There are a lot of unknowns involved in launching a new product. Bring new and unusual technology into the conversation and PR takes on a whole new level of importance. The unknown has a tendency to make individuals pause, especially if they're about to spend money on something that's both unfamiliar and unclear to them.
When an innovative product comes to market it’s a communicator’s job to ensure that consumers not only understand the product, but get excited about it too. That’s why Conair tapped Kaplow Communications to help it launch an innovative curling iron that used a forward-thinking design to deliver an easier way for women to curl their hair.
Although the partners knew consumers would be intrigued by the device’s promise of delivering perfect curls with ease, they recognized there might also be fear among product users of the automated curling mechanism that draws hair into an enclosed barrel.
Kaplow and Conair knew that seeing would be believing for consumers interested in the new technology, so the company and the agency set out on an extensive media relations and live-events campaign to put the Curl Secret in front of their audience.
The partners launched the Curl Secret Beauty Tour, which gave consumers across the nation a chance to try the product through a branded mobile salon. Local media covered many of the tour’s stops, which created local buzz and drove customers to stores for purchase.
Extending beyond the local media, Kaplow secured unprecedented national coverage on behalf of Conair for the Curl Secret. A six-minute standalone demonstration appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and national broadcast segments aired on programs like Good Morning America, the Rachael Ray Show, The View and The Wendy Williams Show. The extensive endorsement from elite national print and broadcast outlets built up so much trust and intrigue among consumers that there could only be one outcome: customers wanted to try the product for themselves.
Backed by more than 1 billion media impressions and extensive hands-on trials of the product, the partners managed to create enough excitement that the Curl Secret sold out in stores across the U.S. before the first paid advertisement appeared. The product continues to generate buzz in the beauty sector and the campaign was awarded PR News’ Agency Elite award for product launch.
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