Cision Inc.

Not to be confused with Cision, the defunct Swedish software company.

Cision Inc.
Private
Industry Technology
Predecessor Cision
Vocus
Founded 2015 (2015)
Headquarters Chicago, United States
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Peter Granat, CEO
Products Marketing and public relations software & services
Services Public Relations Services, PR Software, Marketing Resources, Media Contacts Database, Press Release Distribution
Number of employees
 1,200
Subsidiaries PRWeb
HARO
iContact
Website www.cision.com

Cision Inc. is a public relations software company based in Chicago, United States, serving clients worldwide. The company was formed from the merger of the Swedish-based Cision AB and Vocus Communications Inc. in 2014. In addition to its web-based PR software suites, the company owns the online publicity services, PRWeb and Help a Reporter Out (HARO). The company operates offices in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Products and services

Cision provides public relations services to businesses, using a cloud-based, or software as a service (SaaS) model.[1][2] The company helps businesses maximize their PR efforts through social media monitoring and engagement and media publicity services.[1][2][3]

Cision' software is distributed in seven languages. As of June 2014, it is used by more than 16,000 annual subscribers worldwide,[3] including commercial businesses and governmental, educational and non-profit organizations.[1]

Software

The company offers three web-based packages: the "CisionMarketing Suite", the "Public Relations Suite" and a "Government Relations Suite".[3] The Cision "Public Relations Suite" allows users to distribute press releases, access a database of bloggers and journalists, and monitor and analyze news and social media sites.[4] The company's "Government Relations Suite" manages government contacts and analyzes lobbying activity.[5]


The platform for PR professionals is an organizational tool to help companies/universities implement an overall strategy and plan for their PR efforts. Once they have a plan in place, Cision's PR Edition enables them to measure its' effectiveness by providing analytics behind their news, contacts, and releases.

Services

Through a series of acquisitions, the company provides services in PRWeb, HARO, North Social and iContact, which Cision has continued to operate under the existing brand names. Vocus also offers consulting services to support the use of its software products.

PRWeb is an online press release service. Press releases published by PRWeb are distributed through news sites and appear in search engine results, allowing businesses to distribute news directly to the mass media and customers.[6][7] PRWeb services are available through the "Vocus Marketing Suite," the "Vocus PR Suite" or as a separate service.

Help a Reporter Out (HARO) is an online service designed to help journalists locate and connect with sources for stories. Originally created as a Facebook group in 2008, HARO quickly outgrew the platform, and now operates through its own website and daily newsletter[8][9][10] Help a Reporter Out services are available through the "Vocus Marketing Suite" or as a separate service.

History and acquisitions

See also: Cision and Vocus

In October 14, 2014, Cision AB and Vocus announced a friendly merger of the two public relations companies.[11] Cision based in Sweden will relocate its headquarters to Chicago and so will Vocus from Maryland, United States.[11] The company will be based out of Chicago and the combined entity will be known as Cision.[12]

On December 15, 2015, Cision agreed to acquire PRNewswire from UBM plc for $841 million (approx. £575 million).[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brad Kelly (16 September 2008). "VOCUS INC. Lanham, Maryland PR Software Helps Companies Polish Their Image With Efficiency". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 Gus G. Sentementes (13 October 2012). "Vocus tackles digital marketing, hires hundreds". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Susan Payton (8 July 2012). "Vocus: Small Businesses Shouldn’t Have to Piecemeal Their Marketing". Small Business Trends. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Tanya Lewis (30 April 2012). "Vocus' PR suite info is user friendly and easy to export". PRWeek US. Retrieved 1 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Vocus Inc. Company Information". Hoovers.com. Hoover's Inc. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  6. ↑ "Vocus pays $28M in cash and stock for PRWeb". Washington Business Journal. 8 August 2006. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Kate N. Nichols (September 2006). "Pioneering company takes its next step Ferndale’s PRWeb sold to national company". Business Pulse Magazine. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Vocus acquires Help A Reporter Out". Washington Business Journal. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Barb Dybwad (10 June 2010). "Vocus Acquires HARO to Expand Journalist-Driven PR Service". Mashable. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Eliot van Buskirk (14 September 2009). "'Help a Reporter Out' Crowdsources News Sources". Wired. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  11. 1 2 "Cision and Vocus Unite, Ushering in the Future of PR and Social Software | Cision". www.cision.com. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  12. ↑ "» Cision to Retire Vocus Name". www.capitolcommunicator.com. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  13. ↑ "» Chicago-based Cision to buy PR Newswire for $841 million". www.chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-01-06.

External links

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