Xero is the world’s leading cloud-based accounting software for SMEs. The company’s online software enables businesses of all sizes to connect their banks, accountants, bookkeepers, and other business apps, taking the stress out of company finances.
The New Zealand-based company was expanding to new markets and contacted us for support with building excitement around their upcoming launch in South Africa. Our fintech PR team developed a strategy to generate buzz and got to work.
59 media hits, including 19 in the trade media
6 broadcast interviews and 22 journalist meetings
Oversubscribed launch events in Cape Town and Johannesburg
We worked to hijack Starbucks’ launch in South Africa and use it to promote independent SME and Xero customer Motherland Coffee instead. We also produced two local case study videos highlighting the benefits of Xero for South African businesses.
We then commissioned research to understand the state of small business in South Africa and tied these stories in with Xero’s launch, a strategy which earned considerable press attention. The company earned 59 media hits – all positive – including 19 in the trade press and six national broadcast interviews.
Xero’s target audience was excited and the packed launch events in Cape Town and Johannesburg each had more applicants than there were spaces.
“We needed to launch Xero with a splash in South Africa so we brought Definition on board to help us with that. From the moment I discussed the brief right the way through to working with the team to deliver results, it’s been seamless. The team are really smart, they know what they’re doing – they get on with the job and they get results which is ultimately what we need, so I couldn’t recommend them more. They’ve been brilliant and have really helped us get that exposure we needed in South Africa. We were also seriously impressed by the quality of the case study videos that they produced for us.” – Emma Izatt, Senior Communications Manager, Xero