Karol’s campaign to launch the crankmonkey – a wind up portable charger with the power to save lives – generated massive interest right across the world, immediately reaching nine countries, including Canada, the Netherlands and India, with news and reviews still circulating.
News of the product launch went viral, with the Gadget Show, Mirror, LBC radio, BA’s Highlife magazine and International Business Times all eager to be the first to review the charger.
Tasked by their Hampshire-based client Powertraveller to launch the revolutionary new charger, Karol’s launch campaign made a big impact, with a circulation of over 1,500,000 reported in the first four days. Over 21 national and international publications have covered the story online, in print and on social media, reaching a combined audience of just under two million.
The crankmonkey is designed to generate power for 5 volt devices independently of mains electricity or batteries by rotating the handle. Designed to power up key devices including Smartphones, GPS and Avalanche Transceivers, the crankmonkey looks set to revolutionise the way power is relied upon by mountain rescue, explorers, aid agencies, climbers, skiers and sailors in emergency situations.
Stefan Lepkowski, Managing Director of Karol said “The crankmonkey, which is held in the palm of your hand, has the potential to be your lifeline in emergency situations everytime, everyplace, everywhere.
With this in mind, the PR campaign was based around the concept of ‘your lifeline to infinite power’ and played on the 1980’s Martini advert theme “anytime, anyplace and anywhere.” As part of the teaser campaign, press packs accompanying cryptic messages with miniature martini bottles were sent out to capture the imagination of journalists.”
Alistair Charlton, technology reporter at The International Business Times, broadcasted an excellent review on the crankmonkey. He said: “Despite the unrelenting hyperbole spouted by almost all technology companies these days – “our new phone is just magical/revolutionary/extraordinary” – few claim their products can actually save your life.
That’s where this comes in. The crankmonkey phone charger by Powertraveller uses a winding system to provide instant power to dead phones, and its makers say it is perfect for when “you’re part of a rescue team on a mountain, in distress on a yacht at sea [or] stuck in the snow”. We’ve all been there.”
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/crank-monkey-wind-phone-charger-climb-mountain-1510989
Stefan continued: “We are thrilled with the execution of the campaign and the results far exceeded our client’s expectations in the launch of the new crankmonkey product.
The cryptic build up to the launch worked especially well to capture journalists’ attention and secure some extraordinary coverage in both national and consumer press.
With such a fantastic result achieved in less than a week, this story will undoubtedly continue to attract valuable media attention in the months to come.”