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Situation Analysis

Outsourcing is undoubtedly a controversial issue—companies operating in the space have seen incredible amounts of attention, though more often than not, the focus is negative, with often serious backlash. This volatile atmosphere renders rational discussion of outsourcing nearly impossible, yet that is exactly what Patni Computer Systems asked of Text 100.

Patni, India’s sixth-largest outsourcer and a pioneer in the industry, partnered with Text 100 to create broad awareness of the company and its value proposition. The goal of the campaign was to position the company as a leading IT outsourcing vendor, yet ensure that Patni wasn’t viewed as a contributor to local job losses.

Execution

Text 100 analyzed outsourcing related press clippings understand the complex issues as well as gain insight into reporters’ personal views. The research showed a gradual shift away from the emotional response towards a more objective discussion of the outsourcing issue, leading Text 100 to recommend that Patni focus on educating the market on best practice issues in outsourcing, rather than enter the debate. This strategy would resonate well with Patni’s audience: decision makers who were already outsourcing or who were considering outsourcing as a business initiative.

To complement the business benefits strategy and to appeal to a wider audience, Text 100 presented the “softer side” of Patni by positioning Naren Patni, Chairman and CEO, as the “Father of Outsourcing.” Naren Patni had developed the concept 30 years ago as an MIT student through pilot programs run out of his two-bedroom apartment in Cambridge, Mass. Naren Patni was also an American citizen–an ironic twist in the origins of Indian IT outsourcing. The novelty of this story would be strong enough to bring initial attention to the company without digging into the controversial outsourcing debate.

In addition, the team pushed a number of uncontroversial story angles that elevated outsourcing without focusing on the negative. Innovative storylines included best practices in governance in outsourcing, issues around data and physical security and the high attrition rates, and then described Patni’s pioneering solutions.

Evaluation

The awareness campaign resulted in top-tier coverage, many of which referenced the “Father of Outsourcing” angle, including a front-page, stand-alone feature in the Boston Globe with two color photos, a Fortune column by the influential David Kirkpatrick, a lead column in eWEEK, inclusion in a USA Today story, and others. Coverage was converted into marketing collateral for the sales team and at customer events both in the U.S. and Europe.

Additional coverage on issues such as security, HR and governance appeared throughout the summer in key trade publications such as InformationWeek, CIO, ComputerWorld, CNET and NetworkWorld. Overall, the campaign resulted in a 500 percent increase in coverage over the previous quarter. More importantly, none of the articles dragged Patni into the outsourcing backlash—the resultant coverage did not cast a negative light on outsourcing and enabled readers to take a different look at outsourcing and evaluate the practical issues. At the forefront of this new discussion was Patni. The company was established as an outsourcing stalwart and the CEO as an industry visionary. Mr. Patni’s keen insight and sensitive treatment of socio-eco-political issues received widespread appreciation.