Company: Nadel Phelan, Scotts Valley, CA, USA
Company Description: Nadel Phelan brings together a unique blend of experience that addresses the needs of technology providers in the enterprise and consumer markets. Nadel Phelan’s experience spans over four decades of delivering strategic and tactical consultancy helping clients size-up and outmaneuver competitors, clarify goals, and leverage and preserve precious resources.
Nomination Category: Communications & Marketing Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Reputation/Brand Management

Nomination Title: Nadel Phelan, Inc. Acquisition Campaign for Odyssey Software, Inc.

In up to 500 words, tell the judges about the nominated campaign: its genesis, development, planning, commission, and performance to date:

The enormous upsurge of enterprise data living on smartphones along with the proliferation of iPads and the general “Consumerization” of IT, is prompting IT managers to look hard at their existing MDM solutions to ensure that they’re getting maximum security, manageability and scalability in a multi-platform mobile world.

The leaders at Odyssey Software, Inc. made it their mission to be the first to develop software that enterprises could use to get more out of their mobile investments while keeping security threats low and ensuring that scalability and manageability remained high.

Cara Sloman and the Nadel Phelan team developed a national public relation’s campaign for Odyssey with the result focused on achieving an acquisition. Cara and the team’s comprehensive PR effort incorporated both strategic and tactical elements and the combination of press releases, industry trend news pitches, media alerts, contributed articles, social media outreach and awards, capturing the attention of potential partners and acquirers.

Nadel Phelan’s strategy to support Odyssey Software’s acquisition goal included:

•Increase Odysseys Software visibility in the MDM space
•Further establish Odyssey Software as a thought leader in multiplatform support
•Leverage media to influence companies in the mobile/wireless security spacethat are ideally suited for an acquisition or partnership agreement

Meticulous and targeted communication with media (including print, broadcast, on-line media and blogs) regarding relevant Odyssey customer stories and news items resulted in a heavily increased stream of positive news coverage.

ANALYSTS
Cara and the team established and cultivated relationships with industry analysts to provide the elements of credibility and third-party validation that recognized Odyssey’s innovation with such key groups as 451 Group, Frost & Sullivan, Gartner, and IDC.

CONTRIBUTED ARTICLES
Nadel Phelan worked with Odyssey in the development of valuable contributed articles to underscore thought leadership amongst the executive staff. Story topics focused on its thought leadership in MDM on managing smart phones, BYOD, embedded management capabilities and selecting a mobile management solution. These articles drew widespread attention of top tier publications such as Business Solutions, CIO, Enterprise Systems Journal, Electronic Design, Embedded Systems Design, Information Management, Wireless Week and eWeek.

AWARDS
In conjunction with the press, social media and analyst outreach, Nadel Phelan identified and submitted for awards, recognized by the following: Mobile Star Award, SC Magazine Award and Wireless Leadership Award.

RESULTS
Cara and the Nadel Phelan team established Odyssey as the frontrunner of MDM and its solution experienced incredible growth, highlighted by the fact that seven out of ten market leading providers on the Gartner’s Magic Quadrant utilize Odyssey’s software. Their role as an industry leader led to substantial acquisition interest and ultimately provided Odyssey Solutions not only with a buyer in March this year, but also with options to choose which buyer best fit their needs.

Provide a brief biography of the person or persons who lead the team that created and carried out the nominated communications campaign (up to 100 words):

Cara Sloman has thrived in both corporate and agency PR environments for the past 15+ years. She has helped shape Nadel Phelan’s brand, services and reputation for quality and results. Ms. Sloman is an accomplished media relation’s expert with story placements in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The New York Times and many others. With a solid technology background and a keen eye for detail, Ms. Sloman has forged ahead with market leaders such as Microsoft and Cisco Systems to set industry agenda, establish thought leadership, build new categories, launch companies and navigate PR obstacles.