|
"The best is yet to come..." Frank Sinatra
Eastwick was founded on the premise that the high-tech industry needed a different kind of PR agency, one that would provide growing companies as well as publicly traded powerhouses with results-oriented PR programs driven by seasoned PR professionals. Our goal was to turn the big agency paradigm on its head and build a model where the most senior staff worked directly with clients and reporters. Over the years, we've helped put emerging companies, such as Azul Systems, Palm, and Softbook Press, on the map, as well as helped build category and industry leaders such as Adobe, Seagate, Business Objects, and BMC Software.
In celebrating our 15th year in business, we?ve had a blast taking a trip down memory lane and reflecting on some of the more colorful, meaningful, and just plain crazy times in our history. Here are a handful of the agency's milestones
and highlights. Click on each to read more.
1991
The Counsel of Witches
Eastwick launches with a moniker to match its non-traditional style. (
Listen to
Patrick Corman, longtime friend and PR colleague.)
1991-93
Big Brands, Small Agency
Who says the industry leaders need to work with large agencies?
Eastwick surprises its competitors and lands big names such as Oracle.
1993-94
Pioneering New Markets
Eastwick parlays big brand experience into new markets. A big fan of start-ups, the agency sinks its teeth into launching some of high tech's market-changing companies including Palm. (Listen to Kate Purmal, formerly at Palm, now CEO of U3.)
1994
Once a Client, Always a Client?
Longevity and loyalty are hallmarks of the Eastwick style. Just ask Linda Clarke, five-time Eastwick client and current Eastwicker. (
Listen to
Linda Clarke.
1994-95
Innovate, Innovate, Innovate: Creating New Services
Never content to do things the same old way, the Eastwick gang comes up with a few new tricks when it comes to client services.
Others follow suit, demonstrating once again that imitation is, indeed, the sincerest form of flattery.
1995-96
Getting to the Next Level
"Getting to the next level" means putting emerging companies on the critical path to acquisition or IPO, helping category leaders become billion-dollar enterprises, and turning market leaders into global brands. Eastwick has a long history of helping companies do all three.
1996
The Path to Higher Intelligence ? Business Objects
Eastwick teams up with Business Objects, kicking off a 10-year relationship that helps Business Objects establish a new category and cement its leadership position. (
Listen to
Tracy Eiler,
formerly at Business Objects, now with Postini.)
1997
HP's Storage (un)Division
Eastwick performs amazing feats of magic to find unity in chaos.
1998
Pro Bono Pros and Prose
A long tradition of pro bono work for worthy causes.
2001
And Then There Were Two
Nancy Blake retires, but her legacy lives on.
2001-03
Dotcom ? Some Pain, More Gain
While many agencies struggled or failed, Eastwick survives and ultimately comes out stronger.
2005
If You're Goin' to San Francisco (Take Your Broomstick There)
Eastwick opens its San Francisco office and begins a new Halloween tradition, the B&O Bash. (See our
Halloween Heritage and
B&O pictures.)
2005-06
Let's Get Social
Eastwick becomes an early thought leader and adopter of social media. (Visit our
eastwikkers blog.)
2006
How to Succeed in Business (Media)
The holy grail of PR, business press coverage, has long been one of our claims to fame. (
Forbes names Seagate "Company of the Year.")
Eastwick Inspired
If you're still reading, thanks for indulging our look back. As much as we love to toot our own horn (we're not in PR for nothing), Eastwick could not have achieved its success without the help of mentors who guided us along the way, staff
who gave 150 percent and then some, partners who collaborated with us and, of course, the clients who trusted us to represent them. So to all of you, a big thank you. We're looking forward to making more magic together in years to
come.
******************************************
1991
The Counsel of Witches
In 1991, PR was dominated by large agencies, and client accounts were typically managed by less experienced people than those who had actually pitched the new business. Steeped in this system, we saw a need for change and, along with Nancy
Blake, did what many say friends should never do: we started our own business.
Focused on what we saw as the specialized needs of tech companies, we helped pioneer the boutique tech agency with its relatively flat structure and principals deeply involved in day-to-day account activities.
