The keyboard maker’s moves were deft. And you can copy them easily.
CES is chaos.
Launches galore. Hundreds of briefings. More noise than attention.
Most brands show up, shout for a few days, and disappear. In 2025, our client Keychron did just the opposite and rose above the noise. Not with a huge booth or flashy gimmicks, but by treating the show like a year-long strategy instead of a four-day event.
Their approach to last year’s show is a playbook any consumer tech brand can use heading into CES 2026.
Let’s unpack the main lessons:
1. Start with one clear story
Keychron arrived with a full lineup of products, but they focused everything on one hero: the K2 HE.
It became the centrepiece of their narrative, a jumping-off point to broader brand-centric conversations, and won a CES Innovation Award.
As it tends to, clarity paid off. The Verge, Forbes, and Tom’s Guide all told the same story — that Keychron was pushing keyboard design forward with this model.
When a company gives the media one sharp idea, it sticks. When it gives them ten, none land.
2. Preparation made the difference
The real work happened before Vegas. Keychron submitted early for awards, launched the K2 HE in December, and briefed top journalists under embargo.
So when CES opened, coverage was already live. They weren’t chasing attention, they had built it in advance. There is nothing as powerful as going into CES with a tailwind.
If you want that kind of start, the campaign has to begin months before badge pickup at Harry Reid Airport starts.
3. Bookings over randomness
Keychron didn’t just hope reporters would stumble across their booth in the Venetian Pre-event, my team booked 28 meetings with journalists at the show. These consisted of a mix of familiar faces and new contacts. CES is great for both keeping old relations warm and building new bridges.
We were thrilled that some of those meetings turned into stories right away. More importantly, though, they built trust that led to ongoing coverage.
The proof was in the pudding. By mid-year, Keychron had over 250 pieces of top-tier earned media. Many traced back to those in-person conversations in Las Vegas.
CES isn’t just a product showcase. It’s a relationship engine.
4. Keep the story alive after the show
Most brands go quiet once CES ends. Keychron didn’t. Our team went full-bore post show, sending review units, pitching fresh hooks, and keeping journalists engaged.
That consistency kept the company in CNET, IGN, and Gizmodo months later.
By Q3, they were leading AI search visibility in their category, outperforming Logitech and Razer across more than 100 relevant prompts. If you ask ChatGPT who makes the best mechanical keyboard, it will tell you Keychron does. That’s a massive outcome (for more on GEO optimization, check this resource out).
The show was the spark. The follow-through built the fire.
5. Use CES to define who you are
Keychron wasn’t just launching another keyboard. They saw the event as a way to define themselves as an inventive, credible, and design-driven company.
CES gave them a global stage to prove it. Every product choice, every message, every meeting reinforced that identity.
Simple takeaways
CES rewards focus, preparation, and persistence. Start early. Keep your story simple. Schedule meetings pre-event. Sit down one-to-one and give reporters actual news to cover.
Keychron turned four days in Vegas into a year of momentum. Any brand can do the same. But you must stop treating CES like a sprint and start treating it like the strategic building block it is. I am happy to chat more if you are wondering about CES 2026 and how it fits into your strategy.