Vancouver’s Digital Media Academy is a provider of STEM education curriculum and tech camps hosted at prestigious universities across North America. They faced an ever-increasing number of competitors gunning for their market share. As an incumbent in a crowded field, DMA had the resources to maintain leadership in the EdTech field. But the prerequisite for new growth was a major differentiation effort -- and that had to begin with a higher media profile.
Contracting with Mind Meld PR, DMA increased its recognition factor substantially, even through the hard pivot into the WFH era.
Tech PR Challenge
DMA had a good story to tell. New research from Stanford University confirmed the real value of their annual Tech Camps for young STEM learners. However, on the online-curriculum side, DMA’s pioneering Certified Schools product was beset by an army of competitors. Judging by the number of new entrants, the Ed-Tech provider market itself was clearly growing, DMA’s Director of Marketing told Mind Meld. To keep growing along with it, DMA needed dedicated tech PR.
DMA had to get their brand in front of busy and ambitious STEM-focused parents as well as universities and other traditional education institutions. This would require a multi-faceted PR strategy, creative story ideas and persistent outreach.
Tech PR Solution
The mission in hand, Mind Meld PR began examining certain trends around EdTech in the media environment. Offline, the tech PR team studied DMA’s history, core offerings, and marketing position - DMA’s DNA, you might say.
Findings correlated, Mind Meld began tailored outreach to media outlets favoured by DMA’s two core audiences. Successive campaigns sparked friendly relationships with editors at the intersection of technology, business and education. Identifying general-interest reporters who often wrote about DMA’s key themes, Mind Meld PR provided them with the useful and timely information all journalists crave.
The next piece of the tech PR initiative was to map and secure appearance possibilities for the company’s CEO and marketing director, including interviews, guest commentary bylines and/ or thought leadership bylines.
As COVID-19 started disrupting the EdTech world, Mind Meld boosted DMA for the necessary strategic shift. Mind Meld PR pursued a high media profile for the company’s efforts to enable locked-down schools to operate online, and enhanced recognition for their expanded Ed-Tech software suite.
Tech PR Results
DMA’s biggest tech PR success was substantial and positive coverage at a critical time for its business, with a Business in Vancouver story provincially syndicated to high-impact suburban papers like the Vancouver Courier and North Shore News. CEO Andre Nudelman was interviewed on Digital Trends in a segment distributed by Yahoo Tech/ Yahoo News.
Further interviews and thought-leadership bylines came through The Authority, IdeaMensch and The Learning Counsel. When the COVID pivot moved more of Cira’s business online, BCBusiness and TechCouver took note. Total brand reach was north of 10 million media consumers.
“Mind Meld is very solid in tech PR. They’re genuinely strategic thinkers,” said DMA’s marketing director. “They helped us to both define and defend our brand.”
Need help getting media coverage for your EdTech company?
We should talk! If your edtech company or startup has news to share (and needs some PR experts to help) contact Mind Meld PR.