DBC PR+New Media
Education Technology
Ideas matter. So does experience. And execution. And results. At DBC we have it all. Our education technology experience spans more than a decade and includes some of the biggest names in the business. In fact, we were there at the beginning before companies like Blackboard became campus names. K-12, K-20, Lifelong Learning. We don’t have to guess what works, we know. We don’t assume marketing to educators is the same as marketing to businesses or consumers. We know it’s not. And we know what really works, which means we don’t waste your time taking chances and are never learning the job on your dime. We do, however, love going out on a limb. At DBC, the thinking is our favorite part of the game. We take the time to ask questions and identify the essence of your brand. We then dream up creative communication strategies that will generate positive attention from your prime audience. With expertise in public relations and new media, our team combines strategic research and targeted demographics with out-of-the-box thinking to outsmart the competition and deliver the most bang for your marketing buck.
In other words: ideas matter. www.dbcpr.com
Smart.
Creative.
World-Class.
The soul of DBC is our team. Without their brains and dedication, none of this is possible. So we hire with intention and you reap the rewards.
It’s all about ideas. But not just any ideas—great ones. Creativity is only effective if it actually solves the problem. That’s why our brand of ingenuity is so useful; we may be thinking big, but we are always grounded in the real world.
We define world-class service as the point where Madison Avenue intersects with Main Street—combining highend creativity and exquisite execution. In our opinion, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.
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Smart. DBC has a proven track record of helping education technology companies grow.
Create an Industry BLACKBOARD
Blackboard came to us as a startup with little software, less money, and no real name for itself. It was February of 2000, and dot coms were popping up everywhere. Blackboard needed a story that would build credibility allowing its software to sell and prompting investors to invest. Initially Blackboard saw itself as an Internet company. DBC helped the company redefine itself as an education company—one that leveraged the power of the Internet, but wasn’t defined by it. As DBC molded the company message, it became clear that software wouldn’t be the drumbeat; instead Blackboard would anchor its story to teaching and learning. Instead of counting users, Blackboard would serve professors, students, teachers and learners. And messaging would forgo features to focus on telling the story of the student experience. By humanizing the Blackboard story, and positioning the business around education not technology, a dominant brand was born. Thousands of articles, speeches, blog posts, and homerun results later, Blackboard is the world’s largest course management system, an industry category that DBC and Blackboard set out to create and then dominate. Six years into their partnership with DBC, Blackboard premiered on the Nasdaq as a billion dollar public company (Nasdaq: BBBB).
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Creative. Educators are the thought leaders of the world while education itself is a timehonored tradition. Education technology is the bridge.
Demonstrate Leadership WIMBA
Horizon Wimba wanted to increase campus recognition and solidify its leadership position in the competitive education technology marketplace. Following a string of acquisitions and brand changes, they needed to arrive at a final brand posture that was strong, different, true and had staying power. Then they needed a major marketing push to deliver on aggressive sales goals. DBC got to work learning the business, getting to know the people, understanding the products and talking to their customers, prospects and users. Throughout the process we worked hand-in-hand with the company to evolve the brand name to simply “Wimba” and round out the brand promise with a tagline that tells it like it is: “People teach people.” DBC accompanied this effort with a 12-month PR and New Media Campaign to take Wimba’s new brand to its customers. The heart of the plan was storytelling—uncovering the tales of real people who could demonstrate how Wimba technology helped them teach and learn. Sales are through the roof— nearly doubling, press hits are piled high and the company tagline has become an industry standard. DBC re-positioned the Wimba brand based on fundamental truths uncovered during our research about their business, the marketplace and education. The updated brand positions the company to lead the way in their industry.
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World-Class. There’s a difference between getting a job done and getting it done well. That’s where you’ll find DBC. We’re not afraid to reach for the moon, and we have a wonderful rapport with the stars.
Bring Your Brand to Life MICROSOFT
Microsoft has a problem . . . and an opportunity. More and more computer science students are opting for open source coding instead of Microsoft’s .NET standard. The company needs to connect with young computer scientists and convince them that MS-friendly coding is indeed fun and worthwhile. Enter the Microsoft Campus Connections bus tour. This mobile marketing tour crisscrossed the USA to share technology with the best college and university computer science departments in the country. Unfortunately, students weren’t lining up for sneak peaks at Windows Vista or educational seminars. DBC saw an opening and took it. We threw out the Vista box and added an X-box—and new energy—to the tour. We connected directly with student newspaper staff to create excitement over the arrival of an unexpectedly cool MS Tour, making every campus feel that being part of the campaign was a sign of respect from Bill Gates himself. Snapshot results: A stop at the University of Miami was met with full court press coverage both on campus and with the city’s TV, radio and newspaper outlets. For the first time on its journey, the bus was overrun with interested students and education sessions sold out.
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DBC SERVICES Public Relations
New Media
Product Launches
Product Placement
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• Blog Design and Development • Blog Editorial Planning • Blog Promotion • Blogger Outreach • Blogger Training • Daily Blog Content Creation • Facebook Campaigns • Google AdWords/SEM • Interactive Design • Social Media Strategy
• Direct Mail Campaigns to Media • Media and/or Consumer Launch Events • Satellite Media Tours • Viral and Grassroots
• Award Show Gift Bags and Lounges • Celebrity Endorsements • Film and TV Product Integration
Media Events
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Award Programs Brand Development Cause-Related Marketing Media Outreach Media Tours Media Training Messaging and Positioning Press Conferences Speaking Opportunities VNR and B-roll Development
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Editor Events Stunts Retail Store Openings Trade Show Management and Support
Copywriting
Biographies Case Studies Collateral Corporate Website Content Media Advisories Presentations Press Kits Press Releases Speeches
The DBC team welcomes the opportunity to learn more about your business goals and marketing objectives in order to determine if our experiences, capabilities and passion are a fit for your brand.
CONTACT:
Dan Baum, CEO DBC PR+New Media 1050 Thomas Jefferson St., Suite 300 * Washington, DC 20007 * 202.298.8044 * Dan@dbcpr.com www.dbcpr.com
Mission. We match dedicated professionals with exceptional clients to achieve enviable communications results. We deliver these results within an extraordinary customer service experience that balances true teamwork, inspired by creativity, hard-line analysis and flawless execution.
Promise. To treat your organization with the same respect as we treat our own.To make the right decisions and not necessarily the easy ones. To be good to our clients, ourselves, our families and our community. To listen with focus and purpose.
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