Traeger Grills - Germany / Austria PR
Rubber has been the retained agency for Traeger Wood Pellet Grills in Germany and Austria since April 2020, driving awareness around the brand to create a ‘more than just grilling’ message, as well as driving awareness around the full range of Traeger products. Rubber works with sister agency Flock to manage the UK / IRE PR, offering synergy and greater scope for creative solutions.
Brief: Introduce a new product to a new market and help the audience understand the difference and benefits associated with wood pellet grilling. Rubber was tasked with building awareness, understanding and product advocacy in Germany as the brand looks to grow in European markets.
Our approach: The Rubber team put together two specific approaches in early 2020, based on the difficult circumstances that Covid 19 posed. An ever changing landscape meant that Rubber was able to provide on the ground counsel to the client and advise how best to proceed to ensure awareness was being build but with relevant consideration to the consumers situations the media landscape changes and rulings from the government on various levels.
Starting in April meant we were not able to meet deadlines for the Summer Grill / BBQ guides, but this just meant we were more strategic and created a robust press office plan for the year to include seeding reviews, product placement, calendar moments and wider grill / BBQ sector stories. Due to Covid19 regulations, we were unable to demo the products, or send food made on the grills to media, so we had to be more focused and strategic in our media targeting.
Rubber identified top tier media across print, online and blog channels, and across a variety of media verticals such as food & drink, lifestyle, mens, tech, fitness, etc. Allowing us to craft specific stories and offer WFH media clear points of interest to feature. For example winter grilling and the Christmas lunch cooked on. Traeger Grill.
Rubber has plans in place for IRL demos and small Grill events once the restrictions life, allowing the brand to build further engagement with media and key steak holders across the DE / AT region.
Rubber has also been helping to build an influencer programme with Traeger that allows us to show diversity and bring different stories to life through social but also building to PR channels.
Results:
2020 - May - Dec
42 x pieces of coverage - Men’s Health, Business Punk, Gala, Wiener, Glamour, GQ, Jolie, Fire& Food, Lecker Kochen & Backen
40million Impressions
2021 -
66 x pieces of coverage - Women’s Health, Bild, LivingatHome, Falstaff, Gala, Brigitte, GQ, Computer Bild, Grillen, Playboy, Esquire, Schoner Wohner & Stern.
73million Impressions
Sage Appliances - Germany PR & Influencer
Rubber has been consulting with Sage Appliances since September 2021, offering local market intel, PR support and influencer management. Initially hired on a short term basis, Sage and Rubber continue to collaborate on projects in Germany.
Brief: Drive awareness and advocacy for a rage of specific Sage Appliances with Influencers and their audiences. Rubber was briefed to work on three projects, the Pizzaiola, FSG and ad hoc targeted Influencer brief.
Our approach: The Rubber team created a simple targeted brief based not he client requirements and identified micro influencer route to be the most efficient for the objectives.
Project 1 - Pizzaiola
At three day notice, identify three or more online media and influencers to travel to Italy to take a pizza tutorial and be briefed not he new Sage Pizzaiola oven, building relationships and content to share with their audiences during there trip and afterwards. Rubber identified, briefed and agreed content outputs with five media / influencers including Tres Click, About Fuel, Herz & Blut, DoItNow and PonySailor. Each guest was fully engaged and strong relationships with brand manager and brand created, leading to additional content in future months based around the Pizzaiola.
Project 2 - Fast Slow Go - Pressure Cooker
Rubber identified four influencers with different profiles and audiences to build engaging content around the new FSG product from Sage. Rubber worked with the brand man ager to identify niche groups to target and then build the influencer campaign to speak directly to them, including recipe selections, product briefings and delivery of ingredients. Influencers included Felicitas Then, Ezgi Polat, Anna Hofbuaer and Alice M. Huynh who hosted dinners for their families, girlfriends and one for a group of other influencers, further increasing the reach and relevance.
Project 3 - Wider Influencer Engagement
Following the success of the previous influencer briefs, Sage asked Rubber to oversee some ongoing influencer relationships and look at seeding the surplus products. Rubber put together a hit list of suitable influencers and matched them with Sage Appliances to drive relevance, positive sentiment and interest within their stakeholders. Ongoing relationships with the likes of CurlsAllOver, Erik Scholz, Jelena with Love, RichySKR and many others..
Rubber has also offered consultation on media outreach to trade titles during this period, to ensure controlled messaging around NPD.
