July 2007

Network PR announces IBM-Ricoh joint venture in Australia 

Network PR showed its knowledge of trade and technical media when it handled the announcement that InfoPrint Solutions Company, a joint venture printing company between IBM and Ricoh, had begun operations in Australia.

InfoPrint Solutions, formerly IBM's Printing Systems Division, is 51 percent owned by Ricoh which will progressively acquire the remaining 49 percent over the next three years.

Network PR was operating part of a structured Regional rollout of the InfoPrint announcement, with the lead agency in Hong Kong preparing a regional release for localisation and distribution by each country.

“While the traditional approach - especially with two large corporations involved - is to send out a blanket, regional media release, we believed that a more targeted approach involving selective interview pitching would bring greater rewards in terms of gaining larger articles about the new entity”, said Geoff Hoddinott, Network PR’s Account Director.

“This was based on the knowledge that an announcement of the joint venture had been made globally some months previously; and also on our belief that two or three in-depth articles in media reaching end potential customers would be of greater value”.

The result was that InfoPrint obtained solid trade and channel media coverage from the interviews.

To support its approach Network PR spent time with InfoPrint executives developing a messaging platform and then media training company spokespeople so they could effectively deliver core messages as well as Australian ‘proof points’ where competitive advantage was evident. 

In Australia, IPS, which is headquartered in Sydney, begins life as a leading participant in the Australian market, with hundreds of customers in all sectors from small businesses to major corporations.

The joint venture aims to provide a much broader, highly competitive portfolio of products based on increased investment in new product development.  Its focus will be on providing output solutions for general office, industrial, enterprise and commercial printing environments for customers of all sizes - from small businesses to large enterprises.

According to Rene Kisselbach, InfoPrint Solutions Company Country Manager Australia and New Zealand, the new organisation is actively recruiting and has “aggressive plans to expand our team, both throughout Australia and in New Zealand”.

InfoPrint Solutions also has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UK and the U.S.  There are plans to expand to other countries.

Network PR optimises brand appeal by matching messages to individual markets and mapping a communication ‘Network of Influence’ to ensure messages are delivered with clarity & credibility