Windows Phone 7 launch

With the Windows Mobile operating system (OS) long forgotten by many, and the mobile market dominated by Apple’s iOS and Google's Android OS, Microsoft looked to revitalise the Windows brand with the launch of Windows Phone 7 in October 2010.

With no above-the-line advertising, Porter Novelli was engaged to run a PR-only campaign aimed to generate consumer awareness and hype in the lead up to the launch, and sustain post-launch coverage highlighting the key features of the Windows Phone 7.

We developed a comprehensive media relations campaign to engage with key influences in traditional and social media, generating hype in the lead up to launch day and planned a launch event that generated headlines in New Zealand and around the globe. In addition we implemented broad seeding and review programmes, along with targeted consumer giveaways, to produce sustained media coverage following the launch.

The campaign was a huge success, generating more than 170 pieces of coverage in New Zealand and abroad – 9 pieces on national TV and 15 on national radio. Pictures of Jourdan Templeton and news of the first Windows Phone 7 being in sold in New Zealand surfaced on all the major international technology websites such as Engadget, Mashable and Neowin, as well as mainstream publications such as The Guardian.

Twitter and Facebook were rife with speculation around release dates in the lead up to the launch, with people clamouring to hear more about the launch event details. As the information was slowly released, it was shared via social networks. Windows Phone 7 dominated the twittersphere with #WP7 trending on launch date, as well as the following day.