Over the holidays, M/C/C and ReTrak brought the technology accessory manufacturer’s Animalz children’s headphones to the masses, just in time for the busiest shopping season of the year. Available in six loveable, soft fabric animal designs with a volume-limiter for lil’ techies, these headphones were ready to fly off the shelves. To help build awareness and interest to ignite sales with moms, the target audience, M/C/C recommended a comprehensive public relations campaign, including blogger and media relations.
Why target moms through blogger and media outreach to increase awareness and interest while driving sales? M/C/C understands their significant influence in decision-making. According to Technorati’s Media & Digital Influence report, blogs are the third most influential digital resource when making purchases, trailing behind only retail sites and brand sites. In fact, the report went on to say that consumers believe smaller communities have greater influence than larger ones. Therefore, M/C/C was sure to engage with moms on blogs of all sizes, since one in four moms reported purchasing kids’ products based on an online recommendation.
This data along with M/C/C’s past success driving moms to action gave the blogger outreach campaign a strong foundation to stand on. M/C/C’s public relations team used witty pitches, punchy subject lines, entertaining product videos and press releases to capture media and blogger attention and spur their interest in doing product reviews, gift guide inclusions and giveaways.
In each pitch, M/C/C incorporated lots of energy to build excitement, including phrases like, “Listen up!” and, “Wait till you hear this!” The pitch also highlighted the benefits of the headphones, such as no tangles via its retractable cord and volume-limiting technology to protect little ears which were unique product differentiators in the consumer electronics market. Sprinkled throughout the pitch were strategically placed images and links to maintain bloggers’ attentions and spark a reply. And not for the fun to be had only by children, M/C/C even developed a BuzzFeed quiz to help the bloggers and their readers find out which of the six fun animal designs best matched the spirit of their kids. Bloggers and their readers had lots of fun with that! Try it out for yourself here!
The bottom line is that our expertise combined with our own excitement for Animalz headphones translated into effective pitches and meaningful conversations with bloggers that resulted in product reviews, gift guide inclusions and giveaways, just as intended, as well as some charitable opportunities that were unexpected and welcomed. What’s more, M/C/C established relationships with these influencers that are sure to be mutually beneficial to both sides in the future.
Brands are always seeking ways to gain traction with buyers, but one of the most timeless and effective strategies is building and leveraging relationships with unbiased third-party influencers. Traditionally these influencers have been the media, but the influence of the blogger is now greater than ever. That’s why M/C/C made them its go-to for this holiday campaign. To learn more about how M/C/C helped ReTrak exceed its marketing and sales goals for the campaign, check out the full case study here.
