WDC/Sandisk
A global tech company partnered with PRN to overhaul its fragmented EMEA comms strategy across 16 countries. By introducing a centralised hub-and-spoke model, PRN delivered senior-led coordination, real-time reporting and stronger local impact—freeing up the internal team and driving measurable results.
Client overview
This multinational technology company is a market leader in digital storage solutions, serving both consumer and enterprise audiences worldwide.
PRN currently manages PR delivery across 16 EMEA countries: UK, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, Czechia, Slovakia, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Turkey.
The relationship began under the company’s former corporate structure, where PRN supported global PR for two key product divisions. In 2025, the business completed a strategic corporate separation, creating a standalone brand focused on flash storage innovation. PRN retained its position through this transition—ensuring continuity, consistency and strategic alignment across all markets.
Client challenge
The client’s internal communications team was managing a highly complex PR programme spanning more than 15 countries. However, the structure was fragmented. Agencies operated independently, there was no shared framework, and reporting varied by region. Coordination, content distribution and day-to-day delivery sat with the internal team—creating a significant operational burden.
Although a global agency was nominally in place, it wasn’t providing effective oversight. Performance varied. In some markets, the local agencies lacked specialist knowledge in tech media relations. Others were delivering minimal impact with no mechanism to assess or improve performance. There was also no formal presence in priority regions like The Netherlands.
A looming corporate restructure added further pressure. The client needed a future-ready model—one that could deliver clear results, scale across markets, and reduce the internal workload.
Diagnostic
PRN conducted a structured assessment of the PR landscape across all 16 markets. We analysed agency performance, reporting formats, local media relationships and coverage quality. We reviewed content pipelines, influencer engagement, and internal planning processes.
Three key issues emerged. First, there was no central KPI framework, making it hard to measure ROI or spot early signs of underperformance. Second, quality varied dramatically between markets—with some producing strong results and others providing minimal output. Third, the internal team was absorbing the full weight of delivery—limiting their ability to focus on strategy.
In several markets, PR simply wasn’t happening. Despite commercial importance, regions like The Netherlands had no dedicated agency or programme in place. The company needed a structure that combined strategic control with effective local delivery—and allowed them to scale up or down as needed.
Brief
Rather than running a formal RFP, the client engaged PRN through a collaborative planning workshop. Together, we mapped the challenges, defined success criteria, and co-designed a scalable structure fit for future growth.
Key objectives included:
Reducing operational burden on the internal team
Introducing a central point of contact with strategic oversight
Tiering markets by priority and aligning budget accordingly
Standardising reporting and KPIs across all regions
Replacing or adding agencies in underperforming or unsupported markets
Integrating influencer activity where relevant
This wasn’t about cutting corners—it was about building a model that delivered measurable outcomes and allowed the client team to step back from daily firefighting.
Solution
PRN introduced a hub-and-spoke delivery model, led by a dedicated senior hub team. This central team became the strategic and operational lead across all EMEA PR activity, managing everything from campaign planning and reporting to agency coordination and onboarding.
Markets were categorised into tiers based on strategic importance. High-priority regions received sustained programmes including thought leadership, influencer engagement and targeted tech media relations. Lower-tier markets were supported with right-sized PR activity aligned to local commercial goals.
Where existing agencies were performing well, we retained them. Where performance was weak—or support was missing altogether—we onboarded new partners with proven expertise. In The Netherlands, PRN appointed a local agency with deep experience in tech media relations to ensure consistent coverage.
A custom KPI dashboard was built in Excel, allowing the client to track media coverage, Tier 1 percentages, bylines and influencer metrics across all markets in real time. Every agency reported into this system, enabling fast evaluation and regional comparison.
Delivery
PRN rolled out the new model over a six-month transition period. We led onboarding across all agencies, aligned expectations, and established shared delivery principles from day one. Structured processes were introduced for planning, content approval and local execution—giving everyone clear roles and removing ambiguity.
Crucially, PRN assumed responsibility for daily coordination. Instead of liaising with 16 agencies, the client had one point of contact: the PRN hub. This dramatically reduced internal admin and gave the team space to focus on planning, internal alignment and strategic comms.
Biannual agency performance reviews were introduced, providing structured checkpoints to assess performance, flag risks and evolve messaging across the region. These reviews created transparency and accountability—while allowing learnings from one market to shape activity in others.
PRN also added influencer work to support brand engagement in key consumer-led regions. These campaigns extended beyond traditional PR and helped the client connect with younger, more tech-savvy audiences across platforms like YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Results
The programme delivered tangible, strategic results—on time and at scale. Our latest results include:
2,000+ earned media placements across EMEA in H1 FY2025
70%+ Tier 1 media coverage average across all regions
UK market achieved 97% Tier 1 media from over 200 hits
One West African market delivered 208 hits—against a KPI of just 21
Germany delivered 221 media hits, including 16 product awards and 6 bylines
More than 60 thought leadership bylines placed across top trade, business and tech publications
Influencer campaigns across select regions generated millions of views
The client now benefits from a fully coordinated, multi-market PR structure that provides strategic control without sacrificing local relevance. Every market has expert support. Performance is visible in real time. And the internal team is free to focus on what matters most.
“We’re not just running PR—we’re making their lives easier.” – PRN CSD
“They’ve stuck with us through every change and every challenge.” – PRN Account Partner