PR AND DIGITAL MARKETING FOR AGENTS OF CHANGE
CASE STUDY
Media Relations for a Startup and Kickstarter Campaign
NEPTUNE PINE
Startup Neptune Computer makes wearable technology. The first product it released was an all in one smartwatch, that put the functionality of a smartphone on the wrist.
Mission
Neptune hired us in September 2013. Our goal was to spread the word about the fledgling company and its flagship product via earned media. Simple enough. The trouble was, there were no sample watches to send to tech and mainstream media. Indeed at the outset of this campaign only 2 working prototypes existed.
Tactics
In addition to leveraging an extensive network of tech media contacts, we launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Neptune Pine. We saw Kickstarter as a great vehicle for generating earned media coverage.
Though we lacked pre release samples, we offered media “exclusive sneak peek demos” with the Founder and Chief Technical Officer via Skype, Google Hangouts or in person meeting.
Results
Proper Propaganda generated over 200 media placements in 7 months of work on this account.
Coverage was truly global, coming from media outlets in over 26 countries, including, among others: the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, Holland, France, Russia, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Japan, Slovakia, Lithuania, Turkey, India, Germany, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, and Pakistan.
Our efforts to publicize the Neptune Pine led to favourable editorial pieces in top media outlets around the world. We placed stories in Engadget, Fast Company, CNN, the Globe and Mail, Tutti Android, Fox News, Brisbane Courier Mail, Gizmodo, Business Insider, Tech Radar UK, Huffington Post, Financial Post, Boston Globe, Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet, La Presse, Breakfast Television, CTV, CBC, Global News, and many more.
CNN and Mashable named the Pine one of the 14 Kickstarter projects they were excited for in 2014.
Neptune originally set a goal of $100, 000 for its 30 day Kickstarter campaign. Due in part to a groundswell of early media coverage, this goal was met in 24 hours. In the end Neptune raised over $800,000 on Kickstarter in 30 days.
Sample
media
coverage
“Proper Propaganda drove a high volume of media coverage before, during and after our Kickstarter campaign in the world’s top tech outlets. They are very skilled at framing stories about startups in ways that interest media and have deep understanding about how to carry out PR for crowdfunding campaigns. Jackson and his team surpassed my expectations and I highly recommend working with them.”
– Christa Fairchild, COO
