By Peter Francey,
Chairman
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Throughout its
25 years in business, SFP has used PR as part of our marketing mix.
We have used outside PR help in the past with mixed results. We
felt that the last agency never really understood our business and
that they came up with ideas that were not a good fit for us. The
result was that we received very little interest from the media.
After
that experience, we had some trouble convincing our people internally
to spend money in PR.
However, I have always been an advocate of PR, especially in a business
like ours where much of one's success depends on your reputation.
As branding experts we have done a great job branding Spencer Francey
Peters, but we also knew that wasn't enough. You have to communicate
your brand to the outside world.
We looked at three agencies but ultimately selected Xposure PR because
they spent the most time listening and understanding our business.
We also appreciated the fact that the consultants had extensive
experience with larger clients and had succeeded in gaining high
profile media opportunities. We were very comfortable with their
knowledge of the media and their understanding of what works and
what doesn't.
In a service-based business especially, receiving visibility is
very important in getting your name out there to prospective clients.
We once again turned to public relations because we felt that we
had done some outstanding work with some high profile clients and
needed to showcase this.
Our primary goal was to increase visibility in the industry in general
and among prospective clients. But equally important was showcasing
the talent of our creative people and making them feel good about
their work. This would also help us continue to attract top creative
talent.
We've been working with Xposure for about a year and the agency
has certainly exceeded our expectations. We've enjoyed more coverage
than we ever have in the past Our work with the PEI Food Trust received
tremendous coverage in the market trades, the agriculture and farming
magazines, and we were pleased to be featured in The National
Post. We received many calls from the article that appeared
in The Globe and Mail. In addition we value the feature stories
that appeared in the marketing trade magazines. Perhaps the most
significant coup was having the opportunity to speak at the Conference
Board Conference on Branding in New York. We had been trying for
years to get in!
What impressed us about Xposure as well was their ongoing counsel
on how to position our company and how to tell our story.
I definitely feel that we are getting excellent value for our money.
There is no other way that we could have achieved this level of
coverage, without spending an enormous amount of budget on advertising
or direct mail. PR is an especially important tool in tough economic
times. It allows you to build visibility so that you are considered
for the best business opportunities out there.
Xposure has a great team of professional and dedicated consultants.
They work hard at maximizing results and they never leave loose
ends. I can see Xposure PR being of value to our client base and
will look for opportunities to recommend the agency.
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