Contact us

Insights for Leaders Navigating
Visibility, Credibility, and Growth.

From media strategy to reputation management, we explore the trends shaping public perception and share the approaches that drive measurable results for growing brands.

Versium Brings the Power of Predictive Analytics to Microsoft Dynamics 365

Last month, our client Versium announced the successful integration of its automated predictive analytics solution, Versium Predict, into Microsoft’s Dynamics 365 for Sales.

The product was unveiled at the 2016 CRM User’s Group (CRMUG) Summit, where Jujhar Singh, corporate vice president of Microsoft Dynamics CRM, provided a demonstration of Versium Predict during the opening keynote and general session.

This is an important integration for several reasons. First, it will allow users of Dynamics 365 for Sales to quickly build predictive models that score and prioritize leads, enabling sales and marketing to know which consumers and businesses are most likely to purchase their products or services. Secondly, it allows users to generate new, highly targeted prospect lists from the predictive model to drive marketing and sales campaigns, including email, phone, direct mail and display audiences, with increased customer conversion.

The integration is also significant because it brings the power of machine learning and predictive analytics to Microsoft Dynamics 365. Using the customer data already available in Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales, Versium Predict enriches each contact with thousands of new attributes from Versium’s LifeData® warehouse, and then uses machine learning to build the models without requiring any previous data-science expertise or experience.

Versium’s LifeData® contains more than 1 trillion consumer and business data attributes, including both online and offline behavioral data including social-graphic details, real-time event-based data, purchase interests, financial information, activities and skills, demographics and more. As more sales are achieved and tracked within the CRM application, Versium’s machine learning technology allows the predictive models to become more intelligent and be used to identify new prospects.

In an article from InformationWeek about the recent Gartner Magic Quadrant Report on CRM Lead Management, the analyst firm had identified several trends in the CRM lead management solutions market (which includes Microsoft, among other vendors) this year. They included “a stronger focus on ease of use, redesigned user interfaces, and integration with other applications.”

Versium’s integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales dovetails nicely with many of these industry trends. Versium Predict’s easy and intuitive interface makes it easy for marketing and sales professionals without any previous data science experience to begin building predictive models within hours and visualize a marketing campaign’s projected performance.

To learn more about Versium and its work with Microsoft, check out the company’s Versium Predict integrated into Microsoft Dynamics 365 video.

Here is some of the coverage that Communiqué helped generate around the announcement:

  1. CMSWire,”Versium-Microsoft Partnership Brings Automated Predictive Targeting to Dynamics 365,” Oct. 12, 2016
  2. MSPowerUser, “Versium announces integration of Versium Predict into Microsoft Dynamics 365,” Oct. 12, 2016
  3. The Redmond Reporter, “Versium and Microsoft integrate automated predictive targeting into Microsoft Dynamics 365,” Oct. 12, 2016
  4. MediaPost/Email Marketing Daily, “Microsoft Partners With Versium, Takes On Salesforce,” Oct. 13, 2016
  5. 425 Business, “”Versium to Collaborate with Microsoft,” Oct. 12, 2016
  6. Marketing Land, “Microsoft Dynamics 365 adds predictive lead scoring from Versium to its B2B CRM,” Oct. 14, 2016
  7. Outsell “Headlines” daily email, “Versium Announces Integration of Versium Predict into Microsoft Dynamics,” Oct. 13, 2016
  8. MSDynamicsWorld, “Microsoft readies Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps with added analytics, new partnerships,” Oct. 14, 2016
  9. SteveMordue.com, “Dynamics 365 – A Path through Shiny Objects,” Oct. 15, 2016
  10. Website magazine, “AI and the CRM Wars,” Oct. 17, 2016
  11. InsideBigData, “Above the Trend Line” – Your Industry Rumor Central for 10/24/2016,” Oct. 24, 2016
  12. SYS-CON Media, “Dynamics 365 – Is it Smarter than a 5th Grader?,” Oct. 28, 2016
Read More

CPR Clients Making Headlines

From Adweek to GeekWire, this month’s recap includes client news from A Place for Mom, Interroll, Rational Interaction, and the St. Thomas School.

