Read our case studies to see how IPR's team has helped the following companies overcome sales and marketing challenges:

Buffalo Technology - PR credited for helping achieve a 150% increase in sales.

 

Buffalo Technology, the U.S. component of Japan-based Melco, was established in Torrance, California, in the spring of 2000.  The company was preparing to launch its AirStation access point into the U.S. market in hopes of entering with a very low price point in order to capture the home and SOHO market before the competitors launched their competing products.  Buffalo saw the immediate value of engaging in a strong, targeted public relations/media relations campaign and retained Integrity PR in September 2000.

 

The Challenge

There were many challenges faced in bringing the AirStation to market and implementing an effective media relations campaign. 

Budget constraints and a focus on allocating the majority of the company’s marketing budget to the placement of advertisements in a variety of trade and consumer publications and for expensive tradeshow displays served to leave minimal monetary resources for the public relations effort until the results of our efforts were realized.

Another challenge faced by our team was an executive and management team that was determined to operate the marketing function as if they were marketing in Japan.  Their belief was that whatever worked in Japan would work in the United States.

The product itself provided a significant challenge to the successful launch of Buffalo’s product line.  The desire to bring the AirStation to market quickly resulted in problems with functionality and compatibility, and poorly written and translated installation manuals frustrated users and reviewers. 

Finally, the AirStation was to launch in a relatively “noisy” market dominated by industry heavyweights such as 3Com and Lucent.  Buffalo Technology was an unknown name in the industry.  Our efforts would have to establish Buffalo Technology as a major contender in this wireless networking slugfest.

Our Strategy

Integrity PR implemented an aggressive media relations campaign designed to establish Buffalo Technology as an industry leader in the wireless networking industry by heavily promoting the AirStation’s primary product differentiators of functionality and price.  Our goal was to work the company’s name into larger publications and e-zines by starting with small reviewers that focused on early adopters and “techies”, thus starting a “buzz” in the networking community.  Knowing that the technology writers of many large publications read, if not write for, these “techie” publications and Web sites, this would be an effective way of building brand recognition and ultimately breaking into the larger publications. 

The Tactics

Press Releases—Press releases announcing major product releases were developed and distributed via Business Wire to a national technology media audience as well as to a targeted list of editors and reporters developed through both media research and personal editorial contacts.
Tradeshows/Press Events—Integrity PR convinced a reluctant Buffalo management team to participate in the ShowStoppers press reception at Comdex 2000.  Heavy preparation work in advance of the show resulted in an   excellent turnout with many editors stating that Buffalo was the reason they attended the event. 
Product Review Programs—Budget constraints also meant a very limited number of AirStation review units dedicated to the public relations effort.  Though the demand for units was high among the editorial community, we worked with the various publications and their editors to ensure that review units would indeed be used for actual published reviews within a reasonable amount of time and we negotiated the right to be involved with the review process at all stages. 
Editorial Opportunities—Working with contacts at Wireless Networking magazine, we were able to secure space for a Buffalo-generated article on implementing a WLAN.  We are continuing efforts of this type in order to establish Buffalo as an industry expert and resource for these types of publications.
PR Partnerships—Exciting and unique partnerships between Integrity PR and a variety of broadcasting and marketing entities seek to place Buffalo’s executives and products in front of tech audiences during ALL technology tradeshows.

Results

· 150 percent sales increase
· 200 percent Web site traffic increase
· Nearly 90 million media impressions
· Created intense demand that required immediate establishment of distribution system in U.S.