Singapore – Integrated communications agency The Hoffman Agency has announced the launch of PR+, a premium media consulting arm targeted to help the exchange between media practitioners and B2B tech brands in the Asia-Pacific region.
The regional PR+ media hub will lead media relations and editorial support in collaboration with local market media consultants in each market in the network, including Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Indonesia.
Said consulting arm forms part of the agency’s integrated marketing communications (IMC) offering introduced in June 2021, and draws on expertise in Asia-Pacific media and content across the network.
According to the agency, while there is an evident communications industry’s rush to adopt new services beyond PR, there has been a loss of focus on the craft of media relations, and that there remains a significant misalignment between B2B technology brands and the media, which PR+ will help resolve.
Some of the issues PR+ intend to address include the inability to clearly articulate what brands do, jargon-heavy communications regardless of audience, an overload of product announcements and messages, a tendency to talk about product and brand out of context, andand unrealistic coverage expectations.
Caroline Hsu, managing director for APAC at The Hoffman Agency, said that PR+ aims to improve the ability of media relations to tackle business challenges such as international expansion, attracting investment and new customers, and growing the workforce.
“Addressing the gap between brands and media is key to achieving this, and it means putting content at the center and ensuring stories are grounded in the real world, with genuine value for journalists and their audiences,” Hsu stated.
The PR+ counsel will include workshops to audit client assets and identify key points that are’ relevant to current business affairs. Furthermore, other initiatives include story and story bank development, the creation of straightforward, engaging content that eliminates jargon; and the launch of media intelligence that includes C-suite spokesperson training, guidance on achieving coverage in top-tier media, and on running international media programs.
Alessandra Tinio, director of brand communications at The Hoffman Agency, commented that the agency’s specialization in technology and experience in distilling worthwhile stories from complex and outwardly dry subject matter sets a solid foundation for PR+.
“As an agency, it is our duty to act as a true partner to clients, not simply as additional arms and legs. That means looking at the story from the media’s perspective and building a realistic understanding of the process of securing meaningful coverage,” Tinio said.
