Smart. Savvy. Scrappy.
We are a boutique marketing and public relations agency built for the modern brand. We think big before we think small. We create integrated campaigns that move the needle on lead generation, brand building, and awareness. Our team is a dynamic, creative group, where each member contributes complementary skills. Our intimate, yet fast-paced work environment is the ideal breeding ground for enthusiasm, energy, and individuality.
headquarters
other locations
Focus
Portfolio
Ainstein, Bank of San Francisco, BDS Analytics, County of San Mateo, Integrated Resources Inc. (IRI), Mounting Dream, Pluma, Redrock Biometrics, RBG Spectrum, San Francisco Chronicle, The Aji Network, Trifo, Userful
Vacuuming Up Media Coverage at CES
Trifo, a consumer home robotics company, was spun out of a larger company, PerceptIn, and as a result, had zero brand recognition. Regardless, Trifo management retained UPRAISE to launch its first robotic product in the U.S., a smart robotic vacuum branded “Ironpie” at CES 2019.
The robotic vacuum market is a very crowded space and is just 10 percent of the total vacuum category, with a total accessible market (TAM) of 80 million units. There is a lot of room for Trifo to grow in an already crowded market. The goal of the campaign included two metrics:
- Secure media coverage in 10-12 Tier 1 media outlets
- Increase Trifo’s social media following by 50 percent
Our recommendations to launch Ironpie included media pre-briefs, social media ad campaigns, participation in ShowStoppers® and creative events that drew media and prospects to the Trifo booth.
We did not have a product to send to editors in advance, so we had to rely on scheduled activities at CES for live viewings of the product at the show. By the end of the event, UPRAISE had:
- Secured 27 original articles in top tier, consumer tech, robotics, lifestyle media and more…
- Doubled Trifo’s social media following, as compared to the metric of increasing the following by 50 percent.
Trifo enlisted UPRAISE to implement an entire website overhaul in time for their next product announcement at IFA 2019. Within 2 months, UPRAISE brainstormed, wireframed, drafted, implemented and finalized an entirely new website in time for the conference successfully launching Trifo’s next home robot, Max.
Banking on Modernity Without Sacrificing the Community
When we first started our relationship with Bank of San Francisco, we were eager to work with a progressive community bank that valued its clients. We were also excited to refresh the Bank’s dated collateral system and show off that this community bank could talk the talk of being modern and tech savvy, with an unwavering commitment to those they serve.
What started off as an initial re-design of marketing fliers and postcards turned into a complete overhaul of their marketing collateral, including their website. We developed a comprehensive new system of templates that feature appealing, modern and consistent design, across digital and print. Essential to the Bank was ensuring their new website still felt “like home” to their clients, so we proposed featuring them front and center.
We carefully planned and executed the Bank’s brand re-launch with an integrated public relations and marketing strategy, including updating copy and graphics to ensure messaging was consistent, as well as brainstorming a new tagline. The result? A modern, sophisticated collateral system with the Bank’s biggest asset at the core of it: their clients. And to represent all of this was a brand new tagline: With You When It Matters.
UPRAISE Connects San Mateo County with Catering Services
County of San Mateo Human Services needed to rebrand and build a new website for Catering Connection & Café, a Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) business. Through Catering Connection, the County provides employment opportunities to community members facing barriers to entry, enabling them to learn food service skills with on-the-job paid training in a fully-equipped industrial kitchen.
UPRAISE was up for the task! Our goals of the project were to build an attractive, easy-to-use website that would make it easy to order catering services from Catering Connection, and to design a logo that was visually appealing and memorable. After presenting the County with creative ideas for the website, design ideas for the logo, a timetable to complete the project, and extra content ideas to keep the website fresh and to attract viewership—we were ready to prove we were worth our salt.
A well-known adage among chefs is, “You eat with your eyes first,” so we knew the visual content on the website had to be five stars. If you’ve ever looked at a stock photo and cringed, you both feel our pain and understand the value of unique images. When the perfect image doesn’t exist, the best option is to produce it. That’s exactly what we did for Catering Connection.
UPRAISE scouted a photographer, coordinated the photoshoot, developed a shot list, provided on-set photo and art direction and selected the final images. From start to finish we ensured the process was smooth and stress-free. As a result, we produced visual content for the website that told the Catering Connection story in a memorable way.
