NEW research from tech PR and content agency Fourth Day Public Relations shows that US technology businesses want far more than media relations from their PR agencies in Europe.
53 decision making executives in US tech firms that are either already doing business in Europe, or plan to do so, were asked about their future plans and past experiences with regards to PR in the region. The findings have been combined with perspectives from Fourth Day’s European partners to create a guide entitled: What US firms really want from PR in Europe.
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Asked what they want PR agencies to provide, businesses listed a wide range of services including strategic advice, event support and adapting US content. While traditional media relations is still an important element, it was ranked much lower than social media support which topped the current priority list at 70 per cent, followed by strategic advice (64 per cent), events (62 percent), adapting US content (49 per cent), and media relations (43 per cent).
Despite the lower ranking of media relations, the ability to build relationships with local journalists was cited as a deciding factor in engaging an agency (53 per cent), beaten only by knowledge of competitors in the region (68 per cent).
After cost, the main barrier to engaging a consultancy was concern over alignment with the businesses’ US marketing (38 per cent).
30 per cent of respondents are currently working with a PR agency in Europe, but more than half (58 per cent) of those who are not, do intend to. 100 per cent of the businesses that have worked with agencies in the past reported a positive experience.
Fourth Day co-founder and director, Xanthe Vaughan Williams (pictured) said, “The research confirms that market insight and a localised approach are essential for successful campaigns. It’s encouraging to see that businesses want agencies to advise them on strategy for this. The survey results also reflect the evolving nature of communication and the media, with focus transferring to online platforms, events and content creation.”
She continued, “It’s great to see that the companies we heard from have all had positive experiences in the past with European PR agencies, and that they recognise the value of local knowledge. With that in mind, partners from our European network have provided insights for US firms in our report.”
The ‘What US firms really want from PR in Europe’ report includes insights from Fourth Day’s partner agencies in the Nordics, France, Sweden, Germany and Poland, to give a flavour of how US firms can approach PR in these territories.
Fourth Day commissioned by Sapio Research to survey 53 decision-making executives from technology companies surveyed across the retail, martech, HR, biotech and health sectors, in March 2023.
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