Whirlpool Brand: Moves Full Steam Ahead
Challenge: When Whirlpool brand launched its Duet Steam dryer, it wanted to make a splash with media and consumers. Other manufacturers had recently introduced similar products, and Whirlpool needed Peppercom's help to cut through the crowded marketplace.
Strategy & Execution: To unveil the product, Peppercom held a media luncheon in New York for key lifestyle, home and women's editors. Members of the media were treated to interactive demonstrations by experts from the Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science (WIFS), a consumer resource for information on fabric care. Lifestyle vignettes featuring the entire line of Whirlpool brand laundry products were on display. To extend the message and reach consumers directly, Peppercom leveraged a multimedia news release (MNR) to combine video, audio, photography and print. The video included product demonstrations, interviews with experts from WIFS and product development specialists involved in the creation of the dryer. Peppercom also secured a photo of the Duet Steam Dryer on a video billboard in Times Square, creating buzz with consumers. The photo appeared on two days during morning and evening rush hours, allowing 1.5 million consumers to experience the product.
Result: Media attendance proved exceptional, with more than 35 top-tier editors experiencing the Duet Steam dryer in action. In all, more than a hundred media outlets picked up the news, including NBC News Online, USA Today Live, Reuters, NewYorkTimes.com, Advertising Age, Bloomberg, The Chicago Tribune, Fox News, About.com and more. In the week following launch, more than 2,500 people viewed the video; thousands more viewed in the weeks that followed.
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