Zebra Finds a Guide to Unfamiliar Territory
Though it’s a global animal, serving 100 countries and 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies, Zebra Technologies sought guidance as it began an effort to expand its presence in healthcare. After forming its healthcare practice, Zebra, a provider of bar code printers and supplies, partnered with Dodge Communications in 2006.
“We were looking for healthcare expertise,” says Tim Dreyer, Zebra public relations manager. “We went with Dodge hoping to make good use of their valuable contacts and ability to get our message in front of the right audience.”
“Exceptional” Media Relations
Based on Zebra’s business plan, the Dodge team periodically developed comprehensive plans to cultivate awareness of Zebra’s key role in advancing patient safety, medication management, asset management and other goals.
“Their planning and execution are both exceptional,” says Dreyer. In just a three-year period, Dodge’s PR team worked alongside Zebra on scores of projects, including:
98 Articles placed in trade publications, from cover stories to bylined articles to case studies to product mentions
28 Face-to-face media briefings with editors
11 Press releases developed, distributed and pitched
13 Speaking opportunities secured
6 Marketing case studies created
Expertise Drives Results, Trust, Value
“I’ve worked with several firms over the years, but none with such specialized expertise,” says Dreyer. “Their depth of knowledge was impressive, and it impacted us in multiple ways.”
“With Dodge, we didn’t have to specifically say ‘we want this kind of exposure on these topics in those publications,’” explains Dreyer. “We probably would have with a more generalized firm, but Dodge can translate a business plan into a strategic PR plan and they could identify opportunities that we may not have seen.”
Dreyer considers Dodge a true partner in another sense: “We could trust the account team to deal directly with our customers. We don’t do that with just anyone. But we had full confidence that they would represent Zebra as courteous, conscientious professionals, and they always did.”
Working directly with clients saved time for the Zebra marketing group, as did Dodge’s domain expertise. “They were able to get up to speed quickly on any project,” says Dreyer. “With other agencies, we have to spend a lot of our time on education and revisions. Dodge could anticipate where we need to go and get projects done. It was a great investment for us.”