Today, it is difficult to break through media and marketplace
clutter to make a new product stand out--even when it is a
breakthrough. Pager manufacturer SkyTel found that one way to stand
out was to conduct a pre-launch media tour and plan an upscale event
for customers, partners and the media.
The credibility of SkyTel's existing product line worked to its
advantage when, during focus group research by Alan Newman Research,
the proposed name of its new pager was changed to "SkyTel 2-Way" from
"Destineer." SkyTel, based in Jackson, Miss., already was perceived
as "leading edge" and "innovative," so the company stuck with a good
thing. SkyTel retained New York-based GCI Group to get the word out
about the new product.
The launch date of Sept. 19, 1995, was announced four weeks in
advance, a short time frame for New York-based GCI to effectively
target their audience. Those targeted included: technology
consultants and media, early adopters and technology buyers, trade
audiences (partners, distributors, retailers, competitors) and
potential customers.
The Celeste Bartos Forum at the New York Public Library was
reserved for a launch event. A budget of $400,000 was earmarked for
the event and other launch public relations support.
Research Drives Program
GCI based much of its press material around qualitative research
by Intersearch Corp., which showed that the most important customer
benefits of the new service were guaranteed message delivery and the
ability to easily respond to messages.
Additional research by GCI included reviewing over a year's worth
of media clips to evaluate technology reporter biases, conducting beta
trials on the strengths and weaknesses of the product, and referencing
an industry association survey that predicted the success of two-way
pagers.
The objectives of the program were to define a new two-way paging
and wireless messaging services category; position SkyTel as the
leader in two-way paging and wireless messaging; and generate sales.
Planning for a 'Big-Bang'
GCI wanted a "big bang" announcement to launch the product, to
remind the public that this was a major innovation. It was a unique
task since at the time SkyTel was, in effect, its biggest competitor
in the market.
The campaign had three parts: the pre-launch media tour, launch
event and post-launch trade show announcement. A road team of SkyTel
and GCI executives took a three-week media tour of New York, Boston,
San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
The media tour was vital to pre-launch activities, because it
was important for word of the new service to generate a buzz, said
Chris Clark, a GCI vice president.
Its advertising slogan, "Can your pager do that?", a toll-free
number, and a SkyTel Web site were promoted in all public relations
materials. Paper press kits were sent out, but most of the
publicizing was done through newswires, radio promos and online
services.
Event for Customers, Partners
The event, on the other hand, was not designed to serve as a
press conference, but rather as a celebration of the service for
customers, partners, and SkyTel employees. Speaking to the media
beforehand was key, in case reporters were unable to attend the event.
At the event, a 40-minute, four-screen multimedia video was
presented and a 20-minute Q & A session followed. GCI partners
Hewlett-Packard Co., Motorola Inc., MCI Communications , Microsoft
Corp. and other key beta customer site representatives contributed to
the presentation and demontrated the pager and compatible products.
Attendance demand was so high for the event that GCI and SkyTel held
another conference immediately following the first one.
The attendance for both presentations was about 300 guests.
Immediately following the events, SkyTel held a global teleconference
for anyone who wasn't there, especially reporters who needed quotes or
information on deadline.
A video news release with pre-recorded and live footage from the
launch event was designed, edited and delivered via satellite, in time
for stations to air on the nightly news. The top 50 TV stations
nationwide were sent non-working pagers by overnight delivery for use
as props.
Post-Event Press Briefing
Three days after the launch, GCI supervised a news conference and
set up a SkyTel booth at the PCS (Personal Communications Service) '95
trade show (Orlando, FL). Clark said he enjoyed working under such a
tight deadline. He explains, "there were no excuses, if a crisis came
up, we solved it. We didn't worry about decisions that wouldn't even
matter at the end of the day."
Contributing to the demand for attendance at the events, Clark
says The Wall Street Journal and USA Today advance placement articles
and morning-of radio news releases sparked interest.
It also reinforced that these were major news events worth
checking out. (SkyTel,601/944-3000; GCI, 212/546-2200)