26 Product Launch Strategies

26LAUNCH STRATEGIES TO INSPIRE ANY BRAINSTORM
PRODUCT LAUNCH
FLASH CARDS

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Print out this presentation double-sided.
2. Use flashcards as stimulus for product launch brainstorms.
3. Mix and match flashcards to try different combinations.
4. Challenge convention. Be different. Be brave.
5. Select your best ideas.
6. Launch product.
7. Sit back and watch sales come in.
Credits: Richard Pentin, Planning Director at TMW @ifonlyblog

DRIPPING TAP
A controlled reveal over time

When to use it?
• High interest category
• Avid fan base
• Complex product category
(eg automotive, gaming, IT, entertainment)
• When full suite of launch assets are not yet
available
What’s so good about it?
• Sustains buzz over time
• Press journalists thrive on this approach as
they need brand stories to fill column
inches
• Fuels insatiable appetite from avid fanbase
What’s not so good about it?
• Conventional/traditional
The film industry are masters at drip feeding stories in the
run up to the official premiere. Trailers, posters, behind the
scenes footage, soundtracks, interviews with protagonists,
advanced screenings and PR stunts – all designed to create
positive buzz and generate box office success.
E X A M P L E SD R I P P I N G T A P

LOCKDOWN
Enforce a strict embargo on
all outbound communications until launch

David Bowie launched latest album completely
out the blue and to huge critical acclaim
When to use it?
• In high interest categories
• When you have a strong fan base
• High confidence in new product/service
• To gain competitor advantage
• When you don’t have a lot to say!
• Often used in conjunction with other
approaches (eg Fanfare, Stampede…)
• Speculation fuels rumours/buzz
• Catches competition off guard
• No cost
• Hard to enforce – prone to unofficial leaks
• Product may not meet the hype
• No opportunity to unpack story over time
E X A M P L E SL O C K D O W N

RIPPLES
Empower key influencers
to tell your story

When to use it?
• High interest product / category
• When product/campaign has social currency
• Existing relationships with key influencers
• High confidence in product/service
• More cost effective than talking to the
masses
• More authentic/persuasive
• Less control
• Reach dependant on engaging right
influencers
• Harder to control launch message
Google Glass seeded prototypes to about 4,000 "Glass
Explorers" who won an online competition to try them out
(#ifihadglass). Drawing from celebrities, the fashion industry to
bridal couples about to get married – all will bring a unique
and compelling perspective to help launch this innovative
technology to a more mainstream audience.
E X A M P L E SR I P P L E S

GRASS ROOTS
Create groundswell from existing fans
before opening up to broader market

When to use it?
• High interest product / category
• Loyal/avid fanbase
• High confidence in product/service
• Lower budgets
• Rewards biggest advocates
• Mobilises your unpaid sales army
• Invariably costs less than talking to the
masses
• Preaching to the converted
• Potentially slow burn
• Hard to get reach
E X A M P L E S
Wispa chocolate bar was discontinued by Cadbury’s
but relaunched after passionate fans canvassed for its
return on Facebook and various other platforms and
events.
Cadbury’s bought 1,000 billboards in the UK and
Ireland and invited fans to submit messages which
would feature in their campaign.
G R A S S R O O T S

FANFARE
A big bang at launch
involving a concentrated burst of media investment
across multiple channels

When to use it?
• Mainstream products
• At key seasonal events (eg Christmas, holidays)
• Usually used in conjunction with other strategies
(eg Lockdown, Dripping tap or Ripple)
• High profile
• Confidence adds layer of reassurance
• Integrated storytelling
• Galvanises internal stakeholders
• Expensive
• Unsustainable
• Conventional
E X A M P L E SF A N F A R E

SHOCKWAVE
Court controversy in order to
generate headlines or mass hysteria.
(Based on the assumption there’s no such thing as bad publicity)

When to use it?
• Challenger or provocative brands
• Youth brands
• Popular in fashion, music, gaming and
FMCG industries
• Low interest categories
• Free publicity
• Builds brand awareness quickly
• Affirms brand’s challenger status
• High risk
• Polarising - potential negative
backlash Sony Playstation’s Portable Player Deutsch
Harvey Nichols Sale
E X A M P L E SS H O C K W A V E

KEYNOTE
Live event with key influencers to reveal product
including live demonstration and live streaming.
Media investment focused around promoting event.

