Cases

Making a small manufacturer profitable in a mobile phone market where the majority of their competitors are losing money.

So, you have a product that the public are well aware of but with an application that is new to the vast majority. How do you inform existing target groups as well as creating new ones?

The answer is the same one we gave our client, a company that manufactures mobile phones designed to cope with use in the most demanding conditions. This segment was new for consumers whose experience of mobile telephones was that they were easily broken. The many advantages and new applications for a mobile phone that could cope with almost anything that users could throw at it formed the basis for a Nordic campaign that continued for many years.

Objective

In order to achieve a purchase decision, the Swedish, Danish, Norwegian and Finnish public should be informed that an alternative exists to the often expensive and fragile mobile phones owned by the majority at the outset of the campaign.

Against this background we elected to use a strategy targeted at a group of people who have a requirement for an extremely robust telephone, whether that be for work or leisure activities.

Approach

The campaign began by distributing the product to a number of actively networking brand ambassadors who could create an awareness that an alternative existed to those already established major brands. A number of widespread communication initiatives immediately followed this initial brand ambassador phase, utilising the momentum built to the greatest maximum effect.

Outcome

As a result the wider public were made aware of the product’s existence and applications, which in turn created demand and excellent sales for the client. During the first year alone Time PR was able to generate media exposure equivalent to many times the client’s investment. Today the industry has changed and even the largest manufacturers have been forced to produce mobile phones that are more robust than their predecessors. However, the legacy to our client was a considerable head start and a strong brand that is forever associated with the most rugged devices imaginable.

Creating a trend for an entirely new product

So, you have a product that the public believes that they are familiar with but which is to be used in an entirely new way. Nobody has been informed that they need it or how they need it. How do you convince them?

The answer is the same one we gave our client, a company manufacturing multi-room speakers. The segment was new to the consumer, who imagined that they were satisfied with speakers in only one or two rooms. In addition, with no demand for such a product it was necessary to create one.

Objective

In order to achieve a purchase decision, an effective route is usually to create the impression that considerably more people have already bought something before this has actually happened. Time PR’s message was therefore based on building momentum, a feeling that things were happening, now. Against this background we chose to use a broad strategy, with the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian public at large as the target group.

Approach

This broad strategy consisted of generating publicity about the new trend of listening to music in several rooms simultaneously. This engendered awareness among consumers that in turn created demand for the client’s products.

Outcome

As a result the public was made aware of the product’s existence and how it could be used, creating demand and excellent sales for the client. Media coverage equivalent to many times the client’s investment has been generated. However, the most important aspect is that today an entire industry has been changed and listening to music in several rooms at the same time has become an integral part of many people’s everyday lives.