Client Results: Metastorm
Enterprise Technology Practice case study
Overview
For more than five years, Merritt Group has helped Metastorm take a differentiated message out to a crowded and increasingly competitive market for business process management (BPM) and enterprise architecture (EA) software. In 2009, a key focus for Metastorm was raising the company’s profile, both locally in Baltimore, Maryland and nationally, within the business press. At around the same time, Metastorm also began engaging with customers, reporters and other online influencers through digital media channels, which aligned well with our own internal efforts at building digital media capabilities as an agency.
Challenge
While Metastorm and Merritt Group have been successful for years in taking the company’s product message to its buyers through the IT trade press, the increased corporate focus required outreach to a completely new set of reporters. We helped Metastorm develop a broader story that extends beyond product news to create awareness of Metastorm’s industry leadership and unique company story, as well as highlighting the company’s ability to continue its success despite the broader global economic recession that plagued much of the world in 2008-2009. .
Strategy and campaign
To address Metastorm’s business challenges, Merritt Group executed both traditional and social media relations strategies that helped strengthen the company’s role as a market leader. The challenging economy posed many questions for the IT industry. However, given the exciting innovation and business-critical applications being developed in this market, companies like Metastorm continued to survive and thrive. In fact, as demand for software such as Metastorm’s, which allows companies to streamline business processes and reduce costs, rose, Merritt Group and Metastorm were able to leverage that excitement to create compelling stories for both local and national business media.
In the area of digital media outreach, Merritt Group provided council and development resources in support of multiple campaigns, including: a series of eBooks – used for both public relations and sales/marketing purposes – that showcase Metastorm’s thought leadership on compelling trends and industry-specific business issues, and a news blog that features regular insights on the BPM and EA markets, as well as Metastorm news and customer stories. Along with text-based stories, the blog frequently features multimedia elements including video testimonials and podcasts.
Results
Today, Metastorm is recognized as one of the top IT companies in its local market, receiving regular coverage in the Baltimore Business Journal, as well as stories in the Baltimore Sun, Washington Business Journal and Washington Post. Nationally, coverage of Metastorm’s corporate success has appeared in feature stories in the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Chief Executive Magazine, Forbes and Fox Business Live, among other key publications, and the company continues to enhance and expand its social media and online presence to help further increase awareness of the value of its software and its commitment to maintaining its leadership position in target markets.
When they win, so do we
Our greatest satisfaction comes from generating results for our clients. But it's also nice when our good work earns awards for ourselves.
Verizon Business (DBIR)
With data breaches being a hot topic in the mainstream media, Verizon Business leveraged unique data from actual fraud investigations to develop a 2008 Data Breach Investigations Report to further position the company and its spokespeople as thought-leaders in the IT security space.
more...
Synchronica
In 2006, UK-based mobile email and synchronization solution company, Synchronica, was looking to expand its awareness from Europe to the U.S. Through a series of aggressive campaigns to consumer, business and technology media , Merritt Group has been able to raise the company's visibility around the globe and even introduced the phrase "Synchronica Scream" into the mainstream.
more...
SPI Dynamics
When SPI Dynamics began its 3 year engagement with Merritt Group, the company had minimal mindshare in the security market as a Web application security vendor. The challenge for Merritt was finding a key differentiator for SPI to set them apart from the competition as an industry leader in their market. Merritt helped SPI "own" the issue of secure software development.
more...
Pointsec Mobile Technologies
At the beginning of Merritt Group's engagement with Pointsec in late 2004, encryption was simply not a topic of interest for the press. Merritt's challenge was not only successfully tie the application of encryption to other relevant topics such as telework in the government to drive initial interest but to aggressively develop relationships with the right set of press and analysts—Pointsec did not have these relationships.
more...
Cyber Security Industry Alliance
The Cyber Security Industry Alliance (CSIA) was formed by the CEOs of several of the largest security companies in the industry to be the voice of cyber security policy in the U.S. and EU. Merritt Group's 4 year engagement with CSIA focused on positioning the organization and its Executive Director, Paul Kurtz, as a leading authority on the cyber security legislative climate in the U.S.
more...
Microsoft
In 2003, Merritt Group was brought on by Microsoft to more broadly establish the global technology leader as a major government IT player, showcasing the company’s deep understanding at the federal, state and local levels. Up to that point, Microsoft’s awareness in the government market had largely been tied to its products. Merritt Group helped Microsoft position itself as more of a solutions company versus a product company, and as a thought leader on government trends and issues.
more...
Booz Allen TLC (Podcast Series)
In early 2007, Booz Allen Hamilton asked Merritt Group to comprehensively study and advance ideas on how to incorporate new media vehicles as part of the firm’s traditional public relations campaign. To raise awareness for the Transformation Life Cycle group, Merritt recommended a podcast series for internal and external audiences, which explored a holistic approach to the constant and complex process of transforming an organization.
more...
Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton selected Merritt Group to assist the firm in raising awareness of its technology capabilities among federal IT decision makers. Merritt Group’s award-winning PR campaign has focused on four major objectives which include shaping messaging/positioning; developing strong reporter relationships; positioning executives as industry experts; and coordinating stories to coincide with specific business goals/activities.
more...
Verint Systems
Verint Systems, a market leader in analytic software-based solutions, announced its $1 billion dollar acquisition of competitor Witness Systems in May 2007. The deal created one of the 30 largest software companies in the U.S. Merritt Group developed and executed on two distinct campaigns targeting press and analyst influencers in the Business/Financial and Contact Center categories.
more...
Metastorm
One of Merritt Group's recent PR initiatives with Metastorm, a leading provider of software-based solutions for aligning strategy with execution, involved announcing its acquisition of Proforma Corp., a maker of Enterprise Architecture (EA) and Business Process Analysis (BPA) tools. This acquisition redefined Metastorm's position in the market, creating a new category in the enterprise software market.
more...
Verizon Business
In early 2005, Verizon and MCI announced a merger to create a new multi-billion dollar telecommunications business unit of Verizon Communications called Verizon Business. Merritt Group helped Verizon Business plan and execute a strategic public relations brand campaign designed to showcase the immediate value of the newly created business unit.
more...
