GORE-TEX Professional:
A Robust Approach to Spreading Innovation Stories
In a world where brands compete for the attention of their customers, keeping pace is crucial for any organization looking to maintain its competitive edge. One brand that has truly mastered the art of innovative and effective storytelling is GORE-TEX, a global leader in advanced materials technology. GORE-TEX Professional, the Business Unit for professional end-users like firefighters, police, or military personnel, is a prime example of a brand that excels in effective storytelling. They’ve committed to engaging journalists of special interest magazines and have leveraged Presspage’s communication platform to be able to share compelling narratives with them, while at the same time increasing efficiency in their processes. In this customer reference case, we explore how GORE-TEX Professional, with the help of Presspage, has evolved their communication strategy to improve the important connections with their audience and achieve notable outcomes along the way.
The GORE-TEX Brand
Founded in 1958 by chemist Bill Gore and his wife Vieve in the basement of their home in Delaware, USA, today, W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company with more than 12,000 Associates spanning five continents and thousands of products across industries — from high-performance fabrics to implantable medical devices. One of their very successful products is an extremely robust membrane, which can be used in many different outdoor and professional fabric applications, and is well-known under the GORE-TEX brand name.
Seasoned communications professional Andreas Marmsoler joined Gore in 2011 and was responsible for Global PR and Sponsorship strategy for the outdoor and lifestyle part of the GORE-TEX brand at first. For the last three years, he was responsible for the European PR and content strategy of the professional part of the GORE-TEX business, managing the PR for the professional audiences of GORE-TEX workwear, public safety, and defense business-related gear such as garments, footwear, and gloves. In this capacity, he managed the implementation of the Presspage newsroom for GORE-TEX Professional across Europe 2 years ago.
Efficiencies and Building Relationship go hand in hand
Efficiency, both in costs and time, was the main argument for switching to Presspage, as well as the holistic view of the system. For the time being, GORE-TEX Professional only uses Presspage for the European markets, consisting of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Sweden. For the brand, the newsroom is the door to the journalists’ world, where people can find information and download assets. Previously, it was never clear if a proactive email newsletter to journalists actually reached them. Andreas is also clear about adapting to the requirements of his audiences: “We needed to adapt to what the journalists want, which was an easy-to-use website to download all the information they require. Presspage helped us to fulfill their needs, so we can stay connected to them in an efficient way.”
For this efficiency, obviously, metrics are important. GORE-TEX Professional closely monitors if emails bounce, and if they are opened and read. Andreas explains that it really helps to be informed when talking to journalists. “For example, if a news item is sent out and a journalist opens it several times, it is easy to reach out and ask if there is anything else the PR agency can provide them with. It is a different discussion than “Did you get my email?”, as the quality of the customer experience improves. Additionally, it helps to know if someone is out of the office due to maternity leave, for example, so we can reach out to a colleague instead and ensure our information ends up with the right person.” Fortunately, the information GT sends out, often about innovations or fairs, can usually be prepared and planned. However, it is comforting to know that the system is always ready in case of incidents or emergencies.
