Winner: APCO Worldwide
Campaign: Xiameter Brand Launch
Budget: $300,000
Launching a new brand isn't a top priority for most PR pros when their organizations are in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But in October 2001, after five years under Chapter 11
protection, Dow Corning was eager to revitalize its market share in key locations around the world.
The company had done its homework, and leaders believed they had identified an untried market. They designed a Web-based business model, dubbed Xiameter, which would target
product manufacturers who purchase silicone in bulk. The company then turned to APCO Worldwide to handle the launch.
Dow Corning gave the APCO team a solid business model for Xiameter, along with a target timeframe, but the rest had to be devised on the fly. "We had a launch date, but what we
lacked was an overall launch plan," notes Randall Rozin, global brand and marketing communications manager at Dow Corning.
The APCO team took a month to lay out in meticulous detail a strategy that included a series of messaging platforms, as well as a 16-page timeline mapping every step toward the
launch. To keep everyone in the loop, the U.S.-based APCO team sent weekly emails to the client and to APCO's own global teams in London, Brussels, Beijing and Shanghai.
To ensure a seamless message, APCO and Dow Corning teams in three countries worked together to translate collateral material. Three months prior to the launch, Dow Corning
executives were put through a media-training exercise, fielding the anticipated "tough questions" about everything from breast implants to bankruptcy.
The brand rolled out as planned, scoring some 13.7 million global print impressions and 16 million broadcast impressions, including CNNfn, CNBC, China Radio International and
Shanghai's People's Radio Station. Moreover, media analysis of that coverage showed that the launch had come off as a win for Dow Corning in its efforts to recast its corporate
image, with more than 95 percent of Xiameter stories reflecting positively on Dow Corning.
Dow Corning execs knew who would buy the product and how to reach them. Given the technical and logistical challenges, that vision helped the PR team to stay on target. "Having
that very clear business strategy helped to give us a very clear road to drive down," says Jan Hausrath, SVP of strategic communications and director of media relations at
APCO.
(Contact: Jan Hausrath, 202/778-1056)