STIQ is a multi-sectoral association of Quebec manufacturing companies that publishes the results of an annual study of 500 manufacturing SMEs, which paints a unique picture of the industrial sector. They approached us in May 2022, to carry out a press campaign that would provide them with significant exposure, particularly in the mainstream media. Their goal was to position their study as the most relevant in the sector in 13 years and to establish their spokesperson as a credible source and opinion leader for the sector.
However, our research revealed the following challenges:
- The little-known association did not receive regular media coverage, unlike its major competitors.
- Much larger competitors such as the CME and others published the same type of study results much earlier in the year, with strong reach to all major media.
- The STIQ study, which is published later in the year with essentially the same type of results, could appear redundant and therefore of little interest to journalists.
In order to ensure that the media would be truly interested in the report, and to obtain consistent visibility, we implemented the following strategy:
- Creating a Top 5 list of highlights
- Highlighting anything that was new compared to previous studies
- Improving the boilerplate of the press release for more impact
- Making the spokesperson’s quotes more analytical, for added value to journalists.
This strategy worked because the spokesperson responded to interviews from La Presse, Les Affaires, and Radio Centre-ville. The results of the study also appeared in Radio Canada and all niche media. Also, in preparation for the release of the new study to be published this year, we launched a new press campaign in different regions of Quebec, to continue to build and establish the visibility of STIQ, and out of more than fifteen media contacts, we have obtained coverage in more than ten media outlets.