Case study · Technology & Education
Qoria, the child digital safety company behind Smoothwall, had new research on AI-generated child sexual abuse imagery and nudification apps. We placed it as an exclusive in The Times, the national title headteachers read most, then carried it into broadcast and the education trade press. The launch piece alone had a monthly audience of 9.4 million.
- 9.4M monthly audience of the Times launch piece
- 3 national tier-one titles
- 5+ education trade titles
- 100K+ combined trade readership
- Client Qoria (formerly Smoothwall)
- Sector Technology, Education
- Services Research launch, media relations, spokesperson preparation
- When February 2025
- Audience Headteachers, school leaders, safeguarding professionals, policymakers
- Channels National press, national radio, education trade press
What did Qoria need?
Qoria makes the filtering and monitoring tools that keep children safe online in schools across the UK. It had commissioned research into a fast-growing threat: AI tools that create sexual abuse imagery of children, and apps that “nudify” ordinary photos.
Research like this usually ends up in the trade press and stops there. Qoria wanted it in front of the people who make decisions about schools, at the moment the issue was reaching Parliament.
- Business objective: be seen by school leaders as the authority on child online safety, the category Smoothwall sells into.
- Communication objective: land one national exclusive on launch day, then extend the story through broadcast and at least five education trade titles within the launch month.
What was the insight?
Headteachers read The Times and The Sunday Times more than any other national title (Edge Foundation). The Times was also running its own Education Commission, so the research had a natural home.
That meant one exclusive in the right paper would do more than a press release sent to everyone. The idea: one title, one day, one clear argument, then build out from there.
What did we do?
- A national exclusive. The Times ran the research as an exclusive tied to its Education Commission, written by Senior Political Correspondent Geraldine Scott.
- Broadcast. The story carried into Times Radio. We briefed producers at BBC Radio 4 Today, BBC Breakfast and BBC Radio 5 Live and secured forward interview interest.
- A prepared spokesperson. We briefed Qoria’s spokesperson, Yasmin, to turn the data into a clear, quotable argument.
- Trade depth. Yasmin was interviewed by CYP Now editor Derren Hayes on 26 February 2025, and Qoria wrote a bylined article for Teaching Times. These titles reach the education and children’s services professionals who act on the findings.
What did it achieve?
Results by stage of the AMEC evaluation framework, with the source for each figure.
| Stage | Measure | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outputs | National tier-one titles | 3 | Prohibition coverage log |
| Outputs | Education trade titles | 5+ | Prohibition coverage log |
| Outputs | Monthly unique audience of The Times launch piece | 9,436,048 | Prohibition coverage report |
| Outputs | Monthly unique audience of Times Radio | 793,393 | Prohibition coverage report |
| Outputs | Combined monthly audience of education trade titles | 100,000+ | Prohibition coverage report |
| Outputs | BBC Today, Breakfast and 5 Live producers briefed | Forward interview interest secured | Prohibition campaign reporting |
| Out-takes | Spokesperson interview with the editor of CYP Now | Secured | CYP Now, 26 February 2025 |
What did Qoria get from it?
Its research reached the paper school leaders read, on the day it launched, during a live political debate about nudification apps. The trade coverage then carried the detail to the safeguarding leads who act on it.
Qoria now had a national profile on the issue, and a spokesperson that broadcasters wanted to speak to.
What did we learn?
- Pick the title, not the list. One exclusive in the paper headteachers read beat a wide release.
- Timing is half the story. Launching into a live debate gave journalists a reason to run it that day.
- Name the role. Positioning Qoria clearly as a child online safety authority made it easier for producers to book.
- What we would do differently: pre-brief the BBC earlier to lock a launch-day slot, build a quarterly drumbeat of follow-up stories, and agree out-take and outcome measures, such as site visits and demo requests, before launch.
