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Launch Event Ideas - Software - Third Release
Posted By: Tatyiana on 8/28/2006 11:56 AM (CST) 500 Points
Hello folks!

So I made a bold decision NOT to attend an industry trade show which we have attended for the last 3 years because it was a complete drain on a marketing budget that could be given much more mileage.

The issue is that the fall version of this event is usually where the "release" of the next version of our software takes place.

My take on "release announcement" is - SO WHAT. Ever tom dick and harry announce a product release or version of product release at trade shows. Big Deal. But it was easy... standard.. got a few hits.

So now I need a new launch springboard for Rel 3.0 of our one and only piece of software. Our software is a VoIP software with oem'd phones. It essential is a key system replacement.

Still awake?

SO.. I am looking for your brilliant ideas on a launch platform for this new release.

We are ramping up our PR and plan to do 10 news releases in the next 8 weeks. We are close to getting a product review, I will do some targeted advertising.

What else you got? I need a WOW factor that is economical. I considered doing a road show but not sure what those elements would entail.

At the same time we are kicking of a lead gen program. We are a small group so scalability is important.

Ready, Set, Go and be brilliant!

Thanks
T.

Posted by: jeff12* Accepted Answer
8/28/2006 12:41 PM (CST)
Since this is release 3.0 that probably means you already have a customer base - use it.

Make a deal with all your OEM customers, and any direct customers, to send HTML emails that highlight one key feature change to your VoIP keypad along with text that follows to explain the changes.

Provide several bulletin board links in the emails that send the user to popular bulletin boards. Request that users comment on those boards.

Periodically visit those boards to respond to, enhance or otherwise comment upon those postings.

Use relevant Bulletin Board comments to release further News Releases indicating how your customers are using your new 3.0 release.
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[URL deleted by staff] where regenerative medicine information is collected.
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
8/28/2006 1:56 PM (CST)
I Suggest a publicity stunt...

Set up a contest for people talking on your phone... One in a section of the walk-in cooler of a famous restaurant, one in the boiler room of another suitably famous building...

Rules are they must exchange words every 5 seconds until somebody stops....

It could be broadcast over the internet... and via live feed to others...

 
Posted by: rbauman* Member Response
8/28/2006 2:09 PM (CST)
Given that you have your PR ramped up over the next 8 weeks, consider holding an announcement webinar and inviting industry analysts as well as prospects in the closing cycle and current customers.
 
Posted by: gregwilk Accepted Answer
8/28/2006 10:34 PM (CST)
You can still market to the trade show audience. You can purchase the backs of taxi cab receipts or hotel keys in the area of the show. You can also set up meetings with key analysts at the show to make sure they get your story while they are in town writing about your industry.

As you roll your plan out, make sure you are measuring each key tactic so you know what tactic and message is playing to the marketplace and driving the most revenue into your pipeline.

Good Luck!

Greg Wilkinson
 
Posted by: Dare4More * Accepted Answer
8/29/2006 3:20 AM (CST)
How about organising your own event for your dealer base? I'm talking about a roadshow here as my understanding is that you would be interested in something like this. In Australia people are great cricket fans so we had to approach a few players to check their availability for the event. It's easier than you think, you just hire the venue (in your city plus different cities as well), send out the invite to dealers/potential dealers in your area and just ask the spokesperson to give them the presentation. Not sure if you have enough budget, you can deal directly with a PR company to do the entire work for you (even sending invitations to journalists & co). Alternatively, think of an inspiring business personality, I guess everyone would be interested to hear about your new product and ask non-IT related questions at the same time.
Hope that helps,
Dare4More
 
Posted by: Matt Massey* Accepted Answer
8/29/2006 12:25 PM (CST)
Tanya,

I would recommend first developing a gantt chart to plot key activities for the product launch. Maybe you've done this already though. This will enable you to take a visual perspective on all activities planned for for the launch over the next few months.

