TREND MICRO

Levelling Up The Coverage Of A Security Leader

The challenge

Trend Micro challenged The Flywheelers to strengthen relationships with key journalists and level up media coverage across national, broadcast, and tier-one security and technology outlets.

The approach

To establish clear success metrics, we used onboarding to identify priority tier-one target publications, define key messages, and allocate KPIs to each. Our high-impact media relations programme focused on:

Building rapport: Approached journalists on our priority target list to secure in-person or phone meetings and brief them on Trend’s priorities.
Creating proactive thought leadership: Identified industry trends aligned to key messages for proactive features and thought leadership on enterprise cybersecurity, sourcing fresh angles through Point of View download sessions with Trend spokespeople. This included angles on the rise of deepfake scams and the incoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.
Tracking the news agenda: Flagged news stories and worked with spokespeople to pitch for broadcast commentary or provide snappy reactive comments, such as on the breach of the BBC Pension Scheme.
Maximising Trend’s Threat Research: Leveraged Trend threat intelligence and third-party research to create compelling media angles. This included reanalysing data from Trend’s The CISO Credibility Gap to develop a second press-release angle that generated seven additional pieces of coverage, including in Infosecurity.

Aligning with corporate priorities: Amplified initiatives including product updates, events, and hackathons, plus the work of the Forward Threat Research team, resulting in our spokesperson speaking to LBC News about Trend’s contribution to taking down LabHost.

The impact

Within the first 10 months of working together, The Flywheelers secured 85 pieces of coverage in WIRED, The Times, Forbes, IT Pro, SC Magazine, and Tech Monitor. We also introduced Trend spokespeople to journalists at The FT, The Times, Intelligent CIO, CRN, IT Pro, The Sun, The Next Web, and Raconteur.

In 2024, we exceeded our coverage target for priority media by 20%. Average messaging pull-through was 11% higher than our target, showing how leveraging topical and trending issues can elevate messaging.

85 pieces of coverage in 10 months

20%

above coverage target for priority media (2024)

11%

higher average messaging pull-through than target (2024)

What TREND MICRO had to say

“Working with the Flywheelers team has been a game-changer for us. Their proactive, creative, and persistent approach to storytelling has boosted our media presence in new ways, and they are hands down the most proactive agency team I’ve ever worked with. They've elevated our experts' profiles, kept our messaging fresh, and built strong relationships with tier-one reporters, giving us a distinct edge when pitching competitive media opportunities. I’m also really happy about how they have built strong connections with our spokespeople, transforming them into true PR advocates who now see media relations as a vital way to communicate cyber risk and resilience to business leaders in the UK. The relationship with Flywheelers is a breath of fresh air, and we enjoy working with them in partnership every day.”

The Feedback That Matters

The Flywheelers’ proactive, creative, and persistent approach to storytelling has boosted our media presence, and they are hands down the most proactive agency team I’ve worked with. They’ve elevated our experts’ profiles, kept our messaging fresh, and built strong relationships with tier-one reporters.

Funda Cizgenakad PR & Communications UK / Europe at Trend Micro

At Alteryx, we have been so impressed with our partnership with The Flywheelers. The team is proactive, creative, and always thinking ahead when it comes to storytelling. They have played a key role in helping us introduce the new era of Alteryx, driving meaningful engagement with top-tier media.

Alice Sol Global Public Relations Manager at Alteryx

The Flywheelers excelled in securing us coverage in top-tier media outlets, such as The Financial Times. The team is an absolute pleasure to work with and went the extra mile to understand the technical aspects of our business to secure opportunities in a wide range of outlets. Would definitely recommend them!

Claire Nouet Co-Founder & COO at Pathway

With The Flywheelers, we’ve been able to elevate the use of the extensive earned media data and insights to create stories that tap into the biggest luxury, fashion, and consumer trends. The Subscription Model has also been invaluable in allowing us to quickly and transparently swap activity out to focus on our immediate priorities.

Adriana Tatcheva Chief of Staff at WeArisma

We couldn’t be more delighted with our decision to partner with The Flywheelers. Throughout the whole pitching process, they listened to our needs and tailored a proposal that suited these perfectly. Even before our kick-off meeting, they’d secured us several opportunities that aligned with our strategy and working with them is one of the best experiences we’ve had with an agency.

Finn Owens Global Marketing Manager at Pattern

Following the success of our earlier collaboration, The Flywheelers has continued to impress with their proactive approach to storytelling. Their deep technical expertise and understanding of our platform have enabled the team to create pertinent media narratives that elevate our USPs to our key audiences.

Dirk Alshuth Chief Marketing Officer at Emma