Posts filed under ‘Technology’
Generating U.S. Exposure for International Organizations
North America represents the largest market for revenue for many international companies. For some organizations, there comes a time when direct customer marketing may not be enough to maintain the growth they’ve seen. When an international organization reaches this phase, strategic PR efforts can help build brand awareness in the North American market.
But this isn’t an easy task. Given the recent recession and stagnant job growth, the public is wary of “foreign” companies capitalizing on the U.S. market. Additionally, the press is both hesitant and often unavailable to commit the time to learn about unfamiliar organizations.
However, there are several steps an organization can take to improve its chances for exposure in North America:
- Reference Customers with Brand Recognition
Leveraging your client’s customers or partners is an effective way to garner media attention, particularly if those brands have significant recognition in North America. If customers cannot be mentioned in the press, the client can reference them under embargo during interviews, thereby providing credibility and a better understanding of their services.
- Show Investment in the Region
Given the state of job growth in the U.S., the media is interested in international organizations investing money and creating jobs in the region. Positioning the company as a job maker rather than a taker will facilitate better traction in the press.
- Develop Unbiased Case Studies or Research Material
The media environment in North America is very different than that of Europe and Asia. Any materials contributed to U.S. press should be non-commercial and non-promotional. Materials should address timely industry trends or challenges relevant to the organization.
- Leverage International Press
With the proliferation of digital media, many international stories are picked up in North America. Organizations can leverage their international media contacts to drive press exposure, which, in turn, can be utilized by the North American PR team to drive media and brand recognition.
- Take Your Time
Gaining traction in the press can take time, particularly if the organization has little or no brand presence in North America. The key is to develop a reasonable timeframe to cultivate long-term relationships and opportunities with reporters. It’s not about short-term hits , but about leveraging the contacts you establish to paint a comprehensive picture of the organization and its progress in North America over time.
What other tips do you have for international organizations seeking to increase their media exposure in North America?
By Josh Waller, Ricochet Technology Team
Ricochet Public Relations Launches D.C. Public Affairs Practice
This week has been an especially exciting one for all of us at Ricochet. On Monday we named Valerie Carter
as Vice President of our Washington, D.C., public affairs practice. Valerie is a 20-year veteran of the public affairs and government relations fields. In the nation’s capital, she will provide a variety of public affairs services to our clients, which include but are not limited to: grassroots and grasstops organizing, coalition building, third party advocacy and congressional outreach.
Valerie began her career at the pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., where she held positions in both public affairs and government relations for 15 years. She managed Merck’s grassroots programs, the Merck PAC as well as Merck’s congressional education and outreach initiatives. In 2005, Valerie managed the government affairs office for the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading not-for-profit membership association for the project management profession, with more than half a million members. At the PMI Valerie was responsible for strategy and implementation of government advocacy and outreach initiatives with Congress and federal agencies.
Not only because of her extensive experience in Washington, D.C., is Valerie uniquely qualified to lead our public affairs practice. She also has unparalleled expertise across two of our core business units – healthcare and industry — and her insight and experience in D.C. will be a real asset to our clients by helping them to establish a strong presence in the Beltway and thought leadership on vital public issues.
All of us here at Ricochet are thrilled to have Valerie on our team. Her experience and skills will be an important and significant addition to our existing portfolio of expertise. We are certain her leadership will give us the opportunity to grow as a public affairs agency in the Beltway and beyond.
If you would like to learn more about Valerie Carter and the services we offer in D.C. as well as in our New York office, please visit our Web site. Should you have questions for Valerie or about our new practice in the Beltway, feel free to post them as comments to this article or send an email to the webmaster at info@ricochetpr.com.
Written by Patrick Bartosch
Internships in Health Care/Biotech with Ricochet Public Relations
It’s been a while since our last post. The start of 2010 has brought on a lot of changes with our firm. I’d like to welcome students looking for PR internships in health care and biotech to consider our firm and send me applications.
Ricochet is a rapidly-growing business, forging a new industry paradigm in technology and life science public relations. We emphasize collaboration, intellectualism and a sense of humor. Use your life sciences and/or technology expertise in a completely different arena than you thought possible by joining true innovators in the PR industry. Prior public relations experience is not necessary for these positions, but exceptional research skills, social skills and intellectual curiosity are essential.
To find out more about Ricochet Public Relations, please visit our website.
To be considered for this position, please email your resume (single page), cover letter and two samples of written articles to Dr. Nancy Ilaya.
As an intern, you will be working intimately with experienced publicists and will learn many of the core skills necessary to become an outstanding publicist.
Requirements for consideration include strong writing, research and organizational skills, as well as a keen interest in the media, technology and the life sciences.
The following skills are strongly desirable:
- Strong writing skills
- Research and organizational skills
- Strong communication skills
- Adheres to deadlines
- Works well under pressure
