Printed in PR Week, June 20, 2014, written by Tanya Lewis -

Sir Lancelot's devises bullet proof strategy for screen protector launch.

Sir Lancelot's Armor wanted to promote its new line of Holy Grail screen protectors, which are made of bullet proof glass.

Client: Sir Lancelot's Armor (Seattle)
Agency: MRB Public Relations (Freehold, NJ)
Campaign: Holy Grail of Screen Protectors
Duration: February 1 – ongoing
Budget: $20,000 (through May)



Sir Lancelot's Armor makes screen protectors for smartphones and tablets. A Kickstarter campaign last year helped the company develop and launch a Holy Grail product line made of bulletproof glass.
The company hired MRB Public Relations to promote the new products.

"We have a great product, but letting people know about it is our biggest issue," says Jon Cyr, CEO of Sir Lancelot's Armor. "Our business has always been mostly online, and online marketing didn’t return what I needed it to return."

Strategy

While Sir Lancelot’s Armor previously focused messaging on the reusable nature of the screen protectors, MRB helped shift the spotlight to the products’ durability, says agency president and CEO Michael Becce.
"We knew if we pushed the durability and protection angle, people were going to want to challenge it in some way, so we created a video that showed extreme screen attacks," Becce recalls. "We highlighted other benefits but led with protection. The product gets quite a reaction when you see it working, so we wanted key influential media to see it in action first."

The agency also drove messaging through Sir Lancelot’s website and social media channels.

Tactics

MRB began pitching media in February, with a story embargo date of March 1. Targets included tech, general consumer, and men’s and women’s outlets, as well as IT trades and bloggers covering mobile, Apple, and IT.
Outreach expanded to mom, education, outdoor, and travel bloggers as the campaign progressed.

Pitches included a video showing the Holy Grail being attacked with saws, razors, hammers, and a drill. The company posted the video on YouTube and SirLancelotsArmor.com.

Various reporters and bloggers got products to test. NBC affiliate King 5 in Seattle received exclusive footage that showed Cyr shooting the screen protector with buckshot ammunition.

"A screen protector isn’t going to stop a bullet, but we knew people were going to try it because it’s made out of bulletproof tempered glass," Becce says. "We tested everything, including the type of gun and ammo used, before we gave King 5 the exclusive. We let King 5 do it because Jon [Cyr] could be with them and give us some degree of control over it. We then notified all NBC stations and Gannett-owned media that the King 5 footage was available to them."

Cyr demonstrated the product for additional Seattle and San Francisco-area outlets, and Becce conducted demonstrations for media in the New York and Philadelphia markets. The company also hosted Skype demos for other media outlets throughout the country.

Sir Lancelot’s in-house team posted key media coverage to the website, Facebook, and Twitter. Website visitors who signed up for the company’s mailing list or shared a link on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn received a product discount.

Results

Sales increased 105% between February 28 and April 15 compared to the seven weeks prior.

"Sales have exceeded expectations," Cyr says. "Through May, sales were still up about 74% compared to the 90 days prior." 

Website visits climbed from 5,074 between February 17 and March 16 to 29,406 between March 17 and April 14. Traffic held strong from April 14 through May 31 at 12,457 visits.

More than 1,000 people redeemed coupons by early June.

Nearly 140 stories about the product have run in outlets such as Discovery Channel, USA Today, Houston Chronicle, and Seattle Post Intelligencer.

Future

Sir Lancelot’s Armor will continue working with the agency. Plans include promotions for new mobile products slated to release in the fall.