When to use it?
• High tech categories (eg IT,
automotive, gaming, consumer
electronics)
• High profile brand ambassadors
• Confidence in product
benefits/innovation
• Product is hero
• Product benefits clearly
articulated
• Relies on charismatic speakers
Apple’s Steve Jobs
was the master of
keynote launch
presentations
Automotive brands
frequently use keynote
format to launch
products at
motorshows
E X A M P L E SK E Y N O T E

SAMPLING
Enable consumers to experience or trial product for free from
traditional product sampling to live multi-player demonstrations

When to use it?
• Anything from FMCG, beverage,
software, gaming to social startups
• Complex products which need to be
experienced
• To reward early adopters or advocates
• When brand has confidence in product
benefits/innovation
• Puts product into consumers hands
from outset
• Can be expensive
Call of Duty and other gaming brands
use MMORPG to demonstrate new
game releases
E X A M P L E SS A M P L I N G

STAMPEDE
Based on the scarcity principle.
Create the impression of excess demand by restricting supply.
(eg restricted opening hours, retail outlets, stock levels, Limited Editions)

When to use it?
• One-off events
• High season (eg Christmas, Summer)
• High demand/avid fanbase
• Limited retail footprint
• Gives impression of excessive demand
• Creates visual evidence of fanaticism
• Provides exclusivity to selected partners
• Lost sales due to stock management issues
• Consumer frustration
• Upset children at Christmas!
When Rolling Stones announced an intimate gig at
Brixton Academy in July 1995, the only way to get
tickets was to tune into Virgin Radio on a specific day.
Only then would the DJ announce where tickets
would be on sale.
Resulted in national coverage of massive queues
blocking up Oxford Street outside Virgin Megastores
and a sell out tour.
E X A M P L E SS T A M P E D E

BETAMODE
Adopt a more iterative approach to
product launches by giving early access
to new product in order to gain feedback
which could enhance product
development before general release

“betamode”
Approach #10/
When to use it?
• Categories where issues can be
rectified relatively quickly (eg IT,
software, gaming, social
platforms, apps)
• Fast to market - agile marketing
• Empowers community
• Transparent
• Better product design through
crowdsourced feedback
• Risky/exposes technical flaws
• Potentially damaging to brand if
product is inferior
Flipboard launched Android
app in beta so any teething
problems could be ironed out
whilst driving positive buzz
within Android community
Mojang's launched their popular
game Scrolls in beta, following
the same iterative development
cycle as Minecraft. The game is
sold at a discounted rate during
the beta period with the aim of
making improvements based on
community feedback.
E X A M P L E SB E T A M O D E

RIDDLES
Create an elaborate and immersive experience
across a range of platforms where public have to
solve clues to reveal product or win prize
Web 1.0 (websites, email), Web 2.0 (Google Maps,
Interactive Media, Wiki, Blogs, Videos, Social
Networking), SEO, SEM, Viral, ARG, eDM, SMS, Print,
Outdoor, 3rd Party Partnership, Experiential...

When to use it?
• Any brands where the prize is considered
big enough
• Avid, passionate fanbase who are prepared
to invest the time
• Can create significant buzz
• Extends product launch cycle
• Immersive experiences, plays to digital
strengths
• Potentially expensive and labour intensive
• Can be guilty of preaching to the converted
• Requires a lot of effort from consumers
which may deflate response
E X A M P L E S
To launch Lynx Attract, Lynx provided a range of clues
which the target audience had to decipher in order to
win the ultimate prize – a holiday to Chaos Island
R I D D L E S

Start small and watch it
build momentum of its own.
Often involves seeding something
which goes viral.

“snowball”
Approach #12/
How does it work?
• Start small and watch it build momentum
of its own.
• Often involves seeding something which
goes viral
When to use it?
• When you have a strong, contagious idea
• Cost effective way to gain reach
• Invariably requires investment to kickstart
• Viral success is not guaranteed
• Untargeted
TNT TV channel in Belgium created an
entertaining ad which they seeded in social.
After some initial promotion the video built
momentum of its own and went viral.
44.8 million views and counting
(as at 18.4.13)
E X A M P L E SS N O W B A L L

COAT TAILS
Exploit the power of positive association and ride on
the coat tails of someone famous

When to use it?
• When product or brand is not well known
and needs additional
endorsement/support
• When brand or celebrity share similar
values
• Quick way to raise awareness
• Celebrity can overshadow product/brand
• Risk of ‘Tiger Woods’ syndrome where
celebrity’s reckless behaviour contradicts
brand values
E X A M P L E S
HTC have hired Robert
Downey Junior as their
official Brand
Ambassador to
headline their brand
repositioning launch
‘HTC - Here’s To
Change’
Samsung bought 1
million copies of Jay-Z’s
upcoming album at $5 a
piece and gave away
copies 72 hours before
its official release to
Samsung Galaxy S4
owners.
C O A T T A I L S

