Do Channel Vendors Need Public Relations Anymore?
The communications industry is facing a perfect storm of converging forces, from COVID-19 to the rise of influencer marketing and even AI. At Forrester, we research around 10,000 global technology vendors that utilize indirect sales and often get asked about the value of PR in the channel.
A trend that is affecting many channel leaders is the convergence of PR, marketing, and advertising. The line between them is blurring, as many channel vendors review budgets collectively. In response, today’s PR professionals have been forced to become brand ambassadors, content marketers, influencers, social media experts, and market analysts themselves.¹
Analyzing channel partners in terms of what they read, where they go (physically or digitally), and who they follow shows somewhat of a walled garden of different communities based on business model, product focus, geography, industry, sector, and size of customer. In our partner community research, we have previously identified 54 global channel magazines, 64 podcasts, 150 trade shows, 100-plus LinkedIn and Facebook groups, superconnectors, and dozens of associations, peer groups, and dedicated micro communities.
As COVID-19 has changed the marketing and advertising calculus for every vendor, the value of finding a strong channel-focused PR person (or firm) is more important than ever. Having someone jump into this walled garden without a nuanced knowledge of partner influence and visibility is bound to fail and not deliver ROI.
In our conversations with channel vendors, many have pointed to the diminishing consumer trust in media, and they have valid questions on whether this extends to industry-specific media, as well. The stories that PR people share with the media need to be timely, robust, accurate, and relevant. Moreover, they also need to be supported by reputable stats, expert opinion, and solid facts.²
The media isn’t interested in puff pieces (especially during a pandemic) and thinly veiled marketing content.
Journalists are under increasing pressure to produce results and get digital content out there at a rapid rate. PR needs to be a valuable content provider for the media, providing assets they can use to develop quick and meaningful stories. Agility is becoming one of the most important metrics for rating PR agencies.³
We hear from partners as well as media executives that short-form, or “snackable,” content is growing, as social media has become the No. 1 source for eyeballs. This has replaced development of long-form, in-depth narratives. Either way, it is about storytelling directly to a partner audience comprised of very busy, small businesses.
Channel leaders need to develop compelling and persuasive narratives that fit into these new content formats.
There are an estimated 25,000 pure-play PR firms in the world (according to Statista), with tens of thousands more marketing agencies and consultants also offering PR services. After narrowing down for channel media-specific focus and expertise, we didn’t see many that had enough focus to benefit channel-focused vendors. To research this, we went to the source directly via social outreach and email — touching base with the media companies (editors, journalists, publishers, and owners/principals) and channel consultants that correspond with PR people everyday — and asked them about the good, the bad, and the ugly.
In total, there were 85 channel PR firms that stuck out from the rest. The most recommended people were Marie Rourke from WhiteFox (far and away the most popular), Amanda Lee from ARL Strategic Communications, Khali Henderson from BuzzTheory, Nikolett Bacso-Albaum from Market Impact, Suzanne Collier from Collier PR, and Mark Waite from Cohesive in the UK. Check out the list here:
Top 13 Channel PR Firms (Alphabetical Order):
| Firm | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| ARL Strategic Communications | Amanda Lee | United States |
| Bass PR | David Bass | Australia |
| Bella Vista Communications | Sacha Arts | United States |
| BuzzTheory | Khali Henderson | United States |
| Cohesive | Mark Waite | United Kingdom |
| Collier PR | Suzanne Collier | United States |
| CommCentric | Lynette Bohanan | United States |
| Edelman | Richard Edelman | United States |
| LEWIS Global Communications | Brian Hayes | United States |
| Market Impact | Nikolett Bacso-Albaum | United States |
| TGPR | Kevin Wolf | United States |
| Touchdown PR | Emily Gallagher | United Kingdom |
| WhiteFox Marketing Inc. | Marie Rourke | United States |
Top Global Channel PR Firms (Geographic Order):
AUSTRALIA
Firm: Bass PR
Contact: David Bass
Title: Owner
URL: http://www.basspr.com.au/about
Firm: Einsteinz Communications
Contact: Emma Keen
Title: Senior Consultant
URL: http://www.einsteinz.com.au/
Firm: prdeadlines
Contact: David Frost
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.prdeadlines.com.au/
Firm: Watterson
Contact: Oisin Ocallaghan
Title: Director
URL: http://www.watterson.com.au
CANADA
Firm: IT World Canada (ITWC)
Contact: Fawn Annan
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.itworldcanada.com/
Firm: Mercer-MacKay Solutions Inc.