Second, you are right. The press release thing is completely overdone and in reality doesn't support your product release like building relationships with your key industry analysts. 8 PRs is overkill isn't it? If you want to get media coverage, pick up the phone and call them. Don't send them a press release or a package send them a breakthrough piece that cuts through the clutter.

Go to the local thrift shop/goodwill store and see if you can pick up a bunch of old rotary dial phones. Clean them up and logo them up. Create some cool packaging that also supports your branding.

Then develop a key tagline that supports the package. Example:

Hold the Phone! We have something new to tell you about. Maybe a little kitchy, but it will stand out. Send this to both analysts and media. Send by Fed Ex so you can track arrival and then make your follow-up calls as required.

Have a media focused webinar prepared for those who want to go in depth and have a separate webinar ready for analysts. Conduct webinars on a one to one basis whenever you can.

Don't do the travelling roadshow unless you really have to do the road show. If you are starting a lead gen program then let the that program do its job. This will ultimately force your team on the road anyway.

What I might look at though are speaking engagements that your CEO can conduct over the next 6-12 months in support of the company and the new release. Industry focused only.

As for your lead gen program...There is lots I can suggest but usually I ask a bunch of highly unscientific questions regarding sales process and sales infrastructure before I offer any ideas. Maybe we can chat offline...

As an aside, we work in the same city and I know your company pretty well. I did some work for your CEO back in the beginning before they had VC...or offices for that matter.

Best of luck.

Matt
 
Posted by: Tatyiana Author Response
8/29/2006 1:15 PM (CST)
hello all:

Thanks for taking the time for thought out responses.

A publicity stint of sorts would probably not be affective because while we are worldwide - we are sparce worldwide. So unless I did it in the city where an industry even was going on... it would be tough to pull off. But might be something I consider for the Spring.

I am interested in doing something virtual. I just need to find something creative and interesting. Let's face it - webinars are more the norm now than the innovative.

Why such an aggressive PR strategy... timing I suppose. But at the same time I plan for 10 and count on 6. The law of decreasing marcom commitment.

Matt - How do you know what city/company I am in? Would be interested in chatting offline.

For my lead gen .. I think we have come up with something definitely memorable. That will be released in the October/November time frame.

I guess I am still looking for the one event/springboard that says REL 3.0 - Come and get it!

Has anyone seen/experienced a very unique webinar?

Thanks, all - very solid advice that will be incorporated into the grand plan.
 
Posted by: Matt Massey* Member Response
8/29/2006 2:51 PM (CST)
Hi Tanya,

If you are trying to hit one out of the ballpark with the launch of the product, I think it's a big challenge.

If I look at your current marketing collateral and website it's all pretty conservative so is it a stretch to do something that is suddenly very flashy and aggressive? I would think so...maybe I'm wrong.

If you wanted to make a huge splash on a limited budget I would perhaps look at doing something viral/grassroots that will appeal to your 3 distinct target audiences - prospects/customers, analysts and media.

You know all of your OEM prospects don't you? It's a pretty small universe.

I think you can play with the webinar...go creative, interactive and make sure it isn't Blah. Nobody likes Blah. Make it very relevant to the audience without waving the corporate pom poms too much.

I'll try giving you a call tomorrow if that works. I have a couple of ideas...

Matt
 
Posted by: sam.ciskel* Accepted Answer
8/30/2006 2:18 PM (CST)
Here are a few suggestions:

1) Separate Webinar for Analysts as well as User-Friendly Webinar for each type of Consumer (business/home etc).
2) Word of mouth will be key here. Vonage had a very aggressive marketing campaign and after just a few commercials I found myself ringing up. The service is good – but the customer support is terrible.
Why not target your present consumers with incentives (ie. concierge/no hassle customer service/discounts on upgrades etc) for referring customers to a short webinar presenting your product’s innovations?
Make customers feel special – that they are getting a huge bang for their buck; by the end of it, they should feel that they have helped themselves rather than marketing the product for you. Not only would it boost consumer satisfaction, but it would give customers a reason to talk about the product and increase word of mouth scenarios. I have found this in particular to be a very powerful strategy for businesses targeting a worldwide audience.
3) A catchy, yet simple tagline could be a make or break for your webinar and your marketing material; especially when targeting foreign customers. Make sure they understand the value behind your product.
 
