CHICAGO: InterCall, a Web conferencing provider, has enlisted Ogilvy PR as its AOR to raise its profile among a range of b-to-b audiences.
The company, considered one of the largest in its space, hasn't traditionally invested heavily in PR or marketing, Cambria Vaccaro, senior marketing director for InterCall, told PRWeek. But earlier this year, Kathleen Finato, SVP of marketing and product management, joined the company from Motorola and spearheaded a competitive agency review that included large and small firms.
“We are the largest provider in this space but we hadn't conveyed the value proposition of what that means,” Vaccaro explained. “So we felt there was a lot of opportunity to own a thought-leadership position and explain how we can help businesses be more productive and effective.”
Vaccaro previously worked with Ogilvy PR as marketing director for Raindance. But when Raindance was acquired by InterCall in 2006, it was InterCall's AOR, Cushman/Amberg Communications, that was retained for the newly merged entity. InterCall is owned by West Corporation.
“We really felt like the time had come for InterCall to move to a full-service agency that had a global network and expertise,” Vaccaro added.
Christie Zielinski, VP at Cushman/Amberg, said the agency worked with InterCall for eight years and enjoyed being “involved in a long-term client relationship.”
The team will now focus on using InterCall's social media presence to convey its messages, as well as reaching out to traditional media, like business publications, vertical, and horizontal outlets. In particular, its efforts will target small and medium size businesses that are budget conscious, but still want to invest in professional services.
“It's a market that InterCall has mostly just dabbled in until this point,” Vaccaro noted. InterCall competes with rivals like AT&T, Premiere Global Services, as well as against its partner companies like Cisco-owned WebEx and Microsoft's Live Meeting.
InterCall will also amplify its executives' thought-leadership efforts and tout messages about its innovations and customer service. The campaign will be evaluated mostly on its visibility, rather than its direct impact on sales.
Amy Messenger, MD for Ogilvy's US tech practice, said the agency plans to boost InterCall's brand awareness to reflect its market share.
“It is the classic scenario of having multiproduct brands that stand high, but the InterCall brand needs to be more recognizable,” Messenger said.