When we shared our concept with colleague Patrick Corman, he quipped, "Sounds like the Three Witches of Eastwick," referring to the John Updike novel and the 1987 George Miller film starring Cher, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Susan
Sarandon.
It was too good to pass up, and the name "Eastwick Communications" stuck.
(
Listen to
Patrick Corman, longtime friend and PR colleague.)
Return to Timeline
1991-93
Big Brands, Small Agency
It was an axiom at the time that big brands needed big agencies, but in this case, the axiom just wasn't true. Eastwick quickly showed that what big brands really needed was solid counsel and great results. And if the best counsel was to
be found in a small, young agency, that's where the big brand should go. Over the first 18 months, we snatched up several clients that would otherwise have gone to large agencies: Adaptec, InfoWorld, Oracle, and Pyramid.
For Pyramid, we landed our first cover story in
Datamation, at the time one of just a handful of top-tier IT pubs that were considered industry bibles.
Return to Timeline
1993-94
Pioneering New Markets
The credibility from Oracle led to a five-year relationship with BMC where we helped a staid mainframe company establish leadership in the emerging open systems market.
On the flip side, Eastwick began its longtime love affair with start-ups, beginning with the launch of Palm and continuing with a slew of market-changing companies we've worked with through the years.
(
Listen to Kate Purmal, formerly at Palm, now CEO of U3.)
Return to Timeline
1994
Once a Client, Always a Client?
Then we met Linda Clarke. While at Adobe, Linda hired Eastwick for the first time. As she moved on to other companies, she kept coming back: Baan, Autodesk, ePeople, PSS Systems.
In fact, more than 50 percent of our current clients were either previously clients, or were recommended by previous or current clients. In Linda's case, she so enjoyed working with Eastwick that she decided to join the agency in 2006!
(
Listen to
Linda Clarke)
Return to Timeline
1994-95
Innovate, Innovate, Innovate: Creating New Services
Innovation is a continuing theme at Eastwick.
In 1994, we offered the first Analyst Roundtable, bringing smaller clients together with a group of analysts from different firms.
Our roundtables not only give our smaller clients cost-effective access to analysts, but also provide analysts with an easy way to gather more meaningful content. Next came our Gloves-Off Dinner, an opportunity for
CEOs from multiple companies to come together to informally discuss issues and trends, build lasting relationships, and open new doors with the press and analysts.
Our journalist friends find our "no PR or marketing intervention" approach refreshing.
More recently, in 2004, we pioneered StoryBoard?, an approach to communication based on the idea that messages communicate but stories motivate. StoryBoard also had the double benefit of helping clients refine and tell their stories while
providing the press and analysts with more valuable content.
In 2005, taking advantage of new technologies, we introduced our blog, eastwikkers, and a new wiki service platform, the eastwiki. The launch of the eastwiki garnered Eastwick an Iron Sabre award for the Most Innovative Product of the
Year.
Return to Timeline
1995-96
Getting to the Next Level
"Getting to the next level" means putting emerging companies on the critical path to acquisition or IPO, helping category leaders become billion dollar enterprises, and helping market leaders become global brands.
Eastwick has a long history of helping companies do all three.
Back in 1995, we helped start-up Interse reposition itself from a small web hosting provider to a high-value web analytics company.
Without any VC involvement, Interse was bought by Microsoft.
Following Interse, there was also Terraspring, bought by Sun, Twingo, bought by Cisco, and numerous others.
Return to Timeline
1996
The Path to Higher Intelligence ? Business Objects
In 1996, we began working with Business Objects, a mid-sized company trying to establish a new category, business intelligence. Today, BI is a mature multi-billion dollar market (IDC estimates that the BI market will be $5.7 billion in
2009), and Business Objects is a $1 billion company and growing.
The role that Eastwick and PR played?
We functioned as a seamless extension of the Business Objects internal PR team, building a deep level of mutual trust and confidence, leading to stellar results. We helped the company establish its position as a thought leader through
issue campaigns, aggressive business press outreach, and helping ensure the timely publication of Founder and CEO Bernard Liautaud's book on business intelligence.
