Malcolm Fowler
Founder & EVP
Ernex Marketing Technologies

Ernex Marketing Technologies, a Vancouver-based provider of real-time marketing and customer loyalty solutions, set out to penetrate the US market and increase revenues accordingly. McCoin & Smith Communications was retained as the company’s first public relations firm with the task of developing and executing a North American introduction of the company, it’s products and services. After a sweeping and successful national press and analyst tour, the challenge became how to perpetuate the company’s image and offerings to key press targets while creating an ongoing Thought Leadership position. With very few press announcements available, the M&S team began what was to be the longest and most successful bylined article / Thought Leadership campaign in the firm’s history.

McCoin & Smith Results:

McCoin & Smith Communications organized Ernex’s offerings and developed specific vertical market approaches to drive a consistent, broad message across the retail, financial services, hospitality and marketing markets. After a comprehensive audit and analysis of market opportunities, McCoin & Smith Communications identified key trends within each vertical market and created impactful bylined article outlines for each. The results were staggering, as the campaign garnered dozens of placements within each vertical market, which often resulted in numerous sales opportunities for Ernex.

• In the first four months, M&S secured powerful ‘Ernex’ inclusions in three analyst reports and three of their top industry publications, including Direct Magazine, Colloquy, Card Marketing and number of other vertical-specific targets.
• Strategically introduced Ernex byline program with well-received “Augmenting Direct Mail.”
• Widespread recognition in all vertical markets as Thought Leader and innovator in the loyalty technology space.
  • Successfully placed Ernex CEO on editorial board of key vertical publication
  • Locked in an ongoing quarterly guest column
• In an aggressive move to further position Ernex as a Thought Leader, the McCoin & Smith team bridged the gap between loyalty technology and the CRM market by articulating the critical business value of customer loyalty.
• The CRM concept proved to be one of the most valuable strategies deployed as CRM media contacts embraced loyalty technology as a viable CRM strategy through a widely placed bylined article entitled “CRM vs. Loyalty: Kissing Cousins or Arch Rivals.”
• Developed and implemented a three-series byline program entitled “Five Critical Success Factors of Customer Loyalty.” Spanning over three quarters and pitched as “Part 1 - Getting Started,” “Part 2 – What’s Next, The First Two Years,” and “Part 3 – Customer Loyalty, A Viable CRM Option," the bylines collectively garnered in excess of 30 significant placements (as both individual and collective pieces) and launched Ernex to the top of their industry.