For more information, please contact us:Call: +44 (0) 208 334 8041 • E-mail: jcooper@ascendcomms.netTwitter: @ascendantPR • www.ascendcomms.netMaking your voice heard

C L I E N T C A S E S T U DY hybris

The brief In 2005 hybris, then an innovative European-based technology vendor, hired Ascendant to elevate its profile, build brand visibility, and provide the dedicated PR focus its previous global communications agency was unable to deliver. Ascendant was tasked with: Putting hybris on the radar of key industry analysts - like Forrester and Gartner Gaining visibility in national trade and business media in selected vertical/geographic markets Enabling hybris to lead the debate on emerging trends - like multi-channel and mobile commerce - and become a recognised thought leader on the fast changing omnichannel expectations of today’s connected consumers.

hybris, an SAP company, helps businesses around the globe sell more goods, services and digital content through every touchpoint, channel and device. Founded in 1995, today hybris is a world-class provider of enterprise-class e-commerce technology. Its commerce software suite helps companies of all sizes execute their direct selling processes - regardless of whether they engage online, on their mobile or in-store. Over 500 companies have chosen hybris to power their business, including global brands such as Avid, Thomson Reuters, 3M, Waterstones, Starbucks, P&G, Levi’s, Toys”R”Us, Nespresso and Lufthansa.

For more information, please contact us:Call: +44 (0) 208 334 8041 • E-mail: jcooper@ascendcomms.netTwitter: @ascendantPR • www.ascendcomms.netMaking your voice heard

A rigorous analyst relations program resulted in hybris being among the top two or three vendors rated ‘leader’ by principal analyst firms; since 2011 hybris has been ranked as the market’s leading independent e-commerce vendor in all major industry reports issued by Gartner and Forrester. Proactive media outreach, incorporating a by-lined article programme, case study placement, media events and newsroom creation and management, established key hybris personnel as ‘subject experts’ and ensured hybris was established as a thought leader with content that inspired, educated and informed. Launch of hybris into the US market in 2010, closely followed by the global announcement of the company’s acquisition of iCongo in 2011. Ascendant was responsible for developing press and analyst messaging, shaping a communications program for staff/customers and coordination of the press announcements. Having successfully managed media and PR liaison in the UK and across Europe, in 2011 Ascendant became responsible for hybris’ global PR coordination and management, overseeing 15 agencies encompassing 18 geographies (including North America, South America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Asia Pacific) and creating a sophisticated reporting and measurement mechanism to capture and report activity across all regions.

Establishing hybris as a thought and technology leader in the commerce arena through a highly targeted media relations program, giving hybris a recognised voice on topics such as mobile sales, e-commerce, personalised commerce, B2B and B2C retailing, omnichannel commerce...and more to generate brand visibility and support hybris’ commercial objectives. Drafting of all corporate announcements (product launches, new wins, vertical market/geographic market expansion/partnership announcements) and distribution/ release across the global network. Creating targeted media programmes to support sales/marketing/revenue goals in new territories/vertical markets – most recently, e-commerce in China and specific solutions for Telcos. Event profiling; in 2013 hybris hosted GAME PLAN in Berlin, a high level B2B ecommerce forum for thought leaders to share insights about trends and the impact of technology on e-commerce. Ascendant was responsible for the management and coordination of a European press tour for the event, securing top reporters from the UK, managing all logistics and briefings for the 13 reporters who attended from across Europe, and post event media liaison via the European agency network. In 2013 hybris was acquired by SAP and became hybris, an SAP company.

Ascendant’s successes include:

The Milestones

Ascendant’s PR and analyst programs have been instrumental to hybris on its journey to becoming a globally recognised market leading vendor of multichannel commerce solutions and, ultimately, its successful acquisition by SAP in 2013.

C L I E N T C A S E S T U DY hybris

Building a global brand

Here are just some of the services we employed to make it happen:

For more information, please contact us:Call: +44 (0) 208 334 8041 • E-mail: jcooper@ascendcomms.netTwitter: @ascendantPR • www.ascendcomms.netMaking your voice heard

Analyst relations Briefing tours, report tracking and submissions, positioning workshops, summits and roundtables Corporate communications Business media relations, strategy development and messaging workshops, spokesperson visibility program for trade/vertical press International campaign management Centralised planning, messaging and content creation, coordination of a multi-territory agency network, coordination of media outreach to support events and product launches Media relations Bylined article programmes, case study placement and feature tracking, content development, newsroom creation and management, media outreach and review programs

From vibrant, dynamic content to seamless execution across multiple channels, we helped hybris maximise its reach and get its voice heard on its journey to becoming a global technology leader.

C L I E N T C A S E S T U DY hybris