  1. With the number of adults 65 and older expected to reach 88.5 million by 2050, the healthcare and senior housing industries are adjusting their practices to address the needs of this rapidly growing population. In his article for The Senior List, A Place for Mom’s Gerard Gravallese outlines premium senior-living options and expanded healthcare services baby boomers can expect as they plan for the next chapter of their lives.
  2. Global material handling products supplier Interroll will unveil its Magnetic Speed Controller (MSC) 50 to the U.S. market at next week’s PACK EXPO on Nov. 6-9 in Chicago. Designed to help control the speed of boxes and plastic trays traveling on gravity roller conveyors, the MSC 50 can be used in warehousing, e-commerce, postal service, food and pharmaceutical operations. Packaging World’s coverage of the MSC 50 provides additional product specifics and benefits for users.
  3. Social media has given us so much. Thanks to the likes of Facebook and Instagram, we now have an outlet to share adorable animal videos and a platform to overshare political philosophies. We can even connect with companies to resolve service issues through our Twitter accounts, proving the tweet has replaced the pen in being mightier than the sword. Using data from Rational Interaction’s Social Customer Care report, Adweek highlighted how major brands like Nike are getting it right while Apple, AT&T and Sephora are lagging behind.
  4. Spaceflight recently announced Google’s Terra Bella as the lead of its inaugural dedicated rideshare mission scheduled for late 2017. According to GeekWire, Terra Bella will launch its SkySat satellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base.  HawkEye 360, Iceye and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology also have confirmed payloads on the mission, which is currently at 90 percent capacity.
  5. Although most educators agree that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs can play a significant role in a child’s learning development, there are still roadblocks to widespread adoption. Kimberly Mecham, the director of information and communication technology at the St. Thomas School, explores these challenges and discusses why it’s become increasingly more important for schools to integrate STEM education into their curriculum in her edtech digest byline, “Worth the Investment.”
Read More

A Critical Look at Samsung’s Response to the Galaxy Note 7 Crisis

The Galaxy Note 7 was Samsung’s most sophisticated phone ever, and many industry experts predicted that it would challenge Apple’s dominance over the market. That idea went down in flames (pardon the pun) when Note 7 phones started spontaneously combusting in early September. The risk of explosion was so great that the Federal Aviation Administration deemed the devices a fire hazard and banned them from all U.S. flights.

Since then Samsung has been digging itself out of a PR crisis that has the potential to permanently damage its brand. Samsung certainly isn’t out of the woods yet and its team is still dealing with the aftermath of the debacle, but it’s safe to say that the initial crisis is over. So, how successfully did Samsung’s PR team handle the situation?

When it was first reported that the Note 7s were exploding, Samsung responded quickly on all fronts – it immediately made public statements about the news and issued a global recall of the phones within weeks. Communicating swiftly and often with key audiences is the cornerstone of any crisis response, and Samsung nailed this. By immediately taking action the company showed its key audiences that it was taking the situation seriously. However, it’s critical that the information a company shares about the situation is accurate. This is where Samsung went wrong.

The company acted too quickly and many of its initial statements had to be retracted. Samsung initially said that Hong Kong customers’ phones were not at risk of exploding, only to take it back the next day when it was discovered that phones sold in Hong Kong were, in fact, affected. Then the company based its explanation for the cause of the explosions on incomplete evidence. Samsung confidently stated that the phone’s battery was the cause of the explosions and rushed to produce 2.5 million replacement phones. This resulted in a second and arguably worse crisis – the replacement phones started exploding, too.

Samsung finally conceded that it didn’t know the cause of the explosions and was forced to discontinue the Note 7 altogether. By providing inaccurate information and acting too quickly, Samsung lost the trust of its customers and investors, and stands to lose millions of dollars in revenue. Its stock took a nosedive in mid-September, plunging 7 percent in one day.