Creating the perfect bespoke logo for your business is the first step to developing your brand. When designing the Catering Connection logo, our job was to not only create an appealing and differentiated graphic, but to also ensure that it would support the client’s business and marketing goals by encouraging audiences to learn more.
UPRAISE provided multiple contemporary logo design concepts featuring easy-to-read typography and graphic elements that aligned with the new brand. Upon finalizing the logo, we helped Catering Connection begin the trademarking process and developed graphic standard guidelines for logo usage.
The graphic standard guidelines included fonts, color codes, how to use and place the logo on the website and in other Catering Connection documents, such as brochures, postcards and other marketing collateral. Our goal was to deliver a cohesive brand experience, making it easier for people to recognize Catering Connection and associate the logo with a high-quality business they can rely on.
A website is arguably the most important marketing asset, and Catering Connection was long overdue for a new one. We completely reinvented the website, starting from scratch to implement a CMS strategy for more complex retail ordering, draft compelling copy, produce enticing images, and optimize for SEO. The end result was a simple, attractive, contemporary design with elements that attracted the viewer to the site and drew them down the page.
On the back end, we implemented quite a few capabilities to deliver an unmatched user experience.
Here are some of the most notable features:
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Product Modifiers to suggest complimentary dishes once an item is selected
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Tax Rates to automatically apply when a zip code is entered during checkout
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POS Integration to determine if the ingredients are in stock
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Rolling Charges to update total cost as customers add items to their cart
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Automatic Email Confirmation to notify customers that their order has been received
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… and much more
UPRAISE’s branding strategy for Catering Connection really helped take the business to the next level. The end result was a visually appealing, user friendly website interface and a unique logo accompanied by brand usage guidelines to establish brand identity and ensure consistency moving forward.
Biting Off the Whole Enchilada
LILEE Systems was in a hurry. With a new marketing team on board, a pivot in their business model and an aggressive calendar of activities, they needed to restart a new public relations and marketing program – pronto.
We were ready. Within the first month, we: created new collateral, website graphics and pop-up banners for an upcoming trade show, completed early updates to the website and jump-started a dormant media relations program.
In subsequent months, we overhauled website text, graphics and flow; organized a webinar series; built an entirely new collateral system; recommended a new lead generation/lead qualification strategy’ earned the company multiple awards and listings, including Inc. 500 and Silicon Valley Business Journal Fastest Growing recognition; and recreated an analyst relations program to complement existing media relations efforts.
The company is now well-positioned to make its next move.
Building the Clover Brand through Awards Recognition
Clover has brought new levels of innovation to the point-of-sale (POS) market with its concept of developing Android-based systems that merchants customize by downloading the apps of their choice.
In addition to our media relations, speaking program and trade show support, we embarked on an aggressive awards program to gain recognition for Clover innovation. To date, Clover has won more than 20 awards, significantly more than its competitors. Just a few of these are listed below:
- Emerging Payments Awards
- Engadget Awards
- Edison Awards
- Mobile Excellence Awards
- Best in Biz Awards 2016
Helping San Francisco’s Largest Family Homeless Shelter Raise Record Funds
When we decided to re-launch our philanthropy initiative with local nonprofits, choosing Raphael House as our introductory candidate was an easy decision. Moved by the organization’s longstanding commitment to helping San Francisco families at risk of or experiencing homelessness, their impressive success rate, and dedicated staff, we were eager to provide public relations and marketing support for their annual fundraiser, Gobble & Give.
Through tactful media relations and marketing strategy, we helped Raphael House promote Gobble & Give to increase event attendance. The results were overwhelming and included a clip on ABC 7 and more than $52,000 raised, making it the organization’s most successful fundraiser to date!
Shedding Light On the Scourge That Is Child Trafficking
Never ones to shy away from pushing boundaries, we readily agreed when visionary music promoter Stellium came to us looking for a partner to launch their inaugural event, Harm(onic) Reduction.
Stellium sought to make its first of many benefit concerts an astounding success, and we relentlessly worked to make their goal a reality. Through an aggressive media relations and social media campaign, our public relations and marketing gurus helped drive ticket sales and create awareness about the newly formed music company and their noble goal to fight child trafficking.
Concert day featured Local Bay Area artists and musicians, as well as prominent Bay Area figures including Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Assemblymember Rob Bonta, and other senior Oakland government officials. In addition to hundreds of Oakland residents in attendance, TV crews from HipHopTV and CNN were also present at Harm(onic) Reduction, making the kickoff event one for the books.
