Angela March Feb 26, 2022 2 min read
Securing funding for a game-changing anti-COVID product
Using PR to reach critical financial targets
Olivia Wallace, research associate at RuaTech
Bill Gates famously said, “If I was down to my last dollar, I would spend it on public relations,” and when innovative agritech company RuaTech contacted us, the objective too was clear; they needed funding and partners to continue developing a patented new COVID-19 immunity product.
Intended to offer immediate, short-term COVID-19 immune support to people in high-risk situations including events, frontline work, or during mass transportation such as on trains or flights, the product RuaTech was developing was more relevant than ever as New Zealand and the world faced Delta lockdowns. There was also a story to be told about its unique positioning.
The timing was ripe but understanding the investor and partner audiences that RuaTech needed to connect with was critical. To plan the message and media strategy, we needed to know who we were talking to and what mattered to them. We also needed to translate the science behind the product into clear messaging that was accurate but easily understood by a general business audience.
And we needed to do it all on a small budget.
So, we delivered a targeted media relations campaign with a solid call to action. We considered the audience journey from media coverage to the RuaTech website, ensuring consistent messaging and clear directives for potential partners and investors across earned and owned channels.
The results? Top tier national coverage in NBR and on Magic Talk plus interviews in industry and local publications. The average domain authority for coverage was high at 67, and we also achieved close to 100 social media engagements. But most importantly, RuaTech gained the attention of the right people, securing a significant partner and funding to help them continue developing a product that will improve lives globally.
This project is an excellent example of PR’s measurable impact. We were thrilled to support RuaTech in moving to the next phase while highlighting the incredible agritech capabilities we have here in New Zealand.
