CASE STUDY: BANG & OLUFSEN

Product: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision 7

Agency: Text 100

Launch date: December 2004

Method of launch: When B&O wanted to launch the BeoVision 7, a 32-inch LCD TV, it first considered a global launch, flying in journalists to its headquarters in the sleepy Denmark backwater of Struer. But working with its PR company Text 100, B&O went for a more tiered approach rather than one massive glitzy event.

Just three UK journalists from the gadget and technology press were flown out to Denmark to be fully immersed in the technology and the B&O experience. Back in London, the company held a separate press day to brief the rest of the relevant UK press.

Yet again, Text and B&O employed a more subtle strategy for getting the company message across. Rather than tackle all sectors at once, Text split the press conference into three groups: consumer and interior press, technology press and the nationals. This meant each group would have information tailored to its market and not have to sit through questions or detail that wasn't relevant. It also managed to arrange for seven of the attending journalists to have one of these extremely costly TVs on loan for their titles.

This staggered strategy paid dividends. The 12 journalists targeted by the firm generated 16 articles in the national press, including The Sunday Times and Sunday Express, as well as gadget and style magazines, such as GQ.