CASE STUDY/VELOTRIC
, Menlo Park, California
sales and retail
presence in the
US
HIGHLIGHTS
Gained 10 percent share of voice versus 5 leading competitors in the first year, and 13 percent in the first 16 months of work.
Drove over 240 media placements in tech, mainstream, and sports-centric outlets.
Helped grow sales to over $15M in 8 months and helped expand retail presence to over 100 stores.
MISSION
Stand out in a crowd
E-bike maker, Velotric, originally approached us to help generate press for the launch of their first bike, Discover 1. From there, the mandate evolved over two years and encompassed PR for five more bikes in the lineup along with media relations support for a funding round. We also were tasked with driving affiliate-type media coverage aimed more at direct sales.
“a tough and durable e-bike"
CHALLENGE
Carving out a niche
E-bikes are a crowded category, one that’s very much still in Wild West mode. We started e-bikes fell into two camps: ultra premium pricing for a small segment of the population and cheaper (but still pricey) bikes that performed poorly. Our main challenges were figuring out clear differentiation and establishing credibility.
RESPONSE
The Honda Civic of e-bikes ? ! ?
Our initial work led us to position the company as the Honda of e-bikes and the Discover 1 model as the Honda Civic of e-bikes. This, somewhat counterintuitive move driven by cold hard facts and a realization that media in the category were tired with hyperbole.
Our media targeting spanned a range of categories from tech, to mainstream, to commerce/shopping and, of course, e-mobility. In the e-bike category some of the most influential reporters write for relatively small outlets, so we paid attention to smaller media in addition to the usual large-audience targets. While we did solicit coverage quickly, our work was really about building longer-term relationships with outlets. We used a variety of tactics to accomplish this – including things like small- group conference calls to introduce new products and product lines.
RESULTS
Velotric’s mandate is,
without a doubt,
one of our most
successful to date.
Impressions number in the billions and Ad Value Equivalency (a metric that puts a dollar value on PR placements based on ad costs) has exceeded over $10 million USD since we began working with the company.
There have been over 100 media placements in outlets as diverse as CNET, Forbes, Elektrek, CNN, Rolling Stone, Bicycling, Fortune, and Inside EVs.
RESULTS
Qualitatively, the media placements have helped build a brand
Forbes named Velotric’s Thunder 1 the best overall e-bike for 2023.
Writing on the Velotric Nomad, Review Geek’s Cory Gunter wrote, “I review e-bikes for a living. Here is my favorite one so far.”
The Wall Street Journal said the Discover 1 was a “great lower-priced e-bike for commutes.”
Micah Toll, of Elektrek – probably the most influential e-bike journalist in the world – said that “Velotric nailed it with the Thunder 1 series.”
RESULTS
Business-wise the impact of PR has been immense.
Velotric sold for over $15M USD in the final 8 months of 2022. They also raised over $12.5M from venture capitalists during a time when VCs were incredibly tight with investment. The company is now regularly mentioned in Best Of lists and generates significant organic earned media coverage. Velotric has gone from a zero to well-known, well-positioned brand that is perfect for first-time e-bike buyers and those seeking to bike a great value-for-money bike.
RESULTS
Sample media coverage
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