CSG International makes itself known in EMEA

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CSG International is one of the world’s largest and most established business support solutions (BSS) providers primarily serving the communications industry. In February 2012, the company hired Harris Communications as its PR agency for EMEA. Based on strong coverage results, we’ve since been retained each year, until the end of 2015.

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PR Brief
CSG’s home market is North America. With a strategy for international growth, in 2011 it acquired Intec Telecom, then one of the most successful providers of telecoms billing solutions in EMEA. Intec’s name was well known across the region, whilst CSG’s name was not. Early objectives of the PR brief were for Harris Communications to communicate CSG’s acquisition of Intec, help gain recognition and trust across EMEA for CSG’s solid name and begin to educate the market of the combined strengths of the two firms. Ongoing objectives were to help build visibility and an increasingly solid name for CSG, gain recognition for the strength of its solutions and win recognition for its key people as trusted industry opinion leaders. The ultimate goal was to support revenue growth in EMEA. 
 
Strategy and delivery
Harris Communications first worked with CSG’s executive team in EMEA to agree a focus for the PR effort and define key messages. A PR strategy was then agreed.  This focused on media relations campaigns to seek press coverage and support social media activity. It comprised action plans, media relations and coverage volume targets around:-

• Defining, writing and placing topical thought leadership articles/bylines
• Winning media interviews (by phone and face-to-face)
• Gaining news coverage via press releases (company, product and customer win stories)
• Helping senior executives build a regular rapport with key media
• Attracting media interviews at key industry events

PR work also included press launches supporting CSG’s entry into the cybersecurity and digital content monetisation spaces. Throughout the contract, Harris Communications collaborated with CSG’s PR agencies in the US and APAC.

Results
Harris Communications quickly got up to speed, delivering 85 clips in target media in the first year and 80-90 in each subsequent year (plus pick-ups from press releases over Businesswire).

• 79 per cent of all coverage has been in ‘A’ list target titles
• Key target editors met regularly, building relationships for senior spokespeople
• Built CSG in the minds of editors as a ‘go-to’ source for comment
• Typically 10 press meetings at larger events, such as Mobile World Congress

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