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A pan-African media relations campaign that turned one press release into 13 media pickups, 10 social amplifications, and a newsletter open rate nearly double the industry average.
When Schneider Electric needed to introduce its SF6-free AirSeT medium-voltage switchgear range to African utilities and industrial players, they needed a PR partner who understood how news actually travels across French-speaking Africa. Africa O’Clock delivered.
The Challenge
Energy infrastructure announcements are a hard sell: technical subject, specialized audience, six markets with six different media landscapes. Schneider Electric needed consistent coverage across Pan-Africa, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, DRC and Gabon, in outlets that industrial and utility decision-makers actually read, amplified beyond earned media, and measured honestly.
The Strategy
Africa O’Clock built a multi-channel distribution plan adapted to each market:
- Tier-one economic media first. Agence Ecofin and Sika Finances, two of the most-read pan-African economic outlets, anchored the story with original coverage.
- National press agencies and top portals. In Côte d’Ivoire: AIP (the national press agency), Abidjan.net, Abidjan-Eco and 7info.ci.
- Country-by-country placement. SeneNews (Senegal), L’Économie and Cameroun Info (Cameroon), Vox Populi (DRC), Direct Infos Gabon.
- Native social amplification across each outlet’s Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads accounts.
- Direct-to-inbox distribution through a dedicated newsletter send, with a follow-up designed to reach readers who hadn’t engaged with the first.
The Results
Press coverage. The announcement secured coverage across all six target markets, combining original articles from leading outlets with further pickup from regional and sector media, including Côte d’Ivoire’s national press agency.
Social media amplification. Outlets carrying the story relayed it natively on their own Facebook, LinkedIn, X and Threads accounts, extending visibility beyond the articles themselves.
Newsletter performance. The direct email distribution performed well above typical benchmarks for the sector, with the follow-up send meaningfully outperforming the first on both opens and clicks, a strong signal that the message resonated with its audience.
Why It Worked
- Media-market fluency. Knowing which outlets carry real weight in each country comes from years of on-the-ground relationships, not a media database.
- Full-funnel distribution. Layering social amplification and a targeted newsletter follow-up on top of earned media put the announcement in front of decision-makers through the channels they actually use.
- Honest measurement. Every placement is tracked and verifiable, and every reported result reflects what the campaign genuinely achieved, with no inflated claims.
Ready to Take Your Story Across Africa?
Africa O’Clock is a pan-African PR and digital communications agency helping companies navigate media relations, press release distribution, and corporate communications across French-speaking Africa and beyond. Get in touch to talk through your campaign.
