LONDON: Staffware is making its first major foray into the United States, and has hired The Horn Group as its US agency of record.
Staffware offers business process management and workflow technology and services to numerous sectors, including banking, insurance, government, utilities, and telecommunications.
"We really want to increase our presence in the marketplace," said Lynne Gillon, SVP and CMO of Staffware. "We have a very strong product, and we want to build awareness in the United States.
"The use of PR is strategic," she added. "PR provides the air cover, and others help on the ground. There needs to be a set of objectives.
It can't just be 'Here's a press release.'"
With mergers and acquisitions at the forefront of business news, Gillon said now is the time for Staffware to increase its mindshare in the US, especially with companies looking for ways to cut costs and better manage business processes. Staffware will leverage those budget concerns to draw attention to its services, added Gillon.
"They're a 15-year-old company, and we are launching them in the US," said Sabrina Horn, president and CEO of The Horn Group. "The US market is incredibly important to them. We're going to begin with messaging and positioning, looking at who their competitors are, and making sure they differentiate themselves."
Gillon said she doesn't believe having one global agency works well, and instead uses a "loosely coupled PR network," with The Horn Group in the US and Harvard Public Relations in the UK.
