bumper coverage figures, staggering UVPMs & a fresh set of executive profiling social tactics – not bad for a month’s work!
The summer slog is nearing an end, and as August marked the return of many much-anticipated sporting events – whether it was the start of the NFL football season in the US, the football League season across Europe (the less said about my team’s start, the better), or the return of F1 after its summer break. But did August feel like a slog on the PR front at IBA?
Absolutely not! There’s been plenty going on at the IBA office to keep us busy – from record-breaking coverage figures and finding the right social media tactics to get the tone right for a new president, to eyewatering UVPMs – it’s been all action this month.
Medal-winning haul of PR coverage across North America and the U.K.
August is commonly known for the high volumes of out-of-office responses that drop into our inboxes, as our clients and journalists alike enjoy some time off. However, this year, have we really witnessed a summer slog?
Well, if you look at the metrics and the stats don’t lie (unless it’s xG – aka anticipated football goals or the favorite in a horse race!), I’d have to say no. As our enterprise software client in both North America and the U.K. has achieved double-figure placement months, its best placement month so far this year, with many still expected in the next few weeks.
This mega achievement has been fueled by a composition of thought leadership articles on the power of AI-powered network management in telco, contingent workers in the service industry (nicely topical during the holiday season), and the benefits of AI in construction and engineering. That’s not forgetting about strategic press releases on acquisitions and findings from their own curated AI research. The perfect example of how building a balanced campaign matrix and coverage breakdown can help establish a focused corporate narrative, your SMEs as thought leaders, and boost brand equity.
A quick executive profiling pit stop
Establishing a strong executive profile starts at the very top, so when our aerospace and defense client announced its new president, we knew boosting their social media presence would be crucial. We are no strangers to the social media game, having managed their previous president’s social channels, but a new profile brings new audiences and the requirement for a different tone of voice.
As my colleague Jamie Kightley mentioned in last week’s blog, we were recently present at a two-day client marketing strategy session with the new president and their marketing team. This was not only the perfect opportunity to discuss what their target audience was, but also allowed us to establish the tone of voice and industry sub-focus that suits the new present’s social media presence. Also, this session was key in establishing the strategic objective of their social profile by marrying industry hot topics with their UVPs – so we begin the rest of the year with a fresh set of themes too.
Back of the net UVPMs!
August has been a standout month for our business management software client as they deploy their SMEs to address key industry pain points across both the manufacturing and retail sectors. Whether it’s how manufacturers can protect their data from cyber threats, getting business data AI-ready, or the importance of purpose-driven manufacturing to increase efficiency and boost market position, they have scored the perfect hat-trick, landing three different articles in three top manufacturing industry publications – not to mention the outrageous 26,193,176 UVPM that one of the tech publications boasts!
Placement goals did not stop there, though, as the client bagged a retail brace. One for a 2025 trends piece, which was drafted from one of the team’s recent webinars and industry reports, and another for a timely piece on how retailers can hyper-personalize their customer experiences.
Keeping the good form up
From table-topping coverage and executive profiling tactics to podium-worthy UVPMs, I think it’s fair to say we haven’t been affected by the summer slog and have come out firing on all cylinders. Long may that continue as we head into the latter four months of 2025!
Sam Walker is PR Executive at IBA International.
