In today's market there are many ways to successfully launch a new company, product or service offering. For an emerging growth company, a launch is the market "debut" - setting the stage for category placement, target market penetration and industry visibility. For a large, international public company, a launch can dramatically move the needle - helping it surpass the competition, re-position itself in a new area, or turn around existing perceptions. Horn Group provides our clients with counsel on all aspects of launch strategy including news value, spokespeople, timing with other marketing and sales activities, trade shows, customer references, supporting materials and public disclosure requirements. We work closely with our clients to develop creative launch programs - such as demo hospitality suites at key conferences like Demo or PC Forum, multi-city analyst and press tours, or large-scale press conferences and technology showcases. The communications strategy, key messages, and target audience are critical components.

Additional launch-related related services include:

• Launch Strategy and Goal-Setting
• Written Launch Materials
• Booking Press & Analyst Meetings
• Interactive Product Demonstrations
• Briefing Documents
• Presentation Development and Coaching
• Agency Support on the Road and Follow-Up to Secure Coverage

Horn Group has a long history with the industry analyst community - through the work we do for our clients, from the firms we have represented as clients (AMR Research and the Patricia Seybold Group), to the services we subscribe to (Gartner Group and Forrester Research). Being on "both sides of the fence" has given us a deep understanding of each firm's focus and direction. Consistent communication is important for maintaining a healthy relationship with the analysts. As such, we handle programs in three ways: managing the entire program, sharing the program with client contacts, or providing ongoing strategy and counsel on internal programs.

Horn Group regularly participates in analyst briefings, allowing our teams to develop a complete understanding of the client's technology, tap into analysts as a source for media pitch ideas, and access quotes or supporting data points for press releases. We provide counsel on approach, timing of news, coordination with other communication efforts and analyst presentations. We work closely with a company to ensure consistent, relevant contact with analysts through phone calls, face-to-face meetings and news updates. We book analyst tours and briefings, and conduct prep and feedback sessions with executives. Finally, we take an active role in helping clients secure and track positive analyst reports and research notes.

Both the medium and the message are forever changed with new channels like blogs and RSS feeds. Many software reporters and analysts are prominent bloggers and the impact on public relations and software vendors alike changes almost daily. Participating in the blogosphere is a requirement. Horn Group helps clients understand the fast moving dynamics of these new media -- from who's most influential and how to approach them to corporate blog strategy and the unwritten rules of the game. We have relationships with many journalist bloggers and know the tools and services for monitoring what's being said about clients and their markets. We work with companies to develop their blogging strategy and drive traffic to corporate blogs when appropriate. Most importantly, we advise companies to be active in the blogosphere before considering a corporate blog to build credibility and get a taste of the commitment involved.

Press releases are the bread and butter of public relations - but it's the strategy, creativity and adept writing from your Horn Group team that enables a press release to rise above the "wire noise" and turn into media results. For all clients, a press release calendar is compiled and updated regularly to track all announcements as well as keep abreast of new corporate, product and market developments. Horn Group is involved in all aspects of press release development, including deciphering the news, positioning the message, drafting and editing the release, qualifying customers and third-party references, getting appropriate "approvals," distributing the press release, and pitching the media to secure coverage.

Horn Group takes pride in all the PR materials we write - from scripts for quarterly earnings calls and executive speeches for public speaking, to customer case studies and daily email correspondence. Most of the writing we offer is completed by individual teammates who are closest to a client's business and products. On occasion, we also bring in a senior writer for more advanced technical writing.

The only way to truly substantiate product claims is with "real-world" examples. A customer reference can make or break a company's ability to take their PR results to the next level. As references are more difficult than ever to secure for small and large companies alike, we draw on experience running dozens of programs to provide counsel to our clients. We work together to develop a customer program that will support PR objectives, but that will also be effective within the limitations of a client's organization. This can mean leveraging our contacts and expertise with Fortune 500 PR departments to secure a home-run quote for a press release; identifying a handful of smaller customers with a good PR story that will be on-call for the media; or pairing a one-time media reference with the right publication for maximum impact.

In addition to playing an instrumental role in identifying the right kind of customers for a PR program, we develop incentive programs and supporting materials to entice and educate customers on the PR process. We participate in the contact with customers, interview them to obtain basic information, determine whether there are any potential exposures and obtain approvals to use customers as media references. We maintain all of this contact in a customer database, which provides invaluable data to our clients, often serving as an extension of their customer support function.

Industry visibility, product category awareness, sales leads, executive thought-leadership: these are just a few benefits of Horn Group's speaking programs. In addition to the most current event databases and in-house research, we bring a wealth of contacts with conference coordinators and event managers to secure high-profile placements for both large public and small private companies.

After building a targeted list, Horn Group works with event contacts to develop original presentation topics with the best chance of fitting into each event's agenda. We draw on relationships with executives, customers, board members and other industry influencers to increase visibility with event decision-makers. Once a speaking slot has been secured, we act as a liaison to manage deadlines and logistics. We work closely with speakers to shape and refine presentation materials, prep speakers, and manage onsite follow-up.