Results:
20 Appliances seeded
15 Influencers engaged
40 + posts carrying agreed key messaging and imagery to support two key launches
30+ posts to support ongoing Sage brand awareness
Altruist - Germany PR & Influencer
Rubber has been consulting with Altruist since October 2020, offering local market intel, PR support and influencer seeding, as the new to market brand looked to establish in the competitive sun care market.
Brief: Drive awareness and trial of the brand new product to a variety of media sectors, explaining how Altruist is a disruptor in the sector and an elite product at low prices.
Our approach: The Rubber team identified the key media across health & beauty, lifestyle, parenting, regional media and crafted simple product based releases and fact sheet to quickly and succinctly intro the brand. Timing coverage to hit in time for spring and summer, our focus was to drive the health and quality benefits ensuring it felt like a premium item, whilst revealing that sunscreen really should not be such an expensive item and good skin care in the sun can be for all. Alongside the PR push we identified micro influencers in key cities who we could seed product without payment.
Rubber used tried and trusted briefings and product trials to talk about the Altruist range in detail and explain how it was the most healthy and cost efficient example on the market, as well as talking about the brands not for profit approach, Altruist gift profits to African countries to support communities.
Results
2021
Print x 4
Online x 12
Reach 13.5m
Social x 19
Reach 435k
2021
Print x 7
Online x 12
Reach 26.3m
Social x 15
Reach 300k
Coverage included: Grazia, Woman, Brigitte, Women’s Health, GQ, Playboy, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Men’s Health, InStyle, SZ Magazin.
Rubber won a six way pitch in Germany to represent wearable technology product Elvie in November 2016. Elvie, Kegel Trainer, is a revolutionary women's personal fitness product, specifically designed in collaboration with medical experts, to help women improve the fitness and strength of their pelvic floor muscle. The Elvie offers a wide range of benefits for women of all ages, it is the job of Rubber to tell this story.
Anna Butterworth, Marketing Manager Elvie - ‘Nic and the Rubber Communications team have been brilliant to work with! We knew instantly that they were the right solution for our German activation because their tenacity and creativity was evident from the first conversation. When we began the partnership we put to them the seemly impossible task of securing pre-Christmas coverage in a market where the brand was completely unknown with just a couple of weeks lead time. Not only did they deliver, they did it with style by getting the brand on our two highest tier publications with glowing review. Not ones to slow down, they continued to achieve more than we had hoped for and never fail to impress us with the quality and quantity of the features they secure.’
Brief: Rubber was tasked with building awareness, understanding and product advocacy in the new market for Elvie, following positive launches in the UK and the US, Germany had shown a small amount of interest without any pro-active marketing efforts. The aim was to unlock a need and desire amongst women in Germany, driving conversation and awareness in the market.
Our approach: The Rubber team had to take into account the need for a swift to market soft launch, in order to drive awareness for potential Christmas sales, as the product was being made available before Christmas 2017 online. Briefed in late November, the target was to gain one piece of influential online coverage and seed with selected influencers in the lead up to Christmas.
Rubber identified ten top tier media across online and blog channels, then seeded key media with the product and press materials, and made CEO Tania Boler available for interview. Rubber also seeded Elvie product within an influential peer group in Berlin and Hamburg which included some key bloggers to drive peer to peer discussion and awareness. The approach resulted in Refinery29 publishing a positive piece of pre-Christmas coverage carrying a link to purchase.
Phase two allowed a planned approach to cover off all key verticals in German media, taking in long lead, short lead, online and blogs. The aim to cover health, wellbeing & fitness, mother & baby, women's interest, tech and lifestyle media allowed us to tailor our sell in. Due to the need for a swift soft launch, Rubber decided the ideal phase two approach was to target all media at once to get the message out there ASAP to allow longevity in the messaging and a constant flow of coverage across various media outlets during a period of six months and more.
Rubber arranged two press days in key media hubs Hamburg and Munich in early February, creating a packed schedule of interviews, product drops and meet and greets with media, bloggers and influencers. It also gave the Elvie team a chance to meet other stakeholders such as retailers. CEO Tania Boler and Marketing Manager Anna Butterworth accompanied the Rubber team to meet the media, leading to very positive first impressions and great leads for media and for other business interests. Rubber set up a cost effective, homely briefing space through privately sourced apartments in each city, each close to the key media houses of the cities. Our visits included meetings with Jolie, Blonde, Amazed Mag and various influencers.
In addition to the face to face meetings, the Rubber team conducted a targeted and thorough campaign to speak to all key titles and ensure media had a chance to trial the revolutionary product for themselves. Our ethos from the outset is that women need to try it to understand the benefits, and such was our confidence in the product we felt sure this would open doors to coverage and collaboration across the board.
