Transformational strategy with measurable results
The Work - Content, Publications, Media Relations
The Client - An ASX-listed tech company in a new growth phase
An ASX-listed tech company with a stagnant share price and a virtually non-existent media profile had appointed a new CEO to reinvigorate the business.
As part of a three-year plan to drive the next phase of growth, the CEO engaged Reverb Media to raise the profile of the business, its executive leadership team and product suite.
Strategic approach
When we arrived, the leadership team had mapped an internal strategy around culture development, product uplift, and investment in their tech stack. We got to work on developing a stakeholder communications strategy to support and elevate the reputation of the business through the period of change that was to come.
Reverb worked with the executive leadership team across two workshops to distil their business values into three areas – their people, their customers, and their tech stack - with proof points for each. We then used this roadmap to develop a bespoke communications strategy and started work on the communications around these three areas.
Communications around four acquisitions
Soon after, the firm made a beachhead acquisition to begin its expansion across the professional services ecosystem.
Reverb Media drafted letters from the CEO to his 300 staff and the staff of the newly acquired businesses, as well as ASX announcements and media releases. These communications explained the logistics of the transaction while amplifying the emerging key strengths of the acquiring company.
Over the space of a year, as the company acquired three more tech companies, Reverb continued to deliver carefully crafted communications, in addition to securing placements of op-eds in the press in key sectors.
Throughout, we also deployed tactical and crisis communications to protect the share price and counter misreporting in the media.
Keeping media channels open through the pandemic
During COVID, with the shift to remote working, Reverb organised several meet-and-greets with the CEO for journalists across the sector press.
We also placed ghost written opinion pieces for the CEO into trade press, identifying which publications would reach their ideal customers – and growing the client’s media profile in emerging market segments, primarily accounting.
Publications to showcase client’s data analysis capability
The client had a wealth of data they weren’t leveraging. Reverb Media recommended launching an annual data report unearthing sector trends.
The report was designed to provide the industry with some insights that would help the client attract and retain ecosystem partners and to project their dominance in the sector over their major rival. It contained contributions from leading thought leaders in the financial services space, amplifying and creating a narrative and trends around the data.
Product launch and award wins
Reverb was asked to launch a new product for the business. This included briefing journals, building the case for the product, and then finding tactical award wins to cement its place in the industry.
Throughout our engagement, we managed several awards entries on behalf of the client, resulting in the company winning all the awards it entered including being named one of the top 10 most innovative technology companies in The AFR BOSS Most Innovative Companies Awards, which was achieved on the merits of its new product launch.
More broadly, we built a media strategy to turn product updates and integrations into announcements focused on the pioneering nature of product suite.
Measurable outcomes
Over a period of 18 months, media mentions grew from zero to 340 and the firm won seven awards. From one outlet alone, we increased coverage from zero to 21 mentions in 12 months.
The business outperformed its only competitor in media mentions by a factor of 8:1.
“The executive team has developed a strong partnership with Keith over the past year. He has played a key role in helping us uplift our investor communications, PR and media engagement.”
Chief Customer Officer
The increased positive exposure in the media helped to boost the sentiment of employees – the business’s internal net promoter score improved in one year from -17 to 53. The company’s share price more than tripled before it was acquired by a suitor two years after our appointment.