Based in UMIC’s North Campus Incubator, specialist PR and communications agency Frontier PR Ltd began working with fellow tenants Arvia Technology in September 2009.
Arvia Technology Ltd is a business start-up and a University of Manchester spin-out whose chief product is a unique system for the treatment of liquid wastes, with the potential to be used for a wide range of applications, including the treatment of water and waste water, radioactive oils, groundwater remediation and the treatment of paper pulp water.
Arvia’s technology is highly disruptive. This means it can be difficult for the market to grasp and change from the established ways of operating and adapt to new methods. This makes marketing and communicating Arvia’s technology a challenge.
As a small, high-growth company, Arvia lacked the ability and resources to manage marketing across such a broad range of markets, so having met Frontier PR via the Incubator, they turned to the agency to help raise awareness and understanding of their product.
Frontier PR has worked with a wide array of clients, and has a strong track record of success in promoting high-tech, high-growth companies, and worked closely with Arvia to develop language and messages that could be identified and understood by each market.
Frontier PR then launched a highly targeted media relations and marketing campaign, engaging with those publications, events and outlets it felt would be credible enough to influence and educate the market.
Frontier PR emphasised the many economic, operational and environmental benefits of Arvia’s technology, in ways that business leaders and decision makers could understand and appreciate.
Frontier PR’s MD David Innes-Edwards explains: “The campaign to date has been very successful. As well as galvanising the Arvia message and the way they engage with the market, we’ve responded to Arvia’s initial commercial success and promoted them to the wider market.
“Arvia is exactly the type of company we want to work with. Their technology is highly disruptive and has the potential to be huge, but they need somebody to bridge the gap between what they have to offer and what the market is ‘ready’ for.”
“Through defining the message and creating marketing collateral, media opportunities and events, Frontier PR has accelerated the process of introducing Arvia to the market.”
David continues: “UMIC and the Incubator played an important role in these two businesses coming together. Frontier PR is specialist in high-tech/high-growth PR, so through identifying and attracting the right blend of businesses within the incubator, UMIC created an environment where mutually beneficial business can be done.”
Frontier PR continues to work with Arvia post the company leaving the UMIC Incubator and the relationship remains a rewarding and fruitful one.
