NetScout SystemsA leading provider of infrastructure performance management solutions.IndustryNetScout Systems was founded in 1984 and is now one of world’s premier providers of unified network and application performance management technology and solutions.
Business ChallengeAs one of the leading publicly traded companies in the network performance management industry, NetScout serves more than 3,500 customers in locations across North America, Europe and Asia.NetScout wanted to expand its PR program beyond traditional press releases about new products and technologies. The new goal was to focus on building relationships with key media and analysts that would lead to in-depth coverage for the company, its product and its customers. NetScout looked to Schwartz to execute a creative, successful and sustainable PR program that would strengthen NetScout’s leadership position with technology and investor audiences.
Schwartz PR Strategy- Schwartz understood that the enterprise network performance management market was a crowded one, filled with large-scale platform vendors and tiny niche specialists. Because of this crowded space, it was important to gain a clear understanding of how the market perceived NetScout and determine its level of knowledge about the company’s products and corporate strategy.
- Schwartz conducted an independent audit of target media and analysts. The results provided what would become one of the most successful keystones of the PR program—reporters wanted to hear directly from NetScout customers.
- Schwartz worked quickly to build a NetScout customer reference program from the ground up. Working with a list of 3,500 NetScout customers worldwide, Schwartz set out to identify the case studies that would be of most interest to the media.
- Schwartz worked with NetScout to create a customer screening process and reference program that would involve sales, marketing and PR and consistently bring new customer success stories to the forefront.
- Schwartz’ ultimate goal was to germinate proactive, non news-driven media coverage that highlighted NetScout’s key product messages and positioned the company’s customers as leaders in their fields. The customer strategy would support and augment a PR program that included corporate and product news announcements, analyst relations and an executive speaking program.
Results- Within the first year of the customer reference program, Schwartz spoke directly with dozens of NetScout customers to learn about their use of nGenius and solicit their interest in sharing their story with the media.
- Schwartz conducted the screenings, wrote press releases and drafted customer summaries for use with the media.
- The Schwartz customer reference program netted immediate media results for NetScout. Schwartz secured two InternetWeek stories and an InfoWorld Hot 100 Award for a NetScout customer in the financial services industry. Schwartz also placed the customer in Computerworld and secured a standalone case study in Enterprise Systems.
- Schwartz had similar “repeat results” for a NetScout customer in the hotel and casino industry. The public relations agency successfully garnered positive, standalone coverage for NetScout and the customer in Computerworld and Network Magazine and nominated the customer for an InfoWorld Hot 100 Award, which it won.
- One of the crowing moments of the customer program came when Network World asked a NetScout customer to reveal his “Fave Rave” in the publication's “The Best Issue.” The customer, with 16 years of networking experience, claimed nGenius as his favorite network management product and commented, “nGenius is the best because it reduces our downtime, which is money to us.”
- As the NetScout customer program enters its third year, the list of customer references and standalone media coverage continues to grow, making it an incredibly successfully piece of NetScout’s overall public relations program.
|
