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Sep 24 2013

Superberries

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Challenge:

To cultivate awareness of the latest superfood, Aronia, while driving consumer acceptance of the Superberries product line.

Strategy and Objectives:

Superberries enlisted Avalon’s help to promote the health benefits of the Aronia berry and increase awareness of their Aronia-based product line. The initial campaign was put in place to announce the company’s participation at the Expo East trade show in order to generate meetings with influential trade and consumer media attending the show. The six week program resulted in trade coverage in Grocery Headquarters, Nutritional Outlook, Progressive Grocer, Vitamin Retailer, Prepared Foods and Energy Times.

Subsequently, Superberries partnered with Avalon for a long-term PR program to support regional retailers by driving local exposure while promoting the product line throughout the national consumer media. Avalon also continued to educate the consumer and health media on the existence and benefits of the Aronia berry.

Results:

In a relatively short program to date (9 months), Avalon’s efforts have resulted in key coverage in Woman’s World, Marie Claire, Men’s Journal, Organic Spa, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Shelby Report, Chicago Daily Herald and others. Most impressively to date, the Aronia and Superberries were featured on the front cover of the Wall Street Journal as “America’s Next Top Super Berry”. The company has also been featured on an online article that ran on the home page of Yahoo and generated over 1,000 sales for the company in a matter of days.

Avalon continues to represent Superberries and is actively working towards establishing the Aronia and the Superberries product line as a household name.

Sep 24 2013

Kalencom

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Based in New Orleans, Kalencom is a multi-faceted domestic and international manufacturer of fashionable diaper bags and accessories. More than just diaper bags, Kalencom’s collection also includes accessories such as insulated bottle holders, pacifier pods, changing mats, quick change kits and potty training products.

CHALLENGE

As a multi-faceted domestic and international manufacturer of fashionable baby products and accessories, Kalencom’s target market is new and expecting parents and families with young children. With the baby product industry in North America overflowing with countless competing brands, Avalon’s challenge was to solidly position Kalencom as the trusted market leader.

As the brand was established, Avalon worked to introduce the expanding product line in order to drive continual consumer awareness and acceptance while supporting the retail channel with meaningful product coverage.

STRATEGY

In order to differentiate the brand from others on the market, Avalon developed powerful messaging to communicate the brand and features of the product line. The team then aggressively targeted appropriate media by introducing them and educating them on the brand in order to secure consistent coverage of the product line. As new products were introduced, we launch those while maintaining focus on driving interest of the existing product line. The goal of the PR program is to create overall brand awareness in order to facilitate consumer acceptance and drive sales.

RESULTS

Avalon’s results have helped to establish Kalencom as a respected leader in the baby product market. Consistent media coverage is generated on a regional, national and North American level. In addition to countless media mentions throughout the trade and regional press, major magazine coverage has included Baby Talk, Parenting Early Years, Pregnancy & Newborn, Oh Baby!, Working Mother and others. Kalencom is currently positioned for growth in North America, Europe and South America.

Sep 24 2013

ThermaCELL

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Challenge:

To engage the women’s interest consumer media in an already populated industry of trusted brands

Strategy and Objectives:

ThermaCELL and Avalon Communications began working together to increase brand recognition and overall consumer awareness within a different audience than the already established consumer. Avalon’s Communications challenge was to create recognition of the ThermaCELL Mosquito Repelling brand within the women’s interest audience.

When ThermaCELL came to Avalon Communications, the brand had, for the most part, successfully achieved brand awareness within the target verticals of hunting, fishing, and beyond. However, ThermaCELL had recently launched their Patio Lantern product that was geared at not only the outdoorsy person but the outdoor entertainer with an eye for décor. Developed with a more sleek design for women in mind, the Patio Lantern launched with a traditional public relations campaign. Avalon Communications and the ThermaCELL team successfully pursued a daunting task of introducing a new mosquito repellant into an already saturated market. The following year, ThermaCELL launched another lantern, at a lower price point yet just as aesthetically appealing for the women’s interest audience.

For the launches of both lanterns, Avalon Communications objective was to establish brand relevance among women, moms, and families in both the US and Canadian Markets. Secondary objectives have been to also keep in mind the Outdoor lantern for relevant stories along with the handheld appliance.

Results:

Avalon Communications succeeded in securing impressions in national magazines including: Woman’s Day, Good Housekeeping, GQ, All You, Better Homes and Gardens, Handy, Men’s Journal, HEALTH, Shape, Today’s Parent, Jet, Popular Science, and many others. National newspaper coverage secured as a result of the PR program has included the Miami Herald, New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Boston Globe, Denver Post, Globe & Mail, Seattle Times, The Week, and others.

Avalon’s efforts also established the ThermaCELL media presence throughout the Canadian market place thereby actively supporting the brand’s prominent retailers in that market, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire.

Avalon’s public relations support and counsel has successfully reinforced the brand awareness of ThermaCELL’s Mosquito Repellant Options and the firm continues to promote the ThermaCELL product line with an all-inclusive public relations campaign.

Sep 24 2013

MS Run the US

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Challenge

MS Run the US was preparing for their first annual cross-country endurance relay, in which runners would run a series of back to back marathons across the nation. Avalon was hired to attract and secure runners, secure financial and product sponsorships and promote the event throughout the course of the 6 month relay.

Strategy

A comprehensive communication and outreach strategy was developed for MS Run to raise awareness of the fight against multiple sclerosis while partnering with media throughout the country to attract runners and sponsors in their area to join the cause. Once runners and sponsors were secured, the overall promotion of the event began.

