PR in the Arctic: an extreme test drive of smart watches gave +20% to sales

The release of the Amazfit T-Rex 2 smartwatch in the marine expedition of the Arctic Floating University NAFU – Northern (Arctic) Federal University.

Project participants

Customer

Huami Technology, China – manufacturer and founder of the brand of smart watches and smart bracelets Amazfit.

Executor

2L Communication Agency is a PR agency specializing in the promotion of IT and Tech companies.Learn more about us.

Key Partner

Northern (Arctic) Federal University (SAFU).

Task

It was a request from the smart gadget brand Amazfit. It was necessary to introduce the new (at that time) Amazfit T-Rex 2 watch model to the market and the target audience and, of course, do it in such a way as to ensure sales.

There are now a large number of competing brands in the smartwatch market, which leads to the need to expand the target audience and look for new approaches to it. In this context, the customer himself indicated a desire to move away from the banal scenarios of the launch and find an original way to attract the attention of potential consumers.

Therefore, we formulated our tasks in detail as follows:

1. Expand the target audience of the brand.
2. To develop the concept of a non-standard PR campaign for the release of a new product.
3. Ensure broad media coverage of the campaign.

Solution

An interesting feature of this case is that we have, in fact, expanded the target audience through its narrowing. The fact is that potential buyers of this watch model are athletes, extreme sports enthusiasts and travelers. The T-Rex 2 has all the advantages for this audience. Such a target audience is usually fired at with a fairly large caliber: through thematic media, social networks, bloggers, and interest targeting. Far from all coverage in this case falls within the designated target audience (they are wider and capture not only athletes and extreme athletes). At the same time, you can miss narrow but very targeted segments, people who may not read about extreme and sports, but live them to the fullest – those whose profession obliges them to do so: sailors, captains, explorers, archaeologists, rescuers, etc. It was in this segment that we decided to focus and build the next work plan.

1. It is necessary to conduct a powerful, demonstrative test drive of the watch in the field, in the most extreme conditions. Moreover, smartwatches should not be worn by bloggers or «actors», but by real representatives of the most difficult professions in terms of conditions and loads.
2. A bright information guide and extensive coverage of the project will expand the reach and scale the campaign to the target audience not only of professionals, but also of amateurs – those whom, with a standard release, we would reach through thematic channels. But with this target audience we will also win, because in this case the message will not just be «Watches for athletes and extreme athletes», but «Watches that were evaluated/checked by real professionals in really extreme conditions».

A great journey

After discussing the nuances, thinking and Googling, we came to the Northern (Arctic) Federal University (SAFU) – the leading scientific and educational center in the Russian North Arctic region. Soon it was decided that the marine expedition of the Arctic Floating University would become the platform for the implementation of our PR campaign. 

And so, 55 young scientists and teachers went on a research trip on the ship «Professor Molchanov» to spend three weeks in high latitudes and circumnavigate the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. 

The expedition was officially supported by the Amazfit brand, which provided the participants with a T-Rex 2 smartwatch. The gadgets helped to collect important health data in the Arctic, tracking heart rate, oxygen saturation, and physical activity indicators. Compass, stopwatch, and route tracking functions are also useful. Scientists have assessed the security of the watch and its long autonomous operation.

Branding and media relations

There were correspondents in the expedition who conducted daily reports from «Professor Molchanov» and took a lot of beautiful pictures. And, of course, we made sure that the T-Rex 2 watches could be seen in the colorful pictures, and the media got articles with the right emphasis on the technological partner of the expedition.

To enhance the media effect, we also provided the crew with warm vests and hats with the brand logo. This moment worked perfectly. Branded clothing appeared in hundreds of photos, both official and personal, and also got into TV stories. Plus, during the start of the voyage, flags with a logo and a banner were put up, which was later stretched for photos in the Arctic itself.

Project results

The T-Rex 2 model has confirmed the image of a reliable watch, we have received widespread media coverage and increased sales.

28 758 453 – Campaign coverage.
42 850 – Readings and views.
+20% – Sales growth of the model in Russia.* 

* – The indicator is calculated in comparison with sales in Russia of the previous T-rex Pro model.

The idea of a public test drive in the expedition worked perfectly. In the future, this approach may well become a strategic line of the Amazfit range of gadgets for athletes and extreme athletes.

Olga Bobkova, PR Manager of the project:

«The goal of the campaign has been fully realized. The Amazfit T-Rex 2 watch has been tested by the Arctic, confirming compliance with the declared product qualities. The loyal audience of the brand was joined by a professional segment of very targeted consumers, and the audience of amateurs received recommendations not from bloggers, but from living pros. Widespread media coverage included dozens of natural publications mentioning the brand, and most importantly, the customer recorded an increase in sales, and by 20% higher than sales of the first model of this line in Russia».