Tag: Hotwire

Sydney, Australia – Hotwire, the global communications and marketing consultancy, has announced the launch of its global AI innovation team for consultancy and first proprietary AI tool, GAIO.tech, that delivers unique insight into brand reputation, influence, and recommendations by AI chatbots. 

GAIO.tech is the first in a series of AI technology and consulting solutions Hotwire will launch in the coming months to help global brands use AI as part of their marketing and communications strategies to better meet business goals. 

With Hotwire’s GAIO.tech, marketing and communications professionals in technology and innovation companies will better understand how their brand and products show up in AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity, as well as the opportunities to influence these answers. 

While search engine optimisation (SEO) focuses on keywords and backlinks, GAIO.tech enables brands to use generative artificial intelligence optimisation (GAIO) to analyse brand mentions in AI chatbots. It identifies the most prominent answers and sources, revealing which media outlets, channels, and influencers are prioritised. This insight will help PR and marketing teams better understand how generative AI-powered research and responses impact brand reputation and visibility, allowing them to refine their strategies accordingly.

Hotwire also appointed Sven Winnefeld as vice president for AI innovation to lead the AI team across its global organisation. This team will consult clients on their AI strategies and communications programmes, as well as develop a suite of proprietary AI-powered solutions.

Earlier this year, as part of its ongoing AI consultancy, Hotwire released a report titled ‘Brand Narratives in the Age of AI’ in partnership with the think tank House of Beautiful Business. This report includes insights from leading AI experts, including journalists, cyber-psychologists, designers, and brand leaders, to explore the AI trends and narratives influencing the business landscape and societal perceptions. It also introduces a new brand positioning framework for communications and marketing leaders to benchmark and develop their own AI narratives.

Commenting on the launch, Winnefeld said, “As consumers and B2B buyers increasingly turn to generative AI for research, it will only become more important that marketing and communications teams understand how consumers are using these tools and develop strategies to best position their company and products. GAIO.tech delivers insights into the answers of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, including the identification of the most cited products, brands, and sources. This tool is just the start of Hotwire’s work with AI to give our clients the insights they need to create the most effective marketing and communications programmes for the future.”

Heather Kernahan, global chief executive officer at Hotwire, also explained, “According to MuckRack’s State of AI in PR 2024 report, 64% of PR pros now use generative AI tools, compared to just 28% a year ago. This rapid adoption will shape how AI is used in PR and marketing to engage target audiences and stakeholders. By launching a team dedicated to AI innovation for communications and marketing, we can set our clients ahead of competitors through unique AI insights and technologies, done responsibly. Working with and understanding how best to deploy AI will allow global brands to build stronger reputations and relationships that boost customer retention and revenues.” 

Sydney, Australia – Hotwire, the global technology communications and marketing consultancy, announced the appointment of Melissa Cullen to the new role of managing director of communications for the Asia-Pacific region. 

In her new position, Cullen will be responsible for Hotwire’s business in Australia and will expand its reputation and relationship services footprint across APAC. 

Cullen will work alongside Anol Bhattacharya, managing director of marketing in APAC, to deepen the consultancy’s offerings in communications strategy, public relations, media relations, digital marketing, crisis and issue management, content production, executive thought leadership services, account-based marketing, corporate narrative platforms, and influencer management. 

Heather Kernahan, global chief executive officer of Hotwire, said, “We were looking for an experienced tech communications leader with the drive and ambition to expand our communications and public relations services in both capabilities and reach as we build with clients across Asia Pacific.”

“Mel’s experience in running her own agency for more than a decade, her work as a senior communications strategist with global tech brands and her leadership role in the PR industry are a fantastic combination that bring value and expertise to Hotwire clients and our team,” Kernahan continues. 

Prior to her appointment, Cullen worked in senior roles at Icon Agency, Finchco and Ogilvy, leading on major clients including Salesforce, Westpac and Microsoft. She was also the co-founder and managing director of Res Publica, where she spent fifteen years designing and delivering successful communications programs for some of Australia and the world’s best-known brands and businesses, including Lion, Unilever, Westpac, Jurlique, Priceline and Gatorade.  

Throughout her career, Cullen also held several leadership roles within the Australian public relations industry, including Chair of the Public Relations Council and Board Member of The Communications Council.

On her recent appointment, Cullen shares, “I am thrilled to be joining Hotwire to lead our communications services across APAC into an exciting new growth chapter.  Hotwire is a truly global agency with deep expertise in technology communications and marketing and I am really looking forward to partnering with our clients to share their stories of success and deliver real commercial impact.” 

