Client: CHECKPRINT LTD.

Project: Media relations

Background: Checkprint and its sister company, T.A.L.L. Security Print are the country's leading printers of special cheques and credits. Based in Hinckley, the company prints cheques for over 5,000 businesses including some of Britain's leading banks, as well as famous cheques such as those handed out to winners on TV's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"
Checkprint approached Word Association after deciding that it was time to raise its profile - both in the printing trade press, business publications and the local media.

Description: Word Association draw up proposals for a tightly-planned and carefully structured programme. This was launched recently with a news release about the client's work for HM Prisons, which attracted wide coverage both locally and nationally. Other releases, including one about the continuing popularity of the company cheque, have also been successful.

Our role: One of the first tasks was to research the various media which Checkprint needed to reach, particularly in the print, finance and banking sectors, and to identify key contacts for each publication. A series of meetings were also held at the client's premises, enabling us to get a clear understanding of the technical nature of their work and to draw up a list of suggested topics for future publicity to help Checkprint's name in the news and position them as the market leader in their specialist field.

The challenge: "The key part of our job with many clients who work in technical or nich market places is finding the news," said chief executive Mark Thomas. "We feel we've done that very successfully to date and have identified some very strong stories.
"We also feel we've gained a good understanding of the business which will enable us to provide an efficient and proactive service over the coming months."

Feedback: Martin Ruda, managing director of Checkprint (pictured above), said: "Word Association have invested time and effort in getting to know our business. They have researched the sectors we need to target and are starting to achieve some very impressive results in terms of press coverage."