What is it you do?

Even though we consider ourselves good communicators, we find it hard to describe what we do. Partly because what we do varies according to the client and partly because much of our work is intangible and hard to measure (although we are getting better at putting value on it).

In short, clients hire us to build and implement a communications program that increases visibility and credibility for the company.  We typically lead with public relations and augment that with a range of digital marketing services depending on business objectives. 

So, our day-to-day activities vary based on the client however the core value we bring is our experience, intellect and ideas.   

We think before we act. We understand the value of a company's reputation and work to improve it with every communications tactic.  We know that it is the intangible aspects of a business that ultimately sets it apart - so helping companies build and manage their reputation and personality is core to what we do.

Other ways to express this: 

• We help companies manage and leverage their personality/reputation/brand/presence in a way that makes them more effective in the world.
• We help companies use their personality and reputation to create value (for them and their key audiences) 

Every company has a personality and a reputation.  While these are intangible concepts, they are essential to all aspects of its operations and success.  

At our core we are a public relations firm that has morphed into a digital marketing agency.  We define marketing in a very broad way "“ starting with a communication strategy that supports the company's business goals and helps it elevate the value of the brand. 

Reputation is an intangible thing "“ it is the set of beliefs/opinions that are held about a person or company.

All companies have a personality, a voice, a feeling/projection they give to their audiences (which are normally: customers, investors, employees, potential employees, industry influencers, media, community, partners). You can choose to manage this or let it be created for you. 

How to think about Wired Island and what we do for clients.

Our clients have brilliant ideas/products/services that they are working hard to bring to the market.  Everyone inside the company is rallying around the same goals and focused on the same things.  When it comes to marketing and hiring an outside company to support your efforts - you want to know that they care as much about your business as you do. This is what you get when you partner with Wired Island.  We think about your business like you do and know how to become a seamless, effective extension of your team.  We know the value of working together to accomplish a common goal.  So, when you hire Wired Island you are bringing on board a group of communications professionals who will not only execute on marketing programs for you but will always be thinking about your business and how to move to the next level (even if it extends beyond our scope of expertise: marketing).

(Point here is clients hire WI not just to get a set of deliverables or activities "“ but for our experience and the thinking we put into our work for them)

What is the typical engagement model for working with WI?

We've been working in the service business for a long time and have had the most success with long-term business partnerships.  We like to boast that it is common for Wired Island to work with clients for decades (we worked with Xilinx for 17 years; Optomec for 13; Coventor for 9) and have had clients who have been repeats.  This speaks to our model, which is primarily relationship based.  Our clients all have a technical story and by working together with them on a consistent basis we are better able to fully understand all the nuances and build an effective narrative that builds and grows as the story develops.  

With this in mind "“ we prefer to engage with clients over a period of six months to a year, with the option to extend.  Based on the client's business goals, we identify the top one to three communications goals that guide our efforts and then establish more measurable KPIs.  From here we set a base monthly fee that enables us to provide consistent effort and service to the client (the fee is based on an estimated average level of support needed with the understanding that at times the service level may be somewhat higher or lower.  If/when the service level exceeds the estimated time by more than 15% we bill for this in addition to the monthly fee).  This provides both the client and us a predictable base for operations. Our base monthly fee starts at $4,000 USD. 

(I want to put a number here so we have a starting point and to rule out tire-kickers or clients that don't want to commit. Also if we put this on our site our existing clients will see it)

Why don't you work on a project basis?

We understand that projects are a good way to work for a lot of businesses "“ but the nature of what we do is hard to package into a one-time project.   We prefer to work over longer horizons so that we can build the relationships needed and achieve the most lasting results.  We can work on a project basis "“ especially if tangible goals and a scope of work is established.  

What does it take to be successful with Wired Island?

Wired Island measures its success by the success of our clients.  While we celebrate one-off wins and want to make sure we collectively learn by any misses "“ we see success as something that is continuously developing.  This means as our clients grow we grow and want to be able to continue to be part of the journey.   Success for us is working with clients over a 10 year or more period "“ helping the grow, evolve and dominate their category"¦

(my point here is that the partnership/relationship is how we judge and measure our success "“ while we like to get big hits "“ what we feel most proud of is the relationships we have).

What services do you provide?

