RTS

Appetite for Automation

Summary

RTS Flexible Systems (RTS) is a division of RTS Plc. With already well-established technology in industrial robotic systems, RTS was keen to target the food industry as a potential new market. Tight profit margins, well established competitors and a history of low investment in automation were the main challenges to overcome.

Further Information

As the UK’s biggest manufacturing sector, food production represented a significant opportunity for RTS’s range of automated, vision-guided robotic handling systems. RTS needed to achieve significant results in terms of enquiries and business opportunities as quickly as possible in order to meet its annual growth plans. As a consequence, awareness and positioning of the company needed rapid improvement in a short space of time.  

RTS’s profile and credibility in the UK food industry started from a low base. With limited budget IAS had to achieve high audience penetration in a short time scale, thereby boosting sales enquiries and supporting lead conversion. The target audience and influencers were complex as with most business-to-business campaigns. A conventional media relations campaign, building on issues, features and case studies would only build awareness over longer timescales.

Campaign Objectives

• Within one year, raise RTS’s profile with potential customers as a credible authority on automation in the food industry
• Create new demand for automation in food processing applications
• Achieve third party endorsement for RTS with potential customers by stimulating debate and discussion amongst a community of influencers interested in food industry automation issues

Target Audience

• Food Processing Engineers
• Trade Press
• Engineering Institutions
• Special interest groups
• Academics

Strategy and Proposition

Initial dipstick research revealed a consistent view that the food industry was under investing in automation. However, there was little accepted knowledge of the underlying causes, attitudes and future plans for investment. The IAS strategy was to make RTS the source of this knowledge and therefore make the company the ‘talk’ of the industry. By commissioning in-depth qualitive research with key food processing engineers at senior level, RTS could be seen as a source of definitive information. The research outcomes needed to deliver ‘headlining’ issues that could benefit PR communications programmes as topics for articles and features. They also had to be bold and controversial enough to raise interest amongst editors. Insights gained from the research would also inform RTS’s sales and marketing activities.

The PR proposition was therefore to investigate the industry’s ‘Appetite for Automation’ and this also became the title of the survey. It was crucial that the quality of respondents was high and that the project had third-party endorsement. So associations were formed with Food Processing Faraday Partnership, North West Food Alliance and the British Association of Robotics and Automation (BARA).

Results

Initial activity in the targeted food manufacturing and engineering press focused on the launch of the survey. This stimulated respondent recruitment and also editor interest in the results. Ten pieces of coverage in priority journals were generated.

RTS also hosted a round-table discussion with the partners  - BARA, NW Food Alliance, FP Faraday Partnership – and key journalists. The purpose of this was to discuss the implication of the results and how they would benefit the industry.

As a result of both the round-table and post survey media relations activity, RTS received excellent in-depth press coverage with extensive personal comment from the RTS spokespeople. This brought the total to 23 pieces of coverage generated, totalling nearly 1700 sccs or more than 15 pages of A4 advertising which would have cost in the region of £48,000. The return on investment represented by this space is better than 8 to 1 on the original cost of the survey.

Coverage was achieved with carefully chosen priority titles. This ensured the message reached senior executives in food production, engineering and automation. The chosen titles included horizontal food industry titles (e.g. Food Manufacture), food industry vertical titles (e.g. European Baker) and major engineering (e.g. Engineering).
 
RTS earned the respect of key target editors and coverage included several editorial leaders hailing RTS as a ‘trend setter’. The survey was also presented at key industry events including a major industry exhibition and conferences organised by special interest groups.

Relationships built with survey partners are leading to further opportunities and introductions to potential customers.

Client Testimonial

“IAS was instrumental in helping us to develop our strategy for the food and packaging industries. The award winning Appetite for Automation PR campaign positioned us as a thought leader in our field and sought to change perception and mindsets from the factory floor to board room.”

David Bradford, Managing Director, RTS Flexible Systems Ltd