Oracle: Building the Digital Bridge

Situation

  • Oracle is the world's largest enterprise software company.
  • The company makes scores of announcements each month; before engaging with Blanc & Otus, produced and distributed these in traditional ways.
  • Company recognized increasing influence of new media and sought to be a leader in deploying PR 2.0 strategies and tactics.

Strategy

  • Help build PR 2.0 framework.
  • Leverage social media networks to build new or tighter relationships with members of the media/analyst community and speak directly to Oracle audiences.
  • Help educate and empower internal culture.
  • Build bridges to and trust with external audiences, particularly media and analysts.
  • Create process and assign responsibilities for executing PR 2.0 activities.

Tactics

  • Surveyed and catalogued list of 50 enterprise software bloggers; analyzed traffic and audience interaction to distill top 20 most influential bloggers for Oracle.
  • Surveyed and analyzed PR 2.0 efforts of 15 industry-leading companies; based on results, documented best-practice PR 2.0 strategies and tactics.
  • Revamped the company's spokesperson-training program, creating a new presentation with guidance for navigating today's conversations in the PR 2.0 landscape.
  • Wrote and delivered comprehensive New Media Handbook for worldwide communications team and Oracle bloggers, listing best practices, philosophy and techniques for communicating and participating in social media world.
  • Developed and presented an analysis of the new media and analyst landscape to the Oracle Corporate Communications team; defined potential impact and strategic approaches for Oracle's media and analyst outreach efforts.
  • Developed Oracle OpenWorld 2008 PR 2.0 recommendations focused on leveraging company's Oracle Mix social network as a central communication vehicle with influencers. Helped create content at OOW 2008 for Oracle Mix site. Recommended and executed blogger outreach program that included tailored pitches and exclusive interviews at OpenWorld.

Results

  • New-media outreach programs yielded successful executive/blogger meetings at OpenWorld and continuing good will.
  • Increased coverage at Oracle OpenWorld in 2008; 705 unique articles and blogs compared with 400 unique articles and blogs in 2007. This represents a 76 percent increase in coverage overall, due to increased digital penetration.
  • Blogger catalogues and New Media Handbooks distributed throughout communications and larger Oracle team.
  • Notable praise to Oracle and B&O from blogosphere on new outreach and engagement techniques.