Three of our Favourite B2B PR Campaigns

by Gabi Morgan

One of the most important tools in the marketing communications mix is PR, and effective handling of it can make all the difference when it comes to delivering a genuinely high-impact and value-adding campaign. 

Crucial to ensuring the long-term success of any business, having the ability to engender trust and inspire credibility in your products and services is essential. But whilst a PR strategy can certainly go a long way in protecting and building your company’s reputation, a clever, well-executed PR campaign can also influence attitudes and leverage new interest from customers and stakeholders in powerful and far-reaching ways. Here are three that stand out for us for precisely those reasons:

1. Harnessing the power of a compelling message
   
   Campaigns targeting business customers are usually built more around promoting the logic for why they should purchase a service or product as opposed to the emotional drivers tactically used in many B2C campaigns. But this shouldn’t mean a message can’t be just as compelling. 
   
   When money transfer service TransferWise prepared for its Toronto launch, their clever “WakeyWakey Canada” campaign pricked up ears for consumers and businesses alike through the simple demonstration of one simple fact: vast numbers of Canadians had spent more than $1 billion in 2016 alone on misrepresented bank exchange rates and fees. Their supporting event in the city, featuring dozens of sleepy-looking actors roaming around in pyjamas all in a morning’s rush hour to mimic citizens’ unawareness of this issue, not only promoted the transparency of their business offering but also called out the need for better transparency in how fees were issued through Canadian banks.
   
   
2. Hitting the right note to hit the big bucks
   
   It’s true some of the best PR campaigns are often some of the most creative, and this shouldn’t be any different when looking to execute a top-rate B2B campaign either. When cloud-based accounting Software Company, Xero launched a musically-themed campaign for small businesses, they hired a comedian to re-write Adele’s iconic ‘Chasing Pavements’ song to fit a ‘Chasing Payments’ brief. Given the challenge that cash-flow presents to small businesses, the campaign resonated with businesses in a profound way. The ingenuity of the campaign secured Xero a whopping level of media coverage, bringing them into view of almost 50 million people. It also led to an increase in Xero’s annual sign-up rate by more than 60 percent.
   
   
3. Utilising every piece of the PR toolkit
   
   When call conferencing and web meeting provider PowWowNow launched a major campaign to promote the benefits of flexible working, they capitalised on the benefits that a full multi-channel PR approach can bring. Great PR campaigns are the ones underpinned with thorough research and careful planning, and PowWowNow exemplified the importance of this when they launched the ‘Smarter Working Initiative.’ 
   
   Meticulous planning enabled them to gain maximise exposure throughout all stages of the campaign, and with some carefully crafted commentary they also successfully newsjacked the eve of the tube strike by providing advice on remote working. Having commissioned a significant piece of market research on the working habits of people right across the European continent, they were also able to credibly include thought leadership into their campaign delivery to secure further coverage. Using a range of media channels and techniques through online and traditional means to target employees, employers and business leaders, PowWowNow’s campaign not only shifted assumptions and cemented their brand as a thought leader, but also generated a huge increase in business sign-ups.
   
   With examples like these it’s clear to see how a well-executed PR campaign can significantly add value and help your business grow. With careful planning, thorough research and some clever creativity, a good PR campaign can bring you a long way towards achieving your desired business outcomes.