Contact: Gail Mercer-Mackay
Title: CEO, Founder
Firm: Provident Communications
Contact: Wojtek Dabrowski
Title: Managing Partner
URL: http://www.providentcomms.com
Firm: Veritas Communications
Contact: Sachin Persaud
Title: Senior Consultant
URL: https://www.veritasinc.com/
FRANCE
Firm: Cymbioz
Contact: Aurélien Rouby
Title: Director
URL: https://cymbioz.com/
Firm: Georges Antione Gary
Contact: Antoine Gary
Title: Owner
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georges-antoine-gary-78847/
Firm: MyNtic PR
Contact: Franck Tupinier
Title: Owner
URL: https://www.myntic-pr.com/
Firm: Oxygen
Contact: Pauline Moreau
Title: Senior Consultant
URL: https://www.oxygen-rp.fr/en/
GERMANY
Firm: 100zehn
Contact: Timm Caspari
Title: Managing Director
URL: www.100zehn.de
Firm: Akima Media
Contact: Volker Schmidt
Title: CEO
URL: www.akima.de
Firm: H zwo B
Contact: Michal Vitkovsky
Title: Managing Partner
URL: https://www.h-zwo-b.de/en/agency/
Firm: Janet Spacey PR
Contact: Janet Spacey
Title: Owner
URL: https://www.spacey-pr.de/welcome.html
Firm: PR13
Contact: Sabine Reinhart
Title: Owner
URL: www.pr13.de
Firm: punktgenau
Contact: Evi Hierlmeier
Title: Owner
URL: www.punktgenau-pr.de
Firm: TransPRent
Contact: Detlev Henning
Title: PR Consultant
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/detlev-henning-672087a3/
POLAND
Firm: InPlusMedia
Contact: Marcin Salanski
Title: Senior Public Relations Consultant
URL: http://www.inplusmedia.pl
Firm: SAROTA PR
Contact: Piotr Sarota
Title: CEO, Public Relations Consultant
Firm: Ultimedia
Contact: Artur Kostrzewa
Title: PR Account Manager
SINGAPORE AND ASIA PACIFIC
Firm: Manning & Co.
Contact: Gemma Manning
Title: CEO, Founder
URL: http://www.manningandcogroup.com
SOUTH AFRICA
Firm: Eclipse PR
Contact: Cheryl Reddy
Title: Managing Director
URL: www.eclipsepr.co.za
Firm: FCB Joburg
Contact: Thabang Skwambane
Title: Managing Director
URL: www.fcb.co.za
Firm: Meropa
Contact: Peter Mann
Title: Chief Executive
URL: www.meropa.co.za
Firm: The Riverbed Agency
Contact: Monalisa Sibongile Zwambila
Title: CEO, Founder
URL: www.theriverbedagency.co.za
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Firm: OAK Consulting
Contact: Nirmala Dsouza
Title: Managing Partner
Location: Dubai
URL: http://www.oakconsulting.biz/
Firm: Procre8
Contact: Colin Saldanha
Title: Managing Director
UNITED KINGDOM
Firm: Brands2Life
Contact: Giles Fraser, Sarah Scales
Title: Cofounders
URL: https://www.brands2life.com/
Firm: CCgroup
Contact: Katie de Cozar
Title: Head of Enterprise Tech
URL: https://www.ccgrouppr.com/
Firm: Cohesive
Contact: Mark Waite
Title: Cofounder, Chief Story Officer
URL: https://wearecohesive.com/
Firm: Context Public Relations
Contact: Craig Coward
Title: Director
Firm: CubanEight
Contact: Sian Gaskell
Title: Managing Director, Founder
Firm: Kaizo
Contact: Gemma Smith
Title: Senior Account Director
Firm: The Marketing Communications Company
Contact: Gina Hough
Title: Owner
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-hough-101/?originalSubdomain=uk
Firm: NSPR
Contact: Gino Mainolfi
Title: Codirector
URL: http://nspr.co.uk/
Firm: Octopus Group
Contact: Jon Lonsdale
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.octopusgrp.com/
Firm: Proactive PR
Contact: Brian Dolby
Title: CEO
Firm: Touchdown PR
Contact: Emily Gallagher
Title: EVP
URL: www.touchdownpr.com
UNITED STATES
Firm: 10Fold Communications
Contact: Susan Thomas
Title: CEO
Firm: APCO Worldwide
Contact: Brad Staples
Title: CEO
URL: https://apcoworldwide.com/
Firm: Archetype
Contact: Helena Maus
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.archetype.co/en
Firm: ARL Strategic Communications
Contact: Amanda Lee
Title: CEO, Founder
Firm: Avista
Contact: Steve Sturgeon
Title: SVP, Media Relations
Firm: Bella Vista Communications
Contact: Sacha Arts
Title: Principal
URL: http://www.bellavistacommunications.com/
Firm: BLASTmedia
Contact: Kate Johnson
Title: PR Manager
Firm: Bospar
Contact: Laura Ruark
Title: Account Director
Firm: BuzzTheory
Contact: Khali Henderson
Title: Senior Partner
URL: https://www.buzztheory.com/
Firm: Channel Impact
Contact: Laura Bergerson
Title: CEO
URL: http://www.channel-impact.com
Firm: Channel Maven
Contact: Heather Margolis
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.channelmavenconsulting.com/
Firm: Clement | Peterson
Contact: Kyle Peterson
Title: Partner
URL: http://www.clementpeterson.com
Firm: Collier PR
Contact: Suzanne Collier
Title: Principal
URL: https://collierpr.wordpress.com/
Firm: CommCentric
Contact: Lynette Bohanan
Title: President
URL: https://www.commcentric.com/
Firm: Communication Strategy Group
Contact: Arthur Germain, Karen Franse
Title: Principal, Account Director
URL: https://communicationstrategygroup.com
Firm: Compass Integrated Communications
Contact: Rhianna Daniels Hile
Title: Chief Strategy Officer
URL: http://www.compassintegrated.com/
Firm: Connect Marketing
Contact: Mike Bradshaw, Sherri Walkenhorst
Title: Partner, Senior Partner
URL: http://www.Connectmarketing.com
Firm: Edelman
Contact: Richard Edelman
Title: CEO
Firm: Finn Partners
Contact: Shelby Armstrong
Title: Associate VP
URL: http://www.finnpartners.com
Firm: FleishmanHillard
Contact: Elizabeth Kohen, Samirah Swaleh
Title: Senior Account Executives
URL: http://fleishmanhillard.com
Firm: George Cohen Communications, Inc.