Our confidence in the product also lead to our strategy to only pursue editorial routes through news, review, interview, comment pieces and some competitions linked to coverage. The modern PR world involves a lot of paid for placement, but through a strong product, a clear strategy, great collateral and good old fashion PR skills, Rubber generated a really strong launch for Elvie in Germany with zero advertorial costs.
To support all PR activity, we have ran a low level influencer campaign, specifically picking women in the world's of health, fitness, parenting, lifestyle, tech and business to gift the product to. As we move into the post-launch phase we have plans for mutually beneficial partnerships, events and content that are created in collaboration with influential and inspirational women in the Rubber network.
Rubber is working with the Elvie team to build new stories and angles for the German market, using our experience of the market and creative thinking to make compelling stories for the second phase of Elvie in DE.
Results:
28 x pieces of coverage - Including Glamour, Cosmo, Elle Online, Focus, This is Jane Wayne, Tres Click
12 x further confirmed and pending
15 x influencers seeded
Media quotes:
Rebecca Spindler, Refinery29
‘Who is as conscientious as Samantha (SaTC) when it comes to pelvic floor muscles? Most people forget it is an important part of their body, but now there is a tool that could change that. Elvie makes pelvic floor training now completely simple and trackable.’
Michelle Hartmann, Elle Online
‘And the best thing about Elvie? The app is a real investment for Life!’
Brief: Patrón, ultra-premium tequila, known for its quality and smooth flavours is continuing to build on the brand’s strong global profile and as a part of an on-going programme, Patrón is hosting activity worldwide to drive the awareness of the product. Rubber Communications was hired by retained UK agency THRSXTY to consult on an event in Berlin to target influencers, media and consumers in arguably the coolest city in the world. Our aim was help create a genuine Berlin vibe and to populate the party with a real diverse mix of Berliners, from business owners, to the fashion crowd, to the music crew and the faces of Berlin and beyond. We were also tasked at bringing in some of the key Berlin based media and bloggers, to interact with the brand.
Our approach: To assist THRSXTY and Patrón in creating a party that felt effortlessly cool and in touch with the city and the people who live here. Berlin is a city with great history and the people who flock here to live and work have a certain attitude towards their pursuits and surroundings, the aim was to create something that fit within these for the brand.
Rubber consulted on the venue for the event, the music choices and also fedback on the overall route for the party, ensuring a fit with the city and suggested crowd. Our main focus was to help create a cool and fitting atmosphere and to have interesting influential people interact with the Patrón brand. We then put together a hit list of people that we felt fit the Patrón brand and also had influence in Berlin, bringing the product in to the hands of Berliners. By using the influential Rubber network in Berlin and beyond we extended invites to the exclusive party at Soho House Berlin, where guests would be able to sample a variety of serves, try the more exclusive Patrón offerings, find out a little about the history and production techniques, and meet with Patrón executives.
The party saw live performances from Berlin based songstress Dena, Finnish solo artist Jakko Eino Kavelli, and a new band with a burgeoning European following Liima plus a DJ set from Wooden Wisdom featuring Hollywood actor Elijah Wood with his turntable partner Zach Cowie, playing their fusion of disco, funk, soul, house and just a smidgin of hip hop.
Media attendees included iD Germany, Vice, Freunde von Freunden, Rolling Stone Germany, Interview, Lodwon plus influential bloggers from Berlin including Lucy Against the Globe, Electru, The Shlur and Ebba Zingmark.
Results :
Media / Bloggers
Target: 15-20
Achieved: 25
Influencers
Target: 40
Achieved: 76
Brief: Rubber Communications was briefed as part of an ongoing project relationship with Patrón, an ultra premium tequila, to help with a key piece of regional influencer activity, as a part of their ongoing worldwide activity to drive the awareness of the product.
Rubber Communications working alongside retained UK agency THRSXTY to consult on an event in Munich to target influencers, media and consumers in a key German market. The brief was to curate a Munich specific art collection inspired by Patrón, tapping in to local talent to create something unique to the city and with a real Patrón twist. Rubber was also enlisted to invite local influential creatives and business people to the event, driving engagement with the brand in a cool space.
Our approach: To bring to life the vibrancy and diversity of a city not usually known for its strong urban art scene, unlike other German cities.
Rubber mined its comprehensive little black book of creatives and influencers in Munich to seek out the most current interesting local talent to help build a visually impactful display in the Patrón influencer event at Burger & Lobster. The aim of the artistic element was to show diversity in styles, materials, influences and the final results, to illustrate just how cutting edge the art scene in Munich is becoming, while reflecting the core brand values of Patrón.
