly interviews with tier one media. The PR launch propelled them into the position of go-to experts, and their opinion on market issues is highly regarded, with many target journalists now pro-actively turning to them for comment.

The media roll-out, together with the whitepaper, built Concirrus’ credibility in a market where previously awareness of them had been limited. Coverage metrics showed that Concirrus owned the dominant share of voice against their top 2 competitors — Concirrus 50%; Competitor A 33%; Competitor B 16%.

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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.

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Igniting interest in insurtech startup

Informing influencers’ opinions

Informing Influencer’s Opinions

Concirrus is a UK insurtech which offers digital solutions for speciality fields of insurance — namely, marine and automotive.

Their product, Quest, is made for the marine market and allows insurers to calculate risk more accurately through the use of large sets of historical data, machine learning and artificial intelligence..

Concirrus

Concirrus Case Study – Analyst Relations

EC-PR Quote marks“EC-PR’S AR programme has helped us get in front of some of the most influential industry thinkers in insurtech and started to build their advocacy and buy into our vision.

“The greatest impact AR has had on our business is related to the quality of feedback and insights gathered during industry analyst briefings. These have been instrumental in shaping our new company messaging and proposition. Without AR, Concirrus would not have been able to put in place an ambitious quarterly analyst engagement programme that we’re looking to elevate further in 2022.”

Andrew Yeoman, CEO of Concirrus

Dangers and Desires

We were already partnering with Concirrus in a campaign to supercharge its brand awareness amid the launch of Quest. The campaign was proving very successful and generating a large amount of earned media coverage, accelerating Concirrus to the status of insurance market leader.

The company had ambitions to scale and expand into other speciality sectors outside of marine. To do this, it needed to boost awareness of its brand among influential people in the industry. Having already worked with us and seeing the results we could achieve, Concirrus chose us to help them in this new area too.

Design

For Concirrus to increase its reach across industries and build its reputation, it needed to engage with industry analysts. Industry analysts are key individuals who are pivotal to a company’s success. Their opinions are well-documented and highly valued on a large scale.

Concirrus was relatively new to the market and, at the point of our engagement, was therefore largely unknown in the industry analyst community.

Campaign delivery

  • Analyst audit
  • Analyst relations training
  • Analyst briefings
  • Results monitoring

Analyst audit

To kick things off, we wanted to know the extent of the existing awareness, so we conducted an analyst audit. The results showed a very low awareness of Concirrus among industry analysts.

Those who had heard of Concirrus generally had only heard of the company in the context of marine, and no other insurance sectors.

We proposed a long-term programme designed to:

  1. Raise awareness of Concirrus in the analyst community
  2. Influence analysts’ perception of Concirrus and its portfolio.

Analyst relations training

Stage one of executing the programme involved us conducting analyst relations training with key members of the Concirrus team. We also created a tailored and tiered list of analysts we wanted to reach.

Stage two saw the implementation of a quarterly programme. This comprised regular analyst briefings with key analyst firms, and a quarterly analyst newsletter.

Our aims were:

  • To build close relationships with our top target analysts through regular contact
  • Raise awareness of the Concirrus brand among the wider analyst community through the newsletter.

Within the first year, we conducted 17 analyst briefings with 9 analyst firms and 14 analysts.

We also facilitated analyst pre-briefings ahead of a major acquisition announcement. And, for the purpose of specific analyst reports, we facilitated engagement with two additional analyst firms.

Results monitoring

The analyst audit was repeated a year after the first to measure what, if anything, had changed regarding awareness and perception. In just 12 months, Concirrus’ awareness among analysts increased on average from 1.9 to 3.6 (on a scale from 1 to 5).

Areas, where awareness was strongest, were Concirrus’ business strategy and value proposition, meaning that the brand wasn’t just better known — it was also better understood.

All analysts surveyed were either very likely (71%) or extremely likely (29%) to recommend Concirrus to their clients. This was in stark contrast to the results of the first audit, conducted before the analyst relations programme when the most common reply was ‘don’t know’.

Analysts also saw the Concirrus analyst relations programme in a very positive light, awarding it an average score of 4.25 out of 5. They gave the analyst briefings 4.6.

