We are happy to shine the spotlight on one of our most innovative clients, Prophesee. As a point of reflection over the past few years, we wanted to chat with Mike Sottak and Rebecca Renner, the leaders of the Prohesee account.

Q: Before we get into the more important content of this interview, I am interested to know more about your relationship with Prophesee. How long have they been a client of yours? How has that relationship changed over the years? 

A: Prophesee has been great client and we are really proud that we have kind of grown up with them. We started working with them back in 2014 when they were just getting started and we actually wrote their first press release. We had been introduced to their founder Luca Verre through a “French connection” and there has been good chemistry right from the get-go. Since then, we have worked side by side with Prophesee as they have grown and evolved their strategy. Looking back over the past 7 years it’s impressive and rewarding to see how they have expanded and become a force in the machine vision industry. We are proud that we helped evangelize their innovative approach to vision sensing– event-based vision – and they are truly recognized as the pioneer in this space. We have had some nice results from them, from Luca participating in the World Economic Forum and getting them in Forbes to supporting their product rollouts and funding rounds -  and it’s all starting to pay off for them. We have a great internal contact we work with which makes big difference, too, and they are always willing to listen to new ideas.  It’s exciting to be partner for a company like Prophesee as they gain traction and establish themselves as a leader in their space. 

Q: Given Prophesee has such a unique audience, how have you modeled your efforts to bring more value to them as compared to an internal PR team? 

A: We definitely see ourselves as an extension of their internal communications and marketing team. Wired Island has a history of relationships with the high-tech media outlets, influencers and ecosystems that are relevant to Prophesee. Our global network with these influencers as well as experience with what messaging resonates most with them and is what I think brings the most value to this account. Our team is able to be flexible as their company needs and announcements ebb and flow throughout the year. I think that is a big plus for an organization like Prophesee versus a dedicated internal person. They have a seasoned team available to them on demand and we bring value to the table that they appreciate. 

 

Q: Around this time last year the Wired Island Team helped Prophesee announce a breakout product, Metavision Intelligence Suite How did you ensure the right audience was exposed to this announcement? And, that the messaging aligned with the company’s vision? 

A: This was an interesting announcement because it was their first software product and really established them as being able to provide a complete solution based on their technology innovation. It was more than just a new product –it is an attempt to build an entire ecosystem around their technology platform.  And it was important for them to appeal to a much broader set of customers in different markets than we had traditionally focused on. We started by expanding our normal set of target publications to those covering the software space and not hardware. Some of the key applications also allowed us to expand their messaging to new verticals and trade magazines. We also helped the team refine their messaging beyond just a news release to their website, social media, email newsletter and more. A few years ago, Prophesee was perceived as being in a single market – automotive. Now they are viewed as a much broader solution provider across many different industries and application areas. 

 

Q: I also noticed you have worked with Prophesee through an impressive amount of growth in the form of funding. For a growing company like Prophesee, could you detail how those announcements are handled by a firm like WII? 

A: For any start up, industry validation in the form of investors is important. Prophesee has had a very deliberate strategy to work with strategic investors and not necessarily just take money from anyone who approaches them. We helped create the right messages around each funding round, including the most recent one, which wasn’t a huge one dollars-wise by current standards but was super strategic in that is opened up a whole new market for them in China, and also got them the endorsement of a highly respected expert in AI. Funding announcements are fun to work on but also can be challenging especially in today’s environment when multi hundred-million-dollar rounds are becoming common. Sometimes it’s not the amount you raise that’s important, but who you are working with. 

 

Q: What other roles do you play with Prophesee 

A: We like to think our experience is an important asset for them to draw on and we offer them advice and counsel beyond just PR tactics. From a communications standpoint, we are also a content developer for them, from thought leadership articles to their web site. Awards, events and speaking opportunities are also a part of the mix. We also continue to counsel the Prophesee team on social media content and best practices. The past year has seen steady growth for their Twitter and LinkedIn accounts both in terms of quantity and quality engagements. Twitter has seen a steady growth in followers with an over 65% increase in engagement year over year. While their LinkedIn community gained over 1,000 new followers and a 40% increase in engagement. This can be attributed to the busy year they have had and as a result the increase in post pace and engagement opportunities. The executive team has continued to be active as well, which tends to nurture your online community by adding a personal touch, especially on LinkedIn.