Posted by: trayl Accepted Answer
8/30/2006 8:11 PM (CST)
Like you, I have also experienced mixed success in simply exhibiting at trade shows. What has been extremely successful is to plan a very memorable, intimate invitation-only experience for your most valuable customers and prospects after the show's biggest day has ended. Create an experience that will appeal to your key contacts (and key decision-makers) and send a first-class, high impact invitation - invest some money here, you want to make sure it makes it past the gatekeeper. Then have your executives follow up the invitation with a personal phone call again mentioning the event. Coordinate the event such that each of your executives and top sales people are responsible for specific attendees. Plan your message and talking points in advance and prep each executive and salesperson with them. For example, at my past company we planned "An Evening at Fenway Park". We had a private tour of the Park, cocktails/dinner in the Hall of Fame club, and Hall of Famer Jim Rice spoke, signed autographs and took pictures with the attendees. It was a huge success (generated positive ROI and had a huge impact on brand awareness).

I hope this helps!

Tim Rayl
Accelerated Impact Consulting
 
Posted by: DR Hitch* Accepted Answer
8/31/2006 1:44 PM (CST)
Tatyiana,
Since you skipped the last trade show for your VoIP telephony industry, you might make your new "launch" campaign a teaser around that fact as follows:

"We weren't at the last XYZ trade show because we stayed home furiously working on a huge set of new features and functionality for our VoIP software. It's now called a full scale system solution, so even though we call it 'version 3' we didn't want to take off the shrink-warp too soon at the last trade show. But, now, for a limited time, you can see what we didn't show anyone at that last trade show...bhah, blah, blah"

Is there something else that has happened in the VoIP market that you can leverage for your v3.0 announcement? Is there a hardware vendor that is also announcing something parallel to your s/w this fall also? You had better have some pretty darned good incremental features and functionality, or else (yawn...) it just becomes a me-too variant that canibalizes your current sales.

For "cute" ideas, try take-off on old-fashioned telephony such as
"You didn't get my message:?
"You want that phone call in e-mail too? You've got to be kidding me"
"My current PC and keyboard are like two tin cans on a string. I need VoIP v.3 help fast!"
 
Posted by: Tatyiana Author Response
9/1/2006 8:31 AM (CST)
Hi All:

Some great ideas here. Key challenge is that many of our service providers are tier 3's or just starting out and our product is their flagship product. So I can't think that if I build it they will come to my event. We tried to put together a user conference but found we received mixed responses even with a large portion being subsidized from us and a partner.

I think I am going to use a PR program as a springboard and we are going to to do a "reintroduction tour". Our CEO is a fantastic and compelling speaker. We just need to get him out there!

I would also couple this with an online event. What was I hoping to do is somehow tie that into a smart and interesting follow-up piece. Our audience probably would not be in the tens of thousands, so it may be achievable. it is almost as though I have these ideas and pieces swimming around but haven't found an adhesive to bind them.

We talk a lot about how we have the Recipe for Success and we also talk about how we have a channel-program-in a box ready to go. I am thinking of doing something creative with a recipe box, tieing that theme back to a an online event. For the launch our audience would be quite diverse and could consist of: current clients, analysts, investors and possible leads. Oh and of course our competition is known to check us out from time to time.

I am just missing the "it" factor that would make people want to attend and know it is not a regular powerpoint-on-the web panel discussion and b. keep them talking, get them psyched, etc.

Maybe the long weekend in the wild outdoors will infuse me with some wild ideas.

T.
 
Posted by: Tatyiana Author Response
9/5/2006 7:08 AM (CST)
Thanks for everyones input.

Cheers,
T.
 


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