Brocade: Co-ordination of Pan-European PR agency network
Consolidation often means compromise. In the summer of 2004, increased competition in the global storage industry led to consolidation and job cuts at US networking storage giant Brocade. One of the unfortunate casualties of the process was the post as head of regional marketing – a role responsible for co-ordinating the Brocade’s eight PR agencies across Europe.In order to fill the gap created by his departure, Brocade charged its then UK-only PR agency Hotwire with co-ordinating Brocade’s PR agency network and campaign across Europe, managing messaging and ongoing liaison with its US headquarters.
Taking over such a role requires a strategy capable of encompassing each market in an ongoing programme of communication and co-operation. In order to achieve this, Hotwire devised a two-step approach. The first step was to develop a PR calendar to help manage the distribution of global announcements and a report template to showcase the region’s ongoing success. The next step was to convene the first Brocade Europe, Middle-East & Africa (EMEA) PR Summit to enable a face-to-face exchange of ideas and experience.
Before the Summit could be arranged, Brocade asked Hotwire to source a new PR agency in the Nordic region. This was achieved – a project-based relationship - and Hotwire continues to monitor this relationship for and on behalf of the company.
Hotwire then brought together for the first time representatives from eight agencies in Germany, France, the Nordic region, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands for a two-day event in Paris. At the event the agencies brainstormed key themes and messages for ongoing activities and Brocade’s VP of sales presented the company’s corporate strategy.
Based on the new, centrally co-ordinated approach, the company was able to launch an issues-based media strategy across the region for the first time. Adopting Hotwire’s Issues Factory methodology, Brocade has been able to position itself as an authority on a range of market and business issues by taking a structured approach to issues-based PR across the whole region.
One of the major stories which Hotwire has co-ordinated since taking on the brief has been Brocade’s six to nine month lead over the competition in launching its 4Gb Fibre Channel SAN Switch which positioned the company as a true market innovator. During the three-week launch period, the EMEA team secured 25 interviews. For the first time ever - from the Netherlands to Italy and from Switzerland to Spain - Brocade’s European agency network is collaborating and working together for a common goal.
“Over the past two-and-a-half years, Hotwire has proven itself to be an asset to the Brocade team in the UK, providing strategic counsel and in an increasingly competitive market, increasing Brocade's mind-share across its key decision-makers,” said Svenja Habenschaden, EMEA marketing manager at Brocade. “Since taking on the role of lead agency for Europe and Latin America, Hotwire has proved invaluable in integrating the roster of agencies. As well as executing a thoroughly professional coordination programme, Hotwire organised our first ever PR summit and has developed Brocade's first PR plan for the combined regions. This plan will form the nucleus of our ongoing PR effort and is already driving the agencies to deliver results beyond our expectations.”
