Case study · Client work
Performance Drone Works PR: About 100 Placements Since 2024
5W handled marketing and messaging for Performance Drone Works, taking a defense drone maker from trade press into national business and technology media.
~100
Media placements since 2024
9
Named outlets, from Forbes and Axios to Defense Daily
Overview
The brief from Performance Drone Works PR: About 100 Placements Since 2024
PRACTICE: Earned Media | Defense Technology | Executive Thought Leadership
Performance Drone Works (PDW) is a next-generation drone technology company developing small, high-performance robotics for military and government operations. Since 2024, 5W has handled marketing and messaging for PDW, along with many related tasks, including executive positioning, timely commentary on breaking news, announcement-driven storytelling, and ongoing relationship-building with key reporters.
Discover
As PDW scaled quickly, it needed a communications program that lifted its visibility beyond niche defense trades and established it as a leader at the intersection of autonomous systems, AI, and national security. 5W was tasked with building PDW’s media presence, positioning its leadership as authoritative voices on modern warfare, tactical autonomy, and the evolving role of drones, and expanding awareness across top-tier business, technology, and mainstream media.
Define
5W set out to bridge the gap between specialized defense coverage and mainstream business and technology media, with PDW executives translating complex defense innovation into accessible insight.
Drive
- Positioned key PDW executives as credible, experience-driven experts on drone warfare, national security, and military modernization.
- Ran proactive outreach tied to breaking news and geopolitical developments so PDW stayed part of timely conversations.
- Used company milestones, including product updates and platform advancements, to secure feature-driven coverage that showed PDW building real-world, deployable solutions.
- Pitched top-tier media on AI, autonomy, and the future of warfare to reach beyond the defense trades.
- Kept up reporter relationship-building, a steady cadence of trend commentary and newsjacking, and storytelling aligned with major news cycles and policy conversations.
Deliver
Since the start of the campaign in 2024, 5W has secured about 100 media placements across top-tier, business, technology, and defense trade publications, including Business Insider, Fox & Friends, Forbes, Axios, NewsNation, DroneLife, Defense Daily, Inside Unmanned Systems, and Breaking Defense.
- Breaking news and trend commentary on evolving global conflicts and drone warfare.
- Announcement-driven coverage tied to funding, product updates, and company milestones.
- Feature stories and profiles on PDW’s technology, mission, and leadership.
The sustained visibility positioned PDW as a go-to expert for media covering the future of warfare, tactical autonomy, and defense innovation, and expanded its presence beyond core defense trades. The approximate placement count is the reported total and does not include an impression figure. This program sits within 5W’s defense AI PR practice. For related work, see the Shield AI case study and the defense tech executive visibility page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did 5W handle for Performance Drone Works?
5W handled marketing and messaging for PDW, along with many related tasks, including executive positioning, breaking-news commentary, announcement-driven storytelling, and reporter relationship-building across defense, business, technology, and mainstream media.
What results did the PDW campaign report?
Since 2024, 5W has secured about 100 media placements, including Business Insider, Fox & Friends, Forbes, Axios, NewsNation, DroneLife, Defense Daily, Inside Unmanned Systems, and Breaking Defense.
How did 5W take PDW beyond the defense trades?
5W pitched top-tier outlets on AI, autonomy, and the future of warfare, and paired that with timely commentary tied to breaking news and policy conversations.
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