Launch PR - Powered by Schneider Associates

In a world full of cords, Powermat offers space age freedom

Having more than one technology device means living in a world full of chargers and cords. Now, imagine a device that eliminates cord-dependency. That’s exactly what Powermat is - a wireless charging system that p0wers up three devices simultaneously, mess free. The Powermat sets itself apart with its slick design and adaptability to charge a diverse range of devices, like the iPhone, Blackberry and the Nintendo DS, to name a few. The launch story for this revolutionary product, which began in October, 2009, is clearly aimed at early adopters. 

In the fall, Powermat launched an integrated marketing campaign incorporating television, radio, internet, out-of-home and social media around the slogan: “Lose the cords”.  Their television and radio commercial campaign named “What the bleep?” used humor to demonstrate the product benefits.  The spots portrayed astounded consumers who were unable to contain their amazement about the new product, by blurting out remarks that had to be “bleeped” by censors. On the internet, Powermat advertised heavily on technology Web sites such as Gizmodo, and even placed out-of-home ads on automatic doors in major airports to reach business travelers.  Lastly, Powermat used social media including Twitter, Facebook and Youtube.  Within these platforms, they showcased their ads and presented contests like “What the Bleep?” (where consumers submitted their ‘what the bleep’ moments for judging) and the Powermat slogan contest (where consumers submitted slogan ideas). 

 

Since the launch in October, Powermat was named to TIME’s Top 20 Tech Buyers Guide 2009. Selling at $99.99, plus $40 per receiver, this product is an expensive commitment to convenience; but nevertheless sold more than 750,000 devices by the beginning of January 2010.  What will Powermat do next? How about furniture that charges? This innovative and unique furniture product should be on sale soon if Powermat meets its projections.  We’re interested to see the wide range of applications for this groundbreaking product – we’re also interested to see how long it takes to gain mass adoption. Could a cordless Star Trek world arrive at light speed?

 

If you would like help planning your next launch, contact us at launch@schneiderpr.com or on Twitter @SchneiderPR.

 

Picture courtesy of http://www.powermat.com/us/mats/home-and-office-mat.html#

Update: March 17, 2010

The Madness-of-March Marketing Ensues

It’s one of the biggest sporting events of the year — with more eligible teams than there are countries in the Olympics, more minutes played than the World Series, and more beer and chips consumed than the Super Bowl.  March Madness has become a huge marketing event for manufacturers looking to launch new products. The men’s college basketball tournament ranks behind only the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl in TV ad spending on postseason sports, according to New York-based TNS Media Intelligence.  The 63-game event consists of 64 teams, millions of fans and hours and hours of television coverage, with accompanying Facebook fan pages and Twitter feeds. For three weeks in March, the NCAA tournament gets the undivided focus of sports fans everywhere, a rarity in this day and age when there are so many diversions and competition for attention. 

 

 

With a down economy, one might expect marketers to stay on the bench. But given the opportunity to reach a huge, young, well-educated, mostly male audience (that is also slightly above average in income), product promos and advertising campaigns abound.  Four years ago, Coca Cola chose March Madness to launch My Coke Rewards, a multi-year, online driven, mega-rewards program across all Coca-Cola brands, the largest program ever launched for the Coca-Cola franchise.  This year, Infiniti, the luxury car brand, is using the tournament to launch its new M line of sports sedans after launching the G line during the Super Bowl. Infiniti is sponsoring a pre-game Tip-Off show, and Madness enthusiasts who fill out a tournament bracket online have the option of entering their picks into a contest to win a sleek, new Infiniti M sports car.

 

Kraft Foods will be conducting sampling for two of its newest products – Ritz Munchables pretzel crisps and Planters Flavor Grove almonds and cashews. In addition, Wheat Thins will get brand exposure on the trays used at concession stands. A Ritz Munchables commercial with a basketball theme will also begin airing this week. And you can add Dove to the list of companies cashing in on March Madness – since they will be promoting their new Men+Care line with an advertising buy during the tournament. Of course, where would this March Madness marketing blitz be without a kickass iPhone app introduced by CBS and AT&T. The apps will run on the 3G network so fans can get live streaming coverage as well as Westwood One radio broadcasts.