Distinction

As a result of the analyst relations programme, Concirrus is now very much on the map and front of mind among influencers. Through being associated with key individuals who are shaping the thinking within the insurance community, Concirrus achieved increased respect and a much-improved profile.

Altogether, the analyst relations work propelled awareness of the company, which is now considered a forerunner in all its specialist sectors.

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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.

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Shipshape media engagement

Shipshape media engagement

Shipshape Media Engagement

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

Lloyds Maritime Academy

Lloyds Maritime Academy Case Study (brand awareness)

EC-PR Quote marks“EC-PR played an instrumental role in helping us to develop our communication strategy, so it was only natural for us to turn to Liz and Lorraine to help us execute it.

“Their support in building a strong portfolio of material, which has reinforced our capabilities and the importance of through-life career development, has been fantastic.

“We’ve recognised the momentum that has been built in increasing brand awareness and hope to continue to elevate the brand in 2020.”

Veronica Araujo

Head of Performance Marketing, Informa Connect

Dangers and Desires

Following our work developing her brand’s communication strategy, Veronica Araujo wanted to highlight the brand’s new positioning statement of ‘lifelong learning’ through the power of media engagement.

However, the team at Lloyd’s Maritime Academy had limited experience of proactively working with the media. They needed to leverage the knowledge and insights of industry professionals to create maximum impact, but how? The natural choice was to appoint EC-PR, with whom they had previously worked with to achieve great outcomes.

Design

Focused on highlighting the brand’s new positioning statement of ‘lifelong learning’, we curated a PR programme that would help to increase awareness of Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s extensive training portfolio and engage with maritime professionals.

Campaign delivery

  • Identify and target key media outlets.
  • Distribute news releases.
  • Create case studies.
  • Secure feature articles.
  • Gain exclusive one-to-one journalist access.

Key media outlets

The team at EC-PR have developed a deep understanding of media in the maritime sector over the past two decades. We have worked with countless trade journalists in the industry, cultivating strong relationships across a broad range of media outlets.

This meant we were well placed to home in on the journalists and influencers that would help elevate Lloyd’s Maritime Academy out of the darkness and shine a light on the brand’s new ‘lifelong learning’ message.

Once we had created our list of the ideal people to approach, it was time to amplify Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s offer.

Feature articles

Limited resources to develop new content meant that Veronica and her team were keen to draw on EC-PR’s strong technical writing capabilities.

Our years of experience in the sector enabled us to quickly identify the editorial ideas needed to resonate with the Academy’s target audience. We created a series of informative feature articles that positioned Lloyd’s Maritime Academy as experts in professional development, while addressing the concerns and interests of their target audience.

Case studies

Working with two ​​former students of Lloyd’s Maritime Academy, we created two case studies that were distributed to relevant media.

Each case study outlined the students’ individual experiences of the courses they completed, including the reasons why the Academy should be the ideal choice for other professionals looking to develop their skills.

Exclusive journalist access

Building awareness in the media landscape can be a challenging prospect – it relies heavily on reaching journalists who are often inundated with information and emails from brands all vying to be heard.

Industry events and exhibitions are an ideal chance to capture journalists’ attention. For the maritime sector, a popular annual event is London International Shipping Week, where many of the industry’s key players, influencers and journalists are in attendance.

We saw the event as the perfect opportunity for us to arrange interviews between members of the Lloyd’s Maritime Academy team and journalists on a one-to-one level, creating an ideal platform for the team to highlight the brand’s lifelong learning message in more detail.

Distinction

During a 9-month PR campaign, we secured 36 pieces of coverage in industry-specific press, of which 80% were featured in media outlets with a domain authority (DA) score of more than 40.

Our generated coverage resulted in an overall impact score of 301,000, giving authority and credibility to Lloyd’s Maritime Academy’s offer and helping to increase awareness of the ‘lifelong learning’ message.

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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.

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Shipshape media engagement

Getting back brand control

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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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.

XTM International

Making SaaS Marketing Marvellous

ITPEnergised

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Building a Bolder Brand

AzteQ CUBe

Achieving Clarity Through Strategy