New Jersey Nanotechnology
Consortium
Company Launch and Awareness

EVENT PLANNING, PUBLIC RELATIONS

opportunity
Nanotechnology could bring fundamental changes to numerous industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and defense. There is, however, one key problem prohibiting the explosion of nanotechnologies: many companies who can conceive and design nanotech-based products have no in-house manufacturing expertise or infrastructure. Our client, the New Jersey Nanotechnology Center (NJNC), fills this gap with a $400 million sub-micron production facility (formerly part of Bell Labs). As a newly formed entity, though, NJNC needed to convince potential partners of its skills and immediate value.

idea
After assessing NJNC's exact needs, we set two basic communication goals aimed at getting tailored messages to various industries, government agencies and the academic research community:

  • Launch the Center to publications serving five separate vertical markets, including semiconductor equipment, national business, regional business, pharmaceutical and biotech.
  • Ensure the Center, which receives state funding but is a member-owned LLC, was positioned as a "commercialization-centered consortium" rather than just another academic nanotechnology research organization.
execution
Our campaign began with a targeted, nationwide media relations push supported by a news release, backgrounder, and other support materials - including talking points methodically developed for each audience segment.

An important element of our efforts was media training for the NJNC executives. We prepared them for their briefings through practice sessions that ensured they were relaxed, comfortable, consistently on-message and able to field questions effectively. Interviewing skills took on added importance when scheduling problems forced NJNC to cancel a planned launch event at its headquarters. As an alternative, we conducted 18 telephone interviews in the space of two weeks. In addition, Loomis Group pitched three contributed articles for publication under the byline of NJNC executives or partner companies.

Following the launch, Loomis Group proposed a "field trip" event, held in conjunction with a Nanotech conference in New York, that would give journalists first-hand exposure to NJNC's world-class facility. A subsequent Speaker Series is bringing top nanotechnology figures from industry, government, and academy to NJNC. The events will provide education and networking opportunities with a commercialization theme for attendees, under the auspices of NJNC.

influence
Our success is evident in the clips and quotes - many of which directly reflect the NJNC messaging points (e.g., "Nanotechnology - Conception to Commercialization"). Virtually every executive quotation speaks directly to the communications goals, showing the effectiveness of our preparation and the accuracy of our messaging.

We gained coverage in every targeted audience sector, including multiple publications in most, and fostered important editorial relationships that should open the door for further coverage.