Company: F & H Porter Novelli, Munich, Germany
Company Description: F&H Porter Novelli was founded in 1980 and currently employs 60 people in its Munich office. The agency is exclusive German brand partner of the Porter Novelli. F&H is amongst the top 10 PR agencies in Germany. The full service agency offers all parameters within a modern communication mix from PR to advertising.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications Campaign of the Year in Europe

Nomination Title: LG 2009 Singing press kit

Tell the story about this nominated communications program (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Overview
LG Electronics, Inc. is a global leader and technology innovator in consumer
electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, employing more than
84,000 people working in 115 operations including 84 subsidiaries around the
world. With 2008 global sales of $44.7 billion, LG comprises of five business
units – Home Entertainment, Mobile Communications, Home Appliance, Air
Conditioning and Business Solutions.

In Germany LG has been a market player since 1976. The LG Electronics Germany
GmbH employs over 280 people in the business areas consumer electronics, mobile
phones, information technology and home appliances.

With its cutting-edge technology and innovative design capabilities, LG creates
handsets that provide an optimized mobile experience to customers around the
world. LG is pursuing convergence technology and mobile computing products,
while continuing its leadership role in mobile communication with stylish
designs and smart technology.

Description of challenge

In Germany, LG is not perceived as a very emotional and focused brand. In
addition, the lifestyle press does not cover the LG products extensively. Best
results have been achieved with design mobile phones like LG Secret or the New
PRADA Phone by LG.

In general, the mobile market in Germany is characterized by a strong
competition between LG, Samsung, Nokia and SonyEricsson. Apple’s iPhone is
leading within its touch screen surface and multimedia features. 

The overall goal of the product launch for the new LG mobile phone called ARENA
(KM900) was to heighten brand awareness in targeted lifestyle media, to
emotionalize the brand, to increase awareness for the entire mobile product
range and to position LG as a lifestyle brand in the technology sector.

A strong focus had to be set on the new multimedia and entertaining features of
the multimedia mobile phone with its 3D S-class user interface. The goal was
here to present the entertainment features of the device to lifestyle
journalists in an extraordinary and astonishing measure. This measure had to
reach the journalists personally and also provide them with hands-on
experiences with the LG ARENA.

A particular challenge was the timing. The world wide product launch of the LG
ARENA was held at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February, 16th.
Within only two weeks after this event one of the most important technology
fairs, the CeBIT, took place at the beginning of March. Thus, there was only a
small window of opportunity to present the new device to lifestyle journalist
who didn’t attend the Mobile World Congress.

Strategy
An editorial tour was a time and cost efficient tactic to present the new LG
ARENA to lifestyle journalists from print and online editorial offices in
Munich and Hamburg.
The strategy for this media target group was aimed for a special and emotional
staging. Not only pure product information was provided but the link to the
mobile entertainment theme needed to be emphasized. A “singing press kit“ with
a special LG song communicated the new features of the device to the
journalists. The following “hands on experience“ together with the product and
brand experience was a major part of the editorial visit.

Campaign Execution
At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the mid of February the LG ARENA
was shown in public for the first time. To reach the target group of key
lifestyle journalists in a very limited time frame of just one week and to
provide them with a prompt product demonstration and hands on experience with
the LG ARENA the editorial tour was implemented in Munich and Hamburg. The
first planning took place in January 2009, the execution followed at the end of
February on one editorial day in each city.  

The innovative features of the new LG ARENA mobile phone have been the major
central point of the editorial visit. Via hands-on demonstrations the
journalists had the chance to experience the 3D S-Class User Interface and to
convince themselves of the ease of use of this new LG technology. To reach the
most important lifestyle journalists the focus was set on the major media
cities Munich and Hamburg.
The LG KM900 ARENA is the world’s first mobile device with Dolby Mobile for
Music. This application combined with further entertainment features needed to
be staged in a very creative way. 

The tunes of the well-known song “Viva la vida“ by Coldplay have been adapted
and new lyrics for LG’s ARENA have been composed. This “singing press kit“
consisting of three musicians (singer, acoustic guitar and acoustic bass)
transported the message “this is entertainment with the LG ARENA” to the
lifestyle journalists in a live performance. Thus, the strong link of the
device to entertainment has been transmitted in a likeable way. The song
further included the key features of the new LG ARENA:

-              Innovative functions
-              3D S-Class User Interface
-              3 inch touch screen with cube based layout
-              Dolby Mobile for Music
-              Audio and video technologies
-              5 megapixel camera
-              GPS and Geo tagging
-              LG’s Claim „Life’s good“.

After a save-the-date-mailing the journalists received an invitation with the
claim “LG is in the house“ illustrated with the new LG KM900 ARENA. The single
dates have been agreed via personal calls to fill one editorial day in Hamburg
and Munich. These visits have been pitched in the forefront as a product
briefing for a new mobile phone and a “special demonstration which they should
not miss” to create suspense among the journalists. The live performance of the
band was not announced and came as a surprise when the musicians entered the
room.
The LG band consisting of a singer, a guitarist and a bassist in branded LG
shirts visited the journalists together with the Head of Marketing Mobile
Communication of LG Germany, the PR Manager of LG Germany and one agency
contact. After only a few words the „singing press kit“ started immediately and
presented the single features of the LG ARENA in the song.
Following the live performance the mobile phone was presented to the
journalists in personal talks. The press information (press release, pictures,
data sheets and the LG KM900 ARENA TV spot) was provided to the journalists on
a CD. As a give away the journalists received a voucher for a music download
portal (musicload) to download their personal favourite songs so that they
could enjoy even more entertainment with LG.

Results
Overall the journalists’ feedback to LG’s “singing press kit“ and the new LG
ARENA was extremely positive. The mechanisms of the product demonstration and
the staging were conceived as very extraordinary, innovative and entertaining. 
In Munich 18 journalists and 9 journalists in Hamburg have been visited. As a
result the test programme was extended, media cooperation launched, and the
contacts to the lifestyle press have been intensified. The official press
release of the LG ARENA was distributed on February 16th. Following this
product launch approximately 170 print and online clippings resulted until the
end of April 2009.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

http://www.handytarife.de/index.php?aid=1417

http://www.areadvd.de/hardware/2009/lgl_km900_1.shtml

http://www.xonio.com/artikel/LG-KM900-Arena-Handy-Test_35204796.html

http://www.areamobile.de/tests/lg-arena-km900/index.php

http://www.sftlive.de/aid,682279,_LG_KM900_Arena_im_Test.cfm

http://www.computerbild.de/artikel/cb-Test-Handy-LG-KM900-3979906.html

http://www.connect.de/testbericht/LG-KM900-Arena_5383742.html

http://www.mobile-reviews.de/Reviews-rop-LG-Arena-KM900--153.html

http://www.pcwelt.de/start/mobility_handy_pda/pda_smartphone/tests/197461/lg_electronics_arena_km900/

http://www.telecom-handel.de/start/handytest.html

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that carried out this nominated communications program:

Julia Heymann studied Franco Romance studies, English, law and media at the
University of Mannheim and is fluent in English and French. Julia holds more
than six years work experience in the communication branch with focus on
Consumer Electronics and Internet Security. She acted as a team leader of
national and international teams in the B2C and B2B area. Julia joined the
Technology Team at F&H in 2008 and is now Team Leader of the LG Electronics
account for Germany. She is interested in modern literature, travelling and
Yoga.