Company: Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW) is a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work.

CHEN Assignment: Initially retained by publicly traded Forte Software to establish leadership in software tools market; CHEN PR began working with Sun when it acquired Forte in 1999 for $700 million. This productive, multi-faceted relationship is eight years old, and counting.

Challenge: Promote the Java brand as a critical component of a highly visible integrated software strategy.

CHEN PR Strategy: CHEN PR works with Sun to create and maintain media and industry analyst interest through news announcements; interviews; and events, including JavaOne, the world’s largest conference focused on Java technology developers.

Results:

• JavaOne 2004 – CHEN PR was a key part of a team that garnered hundreds of interviews with analysts and business/trade media journalists, and hundreds of positive articles covering Sun messages, products and technology.
• Ongoing Media and Analyst Outreach – CHEN PR’s ongoing program of news and information on Sun’s Java and developer-based announcements has resulted in more than 1,000 news and feature articles and analyst reports in the past year alone.
• Competitive Outreach – CHEN PR executes ongoing competitive PR programs for Sun. Proactively, CHEN PR relates Sun’s differentiators to the media and analysts who cover enterprise software, ensuring that Sun is a factor in articles on competitive announcements. CHEN PR is often able to anticipate important announcements from key competitors, enabling the agency to leverage its relationships with reporters and analysts to articulate Sun’s position.