On the first night of RSAC in San Francisco, Treble had the pleasure of leading an executive roundtable discussion for the Cybersecurity Marketing Leadership Dinner. The conversations centered around creating the right public relations and communications strategy for their company’s investment stage.
Everyone engaged in fruitful discussions while enjoying a delicious dinner, great drinks and the best view of the Bay Bridge. Here are a few highlights from the evening:
Current Landscape
The tech media landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade. The decline of traditional media, the increasing power of social media, and the fragmentation of media channels have raised the bar for companies and agencies.
We understand that cybersecurity companies must craft compelling narratives, share newsworthy stories, create engaging, high-quality content, and execute multi-channel digital campaigns—all with limited resources and budgets—to have a chance in today's hyper-competitive environment.
During the dinner, Treble heard overwhelming concerns from CMOs about how to respond to these challenges while maximizing company messaging to align the business goals of the C-suite, board, and investors.
Discussions on Creating the Right PR Strategy for Your Investment Stage
Often, the problem is that what companies will need at Series B isn’t simply more of what they needed at Series A. Effective PR strategies for venture-backed startups must be tailored for the investment and growth stage, considering the inherent capabilities, limitations, and opportunities.
Ethan Parker, along with Senior Vice President Matt Grant, really emphasized that as tech startups progress through various funding rounds, it is important that their communications plans grow and evolve with them to maintain consistent messaging and continue on a path of growth.
The tactics used at different stages will not likely differ dramatically. Certain basics — maintaining consistent messaging, aligning PR efforts with company strategy and remaining adaptable and nimble — are relevant at all stages and fundamental to any successful media-related strategy.
It’s always a great time getting together with this group, and we look forward to hosting another CMO roundtable! And a huge thanks to Beau Roberts for hosting and for the great photos!