MCC International Case Study: ramsac

"When the campaign began we were starting from scratch, with no reputation. MCC had to build our profile from the ground up. It’s been evolving ever since and we now get calls every other week from publications like CRN asking us for comment."

Operations Director at ramsac, Dan May

The Mission

As a service provider, ramsac needed to raise its profile, but felt that advertisements would not be an effective tool in attracting new customers. It needed to find an alternative way of developing a popular, trustworthy brand.

The Solution

A specialist IT PR agency to work with the trade press to develop a reputation for ramsac as a leading expert in the industry.

The Result

As a direct result of visibility in the press, ramsac has gained a number of major new clients. It is highly respected by journalists and has a large volume of clippings to support its marketing activities. The publicity received has improved staff morale and has helped to garner loyalty from existing customers.

ramsac is an independent IT consultancy advising businesses nationwide on technology projects, network implementations, strategy, management and support. Founded in 1991, ramsac provides a wide range of outsourced IT services to companies, charities and the public sector.

During those first crucial months in business, ramsac’s directors recognised a need to help the company’s progress by building its brand and reputation as a leading expert in the industry.

"Because we provide services, not products, we realised that customers were unlikely to commit to spending money with us simply as a result of seeing an advert," says Operations Director at ramsac, Dan May. "The best way of becoming more visible in the marketplace was to get positive editorial coverage in the press."

After asking several PR firms to pitch, ramsac chose MCC International to manage a full UK campaign, including press releases, advance features, interviews and by-lined articles.

"MCC International stood out to us for several reasons," explains Dan. "They are a medium-sized company like us - small enough to care, but big enough to cope with anything we throw at them. We also got on well with the staff, and knew we would enjoy working together. And perhaps most importantly they have the right knowledge and experience to understand exactly what we do. They already know all the industry jargon, so we don’t have to handhold them through press releases.

"When the campaign began we were starting from scratch, with no reputation. MCC had to build our profile from the ground up. It’s been evolving ever since and we now get calls every other week from publications like CRN asking us for comment."

With MCC International’s help, ramsac has now developed a strong, well-trusted brand and an impressive portfolio of clippings.

"We’ve put our press coverage onto the website, which adds weight to our image. Even if clients don’t find us through our PR, they often gain confidence and stay with us because of it.

"ramsac’s publicity has also had a positive impact internally. When our staff sees from our PR that we’re doing well and making a name for ourselves, it helps to maintain good morale."

Dan has no doubt that MCC International’s input has helped considerably in the rapid growth and successful development of ramsac.

"We definitely get value for money from MCC. Regular updates with the account team keep us in the loop, and they’re always flexible. Any decisions we make about the future of the campaign can change as and when necessary.

"A lot of companies aren’t willing to risk an investment in PR because it takes a while to see the results. It’s very hard to quantify initially – but you gradually see its worth as the brand is built and the profile is raised. The ramsac campaign has lead directly to us attracting a number of major clients."

Testimonials