Vortex PR specialises in helping high technology companies communicate their stories to the world and generate sales leads.

1. Island House, Forest Road, Forest, Guernsey GY8 0AB, UK
Tel 01481 233080 (+44 1481 233080) nigel@vortexpr.com
www.vortexpr.com

2. Remove the barriers to revenue…
• Barriers that the salesmen have to
break down at every sales
opportunity
• Barriers that have to be overcome in
other layers of a customer
organisation
• Barriers…
= slow progress on sales
= slower time to revenue &
profits
So how do we open the barriers??
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3. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if...
• Customers came knocking on your doors?
• They already understood your technology?
• They understood how your technology
compares to what they are using?
• They understand how much better yours is?
• They realised that your solutions
helps them make better products?
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4. While everyone else is …you have invented the
trying to make a better cat! And it’s really good.
mousetrap…
So you need to tell them...
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5. PR is fastest and best way to tell the
world
• A good story is viral in today’s connected
world – spreading rapidly under own steam
• One story can reach thousands of potential
customers around the world at once
• Cost effective way to communicate to the
world – advertising would be prohibitive
• PR has much greater impact than advertising (~10x
more) – information is coming as editorial from a
trusted third party, i.e. a journalist
• Ongoing communication ensures growing awareness
• TRUST builds with customers and potential customers
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6. The Story
• The Key is having a REALLY GOOD STORY that is interesting,
relevant and engaging
• For that you need a REALLY GOOD STORY TELLER who knows
his audiences and how to develop stories that have
maximum effect
“Tell me a fact and I will understand...
Tell me a truth and I will believe...
Tell me a story and it will live in my heart
forever...”
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7. The barriers are removed so that...
• You are a known and trusted
name
• Customers understand the
unique technology and its
benefits – receptive and keen
to engage
• Customers are chasing you to
solve their problems and save
them money
• Deals close more quickly
generating new sales
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8. Nigel Robson of Vortex PR
The Story Teller
• One of the leading technology PR consultants
in Europe
• Degree in Physics and Chemistry - really
understands technology and technical staff
• 30 years experience in high tech PR for major
companies - Philips Semiconductors, Duracell,
MIPS, ARC, Peratech, Baolab, Movea,
RadioScape and Plessey Semiconductors
• Long term relationships (7 years on average)
with clients and gets results
• Proven track record with journalists around
the world - trusted source of quality stories
• Very close working relationship with clients to
deeply understand client’s goals, strategies
and technologies
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9. PR goals are to establish…
• Strong relationships with relevant media by
leveraging Vortex PR’s contacts
• You as a leading international technology
company
• World wide awareness of your company as
providing the best, high performance inertial
sensors
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10. Examples of key Media
– Electronics
• EETimes, EET Europe, Electronic Design, Electronic Design
News, Electronics Weekly, Electronik I Norden, Markt &
Techniq, Electronic Products, Elektronik, CIE, EPN, EDN
– Sensors
• Sensor Review, Sensors magazine, i-Micronews, MEMS investor
Journal
– Nanotechnology
• Small Times, Nanotechnology, AZoNano
– General technology
• FT, BBC, Wired and New Scientist
– Analysts
• Gartner Dataquest, Semico, & Instat
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11. PR Objectives
• Build media awareness of your company and benefits of its
technology
• Create significant coverage on web and in the relevant media
• Generate steady flow of quality leads – brings in people who are
pre-qualified as being interested in buying = more potential sales
• Create and maintain a positive awareness of your technology
by customers – resulting confidence assists Sales to close deals quickly
and successfully
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12. Research phase
– Understand your technology, market and selling strategy
– Identify possible awards to enter
– Define key messages and storylines
– Prepare annual PR plan
– Reposition focus of company from
automotive to high performance stability
control solutions
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13. 2013 activities
• Maintain close contact with Sales and Technical staff to source ideas for
releases and articles
• Target of research, write and issue press release every month
• Target of write/edit/place a technical article every quarter
• Target of research and write customer stories every quarter
• On going monitoring of relevant forward feature lists for article
opportunities
• Completing entries for relevant awards such as Queen’s Award and Elektra
• Support for trade shows such as Electronica – arranging media interviews,
speaking opportunities etc.