55 Million Was the Number on HSSV’s Mind
Not the number of pets it sheltered, but the size of the capital campaign it planned to begin. This wonderful, progressive organization turned to us to raise its profile as it prepared for this ambitious fundraising effort.
Articles with pretty pictures weren’t good enough, every Humane Society or SPCA gets its share of these. HSSV needed the cat’s meow of campaigns to raise their profile far above those of other humane organizations.
We built a campaign designed to increase the chances of viralness around “Eddie the Terrible,” a Chihuahua with the most rotten of personalities. Beginning with a press release promoting “the worst dog ever,” we continued with blogs and media pitching supported by a video that highlighted everything terrible about Eddie (it could have been a long video).
Our break came with a Huffington Post article that earned 32,000 Facebook likes, 6,300 shares, and more than 200 comments. Coverage continued with more than 25 additional articles and posts, but what really got social media panting was our segment on Good Morning America.
The happy ending: Eddie was quickly adopted and his new owners actually love him!
Simplifying the Most Dreaded Chore
Quick, a show of hands! Who likes doing laundry? Didn’t think so. FoldiMate created an automatic laundry machine to rescue us from this hated chore.
However, the machine wasn’t going to be available until the following year and management needed to demonstrate to investors and technology partners there was a market for their $750 solution. Their charge to us: “Use public relations and marketing to make us go viral and get us 100,000 preregistrations in two months!”
We delivered. We pushed on media to earn cool stories that could spark huge interest. We edited, posted and linked to a video that told the story quickly.
Coverage in TheNextWeb started the viral ball rolling. Less than 24 hours after they posted their story on Facebook, it had 1.6 million views, 3,800 comments, and more than 30,000 shares. That was just the start!
Within a month, we earned FoldiMate more than 70 articles, 20,000 Facebook page likes, 4.3 million YouTube views and nearly 12,000 Twitter visits.
Best of all, FoldiMate received more than 125,000 preregistrations, which on average cost $80 each, yielding the company close to $10 million. Not a bad month’s work!
Clever Contests Help New App Catch Up
Runtastic was in catch up mode. New to the U.S. market, this running and fitness app competed with established apps with big followings like MapMyRun and Runkeeper.
We rolled out an aggressive social media push to rapidly raise awareness and jump-start downloads. It began with a series of contests highlighting unique Runtastic features. One Facebook contest executed in June challenged runners to run in the shape of their favorite summertime activity – demoing Runtastic’s run tracking feature.
These contests also generated more than 120 media articles and 35,000 downloads. All told, one year into our program, Runtastic had closed the gap and would soon pull ahead of its competitors. Later, Adidas purchased the company for $240 million.
Reviews
the project
Marketing Program for Radar Sensor Company
"They say they go the extra mile and really do."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I currently serve as Director of Marketing and Client Success at Ainstein AI, which designs and develops innovative radar-based sensing solutions for driving, flying, working and living.
We are primarily a U.S.-based company and make radar more affordable and easier to deploy, offering complete customized solutions for autonomous drones, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous vehicles and IoT applications.
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE?
We have worked with UPRAISE on a project basis for approximately three years. For this engagement we turned to UPRAISE for:
- Updating the design, graphics and text of our website
- Designing and writing new sales materials
- Implementing digital marketing through HubSpot
- Drafting and placing contributed content with media
- Drafting and posting blogs - Creating new case histories
- Managing social media
What were your goals for this project?
Our goal is to increase the visibility of the Ainstein brand. This will primarily be accomplished by advocating the WAYV radar line. Social distancing, crisis management and other forms of behavioral analysis are incredibly important today as the world as we know it has changed before our eyes.
We expect th UPRAISE team to be fundamental in making the Ainstein brand a known entity throughout the automotive, IoT, air, and specialized vehicle industries.
How did you select this vendor?
A former employee actually selected UPRAISE after an exhaustive search. In addition to her research, our marketing consultant at the time strongly recommended them based on his previous experience with UPRAISE.
When I took over marketing, I did not know them well but decided to give them a trial. I have been very pleased with the results and will continue to work with them.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
The scope of UPRAISE’s work is broken down into four categories:
- Content
- Social Media
- Media Relations (i.e. PR)
- Website Development Each of the four are dependent on the success of this project.
