Case Study
Client: GES International Ltd
GES International Ltd, a leading Singapore technology company appointed Foreword Communications in April 1996 to plan and organise the official opening of their new production facility at Marsiling, Singapore. An original design and equipment contract manufacturer for international IT brands and distributor of PCs and peripherals, GES was ranked second on the Singapore Enterprise 50 list in 1995.
Foreword Communications’ deft handling of the company’s official opening in June 1996 resulted in widespread media publicity in both the local and foreign press. This one-off publicity exercise alerted the company’s senior management on the importance of PR and the role it could play in raising the profile of the company and its capabilities for its planned listing on the Australian and Singapore Stock Exchanges.
GES re-appointed Foreword Communications in August 1997 to begin a sustained communications programme aimed at building up the GES brand name in the local and regional market. The broad objective was to project GES as a local MNC and a serious contender in the technology market with three integrated businesses: Design & Manufacturing, Distribution and R&D and Consultancy Services.
Foreword’s immediate task was to re-look the company’s corporate image and recommend a strategic PR makeover to enhance the company’s brand recall in the market. Agency positioned GES as a company with over the horizon vision and multiple technological capabilities - a tech company headed by a local technopreneur with a talented team of managers to drive the company forward in the internet age.
Announcements of strategic alliances, business partnerships & breakthroughs and awards for excellence in technology and R&D were speedily communicated to targeted groups via the media. Interviews with key staff of GES were also arranged on a constant basis with business editors and journalists of The Straits Times, Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Channel News Asia, Bloomberg Business News and CNBC. The aim was to endear GES key executives with the press and position GES as an authoritative source with far-reaching insights on technology issues in relation to the OEM and ODM industry.
In the run up to their listing in 1999, Foreword revved up announcements of GES’ achievements in Singapore and the region to speed up recall of the company’s brand name among targeted groups. GES’ R&D efforts were also aggressively pitched to the local media to further emphasise the company’s commitment to technological innovation in order to build shareholder value.
The barrage of positive media coverage in the lead-up to their listing in 1999 was largely instrumental in GES being more than 17 times overscribed in spite of a dull IPO market. The company’s successful debut on the SGX was only the start of an on-going PR campaign to heighten the corporate reputation of GES for long team growth. Follow-on events were carefully planned and blended into the company’s master plan to reap maximum media coverage at regular intervals to maintain high visibility in the market. The aim was to project GES as a Singapore listed company with tremendous earnings potential and long term growth plans.
The company’s success reached a new peak in 2000 when it surpassed the billion-dollar mark for the first time with revenues of S$1.24 billion. Forbes Global also selected it as one of the world’s 300 Best Small Companies and among the top 20 companies featured in the magazine as key companies of the future. To top it all, Mr Goh Lik Tuan, Chairman of GES received Singapore highest business award when he was named Businessman of the Year in 2001. The award was in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur who started GES as a hobby retail shop in 1975 and built it up into a multi-national business, employing more than 1,300 staff in offices and facilities in Singapore and across the globe.
GES’ bold move to embark on a corporate retainer programme has paid dividends for the company. A constant and steady flow of information to the media has placed GES in an exalted position as a leading home-grown MNC in the technology industry. It also highlights the company as one that is professionally managed and one with a clear vision and a sound business strategy. These important communication messages have made the public and shareholders more aware of GES’ initiatives and corporate direction. This communications strategy will invariably have a positive impact on GES’ shareholder value and future price earnings.
Foreword Communications’ deft handling of the company’s official opening in June 1996 resulted in widespread media publicity in both the local and foreign press. This one-off publicity exercise alerted the company’s senior management on the importance of PR and the role it could play in raising the profile of the company and its capabilities for its planned listing on the Australian and Singapore Stock Exchanges.
GES re-appointed Foreword Communications in August 1997 to begin a sustained communications programme aimed at building up the GES brand name in the local and regional market. The broad objective was to project GES as a local MNC and a serious contender in the technology market with three integrated businesses: Design & Manufacturing, Distribution and R&D and Consultancy Services.
Foreword’s immediate task was to re-look the company’s corporate image and recommend a strategic PR makeover to enhance the company’s brand recall in the market. Agency positioned GES as a company with over the horizon vision and multiple technological capabilities - a tech company headed by a local technopreneur with a talented team of managers to drive the company forward in the internet age.
Announcements of strategic alliances, business partnerships & breakthroughs and awards for excellence in technology and R&D were speedily communicated to targeted groups via the media. Interviews with key staff of GES were also arranged on a constant basis with business editors and journalists of The Straits Times, Business Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Channel News Asia, Bloomberg Business News and CNBC. The aim was to endear GES key executives with the press and position GES as an authoritative source with far-reaching insights on technology issues in relation to the OEM and ODM industry.
In the run up to their listing in 1999, Foreword revved up announcements of GES’ achievements in Singapore and the region to speed up recall of the company’s brand name among targeted groups. GES’ R&D efforts were also aggressively pitched to the local media to further emphasise the company’s commitment to technological innovation in order to build shareholder value.
The barrage of positive media coverage in the lead-up to their listing in 1999 was largely instrumental in GES being more than 17 times overscribed in spite of a dull IPO market. The company’s successful debut on the SGX was only the start of an on-going PR campaign to heighten the corporate reputation of GES for long team growth. Follow-on events were carefully planned and blended into the company’s master plan to reap maximum media coverage at regular intervals to maintain high visibility in the market. The aim was to project GES as a Singapore listed company with tremendous earnings potential and long term growth plans.
The company’s success reached a new peak in 2000 when it surpassed the billion-dollar mark for the first time with revenues of S$1.24 billion. Forbes Global also selected it as one of the world’s 300 Best Small Companies and among the top 20 companies featured in the magazine as key companies of the future. To top it all, Mr Goh Lik Tuan, Chairman of GES received Singapore highest business award when he was named Businessman of the Year in 2001. The award was in recognition of his achievements as an entrepreneur who started GES as a hobby retail shop in 1975 and built it up into a multi-national business, employing more than 1,300 staff in offices and facilities in Singapore and across the globe.
GES’ bold move to embark on a corporate retainer programme has paid dividends for the company. A constant and steady flow of information to the media has placed GES in an exalted position as a leading home-grown MNC in the technology industry. It also highlights the company as one that is professionally managed and one with a clear vision and a sound business strategy. These important communication messages have made the public and shareholders more aware of GES’ initiatives and corporate direction. This communications strategy will invariably have a positive impact on GES’ shareholder value and future price earnings.
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