Creating market buzz with a new product launch

The Challenge

How can a company launch a product to the market, make a splash, and keep it going? That’s the challenge IKA brought to the C&EN team. IKA had a never-before-seen product — revolutionary next-generation lab equipment — that it wanted to launch, and it needed a platform to drive excitement, credibility and buzz. In addition, the company had to make the moment last, generating interest after the initial launch push.

C&EN BrandLab was tasked to answer these questions:

Question 1

How can IKA bring a new product to the market?

Question 2

How can we create a buzz-worthy moment?

Question 3

How do we keep the momentum going?

Our Approach:

Create highly shareable content with quizzes

Create a market moment

C&EN worked with IKA to plan a star-studded keynote at the ACS National Meeting. Marketing for the keynote -- and targeted audience outreach -- teased the product’s reveal and succeeded in recruiting high caliber prospects for IKA’s business.

Cover it like a journalist

C&EN deployed a BrandLab reporter to cover the event. The reporter interviewed a celebrity speaker, Phil Baran, and early adopters of the technology and wrote extensively about the launch, brand story, and science behind the product. This created content - and engagement - outside of the event.

Distribute everywhere

C&EN’s BrandLab coverage sparked investment in other high visibility channels. IKA leveraged a Livestream of the event to promote the launch even further, which was then incorporated in C&EN’s sponsored content and distributed to our audience.

The Program

At right, screenshots show IKA’s integrated program, including the keynote announcement (at bottom) introduced by C&EN’s editor-in-chief. The video from the announcement was then integrated into the custom content, also at right.

In addition, product features were described within the body of the custom article, which is still discoverable on cen.acs.org

The Results

As planned, IKA’s campaign produced ripple effects far beyond the launch announcement. While more than 1,500 qualified science professionals watched the event live in person or on livestream, an additional 700,000 engaged with the content after the event.

1,000+

Advance Event Registrants

800+

Livestream Viewers

700K

Campaign Impressions

Lead Generation

Digital Advertising

Recruitment Advertising

Chemical & Engineering News

ACS Journals

ACS Meeting & EXPO

Creating market buzz with a new product launch

The Challenge

C&EN BrandLab was tasked to answer these questions: