• "I’ve worked with McGrath/Power for more than 10 years at companies in the enterprise and consumer technology markets – all with the same excellent results – driving awareness and delivering new customers – and bottom-line impact. The agency has been a trusted strategic partner at each of my companies and their value add cannot be overstated."

    - Phil Underwood

    Vice President, IPLocks

  • "PR is a very important function for our company as we operate in a crowded market with several aggressive competitors. Since we’ve worked with McGrath/Power, the change in our overall visibility has been significant and has helped move our business forward."

    - Jim Pante

    CEO, Tablus

  • "McGrath/Power has played in instrumental role in launching TiVo, helping us create the DVR product category and establishing the TiVo brand as synonymous with personal TV. The agency has great experience in both consumer and technology, which helped bring our story to life and influence our target audiences. I’ve worked with numerous agencies during my career and the TiVo launch with McGrath/Power was one of the most powerful public relations campaigns I’ve been involved with."

    - Ed MacBeth

    VP Marketing, TiVo

  • "I would recommend Jonathan and McGrath/Power to anyone wanting an exceptional, intelligent PR and Communications partner. I’ve worked directly with Jonathan for several years and at two start-ups – his quality of work is extraordinary and unique in his industry."

    - Shaun Coleman

    Co-Founder, Reconnex

  • "I’ve been impressed with McGrath/Power each time I’ve brought the agency on board as my strategic public relations partner. The agency’s ability to align the PR function with the goals of our company was key in driving business success factors, whether an acquisition or a major corporate repositioning. Beyond that, knowing that I have both the agency’s management team and skilled tacticians each playing an active role on my program enables me to have the perfect balance of strategic planning and successful program implementation."

    - Ed Murrer

    VP Marketing, Xcert
    (acquired by RSA Security)

  • "Your work exceeded my wildest expectations, and I thank you. We met with virtually every major business, consumer and tech publication that mattered and I made a dozen significant VC and carrier contacts through your efforts. From a messaging point of view, our story is crisp, clean, simple and above all, easy to relate to and clearly understood by our target audiences and the press that writes for them – a far cry from when I first approached you. I know that on this day I am your happiest client and most enthusiastic supporter. In fact, I don’t feel like a client at all. I feel like McGrath/Power is an integral part of the EasyReach team."

    - John Stossel

    CEO, EasyReach

  • "McGrath/Power played a critical role in establishing our MailStation email appliance as an important consumer electronics offering for those without a personal computer. The MailStation public relations effort helped reposition our company in the CE space and was a key driver in our acquisition by EarthLink. I was just as pleased to refer McGrath/Power to EarthLink to provide that company with PR activities surrounding the MailStation as I was to work alongside their team."

    - Tim Dooley

    Senior Vice President, CIDCO

  • "McGrath/Power is our strategic communications partner for technology issues in the United States and the agency has demonstrated its ability to get our message heard in that very noisy market."

    - Jon Earl

    Senior Group Media Relations Manager, Vodafone Group Plc

  • "McGrath/Power provided essential strategic PR counsel and consistently solid results over the nine years we partnered with them at Intellisync. They took us from start-up through IPO and beyond while always providing fresh perspective and proactive input."

    - Brad Rowe

    Founder,
    Intellisync Corporation

TiVo

Challenge

Introduce the Future of Television, Make Friends with Television Networks, Make TiVo a Household Name – And Do It All with Only a PowerPoint

  • The VCR was the top dog of home consumer electronics for on-demand video
  • Negative preconceived notions about past failures of “on-demand TV” abounded in the media and industry analyst communities
  • Consumers were wed to the nightly television schedule despite the fact that is was often hard to find desirable programming even in a 500-channel universe
  • Concept of “time shifting” shows was unheard of and potentially frightening to networks, advertisers and potential content partners
  • Networks highly protective of primetime lineup and associated advertising revenues
  • Ability to demonstrate key features of TiVo’s DVR was roughly 12 months away


Approach

  • Develop diverse strategies for diverse audiences – one size did not fit all
  • Develop cascading external communication approach to launch and relaunch concept and storyline in a planned and ever-evolving fashion to different audiences and media categories
  • Create validation for DVR concept in diverse forms to overcome lack of demonstrable product
  • Develop “program within a program” geared toward education of the networks on benefits of DVR to their bottom line
  • Sell the future and communicate milestones in print to make company and DVR concept “real” for disbelievers


Results

  • Demonstrable positive bottom-line business impact for company with networks, consumer-electronics partners and other required stakeholders
  • Significant inroads with networks and allayed concerns leading to tangible business benefits of content availability and partnerships
  • First-mover status in market and won mindshare battle in early skirmish with competitor Replay TV
  • Nearly two years of major ongoing mass media coverage in numerous categories ranging from national business (Wall Street Journal, USA Today, BusinessWeek) to network television (CNN) to lifestyle (GQ, Playboy, Rolling Stone) and vertical publications serving the entertainment industry
  • “Suspension of disbelief” by key influencers surrounding capabilities of TiVo and DVR concept and avoidance of negative coverage despite previous negative preconceived notions of on-demand TV
  • Cadre of external evangelists who were instrumental in validating company and DVR concept and opening doors to business partnerships
  • TiVo technology positioned as breakthrough and key target messages on DVR value proposition and ease of use clearly played back