Annabel Kerr, Director – Technology
People often think tech PR is all about promoting the latest and greatest technologies. And throughout my career as a comms specialist for tech firms, I’ve worked with some truly amazing clients whose solutions fall into those categories. But it doesn’t always need to be both.
At Clark, we’ve spent the past five years working with – and charting the progress of – a leading refurbished technology provider, and right now it genuinely feels like the sector is having its moment.
This shift hasn’t come out of nowhere. A range of macro and market forces are converging to reshape how businesses think about technology investment:
- Ongoing stock shortages and supply chain disruption are impacting availability, pricing and project timelines
- Broader global instability is creating cautious decision-making
- Shorter, less predictable business cycles are challenging longer-term tech alignment
- Organisations are taking a more mature, ROI-focused approach to AI adoption (moving away from speculative overreach)
- The evolution from cloud-first to cloud-smartis well underway, with hybrid models reshaping infrastructure needs once again
- Sustainability pressures are continuing to mount across every industry
Together, these forces are creating the perfect conditions for refurbished technology to move from an “alternative option” to a strategic priority.
But are refurbished brand narratives keeping up with this convergence? If not, providers risk being overlooked – not because their proposition isn’t strong, but because their story hasn’t evolved to match how buyers are thinking.
The narrative gap
Many refurbished tech providers face a persistent perception problem – lingering stereotypes about hardware quality, age and reliability, alongside limited awareness of how advanced refurbishment standards have become.
In reality, much of the equipment entering the market is far newer than buyers assume, and the processes behind its preparation are highly sophisticated. But unless that story is being told in the right way, the market won’t catch up.
Why PR matters for refurbished tech firms now
PR has a critical role to play here – not just in raising awareness, but in helping reframe the category.
Lots of the factors driving demand for refurbished tech are already present within existing industry messaging. The opportunity lies in connecting those dots and refreshing the overall narrative to match the current moment.
This requires joined up external storytelling: combining individual macro / market levers into a single, compelling picture that not only dispels lingering doubts, but conveys the urgency needed to drive action.
Leading the pack
In a competitive environment, refurbished tech providers must also find ways to push their narrative to the front. Part of that is landing stories in the right platforms and publications. But in today’s landscape, visibility isn’t just about headlines – it’s also about AI discoverability.
With AI-driven search on the rise, refurbished brands need to ensure they’re part of the knowledge ecosystem. This depends on delivering consistent, credible, earned content that AI systems can easily surface, reference and validate.
In practical terms, that means prioritising high-quality thought leadership, expert commentary and structured, data-led storytelling placed in credible third-party publications and owned sites. This is the type of content that AI tools are most likely to reference and elevate.
Brands that consistently show up in these environments don’t just build awareness – they become part of the trusted layer of information that AI crawlers serve up, and therefore buyers rely on to make decisions.
The term I heard most recently for this practice is ‘visibility engineering’. Developed into a manifesto by Gini Dietrich, it describes the shared comms and marketing practice of building authority and trust in a way that works for humans and AI engines alike.
The bottom line
Refurbished technology is no longer a back-up option – it should be increasingly central to how businesses are navigating cost, risk and sustainability in their technology strategies.
The story elements are there. The demand is there.
The question is whether you can connect them – and ensure your narrative is visible where that demand is being shaped.
Looking to strengthen your tech firm’s PR strategy? Get in touch with Clark, Scotland’s leading tech PR agency here.