Contact: George Cohen, Laura MacSweeney, Elyse Familant
Title: President, Consultant
URL: http://gccpr.com/
Firm: Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Contact: Jack Martin
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.hkstrategies.com/
Firm: Hughes Agency
Contact: Velda Hughes
Title: CEO, Founder
URL: https://www.hughes-agency.com/
Firm: InkHouse
Contact: Beth Monaghan
Title: CEO, Founder
Firm: JMRConnect
Contact: Mostafa Razzak
Title: CEO
Firm: JPR Communications
Contact: Judy Smith
Title: President
Firm: Lages & Associates
Contact: Beverly Lages
Title: President, Founder
URL: http://www.lages.com
Firm: LEWIS Global Communications
Contact: Brian Hayes
Title: Senior AE
URL: https://www.teamlewis.com/
Firm: Market Impact
Contact: Nikolett Bacso-Albaum
Title: CEO, Founder
URL: https://www.marketimpactnow.com/
Firm: Marketopia
Contact: Terry Hedden
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.marketopia.com
Firm: MRB Public Relations
Contact: Michael Becce
Title: CEO
URL: https://mrbpr.com/
Firm: Offleash PR
Contact: Cathy Wright
Title: Director
URL: http://www.offleashpr.com
Firm: Ogilvy
Contact: David Ford
Title: Chief Communications Officer
Firm: Padilla
Contact: Amy Fisher
Title: VP
URL: http://www.padillaco.com/
Firm: Parallel Communications Group
Contact: Glenn Goldberg
Title: President
URL: https://www.parallelpr.com/
Firm: Parallel PR
Contact: Lauren Young
Title: Founder
URL: https://www.parallel-pr.com/
Firm: Pinstripe Marketing
Contact: Ginger Galloway Reichl
Title: President
URL: http://www.pinstripemarketing.com
Firm: Porter Novelli
Contact: David Bentley
Title: CEO
URL: https://www.porternovelli.com/
Firm: Racepoint Global
Contact: Anna Halstead
Title: Account Supervisor
URL: http://www.racepointglobal.com
Firm: Sparkpr
Contact: Alan Soucy
Title: CEO
URL: https://sparkpr.com/
Firm: Suzanne Mattaboni Communications
Contact: Suzanne Mattaboni
Title: President
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-mattaboni-94032410/
Firm: TGPR
Contact: Kevin Wolf
Title: Founder
Firm: VisiTech PR
Contact: Kendra Westerkamp
Title: VP
Firm: Walker Sands
Contact: Chelsey Omoerah
Title: Media Relations Specialist
URL: http://www.walkersands.com
Firm: WhiteFox Marketing Inc.
Contact: Marie Rourke
Title: Founder, Chief Channel Strategist
URL: http://www.whitefoxpr.com
Further Channel-Related Reading
What I See Coming For The Channel In 2020
Channel Software Tech Stack (2020)
Channel Marketers Need To Become Community Marketers — Here’s How
Partner Relationship Management (PRM) Comes Of Age
Through-Channel Marketing Represents The Third Stage For Sales And Marketing Leaders
Channel Data Is A Competitive Differentiator
Measure What Matters: Unlocking The Power Of Partner Ecosystems Demands Powerful Measurement
Time To Rethink Channel Incentives And Program Management (CIPM)?
Channel Automation Becomes Table Stakes For Partnership Success
Can You Deliver A Great Partner Experience Without Great Onboarding?
The 64 Best Channel Podcasts Of 2019
¹ Read the SiriusDecisions report, The Role of Public Relations in Demand Creation (subscription required).
² This insight is based on hundreds of inquiries and advisory sessions with technology vendors and conversations with media executives globally.
³Read the SiriusDecisions report, Public Relations Agencies: Questions to Ask Vendors (subscription required).