(
Listen to
Tracy Eiler,
formerly at Business Objects, now with Postini.)
Return to Timeline
1997
HP's Storage (un)Division
In 1997, to prove to industry influencers that HP had a cohesive and coherent storage vision across its eight storage divisions, Eastwick developed a comprehensive messaging architecture?a first within the company?and brought them all
together, along with top-tier press and analysts, for a single "Extreme Storage" event. The successful event included participation from more than 50 international and domestic press and analysts and clearly communicated HP's
billion-dollar leadership and dominance in the market.
Return to Timeline
1998
Pro Bono Pros and Prose
In 1998, Eastwick began its tradition of
pro bono work for worthy causes.
We started with Senior.net and have since worked with the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and the Alliance of Technology and Women. In 2004, following the presidential election, we helped the UC Berkeley Department of Sociology publicize a
study that called attention to problems with electronic voting in
Florida
.
The study ended up contributing to the now popular awareness of issues with electronic voting, and our campaign was named a finalist for a PRSA Silver Anvil award. Our current
pro bono client, Comunidad Para Baja California, brings medical assistance to the poorest areas of Baja.
Our hope is that Eastwick's efforts will bring new volunteers and funding to this worthy nonprofit "start-up."
Return to Timeline
2001
And Then There Were Two
The founders of Eastwick defied the schoolyard assumption that three females can't play well together.
We shared a partnership that was truly magical and the envy of many.
It was a partnership based on an appreciation of our very different, yet somehow complementary, personalities and skills, as well as a shared vision of how we could do things differently.
Nancy Blake's retirement in 2001 marked the end of an era.
After ten years together, it was tough to send her off but she remains a part of the Eastwick family and has our undying gratitude for her huge contribution to Eastwick.
We couldn't have done it without you, Nancy.
Return to Timeline
2001-03
Dotcom ? Some Pain, More Gain
Like many PR agencies, we rode the dotcom wave and had our share of strange names and big blow-outs, including DoDots, Mygeek.com, and No Wonder (yes, no wonder!), but with 8-10 companies a day going public, we still managed to get
high-profile coverage for such clients as Keynote. While many agencies folded or struggled to stay afloat, a good mix of larger and smaller clients saw Eastwick through?and provided us with significant lessons about our industry and client
relationships that have helped us during the current industry resurgence.
Return to Timeline
2005
If You're Goin' to San Francisco
(Take Your Broomstick There)
In mid-2005, we opened our
San Francisco office on De Haro Street to better serve our clients to the north and offer more flexibility for employees. Based on our affinity for all things witchy, and with Halloween 2005 quickly approaching, we launched the now annual Black & Orange Bash. Our 2006 Bash, held on Oct. 26th, was bigger and better than the first, and we're already planning for 2007. Our Halloween heritage dates back to our earliest years when we bucked the holiday tradition and began sending
Halloween cards.
(See our
Halloween Heritage and
B&O pictures.)
Return to Timeline
2005-06
Let's Get Social
With former Eastwick staffer Giovanni Rodriguez leading the charge, Eastwick became an early thought leader on the impact of social media on PR. And to practice what we preach and learn about social media before counseling our clients, we were one of the first PR agencies to launch a
corporate blog and wiki service platform. Today, nearly every Eastwick client is looking seriously at social media or already actively involved in blogging, community building, podcasting, and other new media programs. The recent launch of Eastwick client Coghead, which offers DIY web-based application development, was conducted entirely via PR and focused heavily on the blogosphere. One key measurement of the campaign's success: Coghead wanted 3000 beta users as a result of the launch, but the blog-based campaign netted more than 8000 interested users two weeks into the launch.
(Visit our
eastwikkers blog.)
Return to Timeline
2006
How to Succeed in Business (Media)
One claim to fame for Eastwick is our ability to secure top-tier business press coverage for our clients?no matter the size of the company.
Two major hits this year that characterize this skill: Seagate's presence on the cover of Forbes as the company of year and simultaneous launch coverage for BroadLogic in the WSJ, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Red Herring, and Reuters. There are many more examples of our success here and there will be many more to come.
