Tech Firms Focus on Social Media, Content Creation

The top 10 firms ranked by O’Dwyer’s for technology PR brought in a combined total of more than $405 million in 2016, a 60 percent increase in tech-related fees from the top 10 agencies ranked last year. Nine of those firms were up in total billings last year, and all save one gained in tech-related fees, several by double digits.

Innovation key in tech success


This article is featured in O'Dwyer's May '17 PR Firm Rankings Magazine

All truly innovative companies have a story to tell, and an increasing number of those innovators are now seeking communications services, according to Alan Soucy, CEO of San Francisco-based tech PR specialist Spark.

Soucy said that in order to be effective today, PR services must include an integrated approach with a concise strategy for narrative development, high quality content creation, earned and paid media for amplification and measurement and reporting to ensure alignment with stated goals.

“All services must directly support a client's business goals or else they are superfluous,” said Soucy. Spark sees the tech industry following markets that are ripe for disruption and innovation. “We expect to see ground breaking advances in transportation, energy, artificial intelligence, digital currency, and underlying blockchain technologies.”

Some of the places where Spark envisions tech PR growing includes sectors such as FinTech, transportation, enterprise, marketing tech, AR/VR and new consumer technologies.

Alan Soucy

Spark accounted for more than $14 million in tech-related net fees in 2016.

Social media, influence remain strong

Silicon Valley agency Highwire PR grew by nearly 38 percent overall in 2016, and accounted for more than $14 million in tech-related net fees.

Principal Emily Borders told O’Dwyer’s that tech PR industry is currently seeing strong growth in the variety of services that prospective clients and companies are looking for, “which presents an opportunity for PR professionals and agencies to expand their services offerings to meet this need.”

“The biggest trends we’ve seen is a need for social media, content and influencer marketing programs as companies increasingly want to engage with influencers to grow their brand awareness,” Borders said.

Emily Borders

Borders said technology is impacting more industries than ever, giving communicators who work in these spaces an opportunity to tap into markets ranging from digital health and ecommerce to consumer devices, cybersecurity and enterprise infrastructure.

“Organizations are looking for compelling ways to connect with their target audiences. Raising awareness through media, analyst and influencer relations is a key focus area, but we are also seeing more interest in customer activation campaigns, from highly curated, salon events to large-scale customer conferences,” Borders said.

“More and more these companies are looking for an integrated approach to their public relations strategy,” she continued. “Instead of working with multiple agencies for different areas of PR, they want to keep it all within the same team. Overall, companies want brand awareness, which they want to come in the form of an integrated program that includes everything from thought leadership programs and media relations to social media strategies and tradeshow and event support.”

Tools, platforms for day-to-day tasks

One of the most significant challenges and opportunities facing the tech communications industry today is the prospect of determining which tools and platforms to use for day-to-day PR tasks. The PR industry is just beginning to see the impact of technologies such as machine learning and AI, as well as virtual and augmented reality and robotics, each of which open an untold number of doors.

Highwire recently rolled out its Highwire Labs team, an internal group dedicated to researching and reviewing the latest PR tech platforms to determine which tools the larger agency should adopt. With this new team, the agency is able to stay ahead of the curve with the latest in PR tech and test out platforms before they’re introduced to clients.

“The tech industry is constantly evolving, which makes it so exciting,” Borders said. “These innovations are here to stay and we will feel the reach into nearly every aspect of our lives.”

Technology affects positive change


New York-based Hotwire grew by an incredible 322.2 percent last year, taking in more than $13.2 million in tech-related net fees alone.


Greg Mondshein

When it comes to the sorts of brands that are contacting technology agencies today, Hotwire Senior Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Greg Mondshein offered a simple answer: just about everyone.

“Everyone now wants to tell a technology story. Everyone wants to be on the cutting edge,” Mondshein said. “Technology is empowering every aspect of business, from operations, to IT, to mobility to sales and marketing automation. Brands from all industries want to tell that story, and technology agencies are best positioned to capitalize on this massive opportunity because it’s the story they’ve been telling for years.”

According to Mondshein, we’re still battling the old guard when it comes to the siloed nature of marketing departments. Mondshein lamented that PR budgets are traditionally a fraction of the broader marketing budget, and at the same time, communicators are more and more held accountable for lead generation.

“As we all start to pitch and execute integrated campaigns, we continuously have to fight for access to new and bigger budgets,” he said. “While the walls are starting to come down, there’s still a disconnect between budgets, the asks and tolerance for new creative thinking.”