PLAYMATE
A collaborative partnership with another brand with
similar passions, shared values or customers

“playmate”
Approach #14/
When to use it?
• When there is a mutual benefit between
both parties eg
• To reach a specific audience
• To combine investments
• To share intellectual property,
technology, insights, data
• Shared investment
• Shared brand equity
• Broaden audience reach
• One brand can overshadow the other
E X A M P L E S
Infiniti &
Red Bull Racing
Infiniti Essence
& Louis Vitton
To help establish itself in
Europe, Infiniti has a
technical partnership with
Red Bull Racing which has
resulted in numerous
collaborations including
the development of the
exclusive Infiniti FX Vettel
Infiniti Europe also
collaborated with Louis
Vitton to create bespoke
luggage for its luxurious
concept car, the Infiniti
Essence.
P L A Y M A T E

ALIENATION
Break industry paradigms by launching in an alien environment

alienation/
When to use it?
• Over saturated market
• Challenger brand wanting to get noticed
• Where product extends category
• Creates cut through/standout
• Reaffirms a brand’s challenger status
• Unconventional
• Risks targeting wrong audience
E X A M P L E S
Instead of launching Ford’s SYNC technology - their
latest in-car connectivity system - at an international
motor show like any other automotive brand would
do, they chose to promote it at the Consumer
Electronics Show 2010 instead.
A L I E N A T I O N

DOMINATION
Appear more omnipresent than you really are
by dominating a specific channel, publication, media network,
time of year, locality or event.

When to use it?
• When you want to appear to have deeper
pockets than you really have
• When you want to saturate a specific audience
(
• Implied ubiquity – makes brand look more
dominant than it really is
• Gives brand stature and cut through in more
targeted way
• Invariably have to make sacrifices in other
areas eg investment in other platforms, times
of year, other events…
Call of Duty chose to
dominate a day
BT Infinity chose to dominate a
locality as part of their media
launch strategy when fibre-
optic broadband was available
E X A M P L E S
Unicef focus on
World Food Day
D O M I N A T I O N

STAR PRIZE
Offer a once-in-a-lifetime experience
which is too good to resist

When to use it?
• When you want a more participatory
experience to the launch campaign
• Gets people talking about campaign
• Ability to create content around
promotion
• Attracts tyre kickers
• Potentially expensive
• Promotion can detract from product
message and benefits
E X A M P L E S
For the launch of
Lynx Apollo, guys
have the chance to
become a hero and
be sent into space.
S T A R P R I Z E

ZEITGEIST
Capture the mood of the nation

When to use it?
• When you can identify a zeitgeist or
meme which connects with the brand
or product values
• Cultural relevance
• Generates cut through
• Builds brand affinity
• Easier said than done!
During the Olympics, British Airways urged Britons to stay in the
country and support their home team rather than fly with them.
At a time of incredible ‘advertising clutter’ around the Olympics
(between October 2011 and August 2012), BA’s Olympic sponsorship
awareness rose by 19 percentage points to 54% (according to
Millward Brown data), placing it above all other sponsors such as
Adidas and Visa.
E X A M P L E SZ E I T G E I S T

STUNT
A publicity stunt which generates headlines and spreads virally

“stunt”
Approach #23/
When to use it?
• To generate cut through, gain free
publicity
• As a precursor to other launch campaign
activity
• Opportunity to be innovative
• News journalists love to report on a
good PR stunt
• Can create social currency
• Virality is not guaranteed
E X A M P L E S
HTC dropped a photography
student and a model out of a
plane in a unique shoot to
demonstrate the photographic
capabilities of the new
HTC One.
Queensland’s Tourist Board
generated global headlines
when it advertised the best
job in the world.
To help launch the ‘Anything Is
Possible’ season, Harrods sent a
gift wrapped helicopter to one of
their customers as a gift to take
his partner on a trip of a lifetime.
S T U N T

SURVEY
Ask them what they want and then give it to them

When to use it?
• To tailor rollout/targeting strategy
• Potentially to build database of prospects
• Strong source of insights
• Consumer centric
• Inclusive
• Builds an engaged prospect pool
• Requires significant investment to generate the
response
BT Race to Infinity
BT launched a nationwide survey asking communities
to tell them if they want fibre-optic broadband,
promising in return to provide high-speed internet to
the five top-scoring areas by 2012. The online survey is
designed to help BT identify hot-spots of demand and
inform its plans to rollout fibre-optic broadband to
two-thirds of the UK population by 2015.
E X A M P L E SS U R V E Y