• Opinion pieces to position you as a thought leader
• CEO interviews
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14. CEO promotion
• Electronics industry is a people industry
• Editors value personal relationships with people that they
write about
• CEO profiles in the media build a public face for the company
– achieved four in one year for MIPS & five for ARC & Plessey
• Leads to opinion pieces in Electronics Weekly
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15. Measuring Success
• Overall coverage of your company monitored via Google
– Key words chosen to identify specific stories
– General check for your company
• Hits to website – starting from zero but Google analytics will
show steady growth in visitors as communication builds
• Enquiries for more information
via the website can be measured
• Awareness of your company at
customer visits can be noted by
sales staff
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16. Client Recommendations
“I have had the privilege of working with Nigel at various times since I first met him in 1993 when his consultancy became PR agency of record for Philips
Semiconductors. In my view, Nigel is one of the leading high technology PR consultants in the world today. He has strong abilities in all key areas of business-to-
business PR: - A network of editorial and analyst contacts second to none, and he enjoys strong relationships with all of them. They know they can trust Nigel to deliver
factual and relevant information that fits with their news and communication strategies. - Strong strategic and tactical planning skills. Nigel has the ability to help plan
long-range campaigns and then keep up a consistent drive to shape stories and deliver materials over time. This is a unique skill that I have not seen often. An important
element of this is his ability to effectively help management craft a viable long-term story line that both supports and strengthens company positioning. - Great
teamwork skills. Nigel is very collegial and giving of his knowledge. Because of this, he works well with all levels of the organization and is a great teacher. - Excellent
understanding of technology, technology trends, and market development. Nigel knows how to explain a product or service and position its value within the market
landscape -- no one does it better. This is a large part of the reason why editors and analysts trust him. He is very astute at working with engineering and marketing to
find the key features and functions and can craft benefit statements that are meaningful for the key audiences.”
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
Melissa J. Jones. Hired Nigel as a Public Relations in 1993, and hired Nigel more than once
“Nigel is the public relations consultant representing ARC International to the UK and European press. In this role he has performed above our expectation. ARC has
received wide editorial coverage thanks to his good work. I recommend him to anyone requiring PR representation.” Jonah McLeod, ARC.
Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, High Integrity
“Nigel is a great professional, and has solid relationships with many editors and influential journalists. He understands his client's business and that of the end
customer, and is trusted by all parties to deliver.”
Andy Mortimer, Sales Director, MIPS Technologies
“Nigel is an excellent PR professional, delivering great results in short timescales and limited budgets. He now only understands his own business but that of his clients
as well. Highly recommended!”
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
Andrew Moloney, RadioScape
“Nigel is a consummate professional in everything he does. His ability to quickly grasp both the technical and business aspects of his client's business is amazing. Nigel
is a superb networker across many continents and continues to drive success in everything he does.” Kim Rose, Sales Director, Links Business Solutions
“The editorial coverage that Vortex has obtained has been excellent and really raised our profile around the world. The front cover stories were tremendously valuable
in generating a high level of quality leads from the major players in each of our markets.”
John Summers, CEO RF Engines
“We were already using a UK Public Relations firm who claimed expertise in the high tech sector. After their 'start-up' budget was exhausted, all they had produced
was a press kit. I met up with Vortex PR through Tally Systems, who we were working with. Tally asked me if I could help them at a Press meeting that Vortex had
arranged. I had a first hand opportunity to watch Nigel Robson in action and immediately understood how little our own PR agency were actually doing for us. In fact,
we were simply paying a monthly retainer for nothing. After Vortex PR came on board, our Press exposure went screaming up. Nigel immediately arranged product
reviews with several IT journals, as well as free CDROM coverage on all leading UK PC publications.”
Tim Hayes, President, IT-Map International

17. Examples of Activities
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18. Peratech
• Engaged to publicise company and its QTC
technology as very low visibility
• Helped Peratech win several awards including
Queen’s Award
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19. Worked example - Peratech credit card switch
• Start up with solution to a problem that people did not even know they
had
• Demos with editors in London to show dangers of skimming and
effectiveness of Peratech solution
• Extensive coverage in New Scientist, EETimes, and
electronic and credit card trade press
• Resulted in 100+ enquiries from around the
world
• 20 solid leads for this solution – could be
worth several million dollars
• Plus enquiries from companies seeking
solutions for their own particular problems
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20. Worked example - Peratech 3D touch screen sensor
Again entering completely new market
1) Phone interviews with key news magazines already resulted in quality
coverage in EETimes, Electronics Weekly (top story of the day in newsletter),
The Inquirer, Technology Review & New Electronics
2) Web coverage exceeded 700 within 24 hours with
sites such as NanoTechnology Now, Reuters,
Hoovers, Yahoo & Wireless Developer Network
that are rippling through the web building awareness.
