PPP: from invisible to omnipresent in a highly political affair

Brand awareness, strategic & emergency comms

Belgian PPP - short for Press, Periodicals and Publicity - is Europe’s largest newspaper distributor. Following a public tender issued by the federal government, opening up the market for distribution in the whole of Belgium, PPP sought to create brand awareness and actively position itself as a capable candidate and credible alternative to Bpost.

Introducing PPP to the public

And so we got to work, highlighting PPP’s preparations in order to win the tender, as well as its successful international expansion and operations. This was achieved through strategic interviews with leading business media such as De Tijd (x2), L’Echo (x2), Business AM and Kanaal Z, while the supporting press releases were picked up by RTL Info, La Libre Belgique, La Dernière Heure, Het Laatste Nieuws and Trends, to name but a few. Just like that, we introduced PPP, up until then a mostly unknown quantity, to the main public.

Press, publishers and... politics

… And that’s when it all kicked off. After months of waiting, rumours started circulating that the government wanted to cancel the tender - even though leaks confirmed PPP as the clear winner. All of a sudden, this was the talk of the country. In what turned into a highly politicized matter that dominated headlines for weeks on end, made worse by a smear campaign by some leading Belgian publishers, every man and his dog wanted and demanded a reaction from PPP to the unprecedented decision the government was about to make.

Dozens and dozens of articles

Swift and decisive action was therefore needed: in no time, we organised an emergency press conference at which every major news outlet in the country turned up, to push back on the negative framing around PPP, reaffirm its credentials and capability with regard to the distribution, and put pressure on the government. Following the eventual outcome, another online press briefing and some strategic interviews were set up. Result? Dozens and dozens of articles, and props from members of the press for the organisation, content and manner of our work.