Blur the lines between advertising and entertainment.
Integrate product into existing storylines or create dedicated entertainment
where the product is integral to the plot

When to use it?
• When traditional approaches are losing cut
through
• To overcome trend of skipping ads with
PVRs
• Can be used across a range of
entertainment vehicles, including TV and
movies, radio shows, songs and music
videos, video games, plays and even novels
• Holds attention for longer
• More immersive
• More entertaining
Jaguar launched the new F-TYPE by collaborating
with The Brooklyn Brothers and Ridley Scott
Associates to create this short film called Desire – a
story of adventure, betrayal, retribution and greed.
The Jaguar F-TYPE takes centre stage alongside a
headline cast including Golden Globe winner Damian
Lewis.
E X A M P L E SA D V E R T A I N M E N T

MOVEMENT
Create a clarion call
which people can genuinely rally behind

When to use it?
• When there is a consumer need not
currently being met
• Can have altruistic or charitable links but not
essential
• Provides a more emotive connection to
brand/product
• Spreadable – consumers like to show support
if they identify with cause
• Not easy to do
Doritos’ rallying cry to
Bring Slow Dancing Back
E X A M P L E SM O V E M E N T

BONFIRES
Start lots of small fires

When to use it?
• When you have a lot to say
• When you don’t want to put all your eggs in
one basket
• When you want to unpack brand stories
• To support transmedia planning strategies
• Focuses resources on content generation
• Some bonfires can spread unexpectedly
• Generates reach and depth
• SEO advantages
• Maintaining brand consistency and premium
quality can be a challenge
• Audiences will have mixed exposure to
content
E X A M P L E S
"We don't do advertising any more.
We just do cool stuff.
It sounds a bit wanky, but that's just
the way it is. Advertising is all about
achieving awareness, and we no
longer need awareness. We need to
become part of people's lives and
digital allows us to do that.“
Simon Pestridge
UK Marketing Director
Nike
B O N F I R E S

CROWDFUNDING
Source private equity from the general public looking
for a return on their investment and gain publicity at
the same time. Involves signing up with
crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter,
Indiegogo, Crowdfunder.

When to use it?
• Good for start-ups, artists, disaster appeals,
motion picture funding, software
development, inventions, research
• Provides capital for launch
• Gains publicity, particularly if idea catches
people’s imagination
• Have to pay out!
Who Gives A Crap is a new
brand of toilet paper that uses
50% of its profits to build
toilets and improve sanitation
in the developing world. They
give 50% of their profits to
WaterAid to help the world's
poorest people access clean
water, sanitation and hygiene
education.
They used indiegogo, a
crowdfunding platform, to
secure the initial orders to
launch the product and get
production off the ground.
E X A M P L E SC R O W D F U N D I N G

SABOTAGE
When all else fails, go on the attack

When to use it?
• Challenger brands
• Confident in product superiority
• Usually appears confident
• Good for upsetting the status quo
• High chance it can backfire
• Negative advertising
• Danger of positioning brand/product as what
you don’t stand for rather than what you
stand for
Samsung mocks iPhone’s
genius technology and
lack of features to
promote Galaxy SIII
E X A M P L E SS A B O T A G E

26
stampede betamode riddle
snowballcoat tailsplaymate star prize survey
zeitgeist movement
keynote
alienation
sampling
domination
WINNING STRATEGIES ripples grass roots
fanfare
crowdfund advertain stunt sabotagebonfires
shockwave
lockdown dripping tap

Founded in 1987 by Paul Tullo, Richard Marshall and Chris Warren, TMW
has evolved into the Intelligent Influence Agency. TMW guides
organisations through the complexities of today’s consumer and business
environments by identifying the key influences that affect how people feel,
behave, spend and think. This approach recognises and builds on the
opportunity to create greater engagement by encouraging audience
participation with organisations.
The agency offers a wide range of services from data planning and
analytics, CRM & eCRM, to content creation, community management and
shopper marketing. Campaigns are executed across a breadth of channels
including email, digital, social media, mobile and video. TMW works with
some of the world’s most respected companies and organisations including
Unilever, Diageo, Nissan, Sony, Brother International and Sainsbury’s.
In 2006, TMW joined Creston plc, the FTSE-listed insight and
communications group, comprised of eleven agencies divided into three
divisions: Insight, Communications and Health. For more information visit
www.tmw.co.uk

26 Product Launch Strategies

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26 Product Launch Strategies