The Note 7 crisis has not doomed Samsung altogether – the other areas of the company’s business are doing well and its stock has bounced back – but there are some major lessons to be learned. From a PR perspective, the biggest takeaway is to share information early and often, but make sure the information you’re sharing is accurate. Samsung could have salvaged a lot of trust, and dollars, if the company had stated that they did not know the cause of the explosions but would keep the public updated as it worked to uncover the root of the problem.

Samsung’s response to the Note 7 crisis started off strong, but unfortunately a couple significant missteps led to an even bigger crisis for the company.

Read More

Both Seniors and Family Caregivers Benefit After a Move to Assisted Living

Moving a senior loved one to an assisted living facility is an important decision that most families will encounter one day. According to the CDC, there are more than 34 million unpaid caregivers providing care to someone in the United States today, and that number is anticipated to grow as the baby boomer generation continues to age. Sometimes, these arrangements are sustainable and families are happy to be caretakers for extended periods, but often seniors require professional care that families are unable to provide.

One major obstacle many families face when discussing senior care with an aging loved one is an inherent opposition to moving to a care facility. Many people think of assisted or senior living communities and conjure up images of sterile, hospital-esque homes where all independence and freedoms are taken away. This stigma about senior care has been around for a while and is an ever-present problem families face when finding a care solution.

As the third part of a data-focused series designed to help families plan for the future, A Place for Mom‎ – the nation’s largest senior-living referral service – examined the reality of senior care vs. the perception of senior care to get to the truth behind the stigma. Does a senior’s quality of life go down after a move to assisted living? How do perceptions of assisted living change after someone moves in? And what is the impact on the family caregiver after a senior moves into assisted living?

Staying Home vs. Moving

Most seniors say they’d rather age at home, but the truth is that quality of life generally improves after moving. In coordination with Sage Projections – a Seattle-based research and consulting company – A Place for Mom created the “Family Quality of Life Survey,” which was designed to measure the effect of moving to an assisted-living community on quality of life for both the senior and a family member who helped them search for senior housing and care. A Place for Mom surveyed both seniors currently searching for senior housing and care as well as family members who successfully helped a loved one find assisted living. The survey also asked about the perceptions seniors and family members had about senior living before they began their search.

The results are both revealing and surprising, showing a widely favorable experience despite the generally negative stigma around elder care. Contrary to initial expectations, both seniors and family caregivers experience a positive change in overall quality of life after a senior moves to assisted living. In fact, seniors who moved are 70 percent more likely than those considering a move to assisted living to report a good overall quality of life, and 65 percent less likely to have a bad overall quality of life. Once a senior has moved, they are five times more likely to see overall quality of life improve instead of worsen, and 73 percent of families report that a senior’s quality of life got better or much better.

Additionally, 73 percent of respondents reported an improvement in the senior’s nutrition, 64 percent saw the senior’s social well-being improve, 47 percent saw emotional well-being improve, and 44 percent saw physical health improve. Over all, a worsening quality of life for the senior was the least likely outcome.

When a senior moves to an assisted living facility, there is also a positive impact on the caregiver’s quality of life and even their finances. Of family caregivers who had a parent or loved one move, 60 percent say their own quality of life improved. And, perhaps most importantly, half of families who helped a parent or loved one move say their relationship with the senior improved.

It’s also important to note that the financial well-being of caregivers is largely unaffected after a senior moves, with more than 70 percent of families feeling no change in their financial situation, despite many having concerns about paying for the cost of assisted living. The transition also opens the door for greater earning potential for caregivers. Out of families who helped a love one make a move, 39 percent report less impact of caregiving on their careers.

Media Interest in the Survey

Understanding the differences in the reality vs. perception of assisted living proved to be a hit with the media. The press release alone was featured on 150 different media outlets, reaching a potential audience of more than 85 million, including being featured on websites such as: Yahoo! Finance, Health Executive Today, Med Tech News and The Street. Highlights from the original media coverage include:

Communiqué PR congratulates APFM for their continuing efforts to provide resources and information so that families can plan for senior care.

