Message Development & Media Training

Defining your company, identifying your strengths and outlining what makes you unique is a crucial first step in any marketing communications effort. This highly strategic exercise influences your marketing communications and public relations plan. Combined with effective media training, it forms the foundation for how you portray yourself and how the industry perceives you. This particular service is one that Clarus Communications clients find most valuable.

Client: Aprimo, Incorporated

Location: Indianapolis

Clarus Communications was selected from a group of high-profile public relations agencies to drive the national launch of Aprimo, an Indianapolis-based company that develops web-based enterprise marketing management solutions. Since this was a new technology product category, Clarus was tasked with educating marketing and technology reporters about Aprimo’s vision for a new breed of marketing software — months before a product would be ready. With consistent and strong messaging, well-trained spokespersons, a fine-tuned demo — and trading on our reputation for honest and reliable work — we were able to launch Aprimo in key industry publications such as InformationWeek, Knowledge Management and CRM. Shortly after the initial launch, our strong message garnered the attention of Forbes, which ran a feature article and photograph of the founders of Aprimo. The article won a PRSA Prism Award.

Client: Law Office of Michael McMains

Location: Indianapolis

The Law Office of Michael McMains, one of Indiana’s most successful law firms focused on healthcare, pharmaceutical and life science technology, entered ground breaking territory when it accepted a case for a group of doctors who left a hospital and opened their own clinic. The hospital sued, claiming the doctors violated their employment contracts, and McMains countered with a racketeering lawsuit. Because the lawsuit was complicated and the hospital had played the case out in the media, McMains hired Clarus Communications to develop easy to understand message points, to media train the doctors to speak plainly with reporters and to create a media presence detailing their side of the argument. Once reporters and the community understood the issue and its impact on patients, public opinion quickly turned. The lawsuit against the doctors was dismissed.

Client: Vontoo

Location: Indianapolis

Vontoo is the first permission-based, on-demand voice messaging system that allows people to communicate voice messages to groups using a web browser. Different from telemarketing companies because people opt-in to receive messages, Vontoo executives knew that PR would be the best way for them to get their message out. Clarus Communications worked with Vontoo to develop a simple, easy to understand messaging platform and embarked on a testimonial-based PR program in which Vontoo’s customers told the story for them. We worked with customers including Justine Magazine, the Memphis Grizzlies and the music promoter for Dierks Bentley, placing articles about their successful use of Vontoo in driving sales and building fan loyalty. Articles appeared in publications such as AdAge, Messaging News, Circulation Management, DM News and Sports Business Daily. PR is credited with Vontoo sales to at least two NBA teams.

Talk with Clarus about your company’s message.