Rubber drafted a simple, brand specific brief that would allow the artists their creativity, maintain their credibility, bring to life the Patrón brand and bring some colour and live theatre to the exclusive event. Each artist was chosen based on their own style and personality, but with a real link between them to create a synergy of the artwork on the night.
Each artist was given a slightly different brief to give the event a variety of creative solutions, from large canvas pieces to re-imagined versions of the iconic Patrón bottle to personalised minatures.
The artists chosen were…
HNRX - using his trademark imagery, the artist created one large Patrón inspired piece of art on a large canvas and two 700ml bottle graffiti designed Patrón bottles
Patrick Hartl - re-imagined two 700ml Patrón bottles with his iconic graf text writing style, and created an personalised individual bottle designs for each guest on miniature Patrón bottles at the event
Kult - created a dark and original narrative for his pieces across three 700ml bottles of Patrón as well as a pair of canvas’ linked within the space.
Christian Hundertmark - created a live piece of artwork on the night, based on the simple Patrón brief, inspiration from the pieces created by the other artists, the guests and the cocktails he consumed as he worked. A truly live and interactive artistic experience for all concerned
Our main focus was to curate an event with artists that felt authentically Munich for a interesting crowd of people whilst they interacted with the Patrón brand. The guests Rubber invited to the event were chosen to add diversity and credibility to the evening, covering people from the worlds of art, fashion, business and beyond.
The party featured specialist cocktails made by some of the best mixologists in the city. The final pieces of artwork are now residing at Hacienda Patrón in Mexico as a part of the brand’s permanent art collection.
Results :
Four cool and credible Munich based artists creating twelve pieces of original Patrón inspired artworks.
Influencers
Target: 10
Achieved: 20
Brief: Curate an authentic trip to Berlin for cool influencer bloggers where Jameson would host a blending session
Our approach: Create an interesting, engaging and authentic trip to Berlin that allows the media to understand the Jameson Blending Lab message and the authenticity and heritage of the brand through the people who make the city their home and workplace.
Rubber compiled a two day mini tour of the city, to meet, to experience and to learn about Berlin, and to create an authentic environment in which to present the Jameson Blending Lab. Each Berliner was a carefully chosen partner, with their own Berlin story.
Our journey began at the Michelberger Hotel for a good night's sleep and a hearty and healthy breakfast. The Azar Kazimir lead Michelberger is fast becoming an iconic hotel in Berlin and is a hub for the creative classes visiting for business and pleasure, not to mention it looks more than a little impressive and has some great live arts events.
Our second partner was Sauvage, the world's first Paleo restaurant, Rubber worked with Boris Leite, a Belgian who has made Berlin his home and the man behind the restaurant, to create a special Jameson Whiskey infused menu, using three special Jameson blends. The journalists from the carefully selected key UK media including High Snobiety, HUH and Gather, enjoyed a nine course meal with three specially mixed Jameson cocktails. Before the group sat down for the feast at Sauvage, Billy Leighton Jameson's Master Blender gave a master class in whiskey and the media mixed their own individual blends and learned about the history and heritage of a Whiskey first bottled in 1780 in Ireland. The Sauvage team also worked with Oisin Davis of Dublin’s Damson Diner, an expert cocktail creator indeed, to make a few classic serves for the group to taste.
Berlin is known for it's nightlife, and we took the group on a trip around Kreuzkölln to sample the best of the bars that the Berliner's drink in. Taking in bars across the region from drinking with Bahim at burlesque bar Prinzipal, to dancing in the must-be-seen-to-be-believed Roses, to a good local brew in Apötheke. Our final port of call was a secret late night speakeasy, supping Jameson cocktails specially mixed to our order in the cosy Neukölln bar.
Our final Berliner to meet the group was Joseph Loughborough, an Englishman who found himself in Berlin via London and Paris. Loughborough gave a talk on the city, creativity, skateparks, music, the community and how Berlin had become home to him and many other artists to create and live. Loughborough created a special limited edition signed print for each journalist based on one small brief.... 'A Berlin's View'.
Results:
Total coverage: 6 - High Snobiety, Huh, Gather, Hole & Corner, Rig Out
Total reach: 1,940,071
Total SM: 10
Total SM reach:1,382,447
Brief: Nike is one of the leaders in urban fashion shoes, for their new range of winter ready Nike SneakerBoots, Nike wanted a visually striking shoot to really show the new shoes, incorporating all the extreme weather elements that Berlin has in the winter months. We invited five of Western Europe’s most influential bloggers to create looks and test the product then to post their journey on a personalised Instagram Berlin tour for their followers. