DPR Group Promotes VAI as an Emerging Force in the ERP Marketplace

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Challenge

VAI (Vormittag Associates, Inc.) (www.vai.net) designs and markets advanced enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions on the IBM Power™ Systems platform for a number of vertical markets including manufacturing, distribution, retail, metals, food, and related services. Through innovative design and a customer-driven focus, VAI grew from a small, privately-owned operation founded in 1978 to a major player in the mid-sized enterprise resource planning industry. As a premier IBM partner, VAI had more than 800 customers worldwide, but the Long Island-based company, its executives, and its powerful product line lacked name and brand recognition. VAI sought to shed its reputation as a small firm and be regarded as the international software seller it had become. VAI recognized that the best way to achieve the high level of visibility it sought was to partner with a professional public relations and marketing firm with extensive experience in helping high-tech firms achieve increased name recognition and record growth.

Solution

VAI’s executives possessed definitive ideas about how they wanted to move to the next level. They not only wanted key placements in prominent business and technical publications, but also a strategy for elevating the firm’s position within the enterprise marketplace. With these goals in mind, VAI brought in several public relations firms to each present its plan for achieving these objectives. VAI’s hands-on approach required a public relations fi rm small enough to provide personalized attention, but large enough to possess key media contacts and expertise in multiple disciplines, such as media relations, writing, product launches, trade show support and strategic positioning. In DPR Group, VAI found a firm possessing all these capabilities — and more. DPR’s familiarity with the high-tech marketplace and proven track record in delivering media results identified it as the PR firm that could help announce VAI’s position as a worldwide leader.

Results

DPR Group recognized that quality, affordability, advanced functionality, and customer satisfaction had powered VAI’s growth to prominence and comprised the perfect framework to take VAI to the next level. Around these core values, DPR developed a multi-pronged PR campaign targeting print, broadcast, and electronic media. DPR used a combination of press releases, customer case studies, and executive interviews as a central vehicle for heightening VAI’s visibility, because these pieces could generate high-value media placements for the company. In less than 2 years, DPR developed and distributed more than 46 press releases featuring new products, alliances, client signings, awards, and more. In addition, DPR developed nearly a dozen case studies detailing successful ERP implementations and the results achieved. Collectively, these pieces generated:

Over 50 feature articles in key industry trades such as IT Jungle, System iNetwork, Business Solutions, Food Logistics, START-IT, CRN Small Business, Manufacturing Business Technology and DM Review, among others
Numerous published case studies, several of which led to articles in leading industry publications such as Food Manufacturing, IBM Systems Magazine, Manufacturing Business Technology and RFID Journal
Numerous radio interviews for VAI executives including WDIS-AM Boston, Wall Street Journal (WSJ) Network, WENG-AM Tampa and WFANAM New York
Local press exposure in the Long Island Business News

In addition, DPR launched a proactive campaign with industry analysts, securing briefings with several high-profile research fi rms. Concurrently, DPR oversaw the launch of S2K Enterprise 5.0, VAI’s flagship product, and helped coordinate the rollout with VAI’s annual user conference.

Working in close collaboration with VAI’s marketing team, DPR Group has helped secure VAI’s reputation as an innovative industry leader and an emerging ERP giant with a growing base of international customers.

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