4000 hits at 48 hour mark
3) Blogs buzzing with the story from the wire and
commenting on editorial stories on leading sites
4) To be followed by monthlies such as EDN,
Elektronik i Norden and EDN as their production
cycles work the story through the system
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21. Examples of coverage for Peratech 3D sensor
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22. Past year coverage for Peratech
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23. Plessey Semiconductors rebirth
• Engaged to help relaunch the company
• Helped Plessey win several awards (IET &
finalist in Elektra Awards 2012)
• Focus on two new technologies
– EPIC sensor & MAGIC HB LED
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24. Past year of coverage for Plessey
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25. ESCATEC
• Leading contract manufacturing and Design Services
company in Switzerland but very low profile
• Engaged to build global awareness through releases on
new equipment, customer stories and articles
• Wrote and presented video on company by Mentor
Graphics. Link here.
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26. Past year of coverage for ESCATEC
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27. RFEL
• Client for over 10 years
• Helped company win several Elektra Awards
and Queen’s Award twice
• Established the company as leading global
expert in DSP solutions on FPGA
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28. Past year of coverage for RFEL
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29. Heliatek
• Brought in to build global awareness as only known in
native Germany
• Obtained extensive coverage for its award winning Organic
Photovoltaic technology
• Finalist in Elektra Awards 2012
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30. Past year of coverage for Heliatek
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31. Worked example of MIPS smartcard launch
• Completely new area for the company
• Campaign
– Briefings with electronics media
– Briefings with smart card media at leading trade
fair for smart cards
– 2 minute segment on CNBC demoing and
explaining smartcard technology – repeated
several times across Europe
– CEO interview on Bloomberg and CNN
– Double page spread in Shares magazine
• Results
– Extensive global coverage
– Quality enquiries
– $10M in license deals with 4 major companies
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32. Engaged to reposition ARC
• ARC’s reputation & share price was at all time low
• Media audit showed press had lost interest in the company
• No clear image for the company – Rival Tensilica had stolen the configurable cores
company identity.
• Campaign
– New CEO on press tour round Europe
– Refocused the company messaging onto
configurable cores
– Regular engagement with media and analysts
with new cores and licensing wins to re-enforce
messaging
• Results
– Media audit after one year showed new
positioning was established
– 5 front page covers with CEO
– Share price went up significantly
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33. Philips Semiconductors rebirth
• Engaged to help relaunch the company
• 100+ journalists from around the world to Eindhoven for
two days of briefings using material generated by Vortex
• Book loads of cuttings and Philips Semiconductors re-
established as a leading innovator
• Re-structured the communications operation from a
datasheet driven press release system to strategic
communications
• Researched stories that addressed all levels in the customer
companies from engineers to CEOs with coverage across
the trade press, front cover stories and even the Wall Street
Journal
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34. RadioScape
• Complete change of direction for
the company into DAB
• Launched the new identity
• Established RadioScape as a
leading authority on DAB
• Demoed every step of the advancement of DAB to
leading editors
• Articles in Financial Times, New Scientist and EETimes
plus trade media for electronics, FMCG, and radio
• CEO said “We have never spent a penny on advertising.
We are known thought the world though PR and our
salesmen welcomed.”
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35. Client base
New business is usually from recommendation or contacts moving to new companies.
Current clients Electronics
RFEL (client since May 2001) ARC International (5 years)
Peratech (client since early 2008) BrightCom Technologies (2 years)
Baolab (client since 2010) California Graphics (1 year)
ESCATEC (client since 2011) Duracell Batteries (7 years)
Plessey Semiconductors (client since 2011) Encrypta Electronic Seals (20 years)
Yole (project work since 2012) GEC Plessey Semiconductors (5 years)
HP Labs (project work in 2001)
Computing ITW Switches (2 years)
Canon ATO (nine months) Loughborough Sound Images (2 years)
DEC (project work over 2 years) MIPS technologies (6 years)
Inmac (12 years) Mitron Europe (2 years)
IT Map (2 years) Palmchip (1 year)
Letraset Graphic Design Software (2 years) Philips Semiconductors (7 years)
Penman Products (3 years) RadioScape (4 years)
PEP PC (1 year) Trident MicroSystems (2 years)
Protek (9 years) Varta Batteries (project work)
Tally Systems (3½ years) Microtune (4 years)
Varsys (3 years) Heliatek (1 year)
WorkStation Source (3 years) Movea (2 years)
Networking Business to Business and financial
DAVID Systems (2 years) Beeson Gregory Private Equity (project work in 2001)
LANart (3 years) Riskart (2 years)
ML Electro-Optics (3 years) ItsWine.com (1 year)
Nestar (5 years) The Shortlist (1 year)
Xionics (2 years)
Zenith computers (project work) Miscellaneous
Du Pont Biotechnology Division (6 years)
Oxonica – nanotechnology (3 years)