New APCO PathfinderSM Gets Clients Ahead of the Curve for Product Launches
Washington, D.C. (May 6, 2009) – APCO Worldwide is launching APCO PathfinderSM, a new proprietary service that enhances product launches and market entries by anticipating the full stakeholder landscape most critical to increased product sales, Margery Kraus, president and chief executive officer, announced today.
“Anticipating the complex web of third parties, regulators and key influencers who materially shape purchase decisions can make the difference between long-term product success and failure,” said Kraus. “Increasingly, clients are improving their traditional marketing strategies by estimating opportunities and threats from the start, rather than waiting to react after a launch. Strategies that increase potential endorsements and minimize missteps can tip the balance between maximum value and missed opportunity. This is the next generation of marketing.”
Pathfinder enhances traditional marketing strategies by anticipating stakeholder behavior, optimizing product positioning and developing resilient launch and lifecycle strategies to address changes in the stakeholder landscape.
“Corporations are very good at predicting how their customers are likely to react to a new product, but they may not fully forecast the impact from other key stakeholders such as regulatory and nongovernmental organizations and the media,” said Kraus. “Pathfinder gets clients ahead of the curve by combining APCO’s extensive global expertise in this stakeholder environment with proprietary research tailored to each client’s needs. The result is a comprehensive and sustainable approach to navigating the stakeholder landscape.”
Bryan Dumont, a senior vice president in APCO’s Washington, D.C., office, and Phil Riggins, an APCO director based in London, will serve as research leads for Pathfinder. Dumont and Riggins are part of APCO Insight®, the firm’s opinion research division, which provides message development and strategic communication services to corporations, governments and associations.
Other key contacts for the Pathfinder team include Stephanie Lvovich, deputy managing director of APCO’s London office and a specialist in the fast-moving consumer goods sector; Nelson Fernandez, managing director of APCO’s New York City office and an expert in the food and beverage industry; and Sharon Ruwart, managing director of the firm’s Beijing office and an expert in corporate positioning.
About APCO Worldwide
Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. APCO offers services related to business and finance; media, public opinion and society; and government and public policy. The firm is a majority women-owned business. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.
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Contact:
Elizabeth Wolf
+202.778.1470
ewolf@apcoworldwide.com