(
Forbes
names Seagate "Company of the Year")
Return to Timeline
Keep abreast of the trends in digital communications and new media via Eastwick's corporate blog,
eastwikkers.
EASTWICK COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY PUBLIC RELATIONS
955 Charter Street
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650-480-4040
Fax: 650-480-4045
EMAIL
|
|
|
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Client Coverage Highlights
|
|
The Wall Street Journal featured
BroadLogic's new video-processor chip and interviewed
Sendmail's Founder and Chief Science Officer Eric Allman on the 25th anniversary of his developing SMTP and Sendmail's current efforts to reduce spam.
The New York Times touted the 2.2-pound
Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010 notebook and featured the
Kaleidescape entertainment system.
Fortune
was also enamored with the Fujitsu LifeBook Q2010 notebook.
The San Jose Mercury News published "
Firms benefit by building community," an editorial by Seagate CEO Bill Watkins, and reviewed
BroadLogic's video-processor chip.
CIO Magazine
highlights Azul's multi-core processors as one of the leading disruptive technologies.
Investor's Business Daily
included ZANTAZ in a discussion of how companies can respond to new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
InfoWorld featured
Scalent's Virtual Operating Environment, and InfoWorld Blogger Ephraim Schwartz examined how the
Azul Compute Appliance offers greater power efficiency.
Computerworld reviewed the Fujitsu Eternus8000 and Eternus4000 storage solutions.
KPIX included 3VR's facial recognition technology in a story on the fight against terrorism.
Client Product Placements
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" featured Seagate's Susan G. Komen Pink Pocket Hard Drive.
JDSU's pumped argon laser was featured in the November 8th episode of the hit CBS Series
"CSI: NY." The episode is titled "Consequences."
Client Accolades
Emergency Medical Associates, a customer of Business Objects, won a
Computerworld 2006 Best Practices in Business Intelligence Award.
IDC named ZANTAZ the email archiving market leader, and
Deloitte named ZANTAZ to its prestigious Technology Fast 50 Program for
Silicon Valley.
|
|
EASTWICK UPDATE
|
|
Events
On November 20th, Eastwick Principal Barbara Bates spoke on Cisco TV about how to handle crisis communications around the leaking of personal data.
New Eastwick Clients
We'd like to welcome the following companies to our client roster:
BroadLogic Network Technologies designs and supplies breakthrough video-processing mixed signal semiconductors that enable broadband network operators to maintain their competitive position.
Mark Logic Corporation provides the industry's leading XML content server designed to help providers of information products accelerate new product creation, integrate content from different sources, build custom publishing systems, and search-and-discover previously unknown information.
|
|
A Q&A WITH SUSAN RADD
|
|
Meet Susan Radd, Eastwick's newest VP.
Where did you get your start in PR?
Believe it or not, the first product I pitched was Hubba Bubba Bubblegum-flavored soda. I parlayed that auspicious start into some work in the real estate and S&L industry after the S&L crisis. I got into high-tech PR at Edelman in the early 90s and found my calling.
What technologies have you worked with?
I love all things wireless, broadband, and networking. I started pitching cable set-top boxes, helped launch cable modems and digital cable, then moved on to IP over satellite. I also helped introduce GlobalStar's handheld satellite phones. For a division of Nokia, I introduced one of the first consumer-friendly wireless LANs and at Interop unveiled the label WiFi for the WiFi Alliance.
What has been the most fun working in PR?
Watching technologies and markets mature. Going from betting that a new market would reach a certain level of maturity to actually seeing it get there. I've been fortunate to be at the forefront of some pretty interesting markets.
What have been your keys to success?
A lot of industry reading, standing my ground on recommendations, trusting my gut, having a sense of humor, and always treating my team well. For my clients, it's always been about using whatever tools and tactics I can to change the rules of engagement in the marketplace in favor of my clients. It's important to put clients in an industry context, and look for the
less-than-obvious connections among events and trends.
What's it like working at Eastwick?
The agency is extremely open to new ideas. Whether it's for clients or for the agency internally, it's easy to get things implemented. You can be as strategic as you want to be, and that's good for the agency and clients.
|
|