We need content to share on social media. We need to be more present and recognizable to earn interest in journalists. We need a strong converting website to help drive sales when readers are researching our product line.
What was the team composition?
The team’s composition includes the president and owner, a senior account executive and two junior people. Even though we are a smaller client to them in terms of revenue, they give us all the attention we need and more.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We are a small but rapidly growing company and when we invest in high-spend activities such as trade shows, it’s important for us to take advantage of as many opportunities as possible.
The UPRAISE team has helped us for two years with our presence at CES (the Consumer Electronics Shows), one of the largest trade shows in the world with companies that spend millions on their booths and show presence.
Their ideas and execution have helped us get our voice heard and maximize the return on dollars and time invested in the show.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The UPRAISE team helps me stay on top of projects through our weekly call agendas and the action items that follow. They also follow up with me regularly if a deadline is looming and I haven’t replied to them. They are self starters and complete as many projects as possible without my input.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
UPRAISE provides quality work that extends throughout their entire team—from Tim the owner, down to the most junior person. They say they go the extra mile and really do. There are times that our “asks” exceed our budget, especially around new product launches. The UPRAISE team does what it takes to earn great results.
Are there any areas for improvement?
I have been very satisfied with their work and honestly don’t see areas for improvement.
the project
Product Launch for Home Robotics Company
"The UPRAISE team was always accessible and responsive."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the Director of Brand Marketing at an innovative company developing home robots that help people live better lives. I oversee all areas of marketing from trade show support to new product introductions, our website and more.
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE?
We have worked with UPRAISE for three years on a project basis. These projects include launching the company, two funding announcements, three product announcements, development of a new website and various collateral materials.
What were your goals for this project?
Our goal was to establish us as the leading home robotics brand, providing better features and better value than other companies. We wanted to reach a point that when influencers discussed home robots, the discussion always included us.
How did you select UPRAISE?
The CEO of Redrock Biometrics is an acquaintance of our CEO and he recommended UPRAISE. UPRAISE had created a website from scratch and launched their company in just three weeks.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
UPRAISE proposed and executed a series of product launch plans for our first three intelligent home robot vacuums. They coordinated two of these product launches with funding announcements, which they stated would increase the quantity and quality of media coverage. This proved to be true. They also completely redesigned and rewrote our website, coordinated with one of our product launches.
What was the team composition?
The president, Tim, was my main point of contact for some aspects of our projects and others on his team worked with me on other areas. Their approach was smooth and efficient.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
For the two product launches that I managed (the first project was managed by my predecessor), the UPRAISE team surpassed their metrics by at least 2x for media relations. Completion of the website was delayed due to a series of circumstances, but we were pleased with the result.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The UPRAISE team was always accessible and responsive. They provided frequent updates and always kept me in the loop.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
They did very strong work to earn us positive media coverage for our funding and product launches. One product launch earned 2x the agreed-upon metrics, another close to 3x the results.
Are there any areas for improvement?
In the initial design of the new website, we felt UPRAISE’s ideas weren’t taking us down a path we wanted to go. However, they listened to our concerns and addressed the issues we raised and we ended up with a website we were pleased with.
the project
PR & Digital Marketing Strategy for Tech Startup
"UPRAISE always completed projects on time and were extremely thorough."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I was the digital marketing program manager for a cybersecurity company with over 150 employees. I oversaw email marketing campaigns, webinars, award submissions, and conferences/trade shows.
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE Marketing and Public Relations, Inc.?
UPRAISE PR was hired for the following projects:
- Analyst relations
- Media strategy
- Content creation
- Social media strategy and competitor analysis
- Content development
- Social media
What were your goals for this project?
Deception technology was a new subset of cybersecurity solutions launched in 2015. We were looking to build a new category and gain recognition and acceptance with media, industry analyst firms, channel partners through which we distributed our products, and IT and security teams that purchased our solutions.
How did you select this vendor?
UPRAISE PR was hired for the team’s expertise in cybersecurity, the ability to build brand awareness and its experience and creativity in the core areas where needed support.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
The SOW was focused on brand and technology category awareness. UPRAISE is one of the top agencies that specializes on working with startups to build them into multi-million dollar brands.