 

Read More

Spaceflight Announces Terra Bella as Co-Lead on First-Ever Dedicated Rideshare Mission

Our client, Spaceflight Industries, has had several big announcements over the few several weeks—the latest was a major customer announcement. Spaceflight, the launch services and mission management arm of Spaceflight Industries, announced that Terra Bella will serve as a co-lead on Spaceflight’s first-ever dedicated rideshare mission, SSO-A. The mission is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in late 2017 with more than 20 payloads from 10 countries manifested aboard the rocket.

Spaceflight’s SSO-A mission is not only Spaceflight’s first dedicated rideshare mission, it is the industry’s first-ever dedicated rideshare mission. Because this is an industry first and a revolutionary approach to accessing space, people are wildly interested in its developments. We initially announced Spaceflight’s plans for a dedicated rideshare mission in October 2015 when they purchased a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the mission. Since then, we have not shared any updates about the mission. Given that this is a highly anticipated event, we want to maintain journalists’ interest by sharing developments and progress leading up to the 2017 launch. With Spaceflight’s marketing team, we decided one of the best ways to do that was through an announcement that shared information about scheduled, contracted customers.

With a dedicated rideshare mission that is near capacity, there is a significant number of payload customers aboard this mission. Rather than listing all the contracted customers, we reasoned that announcing a co-lead payload and several secondary payloads would provide the media with a sense of the customers on the mission without overcrowding the release with the full list of customers.

Another thing we considered when making that decision was approvals. When announcing partnerships, new customers, or anything that involves multiple brands, you need to gain approval from each party included in the release. Gaining approvals from all of the customers in this situation would have been a lengthy process that would have consumed a significant amount of time.

As always, we developed a targeted, yet comprehensive press list and delivered the release to those contacts. We also placed the release on the wire to maximize awareness and reach. We’re pleased to report that the announcement garnered 13 pieces of coverage in a number of top industry publications and a local broadcast segment. Below is a list of the coverage:

  1. Spaceflight signs up Google’s Terra Bella for satellite launch on SpaceX rocket—GeekWire, 10/11/16
  2. Terra Bella and Spaceflight Ind. contract SpaceX for Falcon 9 Launch in 2017—NewSpace Global, 10/11/16
  3. Terra Bella & Spaceflight Industries Sign The Big Bird To Launch Small Imaging Satellites—SatNews, 10/11/16
  4. Terra Bella and Spaceflight Industries Sign Agreement for Falcon 9 Launch for Small Imaging Satellites—Parabolic Arc, 10/11/16
  5. Spaceflight to launch Terra Bella satellites on Falcon 9 mission—SpaceNews, 10/11/16
  6. SpeedNews Defense & Space—Aviation Week, 10/12/16
  7. Spaceflight to launch Terra Bella satellite on Falcon 9 rocket—Aerospace Technology, 10/12/16
  8. Spaceflight Industries Signs Satellite Launch Deal With Google’s Terra Bella—Northwest Innovation, 10/12/16
  9. SpaceX to Launch Terra Bella Satellites Through Spaceflight Industries—Via Satellite, 10/12/16
  10. Spaceflight to Launch Terra Bella Satellites on Falcon 9 Mission—Florida Space Report, 10/12/16
  11. Terra Bella and Spaceflight Industries to launch small imaging satellites—Space Daily, 10/13/16
  12. Seattle company sends satellites into orbit—KING 5, 10/14/16
  13. Seattle Week in Review: Read It While You Still Can—Xconomy, 10/14/16
Read More

We Have Liftoff! BlackSky Announces the Successful Launch of Pathfinder-1

Last month, BlackSky, a business belonging to our client Spaceflight Industries, successfully launched and confirmed signal acquisition of its first satellite, Pathfinder-1.

