Contingent Network Services

www.contingent.com

After it was purchased and spun off from its parent company in early 2002, Contingent was an unknown brand in the value-added reseller network integration market, despite the fact that it already was working with such name brands as Abercrombie & Fitch and Applebees. Contingent realized the value of reputation and pedigree in the VAR market, especially when selling WAN and LAN integration services to the retail sector. So it engaged O'Keeffe to help publicize the Contingent brand within the technology market and as the preferred VAR for the retail market.

Challenge

To support the launch of its new corporate website and its heightened focus on the healthcare industry, General Data partnered with O'Keeffe to promote its healthcare line of barcode-based data capture solutions, along with its solutions for distribution, transportation, warehousing, and mobile workforce.

Solution

Choosing to use O'Keeffe on a project-by-project basis, Contingent sent staggered news releases throughout the year to promote its new product launches and new client contracts. By 2006, Contingent had established sustained momentum within both of its target markets. O'Keeffe then designed a story pitch campaign centered around one of Contingent's new clients—the parent company of a franchise restaurant popular in the southeastern United States To obtain optimal results in both of Contingent's core markets, O'Keeffe pitched the story to leading publications in both the retail and technology markets. Both publications picked up the story and published separate stories within months of each other.

Since 2006, O'Keeffe has continued to announce new client engagements, new product launches and other Contingent-related news, such as the construction of the company's new 50,000-square-foot LEED-certified headquarters. Additionally, we identified alternative channels to disseminate news about Contingent, including the promotion of a blog designed specifically to share updates about Contingent's new "green" headquarters.

Results

Ongoing public relations and new media efforts have increased Contingent's brand awareness within both markets, especially the retail market, and continues to generate ongoing momentum, helping to establish Contingent as a leader is its target industries and its local business community. Additionally, our multi-story pitch campaign in 2006 accelerated Contingent's revenue stream from the client featured in both stories. To this day, Contingent continues to receive positive comments about its place in both articles. The retail trade article alone validated two of Contingent's largest and most recent clients—Thomas & King and Bob Evans, as each cited the article in their initial and closing conversations with Contingent.