CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS
1. Successfully secured 215 articles over four years
2. Achieved tier one coverage in BBC Click, CNBC (EMEA), The FT Connected Business and Forbes.
3. Helped create award submissions resulting in Go Instore winning and becoming finalists for Mage Titans Innovation Awards, Retail Week Tech Start-up Awards, Retailing Technology of the Year Awards, Intu Accelerate, and shortlisted for the Retail Insider Transforming Retail Awards
BACKGROUND
Borne in the summer of 2014, the company’s founding technology veterans had a vision to humanise the online shopping experience. As a start-up with an innovative solution that would push the known boundaries of live, immersive video for commerce, Go Instore needed to quickly maximise brand awareness among industry analysts, journalists and potential clients. With limited human and financial resources, Go Instore needed an experienced marketing and communications agency to fast-track their awareness campaign. As an agency with a reputation that speaks for itself, TechComms joined forces with Go Instore in July 2015.
STRATEGY
One of the first initiatives TechComms undertook was to create easy-to-understand messages that both described the solution and captured the company’s pioneering technology spirit.
With the foundations complete, TechComms developed a strategic and detailed communications plan to provide the Go Instore founders with increasing exposure, and to position them as thought leaders in the retail, technology, customer experience, start up and augmented reality markets.
The communications plan included the creation of press releases, award submissions, analyst briefings, print and broadcast media interviews, customer case studies, support at industry events, and social media content to generate leads, increase potential customer confidence in the Go Instore solution and create investor interest.
Media strategy
To maximise Go Instore’s press coverage potential, TechComms worked closely with a variety of media, including national, retail, trade, business, consumer, business computer, start up and augmented reality publications across print, online and broadcast. This highly specific media mix gave TechComms the opportunity to drive thought leadership commentary and bylined articles for Go Instore.
b2b analyst relations
TechComms also focused on securing regular briefings with leading industry analysts such as eMarketer, IDC and Canalys. Our strategy and analyst outreach support helped Go Instore to remain top-of-mind with key industry analysts, increased the appeal of the company for potential investors, and helped achieve coverage in analyst reports.
Customer case studies
Although Go Instore had limited customer news due to their start-up standing, TechComms created campaigns around key client stories and defined unique angles to pitch the stories across different media types. This component of the communications plan enabled TechComms to raise interest and secure engagements for Go Instore founders with reporters and editors of retail, technology and vertical trade publications.
Industry events
To maintain and boost momentum achieved through other communications initiatives, TechComms leveraged a variety of global industry events, including Mobile World Congress to give Go Instore founders a platform to share their knowledge and expertise, develop sustainable relationships with leading analysts and journalists, and provide them with opportunities to pitch commentaries on the industry’s hottest topics.
Social media
To achieve maximum coverage and raise brand awareness, TechComms managed Go Instore’s social media channels. This involved posting regular updates, including Go Instore media coverage, industry news, company news and Go Instore announcements on the company’s LinkedIn and Twitter profiles.
RESULTS
A high number of media articles was achieved and continues to grow. From the very first campaign until the summer of 2019, TechComms has secured 215 articles. Media coverage ranges across all of Go Instore’s target verticals including business computing, start up, retail, hospitality and automotive, as well as mainstream tier one publications. With a circulation of 46,000,000, Forbes has published numerous Go Instore articles. TechComms also secured articles in BBC Click, CNBC (EMEA) and The FT Connected Business. From a vertical perspective and with retail being of high focus for Go Instore, publications such as Retail Times, Retail Gazette, A1 Retail, Retail Technology, Retail Focus and Internet Retailing have all published and continue to publish articles.
Although the retail industry is a primary focus, Go Instore have extended their solution to support automotive, hospitality and consumer electronics industries. With each new vertical launch, TechComms expanded the breadth of their reach to gain maximum coverage with leading analysts and journalists in each of these verticals. In fact, TechComms worked with Go Instore on an award submission for the Global Mobile Awards (The Glomo Awards) 2016. As a result, Go Instore and Epson were selected as finalists in the Best Use of Mobile for Retail, Brands and Commerce category.
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL
“Rahme and her team of professionals are always on the lookout for opportunities where we can join the conversation. They are a team of out-of-the-box thinkers that strive to over deliver, which has enabled Go Instore to form the types of relationships with industry leaders that consistently provides positive press. Just by the sheer number of published articles and the relationships we’ve formed with analysts and journalists, initiated by TechComms, showcases their industry connections and innovative business practices.”
André Hordagoda, Co-Founder, Go Instore