 

 

Interestingly, the Urology Institute in Springfield, Oregon has taken March Madness to a new level by reminding all men that the tournament is an excellent time to consider their, ahem, maleness. They have launched their "Snip City" campaign, figuring there couldn’t be a better time to schedule a vasectomy, and of course, miss work. The Snip City promotional copy states: “You get a recovery kit - and most importantly - a doctor's note stating you need to sit on the couch and watch basketball!” Is this March madness or brazenly brilliant marketing? You be the judge.   

Kellogg’s Special K® – Setting the (Cereal) Bar Higher

Once upon a time, the cereal category was simple, but over the last decade, food manufacturers have created a host of innovative new entrants to the category – and no brand has done it better than the Kellogg Company with their Special K line. In 2006, BusinessWeek.com writer and marketing pundit, David Kiley, predicted that “Kellogg will run up against what every ambitious consumer marketer eventually faces: a case of brand extension greed.” But four years later, that prediction hasn’t materialized. Kellogg has sustained healthy success, generating nearly $13 billion in 2009 sales, by continuing to introduce low calorie cereal and snack options. Most of the products in the Special K line build on the famous “Special K diet” and provide versatile weight management solutions that are marketed toward a largely female consumer segment. Special K has even crossed aisles to energy/performance foods and frozen meals. But the two most recent launches, Special K Low-Fat Granola Cereal and Special K Fruit Crisps, seek to continue the trend of cereal category dominance.

For the new launch, Special K used a heavy dose of social media outreach. In addition to leveraging a huge Facebook fan base of over 34,000, free samples of the Fruit Crisps were provided to ‘mommy bloggers’ to create awareness, generate buzz, promote product trial and engage consumers. They also posted coupons for Facebook fans to try the new product. In addition, during January, the all important New Year’s Resolution month, Kellogg reached out to thousands of Special K lovers and brand advocates, and positioned the Low-Fat Granola Cereal as a New Year’s resolution tip on their Web site and Facebook page. Complementing the social media strategy, Kellogg issued a press release (New Year, New Food: Kellogg® Introduces Two New Ways to Recharge Your Resolution With Special K®), followed by television commercials.

The Kellogg Company seems to find creative ways to align their brand with the lifestyles and everyday challenges of their target customers. The Victory Project includes a Web site tracking the journey of 12 women in three U.S. cities who shared the common goal of losing weight before one of the biggest moments in their lives, such as 29 year-old Rebecca’s fitness test for her police exam. The Victory Project Web site offers tools, tips, articles, discussions, and video profiles of these women succeeding at implementing a new, healthy lifestyle.

There’s no question that Kellogg has set the cereal bar higher by establishing new products at regular intervals under the Special K weight management brand. Now, they have created a new innovation with the flatter and flakier Fruit Crisps. It will be interesting to track the success of these ‘newbies’ in Kellogg’s arsenal of products: Will the Fruit Crisps cannibalize existing cereal bar sales? Will the low fat granola do likewise? More importantly, how long can Kellogg’s Special K brand continue to grow before competitors steal market share or the category becomes saturated? I guess we’ll just wait and see while we watch our weight with Special K. 

 

 

Dove Men+Care Product Launch, Super Bowl Ad, Connects with “Real Men”

 

(Watch the video and see what Launch Director Patrick Richardson thinks of the Men+Care launch)

Unilever’s Dove has always geared its products toward women, but the Sunday Super Bowl ad revealed a new play call. Dove has recently launched a line for men: Men+Care, which will include three body washes, two bar soaps and a scrubber. The Dove Men+Care will be Unilever’s biggest brand launch this year.

The Dove Men+Care campaign aims to celebrate real men. According to Brand Republic, “A spokesman from Unilever said the ad follows Dove Men+Care research which found that three quarters of men over 30 feel that advertising does not represent their real lives.” Hence, the campaign stresses the life of real men and the journey they embark on to become comfortable in their own skin.

With an ad during the Super Bowl and Drew Brees as the campaign spokesperson, Dove Men+Care aims to attract and keep a core male audience. The Dove Men+Care website has a video of Brees taking a “victory shower” with the slogan “Drew Brees has another reason to sing in the shower.” The Men+Care line looks to compete against Nivea Men, L’Oréal Men Expert and Gillette.