Cision, the leading provider of media research, distribution, monitoring and analysis services to the public relations industry and other communicators, today announced that U-Haul International, Inc., has selected the award-winning CisionPoint integrated PR workflow solution as its communication management platform.
U-Haul – the world’s preeminent renter of trucks, trailers, self-storage rooms and other equipment to do-it-yourself movers – has a network of more than 15,800 locations in all 50 American states and ten Canadian provinces.
It’s also the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, one of the top propane retailers in the U.S., and a supplier of alternative fuel for vehicles and backyard barbecues.
With a footprint as large as that, U-Haul receives up to 200 stories or mentions a day in print and online media. Its Phoenix-based staff is responsible for proactive media relations, responding to inbound inquiries, supervising the company’s philanthropy program, and the promotion of its SuperGraphics program.
But monitoring news coverage of U-Haul is perhaps its most critical function.
“We’re a relatively small department, with three people on staff,” said Joanne Fried, director of U-Haul media and public relations.
“Monitoring is extremely important for us, more so perhaps than for other companies. We monitor coverage in the classic PR sense, to understand what’s being said about us, but we also rely on it to respond to incidents involving our equipment.”
U-Haul began using CisionPoint in 2009, after switching their monitoring service from another provider.
The company began by using CisionPoint’s Online and Print Monitoring services, which monitor hundreds of thousands of print publications and online outlets. It plans to extend its use of CisionPoint in the coming weeks.
“We’re very happy with CisionPoint,” Ms. Fried said.
“Its drill-down capability, which lets you read an entire article by clicking a mouse, is very user friendly. We’re looking forward to taking advantage of its reporting capabilities down the road.”
About CisionPoint
Launched in the United States in October 2007, CisionPoint rapidly became the fastest growing on-demand PR workflow dashboard application, with more than 5,000 customers signed in its first 24 months of sales.
Cision is currently rolling out CisionPoint as the standard on-demand platform for its customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 corporations, global public relations firms, non-profit organizations, universities, and small businesses.
CisionPoint was selected the Best Online News Service by the 2009 CODiE Awards and is a finalist in the Best Vertical Market Business Content category in the 2010 CODiE Awards competition, sponsored by the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA).
About Cision
Cision (cision.com) empowers businesses to make better decisions and improve performance through its CisionPoint software solutions for corporate communication and PR professionals.
Powered by local experts with global reach, Cision delivers relevant media information, targeted distribution, media monitoring, and precise media analysis. Cision has offices in Europe, North America and Asia, and has partners in 125 countries.
Cision AB is quoted on the Nordic Exchange with revenue of SEK 1.8 billion in 2008.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Andree Beckham, 312-873-6434
Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations
[email protected]
