Communication case studies

The University of Queensland’s 2011 Enterprize Competition – Communications Campaign

The University of Queensland Business School (UQBS) engaged Niche Consultants in 2011 to promote Enterprize, Australia’s richest business competition.  Sponsored by UQBS, Enterprize seeks out Australia’s most innovative business entrepreneurs and awards a $100,000 prize to the team with the best idea and most promising business plan.

Since the inception of the Enterprize competition in 2000, it has assisted many successful businesses, including Fusion Sport, Codesion (formerly CVSDude), BakBalls, 2010 winner Southern Innovation and 2010 finalist Vaxxas (which is pioneering the Nanopatch needle-free vaccine delivery system), as well as the 2011 winner Calpain Therapeutics, which aims to bring to market a world-first drug to delay the onset and slow down of the growth of cataracts.

Niche Consultants’ objectives were to promote the Enterprize competition to potential entrants, to profile award-winning entries, thereby demonstrating the UQ Business School’s commitment to innovation and business education excellence.

The Enterprize competition attracted a record number of entries in 2011 and Niche Consultants more than doubled media coverage compared with the previous year, with reports in all forms of media including print, broadcast, online and social media. The competition, previous winning ideas, the 2011 finalists and winner were covered in more than 100 reports from outlets across Australia and in countries including Britain, the United States, China, India and the Middle East.

Enterprize was also a popular Twitter topic from June to October with aspiring entrepreneurs and business professionals tweeting competition information and pointers.  The Twitter followers of UQ Business School had nearly doubled by the time Calpain Therapeutics was announced on October 13 as the winner of the $100,000 prize.

What the 2011 Enterprize winner said about Niche:

October 15, 2011

“… Thank you very much for your continued assistance and expertise in getting the word out … we are truly grateful. The stories have gone somewhat viral around the world. Couldn’t have asked for more.”

Tim Lovell, CEO Calpain Therapeutics, Enterprize 2011 winner

The National Forum on Safety and Quality in Health Care 2010 – Publicity

Niche Consultants was engaged by the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) to promote their national forum and attract media coverage for the event and the issues it canvassed.

The work involved a range of communication activities before and during the conference, including identifying key stories and speakers and matching them up with key journalists, editors and producers.

The key to our highly successful media campaign was good planning and an excellent partnership with our client, ACHS. We developed a communication strategy designed to promote ACHS’s key messages around patient safety and we identified, and experienced great cooperation, from key speakers with good stories to tell.

The result was widespread coverage on national television, radio and and in press, as well as placement of four blogs on the Crikey health blog (and Twitter feed) Croaky, an option piece in The Weekend Australian and an article in The Australian Nursing Journal.

What Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite said:

“I have dealt with media companies and agencies with varying degrees of expertise all over the world, but Niche Consultants stand out amongst the crowd as the most interested, wise and creative advisors I’ve experienced. Their knowledge of how to stage a media response, and to develop, advocate and place strong news stories in the complex health arena, was extraordinary. Allied to that, they are professional and cool under pressure: a terrific team to work with.”

— National Forum speaker Jeffrey Braithwaite, Professor and Foundation Director of the Australian Institute of Health Innovation and Director of the Centre for Clinical Governance Research at the University of New South Wales.

This is the third ACHS conference Niche has promoted in the last four years.

The University of Queensland – Learning at UQ 2010

Learning at UQ 2010 showcases the teaching and learning successes of teachers and students at UQ.

The publication, developed by Niche Consultants, profiled the stories of students and teachers who exemplify the ‘UQ Advantage’, demonstrating the University’s innovative teaching programs, excellent career outcomes, industry linkages, international opportunities, research opportunities, high-quality students and teaching staff, and UQ’s state-of-the-art learning tools and facilities.

Niche has produced UQ’s Teaching and Learning Profile every year since 2008.

International Centre for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) – Strategic Communications Review

Niche was engaged by the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) to undertake a review of communication and information management to inform the development of ICARDA’s Communication and Information Management plan 2010-2012.

The work involved:

1. Working in ICARDA’s headquarters in Aleppo, Syria;
2. Conducting extensive interviews with stakeholders such as ICARDA’s global donors, Board, executive staff, Country and Research Program leaders and general staff;
3. Assessing current external and internal communication and information management practices;
4. Identifying key communication and information management risks to the organisation;
5. Identifying the resources, processes and tools needed for effective communication and information management for ICARDA; and
6. Developing a report on findings with detailed recommendations for action.