A campaign case from 2017. Product offers described below refer to that launch period.
TransIP was already established in the Netherlands for hosting, domains and virtual private servers when it decided to enter Flanders. Introducing a company to a new market means making both the products and the brand recognisable.
TransIP approached the Belgian team at Progress Communications to help develop that introduction. The plan combined expert content, a product announcement and direct contact with consumers.
Departure: introduce the expertise
After meetings and brainstorms, we began with a blog explaining the choice between web hosting and a virtual private server, or VPS. It gave readers useful information while positioning Omar Benameur, then Chief International at TransIP, as a knowledgeable voice in the sector.
The article appeared in publications including ZDNet, BlogIT and Computable. That provided an initial introduction to Flemish technology media through a subject relevant to their audiences.
This kind of expert article can give a new name a clear reason to enter the conversation.
Next stop: STACK
For the main announcement, we focused on one of TransIP’s most distinctive offers at the time: STACK, which was introduced with 1,000 GB of free cloud storage.
Interviews and a press release brought the launch to a broad range of Flemish media, from general-interest and business titles such as Knack and De Tijd to specialist online and print publications.
The product provided a concrete story that made the wider market introduction easier to explain.
From media coverage to a consumer experience
The next step was to meet the audience directly. Seeing the brand through more than one channel could reinforce the introduction and give consumers a chance to experience the idea for themselves.
Working with our Eventive colleagues, we developed an activation at three major railway stations in Flanders. The stations offered a setting where a large number of people would encounter the campaign within a short period.
Three stations, three days
The campaign visited Antwerp Central, Gent-Sint-Pieters and Bruges, spending one day at each station. A team in STACK’s purple branding helped make the activity visible.
A green-screen photo booth allowed visitors to create striking photographs and save them to their STACK account. The experience connected the storage service with something people had just made themselves.
Across the three days, the activation introduced thousands of consumers to TransIP. It added a direct, participatory element to the media and content programme.
Keep the introduction moving
A launch is a starting point rather than an endpoint. With the name introduced, the next task was to keep TransIP relevant to media and consumers through continuing content and communications.
The case illustrates how media relations and events can work together in a market introduction. Each part gives the audience a different way to understand the brand.
Planning a technology launch in Flanders or elsewhere in the Benelux? Contact our PR team in Antwerp or Amsterdam to discuss the approach.
Céline
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