Australia – Hotwire Global Communications, the global technology communications and marketing consultancy, has taken a significant step towards its presence in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region by fully integrating GetIT, a top B2B technology marketing agency. This integration follows Hotwire’s acquisition of GetIT in July 2022, marking a significant milestone in its expansion strategy.

Effective today, the GetIT offices in Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Japan will merge seamlessly with Hotwire’s 11 global offices. This integration deepens Hotwire’s reputation, relationship, and revenue management service offerings, encompassing digital marketing, content production, account-based marketing, and public relations.

Moreover, Hotwire’s expansion and integration with GetIT brings added value to existing clients like Informatica and introduces notable enterprise technology brands such as Google Cloud, Palo Alto Networks, Telekom Malaysia, Amazon Web Services, and SAP Concur to Hotwire’s client portfolio.

Heather Kernahan, the global CEO of Hotwire, said that the strategic expansion in the APAC region is in line with their commitment to global growth and unwavering support for their clients as they navigate the ever-evolving technology landscape.

In addition, the integration includes four new country offices, expanding Hotwire’s global presence to 15 offices and over 400 employees. With nearly 50 employees in six APAC offices, including existing locations in Australia, Anol Bhattacharya, Founder and CEO of GetIT, will now serve as the Managing Director, Marketing for Hotwire Asia Pacific, leading the agency’s growth and achievements in the region.

Hotwire’s APAC expansion reflects a year of growth, highlighted by impactful data and analytics solutions updates. The insight-driven offerings, such as Account IQ, Audience IQ, Comms IQ, and Performance IQ, launched in February, empowering technology companies worldwide, including in APAC, to leverage data for strategy optimization, impactful measurement, and accelerated business growth.

Hotwire Global Communications continues pushing boundaries and redefining the technology communications and marketing landscape. With the integration of GetIT, the consultancy solidifies its position as a leader in APAC, offering expertise, expanded capabilities, and support to technology and innovation leaders across the region and beyond.

Just recently, Enero Group, the boutique network of marketing and communications agencies headquartered in Australia, has announced that it has acquired GetIT, the marketing agency in APAC that specialises in B2B technology. This is the newest acquisition by Enero Group where last year, the network was seen buying McDonald Butler Associates (MBA), a UK-based B2B sales agency.

The current move by the network is aimed at accelerating the growth of Hotwire in APAC, Enero’s leading global technology communications consultancy. In an exclusive interview with GetIT’s CEO Anol Bhattacharya, he shares with us how the team plans to seamlessly fulfil the integration now that the agency is moving onto a next stage of growth with new offerings and an expanded value proposition at hand. 

GetIT now a Hotwire company

When the news first broke out, we similarly spoke with Anol for a comment, and in a prosaic but spot-on answer, he said, “We liked the Hotwire/Enero leadership team.” 

Anol said that Hotwire’s decision to acquire GetIT goes beyond expanding the global footprint in Asia, but primarily to strengthen the vision of Hotwire’s leadership team to accelerate Hotwire’s reputation, relationship, and revenue services globally and provide a unique marketplace offering.

The acquisition enables Hotwire to support clients with long-term brand awareness and near-term sales result.

Anol Bhattacharya, GetIT’s CEO

Alongside GetIT, Enero Group, in fact, simultaneously accomplished its acquisition of North America-focused B2B digital marketing agency, RIO-DNA. Anol said that the two acquisitions will allow the teams to rapidly scale services to innovative technology companies in North America and APAC in order to navigate “complex reputation issues, building business-impacting stakeholder relationships, and delivering revenue growth on a larger scale.” 

The challenge that comes with expanded capabilities

In the interview, Anol bared that in beefing up its services following the buy-out, one of the challenges is attracting and putting good talent in place for these practices. Through the acquisition, GetIT is now adding reputation management, brand strategy, and public relations to its capabilities.

There will be some challenges ahead of us…as finding and attracting good talent is getting more complex everywhere in the world.

Anol Bhattacharya, GetIT’s CEO

But Anol said that all’s good in the hood as the Hotwire leadership, specifically Global CEO Heather Kernahan, and Australia MD Jamie Nelson is behind them in ramping up the hiring process “as fast as they can.”

Furthermore, Anol implied that the fusion such as that of GetIT and Hotwire’s is basically ‘written in the stars’ in the midst of an accelerated need for integrated services. 

“One of the key areas of expertise of GetIT is content, [and] content is the central and common differentiator for marketing and communication services.” 

