The brief
Kinneir Dufort (KD), a world-leading product design consultancy, were keen to raise their profile throughout the design industry for the launch of their new initiative in early 2021.
While data shows that women buy 85% of household products, only 5% of people in the product and industrial design industry are currently female; KD is addressing this with the XXEquals female-led, innovation. The company wanted to raise awareness of the initiative while also influencing positive change in the industry with regards to diversity and inclusion.
Despite being a world-leading product design consultancy, KD were new to the idea of PR apart from occasional stories and podcast interviews prior to this campaign. It was, therefore, essential and I created the best possible impression on behalf of my client among the press.
“I cannot hesitate to recommend Elma enough. She was brilliant in her strategic thinking as well as on the ground activities. She was patient when we were slow to respond and ensured we didn’t miss important deadlines. She overdelivered against the results metrics and was an absolute joy to work alongside throughout. We will continue to work with Elma whenever the opportunity allows.” – Merle Hall, CEO of Kinneir Dufort
Photo by Sarah Hall.
The strategy
The company has a progressive, enthusiastic attitude which I tapped into, and which really helped me to strategise. I created KD’s new communications strategy for XXEquals to sit alongside the existing communications, newsletters and social media. The plan included:
· refreshed brand messaging,
· positioning of CEO, Merle Hall, and the KD team as trailblazers,
· a SWOT analysis to help smooth the way for the PR activity,
· a timeline for the PR launch of the XXEquals initiative,
· a new target audience / press list.
I collated images of the company’s main spokespeople to present to the media and created customised B2B press releases to support the launch for different sectors of the press: technology, design, business, and education. Writing a range of press releases aimed at various sections of the press – local, industry and business – I pitched the story to multiple online and print titles.
The results
I achieved a wide range of coverage for the brand across 19 key titles, reaching approximately 1.1m people. The press coverage resulted in positive industry feedback for the client, which they were delighted with.
Coverage included a quote from the CEO, Merle Hall, in a print issue of The Guardian in a feature about products for women. Kinneir Dufort were also featured across in B2B and local titles, including Bristol Creative Industries, Design Week, FE News, TechRound, MedTech News and The Engineer.
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