Mendix

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Mendix is a leading provider of a cloud-based rapid application development platform. It empowers firms to innovate new digital products, services and processes, without requiring anyone to write code. Application development is made fast, collaborative and affordable.

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PR Brief
Mendix is a high-growth, US-headquartered software company with a strong European presence given its roots in Holland. In 2014, the firm began aggressively building up a dedicated UK sales team. Mendix wanted to support its sales efforts by building awareness and credibility in the market through press coverage, which could also be used in lead generation and social media activity. After considering several UK-based PR agencies, Mendix hired Harris Communications. Ed Hadley, global director of content marketing at Mendix had seen Derek Harris deliver great results for another rapid-growth software firm, Neolane. (Now owned by Adobe).
 
Strategy
Harris Communications first worked with Mendix to understand and further define key messages for the firm’s primary audiences, being IT leaders across industries and business teams in financial services, insurance and retail organisations in particular.  PR activity then focused on media relations campaigns to influence these audiences through press coverage. The work comprised:-

• Writing media content
  • News releases, case studies and byline articles

• Media outreach
  • Identifying target editors, building awareness, trust and rapport for Mendix
  • Helping to define platform for debate
  • Proactive pitching of content
  • Winning and managing media interviews, including counselling spokespeople
  • Researching editors’ feature plans and offering expert insight from Mendix
  • Building Mendix spokespeople in editors’ minds as a ‘go-to’ source for comment

• Industry awards
  • Identifying suitable and credible awards opportunities
  • Drafting and submitting entries

Results
At Harris Communications, Derek Harris quickly grasped the technology, business proposition and core themes and messages to be communicated. Within days Derek was up to speed with writing program content and pitching to target media. Over the months, Derek developed a strong rapport with Mendix senior executives and the company’s key customers through winning and guiding press meetings for them. He also gained respect within the sales and marketing leaderships teams for capturing the company’s key propositions and communicating these clearly and effectively in media pitches, bylines and other media-oriented and marketing content.

• 4-6 pieces of quality coverage in a typical month
• 67 per cent of all coverage in ‘A’ list target titles
• Built Mendix in the minds of editors as a credible ‘go-to’ source for comment
• Coverage in The Times, The Sunday Times, Computer Weekly, Computing, on CIO.com and on Forbes.com as well as many other IT and business titles