“The rationale for integrating GetIT into Hotwire Group is easily explainable to the internal and external audience, following the narrative of integrated reputation to revenue.” 

He revealed that the process of offering this unique and integrated service offering is already underway, where the leadership team of Hotwire, Enero, ROI DNA and GetIT has kick-started the process in a face-to-face, rigorous workshop in San Francisco. 

The roadmap for cross-pollinating the unique attributes from every location of Hotwire, ROI-DNA and GetIT is mapped out, and we have a clear path ahead of us.

Anol Bhattacharya, GetIT’s CEO

When asked about what he thinks are the pain points of brands today when it comes to performance marketing, he jovially says, “Everything is performance marketing. Because the opposite of that will be non-performance marketing, and nobody wants that.”

But on a more serious note, Anol thinks the real issue of B2B organisations today is the siloed organisational structure where there are disconnected goals and KPIs for brand marketing, corporate communications, performance marketing, and sales.

He said that many companies now started the integration process to bring all marketing, communications and sales functions and even creating a new role of chief commercial officer or chief revenue officer. 

“Even if I don’t take that broad perspective, we need to realign all the silos in the marketing and comms department in one direction.” 

For Anol, if he were to classify B2B marketing and comms in two sections, it would be Brand and Reputation Marketing and Communication, and Field marketing or Revenue Pipeline Marketing. 

For the former, Anol said it must include brand strategy, awareness, reputation and brand association. With the efficiency of digital surveys and focus groups containing a large sample size, he said that both dimensions can be measured in the short term. 

While in the long term, he said “performance in profit and loss, market share, and the secondary market are irrefutable proof points of the effectiveness of brand strategy and communication.” 

Meanwhile, for field marketing, this would include lead generation, qualification, nurturing and contribution to the revenue pipeline.

“It’s mind-boggling that marketers and agencies still get away with presenting some vanity metrics instead of showing any real value for field marketing in the era of marketing automation and analytics dashboards.”

The fusion of Hotwire and GetIT

For reputation management, he says that the biggest challenge is that everyone has become a publisher, and that social media proliferation has changed the perspective of brand reputation management completely. 

Moreover, both B2B and B2C customers are now evaluating based on the sustainability and ethical values of the suppliers. On the other hand, public relations is becoming true to the taxonomy with time

Anol Bhattacharya, GetIT’s CEO

Meanwhile, the second biggest challenge, according to Anol, is to prove the ROI of brand reputation management initiative as many companies are struggling to connect the dots between their top-line growth and reputation.

Ultimately, Anol says that where the fusion of Hotwire and GetIT fits in is providing a unique, integrated platform to clients. 

“The goal of joining forces between Hotwire, GetIT and ROI-DNA is to provide a unique, integrated platform to our clients where they can not only serve as a one-stop solution for Reputation-Revenue-Relationship service.” 

In addition, at the heart of the upcoming new synergy is the aim to help clients align their aspirations and workflow beyond departmental silos.

Sydney, Australia – Hotwire, the global technology communications consultancy, has appointed Samsung Electronics’ Nick Healy to the position of client services director. The role is a newly created one and will have Healy operate within the local Australian leadership team and strengthen the consultancy’s growth with existing clients and new business opportunities. 

Healy has had eight years with Samsung Electronics where he held various leadership roles within the communications and corporate affairs team across mobile and consumer electronics divisions. He brings a wealth of experience working with some of the world’s largest technology brands, as well as start-ups in consumer electronics, enterprise technology, IoT, networks, and gaming. 

Healy joins Managing Director Jaime Nelson, Creative Director Jen Dobbie, and Strategy Director Drew Usher, to continue the momentum of the consultancy’s accelerated growth in Australia. In the role, Healy will also lead a communications team to support end-to-end storytelling capabilities offered to enterprise technology and innovation-led clients. 

Healy commented, “Hotwire has a strong history of consulting with the most innovative technology brands in Australia and in key global markets. With the technology sector evolving to become one of the biggest contributors to Australia’s economy, it’s an incredibly exciting time to join the team and open opportunities for clients through integrated communications services and experiences.” 

Nelson said Healy’s scope of strategic communications and technology experience make him an incredibly valuable addition as the consultancy strengthens its offering moving beyond traditional PR and communications roots into connected storytelling, marketing, and branding. 

“By bolstering not only our senior leadership team but our client services team, we’re building on our strong foundations to deliver a more integrated service that aligns to the needs of the brands we partner with,” said Nelson. 

The team has also hired new Program Managers Olivia Jarman and Allan Hunt. Jarman joins from The PR Hub where she was a senior account manager, while Hunt has moved across from Weber Shandwick where he’s been for the past two and a half years, most recently as a Senior Associate. 

