The Power of PR and Marketing to increase Revenue
Proof in the pudding. This is a study of how we transformed a raised profile and reputation into increased leads, enquiries and sales and we got phones ringing for the right reasons.
CBC represented Belkin in the UK, and took the company from a low profile position to a major force in the UK, with dramatically increased market share and Media profile. During this two year period, we got media coverage which drove increases in sales of the Belkin products and Belkin obtained a Return on Investment of up to 80 times (equivalent advertising value) the amount that the PR campaign cost.
Aims and Objectives
When we were first appointed as its PR agency in the UK, Belkin was primarily known for cables. The company wanted to use PR to build awareness in its other core product areas both in terms of increased sales but also in terms of what the Press and reviewers thought of their products across wider markets and product areas, including networking, USB and Bluetooth. Two quantifiable aims.
Strategy
Since CBC holds the attention of key consumer technology journalists, we focused on leveraging our strong press relationships and developing compelling messages around the products to penetrate end-user, business, and SMS press. A comprehensive product review programme was also launched, which saw Belkin products reach new targets and dominate existing ones
The Results
We placed more than 176 product reviews for Belkin in more than 88 end-user titles. Awareness of Belkin rose dramatically, and its profile developed significantly from its original image as a cabling company - this was measured through increased requests for information and increased sales of non-cabling products as a result of this campaign. In order to measure Media perception and how it had changed over this period, we put in place a survey across the most influential Trade Press at the end of the campaign. Journalists were asked:
CBC represented Belkin in the UK, and took the company from a low profile position to a major force in the UK, with dramatically increased market share and Media profile. During this two year period, we got media coverage which drove increases in sales of the Belkin products and Belkin obtained a Return on Investment of up to 80 times (equivalent advertising value) the amount that the PR campaign cost.
Aims and Objectives
When we were first appointed as its PR agency in the UK, Belkin was primarily known for cables. The company wanted to use PR to build awareness in its other core product areas both in terms of increased sales but also in terms of what the Press and reviewers thought of their products across wider markets and product areas, including networking, USB and Bluetooth. Two quantifiable aims.
Strategy
Since CBC holds the attention of key consumer technology journalists, we focused on leveraging our strong press relationships and developing compelling messages around the products to penetrate end-user, business, and SMS press. A comprehensive product review programme was also launched, which saw Belkin products reach new targets and dominate existing ones
The Results
We placed more than 176 product reviews for Belkin in more than 88 end-user titles. Awareness of Belkin rose dramatically, and its profile developed significantly from its original image as a cabling company - this was measured through increased requests for information and increased sales of non-cabling products as a result of this campaign. In order to measure Media perception and how it had changed over this period, we put in place a survey across the most influential Trade Press at the end of the campaign. Journalists were asked:
"Do you think Belkin's reputation has improved over the last two years?" 79 % said yes.
"Do you think Belkin has better PR now than it did two years ago?" again 79 % said yes.
And when asked: "How would you describe Belkin's PR profile? 86 % answered with either good, very good, or excellent.
The advertising equivalent of press coverage in this period grew to £5,228,003 per quarter, (up from £ 613,000 when we first started on the account). Over the two years, the ROI averaged 4,350%.
Now that IS a good way to spend your PR and Marketing budget...