BlackSky is an earth-imaging company with a geospatial intelligence platform that Spaceflight Industries conceived in 2013 and officially began operations in July 2015. Since then, the company has focused on the construction of its first satellite, Pathfinder-1, and development of a platform that allows customers to observe, analyze and act on critical global events and data in near-real time. Pathfinder-1 and Pathfinder-2, which is scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base later this year, are demonstration satellites that are vital to informing the development of the remaining satellites in the company’s planned 60-satellite constellation.

The successful launch of Pathfinder-1 was a significant milestone for the company, being that it was the first step to operating satellites that will gather images and data to access through the platform. Given the importance of this accomplishment, normally we would have opted to release the news under embargo to select journalists before releasing it on the wire. However, working in the space industry presents unique circumstances to consider when executing launch announcements.

Reaching space is still a very complicated process and there are several possible outcomes for satellite launch and operations. First, the launch could be entirely unsuccessful. Second, the launch could be successful, but there might be operational issues with the satellite once it is in space. Lastly, the entire mission could be a complete success, which in this case, it was (though we never doubted that!). Due to the potential outcomes, we opted to hold the news until BlackSky could confirm a successful mission.

The key to a successful announcement with a variety of outcomes is preparation. We focused on creating a plan for each possible scenario and developed all of our materials in advance of the launch date. This included statements for the two scenarios that were not complete successes. If either the launch or the signal acquisition had been unsuccessful, our plan was to acknowledge the setback and the company’s next step through a statement issued via social media.

Our approach to announcing a completely successful mission involved placing a press release on the wire and sending the release to a comprehensive press list consisting of relevant business, technology and space industry journalists. We are pleased to say that we received confirmation from the BlackSky team that the satellite was operational and were able to proceed with distribution of the news.

There was significant interest and excitement around the news resulting in 17 pieces of coverage including local television and radio segments. Here’s a list of the coverage:

  1. Satnews, “Spaceflight’s Pathfinder-1 Is Accomplishing Just That…,” Sept. 27, 2016
  2. Sat PR News, “PSLV DELIVERED TO ORBIT 8 SATELLITES DURING ITS 37TH FLIGHT !,” Sept. 27, 2016
  3. KING 5, “Seattle-based BlackSky to sell affordable, real time space photos,” Sept. 27, 2016 (6:30 p.m. show)
  4. KING 5, “Seattle-based BlackSky to sell affordable, real time space photos,” Sept. 27, 2016 (5:30 p.m. show)
  5. KOMO Radio, **Segment not being posted online, however, we are allowed to share the audio (attached) via social media with attribution to KOMO**
  6. Spaceflight Now, “India declares success on PSLV’s most complex mission,” Sept. 26, 2016
  7. SpaceNews, “India’s PSLV launches 8 satellites in a record fifth mission this year,” Sept.26, 2016
  8. Parabolic Arc, “Spaceflight Industries Successfully Launches BlackSky Pathfinder Satellite,” Sept. 26, 2016
  9. Behind the Black, “Pathfinder 1 communications confirmed,” Sept. 26, 2016
  10. Spaceflight Insider, “INDIA’S PSLV ROCKET SENDS EIGHT SATELLITES INTO TWO DIFFERENT ORBITS,” Sept. 26, 2016
  11. Seattle Times, “Spaceflight Industries says first satellite put in orbit,” Sept. 26, 2016
  12. Jargan Josh, “ISRO launched 8 satellites in two different Orbits,” Sept. 26, 2016
  13. One India, “ISRO’s complex, historic launch: From students’ to weather satellites,” Sept.26, 2016
  14. The Wire, “Seven Reasons ISRO’s Latest PSLV Launch Was Significant,” Sept. 26, 2016
  15. Geekwire, “India’s PSLV rocket sends BlackSky Global’s first Earth-watching Pathfinder satellite into orbit,” Sept. 25, 2016
  16. NASASpaceflight.com, “ISRO PSLV conducts SCATSAT-1 launch,” Sept. 25, 2016
  17. PC Tablet, “ISRO’s PSLV rocket set to launch eight satellites on Monday: Things you shouldn’t miss,” Sept. 24, 2016

We are extremely excited for the BlackSky team and look forward to their many successes to come!

Read More