Technology

Overview Case Study: Merlin International Case Study: Microsoft “Best of the Best” in IT PR

Our technology clients expect more from us than technology and business media placements. They depend on Weber Shandwick’s technology practice to understand their business challenges and to create programs that exceed their goals. They look to us to help them reach new audiences in new ways. And they stay with us in the long term because we find, develop and mobilize the Advocates who make them leaders in their categories.

A Dozen Boutiques
Our 25+ years in the technology industry mean we have deep roots in a wide range of industry segments, giving our clients access to professionals with extensive industry knowledge. We organize ourselves into specialty segments ranging from mobility to semiconductors, from digital media and entertainment to cleantech, and from security to financial services. Our professionals possess focused expertise, long-term relationships, and experience with the vendors, customers, consultants, investors, media, analysts, legislators, regulators and other Advocates who make their market segment. We find this approach to be the best way to empower our teams’ passions, while meeting our clients’ individual needs.
Our specialty segments include:

Cleantech - Where technology meets environment. Our Cleantech practice is an intra-agency boutique offering customized communications services and strategies to fit the needs of companies of all sizes. Our experience spans technologies in energy efficiency, renewable energy, green IT, materials, recycling, transportation and water, with a geographic reach that covers the key technology clusters of the world and a commitment to help create the Cleantech leaders of tomorrow. Our team of professionals is made up of ex-entrepreneurs, former journalists, technologists and Cleantech evangelists.
Digital Media & Entertainment - Covering the intersection between technology and entertainment, we focus on clients pushing cutting-edge products or initiatives. Examples include the HD DVD Promotional Group, a global account leading the charge for the new high definition format across consumer, business and technical media; and companies such as Microsoft, Rentrak and Electronic Arts who have specific technologies, gaming products, consumer campaigns, or policy issues related to digital media. Key issues range from audio/video formats and DRM to digital distribution strategies and the shift to high definition.
Enterprise - We know how to engage the CIOs, IT managers and line-of-business executives that are important to driving enterprise success in today's IT world. Our 60-plus person enterprise team has strong credentials and in-depth experience across enterprise infrastructure, hardware, networks, databases, middleware, applications and services. We can deliver creative and strategic results for large and small players through a blend of smart competitive positioning, creative program design and intensive relationship engagement. In a consolidating marketplace, we have the insights and the connections to drive the industry agenda in our clients' direction. We not only get the geeky stuff -- whether it's SOA, web services, ERP, CRM, virtualization, data center standards, outsourcing or software-as-a-service -- but we can make it meaningful for our clients' customers.
Security - No longer just a function of IT; it is now viewed as a critical business issue gaining importance and visibility within every organization and presenting an opportunity for security solutions providers. With experience in many facets of IT security, including cyber/network security, viruses and spam, identity theft and anti-fraud/ counterfeiting, regulatory compliance, biometrics, intrusion detection and vulnerability management, we transform our clients' expertise and value propositions into market leadership.
Semiconductors - Our semiconductor expertise spans the full range of devices, from discretes to SoCs and from memory to FPGAs, as well as tools, software, manufacturing, test/assembly, users/developers groups and SIGs/consortia. We've counseled clients in mature and emerging markets through growth and consolidation cycles, and have been involved in many industry milestones, including launching the world's first SCSI chip and 56K modem, the most powerful DSP, and the first mobile technology platform. Our team's work pre-dates the PC, spans many generations of integration and architectural advances, and extends through today's fastest-growing segments, including mobile handsets, RFID, wireless networking and digital TV.
Services - Compliance, global delivery and sourcing, IT strategy and transformation, infrastructure management… no matter what the issue, we help our clients achieve thought leadership within the competitive services landscape. From strategy consultants to systems integrators, local IT services players to global offshore companies, we understand the trends, issues and opportunities driving the market.
Storage - We understand not only what is happening in storage, we know why. Just as important, we understand the technologies, protocols and people who are driving the storage industry into this exciting and dynamic future. Whether it's hard disk, tape, NAS, SAN, RAID, MAID or flash – and whether the technology is SATA, PATA, Fibre Channel, SCSI, iSCSI, HAMR, Perpendicular or Patterned – we have the expertise, connections, creativity and passion to generate the attention our storage clients deserve.
Telecom/Mobile/Wireless - EV-DO, CDMA, GSM, WiMAX, VoIP, SaaS, IPTV, FMC – the mobile/telecom space is an alphabet soup of technologies, hardware, software and services. Through our work with leading wireless operators, handset manufacturers and software, applications and infrastructure providers, Weber Shandwick has developed a team of industry insiders who understand the mobile/telecom business while still being able to offer clients a third-party perspective that maximizes the results of their communications programs.
Verticals - Education, financial services, government, healthcare, manufacturing, marketing/advertising, media/entertainment. Vertical industry IT buyers are focused on solving concrete business challenges unique to their industries: Reducing carbon emissions in manufacturing. Improving patient care in healthcare. Predicting fraud in insurance. We know these industries because our clients operate in them, and Weber Shandwick's Vertical Market Segment ensures that our technology clients can tap that expertise.

With a Global Culture
Our 47 tech teams in 36 countries work together every day. The majority of our clients work with us in more than one region and utilize more than one practice area. This requires our teams to understand how to integrate and translate across time zones, languages, audiences and marketing disciplines. And it requires the tools, methodologies and collaborative spirit necessary to overcome all obstacles. Of course, some of our clients don’t need our global network 364 days of the year. But then there comes that one day where they are glad that our close-knit teams work together every day, and can pick up the phone and seamlessly engage our team in China to execute an emergency project in 48 hours.

And an Uncompromising Approach
We are at our best with complex assignments – lots of moving parts, diverse constituents, covering many geographies. Our unique value proposition is in our ability to manage the intersections between areas of industry expertise, audience expertise and geographic expertise - without sacrificing exacting knowledge of specific industry dynamics. That explains why our technology clients stay with us for an average of more than five years.

Weber Shandwick has been ranked by IT journalists as one of the “Best of the Best” in IT PR. Click here to learn more.