14.9 Million Reached. One Story Told.

How ControlUp and Avista leveraged customer storytelling to strengthen international visibility and drive measurable business impact.

Client: ControlUp

Website: controlup.com

Industry: Digital Employee Experience (DEX)

Media Placement

Thought Leadership

Branding & Storytelling

Customer Success Storytelling

Audience Reach

Pieces of Coverage

Max Domain Authority

Estimated Views

CHALLENGE

Broadening ControlUp’s impact in international markets.

ControlUp, a California-based leader in Digital Employee Experience (DEX) management, faced a key challenge as it sought to grow its presence in international markets. While the company delivered and continues to deliver an exceptional DEX solution, it needed to find a way to demonstrate real-world value and open the door to resonating with global audiences.

To help address this issue, ControlUp connected with Avista. After the initial discussion, Avista identified an opportunity to use customer storytelling, or use case marketing, to highlight ControlUp’s capabilities on an international scale. This marketing style offered a fresh avenue to build credibility with proof points from actual customers, showcasing measurable outcomes and sector-specific expertise. These stories help organizations cut through marketing noise and demonstrate a track record of success from a trusted external voice.

After narrowing the selection, Avista recommended developing a case study with SimpsonHaugh, a UK-based architectural practice known for high-quality, innovative designs. This case study would serve as a compelling example of ControlUp’s value in action and help position the brand more effectively in the international IT marketplace.

SOLUTION

Leveraging the customer story for maximum impact.

Avista’s UK PR consultant worked with SimpsonHaugh and ControlUp to craft a case study that effectively presented the value ControlUp provided to SimpsonHaugh. This case study showcased how ControlUp’s solution significantly reduced SimpsonHaugh’s downtime and prevented an estimated £1.79 million in revenue loss, equivalent to 17 percent of its 2023 revenues. Avista’s next step was to get coverage for the case study.

To bring the story to life, Avista coordinated every step and covered every base. The team captured data, secured quotes, scheduled media interviews, managed approval processes, and more. Avista carefully handled each touchpoint to ensure ControlUp’s customer had a smooth and positive experience. This included sharing a detailed brief in advance, conducting interviews, and carefully writing and editing the content, with final approval resting with SimpsonHaugh.

Avista also developed a customized PR plan that included outreach to media, coverage tracking, and follow-up reporting. Where applicable, the team engaged ControlUp’s channel partners, incorporating their perspectives and sharing the final content with them to maximize joint visibility.

RESULTS

A widespread international impact.

Kicked off with a press release and specially curated article placements, Avista generated increasing buzz around the campaign. This customer story earned 27 pieces of media coverage, reached an audience of 14.9 million, and generated an estimated 37,500 online views. The story itself was placed in outlets with domain authorities reaching 94. With a honed focus on real-world results and authentic customer experiences, Avista helped ControlUp strengthen its international market presence with the most significant output in the UK, US, and Europe.

View SimpsonHaugh case study coverage.

We are beyond impressed with the Avista team. Their international media relationships and skills carried our solution and customer story further than we could have imagined, with a clear impact on our sales funnel. We can’t wait to continue working with them on other customer storytelling initiatives.“