Wired Island is a core team of communications professionals with backgrounds in PR and journalism that can also extend to a network of trusted consultants who specialize in other marketing domains.  However, before we put any marketing programs in place, we begin with the why?  We always lead with the why?  Why are you communicating what do you want to achieve? Why will anyone outside of the company care about what you have to say?  WIIFT (What's in it for Them). We know that you know what you want to say "“our job is helping you say it in a way that your key audiences care about.  With this background here is how we talk about the services we provide "“ they fall into three categories:   

• Idea generation and advice
  • Based on the business goals we brainstorm ways to achieve them through communications "“ where and how we will do X, Y, Z "“ this usually results is a plan 
  • Messaging platform "“ how to talk to key audiences - this involved developing key positioning statements and messaging pillars for story development
  • Advice and input on how to leverage other opportunities; address communications challenges, react to the unexpected
• PR Program Development and Implementation
  • Developing press materials (news releases, backgrounders, abstracts, etc)
  • Press and media relations (developing relationships with key media contacts, attaining earned media coverage)
  • Event support (speaking opps; tradeshows) 
• Digital Marketing 
  • Social Media Management
  • Influencer Relations (micro and macro"“analysts, bloggers, etc)
  • Content development 
  • Inbound marketing PPC ads; lead funnel)
  • SEO

(idea here is that we sell our thoughts/advice and experience as equal to our ability to execute these activities) 

Cheddar TV, a live-streaming business network, interviewed our client live from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. In addition to being available on the streaming feed, the interview resulted in two different video recaps watched by their audience of saavy start-ups and businessmen and women. The interviewed covered Back Market's exponential growth and success in the US, as well as their overall mission to reduce e-waste and educate consumers on their reliable refurbished options.

Read the Full Article Here >

Next time you go to buy a cell phone - think about it and consider buying refurbished. This is the mission of our client Back Market. And, it's efforts to make all of us more conscientious consumers and supporters of the circular economy has won the company industry recognition. Back Market has earned the standing of number 2 on the 2019 Most Innovative Companies List in Europe. The list honors the businesses making the most profound impact on both industry and culture, showcasing a variety of ways to thrive in today's volatile world. Wired Island identified this opportunity last Fall and worked with our client to write and submit the application.

View the Full Article Here >

Wired Island introduced The Washington Post's tech columnist to Back Market in early 2019, during the release of their certified pre-owned collection. After a short conversation with our client, the journalist reached back out to arrange a review. Not only was Back Market included with major brands such as Apple, eBay, and Amazon, the headline and introduction to the article included much of the client's value and cause messaging around reducing waste.

Read the entire article and how they stacked up against the big brands here.

Glossy, a leading fashion and beauty magazine, covered the impact of pop-up stores on the hair care industry. Through research and very customized pitching, Wired Island secured our client as a resource for the article, as well as an interview with Storefront customer Amika who utilized Storefront to find and launch their first pop-up store. The article took a look at the brand's strategy and the importance of physical retail for the digital native brand, a key pillar in the Storefront customer messaging. The client was quoted describing the process of identifying goals and matching up spaces; this concierge service is a top perk and differentiator for Storefront customers.

Prophesee had a busy Fall with the announcement of a new round of funding and the release of their Metavision sensor, the first industry-standard packaged chip that leverages Event-Based Vision technology, a significant advancement over traditional frame-based vision approaches. Wired Island has worked with Prophesee for several years and different phases of the company, and was excited to share the news about this next chapter.

The Wired Island team helped to develop the press release, media relations plan, social media content, and other announcement materials around the release of Metavision. The team regularly promotes the benefits around Prophesee's event-based vision approach, but this represented a major milestone for the entire computer vision industry in being available in an industry-standard package. Wired Island was able to arrange briefings the week prior to the announcement in various trade and tech publications such as EETimes. The news was even picked up by popular engineering blogs such as Image Sensors World and ChipsNWafers.com which called Metavision "Powerful Image Detection & Capturing Sensor For Next Generation Of Cameras".

Riding the momentum of the sensor release, Prophesee announced the closing of $28M in funding, bringing their total investment to date to $68M. The announcement was widely covered in French and English publications. The news was covered by print, broadcast, and even podcast outlets. The funding will allow the company to continue the commercialization and accelerate the industrialization of their solutions in key sectors. Coverage and round-ups continue to roll in around both events, and we are pleased to see Prophesee enjoy this additional recognition they have worked for many years to achieve.

If you have a product or funding announcement coming up, drop us a line, or read more about our media relations expertise.

This interview comes on the heels of a huge PR milestone for Synaptics: A feature on CNBC’s premier stock talk show, Mad Money hosted by Jim Cramer. With that, I wanted to sit down with Mike Sottak, who heads up the Synaptics account for Wired Island, o

Q: Before we get into the more important content of this interview, I am interested to know more about your relationship with Prophesee. How long have they been a client of yours? How has that relations