US consumer tech brand Belkin looked to raise its profile in the UK
US devices and peripherals brand Belkin was looking to stimulate demand for its products and increase its market share in the UK. The company needed a UK tech PR agency that could raise the company’s profile, help shift market perception of the brand and generate product reviews in target media.
The Challenge
At the time, Belkin was known as a “cabling” company and needed to change this market perception.
New products were not receiving sufficient media attention to build sales and the firm was unable to break into distribution channels for any of its products other than cables.
Without an in-house PR resource, Belkin decided to engage with a tech PR agency to meet its objectives.
The Solution
brookscomm worked with Belkin’s marketing team to understand the features and consumer benefits of its new products, which were predominantly networking, USB and Bluetooth products. By distilling this information and understanding Belkin’s objectives, brookscomm developed a PR strategy focused on achieving the marketing team’s goals and reaching Belkin’s target audience.
The brookscomm team developed compelling product messaging for the brand’s audiences and leveraged its strong relationships with technology journalists to penetrate end-user and business markets. A comprehensive product review programme resulted in immediate coverage with key target publications, and a series of press launch events and meetings between Belkin executives and key journalists built lasting relationships to support long-term media activity for the brand.
The Results
Following the implementation of brookscomm’s PR strategy, awareness of Belkin’s new product ranges rose dramatically and its profile developed significantly from its original image as a cabling company.
Belkin was becoming recognised as the broader peripheral market company that it is known as today.
To measure change in media perception, brookscomm conducted qualitative research. When asked if Belkin’s reputation had improved over the last two years, 79% of journalists said yes, and over 85% of respondents described the brand’s profile as ‘good’, ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’.
Belkin also reported a considerable increase in sales of its new products. During the period that brookscomm worked with Belkin, the brand’s ROI from PR spend increased by 350%. This enabled the company to establish itself in the wider peripheral market with increased demand and new channels to market.