They met or exceeded KPS for all activities, such as earned media coverage and inclusion in analyst reports. iN three years, for example, they built engagement with more than 100 industry analysts from both generalist and niche firms worldwide..
What was the team composition?
The UPRAISE team included the agency’s president, who was very active and involved. It also included a team of three others with complementary areas of expertise.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
A media/analyst luminary conducted a cybersecurity top companies to watch product round up, a notification email that went out the our team during one of the busiest trade shows within our industry. Unfortunately, we missed responding to the email in time and missed being included in the round up.
The UPRAISE team did not take no for an answer, going back to the editor and explaining the situation and why he should reevaluate our product and company.
Within the following month, the analyst posted a separate report on our company and product, producing an increased number of leads in our pipeline. Way to go UPRAISE!
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
The project manager we were assigned was always timely in his responses, a wonderful writer and checked in with us often. I was very impressed with his work ethic!
What did you find most impressive about this company?
UPRAISE always completed projects on time and were extremely thorough. With PR agencies, you can hear about “the other client.” We never heard this once. UPRAISE valued us as we valued them.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Not that I can think of!
the project
PR Support for News Media & Services Group
"Their ability to understand our brand, our budget, and our timeline was impressive."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am the VP of Marketing at Hearst Bay Area, the business branch of the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGATE. I am responsible for signature program and sales marketing development.
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE?
We do not have the in-house bandwidth for the PR support that we need for certain special projects. UPRAISE is excellent at handling the external communications around these important initiatives, whether those are Galas, Awards Shows, new hires or product launches. They take the time to customize their approach to match our needs and our budget.
What were your goals for this project?
Awareness/downloads.
How did you select this vendor?
Great references.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
Executing a PR campaign nationally to news media and food media around a new podcast launch.
What was the team composition?
I work closely with their team.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We had added engagement and awareness around our new podcast.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
Very effective!
What did you find most impressive about this company?
Their ability to understand our brand, our budget, and our timeline was impressive.
Are there any areas for improvement?
n/a
the project
PR and Social Media for Tech Company
"We had weekly meetings and constant email communication."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Corporate Marketing Manager for a tech company. Main responsibilities include PR, brand and content management
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE?
Given our limited resources and experience, we wanted an experienced agency that supported us in our PR strategy through press releases, thought leadership articles, social media strategy, awards and accolades, etc.
What were your goals for this project?
Our company was entering into a new phase in our business and we were looking to raise our company's corporate profile
How did you select this vendor?
Our CEO had worked with them in the past with great success.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
They provided us with a PR strategy that included press release calendar, weekly social media postings, coordination with analysts and media for briefings, articles and interviews, as well as media presence during tradeshows and events
What was the team composition?
We worked closely with the president and Sr account executives.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Since working with Upraise, we collected 13 industry awards and at least 15 press releases distributed on the wire that yielded great exposure and really helped "putting us in the map"
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
We had weekly meetings and constant email communication, so it was a very closed working relationship
What did you find most impressive about this company?
How they were able to quickly adapt to any changes in direction and circumstances, coming up with great ideas to leverage our PR
Are there any areas for improvement?
None that can think of right now
the project
Public Relations Management for Software Company
"They're good at thinking through PR strategy and coming up with ideas/advice/strategies."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
VP Marketing at 100 person software company
For what projects/services did your company hire UPRAISE?
Upraise is our PR firm and while I set this month as an end date, it's an ongoing contract, I just wanted to take a moment to review their work. They handle all aspects of PR and often advise on related matters--digital marketing, product positioning etc.
What were your goals for this project?
Increase company profile, brand awareness, repositioning of company.
How did you select this vendor?
We reviewed several PR companies, but our CEO has worked with Upraise several times before and they came highly recommended.
Describe the scope of their work in detail.
Write press releases, write social media posts, media outreach, analyst relationships, tradeshow prep support, writing of articles, blogs, case studies etc
What was the team composition?
Worked seamlessly with three team members at upraise
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
Increase to media coverage, expanded relationships with analysts, steady flow of press releases, more case studies.
How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?
It was good throughout.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
Were good at thinking through PR strategy and coming up with ideas/advice/strategies. Have been flexible on how they work with us.
Are there any areas for improvement?
There always are but nothing leaps to mind right now....
Thanks to their efforts, the company has been able to participate in large trade shows. The team does quality work and does what it takes to get results. They help the company stay on top of projects with weekly call meetings.