PR Pulse | Tariffs, Policies & Storytelling

Tariffs. Policy shifts. Uncertainty. We’ve been helping B2B tech brands turn today’s global headlines into tomorrow’s strategic wins.

Author

Casey Finestone
April 22, 2025

The past 60-plus days have been a whirlwind with news coming out of Washington about impending tariffs and new international policies. The B2B technology sector has not been spared as the uncertainty on what, if any, fiscal fallout there might be has yet to be fully unveiled. Understandably, each organization has their own take on what’s happening and how best to move forward during this time of uncertainty, and our team has worked closely with our clients to turn these global economic shifts into an opportunity for strategic storytelling.

In today’s edition:

📝 Thought Leadership: Fresh reads on brand loyalty, influencer PR, and the importance of building trust in shifting markets

📣 Clients in the News: From the impacts of proposed tariffs to automation to cybersecurity policy - our clients were at the forefront of the most reported topics across the business and IT media

🏆 Client Spotlight: IDC dominates the tariff conversation with multiple high-impact features and a proactive real-time concept to engage with reporters.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
PR Strategies Worth Bookmarking

This quarter’s blog content taps into what every CMO should be thinking about - building trust, growing brand equity, and getting measurable results.

Jason Ouellette shares tips for helping execs break through the noise with sharp POVs, real media relationships, and thought leadership that doesn’t sound like a press release.

A closer look at how strategic PR builds durable customer relationships, especially in noisy markets.

Laura Rodriguez shares how smart influencer campaigns can bring credibility, visibility, and leads - yes, even in B2B.

CLIENTS IN THE NEWS
Tariffs, Tech & Media Takeovers: Strategic Wins in the Headlines

  • Variety spotlighted Resemble AI and its Q1 2025 Deepfake Incident Report, revealing $200M in synthetic media-related fraud. Just weeks into our partnership, the report’s findings were picked up across major platforms, including AOL.com.

  • Conifer made waves in TechCrunch with a $20M seed round and its bold vision for EV powertrains, offering a rare-earth-free alternative amid mounting tariff debates.

  • IDC had a standout quarter, appearing in The Wall Street Journal on rising AI infrastructure costs and The Hill for expert analysis on Tesla’s tariff-fueled advantage in the EV market.

  • Valimail weighed in on the shifting cybersecurity policy landscape, appearing in CSO Online and Techstrong.ai with perspectives on regulatory impacts and tech sector uncertainty.

More exciting client news worth highlighting:

  • Forbes spotlighted Cognixion and its groundbreaking brain-computer interface redefining assistive tech.

  • TIME named Hydrosat one of the Top GreenTech Companies of 2025 for its innovations in climate data.

  • Upstream Works CEO Rob McDougall shared his thoughts on how customer experience leaders can balance automation with human support in Retail Technology Insider.

  • The Fast Mode featured FiberLight CEO Bill Major as he examined automation’s growing role in modern fiber networks.

CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
IDC Nails Tariff Conversations

As the world awaited details of the Trump administration’s tariff policy, IDC and Escalate PR were busy developing a strategy to lead the news cycle with carefully considered analysis and data. From politically oriented titles and national newspapers to trade media and podcasts, Escalate widely distributed this data and insights while facilitating dozens upon dozens of live interviews. Beyond inbound requests, Escalate initiated ‘analyst's office hours,’ a proactive real-time concept to make IDC experts available for media to connect, discuss, and learn about the latest tariff twists and turns.

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