Holdsworth Associates helped ViewRanger go from start-up to international player with public relations
Objectives
- Launch ViewRanger
- Raise the brand and product’s profile with potential customers in the UK and overseas
- Support the company’s business development
How we did it?
Throughout our three years working with Augmentra, we created a sustained communications campaign by identifying and developing a regular flow of company/product stories aimed at different sections of the media. Press releases were researched, drafted and distributed on a monthly basis to a wide range of media including: outdoor pursuits, smartphone apps, travel, general interest and many more. During this time we built good relationships with key journalists who were interested in the technology.
In order to sustain a flow of newsworthy press releases we looked beyond straight ‘announcement’ stories. For example, we recognised that ViewRanger is great for locating friends on mountainsides, and even at music festivals, and created a light-hearted media story about using ViewRanger to find your tent which appealed to Chris Evans and secured 20 minutes on BBC Radio 2’s drivetime radio.
We proposed, planned and coordinated activities that would raise ViewRanger’s profile directly with potential customers. This included helping ViewRanger support charity activities such as The Incredible Solar Electric Flight and Hannah 100.
Additionally, we arranged support for walking festivals and gained a prime position for our client in the ‘Best British Walk’ category of the Great British Life website.
To ensure ViewRanger reached a wider audience, we also supported international launches securing coverage in the USA and Germany.
Results
Coverage was sustained throughout the whole period in newspapers, magazines, broadcast, local and online media – appearing in over 250 different publications.
Highlights include: an interview with Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2; articles in The Independent and Daily Mail Weekend; and in magazines covering a range of hobbies such as Trek and Mountain magazine, Outdoor Photography, What Mountain Bike and Birding World.
The Viewranger app was reviewed by 35 journalists in a variety of media including BBC Wildlife, The Sunday Times and Country Walking magazine. During the time we worked with ViewRanger, we were delighted to support its growth from an early stage start-up to an established business.
Return project: PR to launch the Apple Watch Series 2
In September 2016, Holdsworth Associates were again asked to support ViewRanger thanks to the success of our earlier work.
ViewRanger was to be one of the launch apps for the Apple Watch Series 2, to be announced at the annual Apple event held in San Fransisco. In a live stage demo (pictured above), Head of Design Hannah Catmur took the audience on a virtual hiking tour of Four Mile Trail in the USA’s Yosemite National Park with the ViewRanger app providing turn-by-turn directions and highlighting key route features such as viewpoints, camping locations, and waterfalls.
Client comment
Holdsworth Associates produced results – good results – which helped us to establish our brand, raise our profile with initial investors, and grow our business.
Craig Wareham, Co-founder and CEO