A core element of the campaign was to secure endurance runners across the nation to participate in the event. Avalon created a “Call to Runners” which, in part, helped the organization to secure the 14 runners who participated in the 2013 relay.

A second element of the campaign was to help strengthen the existing partnership between MS Run the US and its main financial contributor, Money Mutual and to secure product donations for the relay participants. Avalon created a “Call to Sponsors” and reached out to several companies who donated product throughout the relay and aided MS Run the Us’ efforts to strengthen their relationship with Money Mutual by securing interviews with journalists and broadcast engagements across the country for both the founder, Ashley Kumlien, as well as Money Mutual’s celebrity endorser, Montel Williams, renowned syndicated talk show host. Through a collaborated effort with Montel’s publicist and president of his foundation, Montel agreed to be a spokesperson for the organization and met with Ashley Kumlien at several segments during the relay where they promoted and discussed the relay with journalists and on broadcast segments.

The final element of the campaign was to secure media exposure for the organization as well as the runners. Press collateral was created and distributed to the media across the country while ongoing discussions and interaction with regional and national media drove a consistent flow of awareness throughout the country.

Impact

In addition to securing athletes to run the race and sponsors to fund it, Avalon’s efforts generated over 150 articles and televised segments throughout the course of the cross country relay. From its start in Santa Monica, CA to its finish in New York, NY, coverage and awareness of the MS Run athletes and cause culminated to a lasting impact on the communities through which it passed and all who watched in amazement as these runners fought daily to run unbelievable distances to support their great cause. Existing sponsorship relationships were strengthened and new sponsors were secured for future relays. Due to the overall success of the event and communications program, a second annual MS Run the US is now in the works.

Sep 10 2013

SPIbelt

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CHALLENGE

Founder, Kim Overton, conceived the idea for SPIbelt™ on September 17, 2006, while jogging with her key tucked into her bra top. Thinking, “there’s got to be a better way”, she went home that day and assembled the first sleek, no-bounce small personal item belt in red.

In 2007, Spibelt partnered with Avalon to drive awareness and acceptance throughout the consumer marketplace. Over the years, the PR challenge has evolved along with SPIbelt’s product line. With new products for tech gadgets, pets, diabetics and even children, the demographic of potential consumers expanded and the challenge became to create brand awareness within the emerging markets while solidifying the overall Spibelt brand in the United States.

STRATEGY

Avalon immediately created a clear set of objectives for SPIbelt’s PR program that would raise brand awareness. The goals of the program included:

  • Create clear, simply, yet differentiated messaging to educate potential consumers about SPIbelt’s product line and establish SPIbelt as a must-have for a hands-free lifestyle;
  • Introduce SPIbelt’s product line to relevant media contacts at national and regional magazines, national and regional television programs, newspapers, online sites and trade publications;
  • Secure media coverage on a national and regional level to increase brand awareness among potential consumers.

RESULTS

In 2008, SPIbelt had just one employee and revenue of $1.1 million. In just three years, SPIbelt added 11 employees and its revenue had grown by 325% to $4.6 million in 2011. This incredible growth has in part, been fueled by Avalon’s success with media placements and establishing brand recognition in the marketplace.

Since working with Avalon, SPIbelt™ has been featured on CNN, The TODAY Show, The Rachel Ray show, Good Morning America, INC Magazine, Austin Business Journal, SHAPE magazine, SELF magazine, Runner’s World, Better Homes & Gardens, MORE Magazine, Energy Times, Oxygen Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel and countless other national and regional publications.

Available in over 30 countries, SPIbelt™ has become the recognized brand people turn to when looking for a simple and secure means to carry their small personal items.

Honored with the #175 spot on the Inc. 500 list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies in 2011 and the #979 spot on the Inc. 5000 list in 2012, SPIbelt’s goal is to continue to create products that help keep things in your life simple and safe.

Sep 09 2013

Hadaki

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CHALLENGE

HADAKI, the stylish collection of fashion totes, wallets, bags and tech cases was designed with mobility in mind needed to differentiate itself from a competitive marketplace and effectively establish the brand throughout a wide spectrum of target markets and demographics.

STRATEGY

Avalon’s initial strategy was to create powerful messaging that would clearly explain the key features and differentiators of the Hadaki brand. This messaging was used to pursue and secure media consumer media coverage in fashion and travel publications on a regional and national level. As the initial awareness was building, Avalon expanded Hadaki’s messaging to secondary and tertiary verticals including technology, teen interest, family interest, fitness, yoga, beauty and jewelry that would serve to drive continual momentum and consumer acceptance.

By using consumer media to firmly establish the brand in the marketplace, Avalon’s goal was to create acceptance while also supporting the company’s retailers on the regional, national and North American level.

IMPACT

Avalon’s efforts generated over 80 editorial features and mentions of Hadaki in the first year of representation including coverage in Woman’s Day, Woman’s World, Canadian Family, Working Mother, Fitness, Vogue Knitting, Yum Food & Kids, Diane, Girls’ Life, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, Men’s Health and many others. The use of traditional media has driven consumer awareness and acceptance while the use of a proactive social media component has facilitated direct interaction with the brand’s consumer base.

Today Hadaki is an established international brand with a proven retail and consumer base throughout North America, Europe, South and Central America and the Caribbean…..and expanding.

Ready to talk about driving exposure for your brand and products? Contact us today