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The PR Room discusses being at the forefront of smart home PR and how the industry has changed in the past 16 years since the family-oriented business began.
How and when was The PR Room formed?
Sarah Chard, who has 22 years of in-house and agency experience in both B2B and B2C PR, formed The PR Room in 2003, securing her first client within a week of setting up, which rapidly snowballed into a bursting client list. Today, a dynamic family trio – yes, we are sisters – make up The PR Room’s management team.
Kerri Chard joined the team in 2004 applying her PR and wordsmith skills to deliver expertly constructed, creative key messaging and ingenious ready-made content for both our clients as well as appreciative journalists.
Kerri’s recruitment was swiftly followed by Michelle Cross, our injector of enthusiasm and passion. In Michelle’s role as lead account and events manager, her sociable demeanour is addictive and highly regarded by clients and the media.
What companies do you work with in the tech sector?
We’re happy to boast that The PR Room is one of the most renowned and established tech PR agencies around, having enjoyed 16 booming years in the industry. Many of our clients have used our services for over a decade, which is a testament to our ability to become a fundamental part of their team and our commitment to achieving positive, effective results.
We work with start-ups through to global giants living and breathing their business. From manufacturers of computing hardware and peripherals, and software developers, through to health and well- being and lifestyle brands, we partner with a variety of clients on varying projects.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
We are at the forefront of smart home PR, specialising in all things IoT, including the world’s first internet-connected hearing aid, the world’s first internet-connected smart meat thermometer and essential smart home technologies for automated IoT threat detection utilising AI.
We’re currently working on a number of thought leadership projects that underline our clients as experts in their respective fields, as well as influencer campaigns for several product and service launches. Other key focus areas include raising awareness of vulnerabilities in today’s IoT devices in the home, such as webcams, digital assistants and other connected devices, and we are also heavily promoting the use of AI in many of our clients’ products.
How has the industry changed over the years?
Tech products used to be expensive and a luxury. There are still products out there that fit this category, but today, tech dominates our everyday lives. We would be lost without it. As such, there are an abundance of players in the market, competition is extremely fierce, and everyone is vying for the attention of the media. Brands need to be extremely clever and creative with their approach to marketing and PR. A good example is the IoT space, where some analysts predict there will be over 20 billion internet-connected devices by 2020, which clearly represents massive opportunities for brands, and demonstrates why it’s essential that they win the battle to capture the attention of customers and the media.
What are your go-to karaoke songs and why?
We don’t mention karaoke to Michelle. She is completely tone deaf (think Cameron Diaz from ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’) but, to our dismay, always ready to pick up a microphone to sing pretty much anything. Sarah will pick up the mic for any 80s classic. Kerri loves karaoke full stop. Challenge her to any song, she will give it a go.
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