NEW YORK: Medis Technologies, creator of liquid fuel cell technology, has selected Weber Shandwick for PR and IR services after a competitive search.
The firm will conduct media outreach to reporters covering alternative energy and reach out to the Wall Street community, including analysts and potential investors. The portable fuel cell products provide electricity for handheld devices such as cell phones and Blackberries and will be available in early 2009, so the agency will also work to target consumers.
“We are a company that is moving from research to the commercialization of our products,” said Jose Mejia, Medis CEO. “It was important, given the transition, to find [an agency] that could combine the PR and IR side. It's time for us to engage with the public [and other audiences] in a more thoughtful, structured, strategic way.”
Because the company's product is eco-friendly, bloggers and other media with a “green” focus will also be targeted with the product launch. A review to determine the success of the initial push will occur after 90 days.
The RFP for the account was issued in October, and work was expected to begin this week. Medis selected WS after looking at “five or six” other agencies, according to Mejia. The company had considered hiring both an IR and a PR firm, he added.
“The biggest challenge was the back and forth [of] the process,” said Mejia. “Weber showed up at the end of the process; a friend suggested Weber. They are integrated, acting as one connected team, [which is] an asset.”
Medis has worked with an IR firm in the past, but the agency mostly managed phone calls and news announcements, said Mejia. He would not disclose the size of the account or the other firms that were in contention.
Mejia became CEO about two months ago, and WS will also be working to publicly introduce his plans for the company.