The consultancy said the appointments follow stellar financial results from parent company Enero Group, reporting a net revenue year-on-year increase of 22.6% and operating EBITDA up 50% on the previous corresponding period. 

Sydney, Australia – Australia-headquartered international network of marketing and communications businesses Enero Group has announced a new group strategy and M&A director, Nick Burton. The appointment comes as the group announces its first acquisition of sales and marketing agency McDonald Butler Associates by Hotwire UK in April. 

Enero Group describes itself as a “boutique force in modern marketing,” and under the group are some notable names in communications and creatives such as creative agency BMF, communications consultancy Hotwire, and PR and government relations CPR. 

Based in Sydney, Burton will be responsible for developing and executing the group’s growth strategy and mergers and acquisitions activities. His appointment will see him become part of the executive leadership team and will be reporting to Brent Scrimshaw, Enero Group’s CEO, who himself has recently reached a one-year mark on the role.

Of the appointment, Scrimshaw commented, “Nick’s industry experience and deep expertise in corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions will be invaluable to Enero and our agencies, as we progress our global strategy and identify growth opportunities across the Group. He will play a critical role in our global growth agenda and we’re thrilled to have him join at a very important time in the Group’s evolution.”

Burton joins the group after four years at Bain & Company in London and Sydney where he was a senior manager, leading projects focused on corporate strategy and transformation for large enterprises. He also worked extensively with major Australian and global private equity investors to assess potential acquisition targets. 

Prior to Bain, Burton worked in the institutional banking and markets team at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and as a startup advisor for Startup Bootcamp Fintech in London. 

Burton comments, “Enero’s collective of specialist agencies are market leaders in their respective areas and offer a fantastic platform to explore further growth for the Group. I am thrilled to be joining Enero and be part of this journey, and look forward to accelerating the positive momentum and energy the team has built over the past 12 months.”

Within the group, Enero has also unveiled its latest leadership with Carla Webb-Sear as Enero’s new chief financial officer as well as the appointment of Heather Kernahan the Global CEO of Hotwire. 

Sydney, Australia – Enero, a boutique network of marketing and communication businesses, has recently acquired McDonald Butler Associates (MBA), a UK-based business-to-business (B2B) sales agency, through its global technology communications agency Hotwire.

Aligned with the Group’s global strategy to scale and expand the digital capabilities of its core agency brands, including Hotwire, BMF, and Orchard, the acquisition of MBA will add account-based marketing and channel marketing expertise and experience to Hotwire’s communications pedigree in the UK and globally. 

The acquisition will see MBA and Hotwire’s UK offices operate under the Hotwire brand led by Global Hotwire CEO Barbara Bates. Maeve McDonald and Mike Butler, founders of MBA, will take on the UK roles of managing consultant account-based marketing and marketing managing consultant respectively, 

They will be reporting to UK managing director and global leadership team member, Tara O’Donnell. This brings Hotwire UK’s headcount to more than 100 and more than 300 globally.

Barbara Bates, global CEO at Hotwire, said, “By adding MBA’s extensive account-based marketing and channel marketing experience, Hotwire will deliver a new level of communications programs designed to build brand reputation, strengthen stakeholder relationships and deliver revenue growth.”

McDonald Butler supports a strong client roster of technology clients including: Accenture, Adobe, AWS, Citrix, Dell Technologies, Deloitte, DXC Technology, Honeywell, IBM, Pegasystems, and PWC, which compliments Hotwire’s existing tech clients.

Maeve McDonald, CEO at MBA, said, “This is an extremely exciting opportunity for both MBA’s clients and our team. Both MBA and Hotwire have been dedicated to helping technology companies solve their most pressing business and communications challenges. Now we have a great opportunity to offer a wider range of communications, lead generation, and digital marketing services to our clients globally.”

Meanwhile, Brent Scrimshaw, CEO at Enero Group, commented that their acquisition of MBA reflects not only the group’s strong momentum and ambition, but their commitment to delivering on their global strategy of building scale and additional digital capabilities of their core agency brands.

“Hotwire is already one of the world’s most highly-regarded enterprise tech specialist communication businesses and we have no doubt that adding MBA’s specific sales and marketing expertise and complimentary client roster will unlock new possibilities of growth in a priority market like the UK,” Scrimshaw stated.

He added, “Enero’s investment will give Hotwire clients access to new capabilities and provide MBA’s clients access to a progressive global network, offering an even wider set of communications disciplines.”