Redefining the future of work through AI and automation
. . .The client: UiPath
In 2022, RICE started working with UiPath in Singapore to help establish the brand as the leading enterprise automation and AI software company. While AI and automation are extremely hot topics with the media, it is such a competitive space with almost every tech company offering their point of view. RICE was instrumental in helping UiPath resonate with its intended audiences through a thoughtful approach:
Centralised external communications support as the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) hub to ensure consistency and clarity of message across the region.
- Regionwide strategy for communications framework and processes, and direction on messaging and narrative
- Layer of quality oversight and assurance over the work of local agencies
- Steady flow of APJ-relevant content, which local agencies can localise and leverage
Focus on Future of Work conversations rather than the technical applications of automation to remain relevant in national news such as the Singapore Budget and National AI Strategy 2.0 announcements.
- As AI has become the dominant trend in recent years, RICE structured the UiPath narrative in a way that positions the company as among the frontrunners in AI for the enterprise, having deeply ingrained AI in UiPath products and technologies. This helped build credibility and enabled UiPath to be featured in relevant media conversations, ultimately positioning the company as one of the go-to authorities on AI topics.
- As a result, RICE, with support from local agencies, tracked over 1,000 mentions of UiPath across Singapore, Australia, India, South Korea, and Japan in 2023, with most of these mentions focused on AI and automation. Specifically, nearly 60% of the mentions were from key mainstream business and technology publications across the region. These mentions include news articles, thought leadership bylines, feature stories, commentaries, industry stories, and more.
- One of the major highlights was a live broadcast interview for UiPath CEO Rob Enslin on CNBC’s Street Signs Asia in December 2023. This was a significant win as it was the first time the company was featured in an interview on CNBC Asia, to discuss its focus on AI integration.
Leading conversations through regional thought leadership
- A notable campaign was the launch of the UiPath IDC Automation Survey in 2022 across Singapore, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and China. The survey focused on the outlook for automation across the region, such as the maturity of organisations in adopting the technology.
- RICE managed the regional announcement strategy and content development and coordinated in-market execution with the agency partners. In total, 139 pieces of coverage were generated, 90 of which were published in top-tier mainstream, business, and trade titles in the APJ region.
- With ESG emerging as an important agenda for businesses in Asia, especially in mature markets like Singapore and Australia, it presented a white-space opportunity for UiPath to lead the conversation from an automation perspective by developing regional thought leadership content.
- To leverage this opportunity, RICE and UiPath collaborated with Eco-Business to create an extensive ESG whitepaper focused on Singapore and Australia. The whitepaper addresses the unique challenges associated with ESG reporting and highlights how companies address these issues.
- RICE supported the campaign end-to-end, from selecting the knowledge partner, campaign ideation, development of the whitepaper, and launch of strategy and tactics.
- A key campaign result was the placement of an opinion article in The Business Times attributed to a UiPath spokesperson. The article highlights how companies can address roadblocks to the new ESG reporting paradigm, citing research from the ESG whitepaper.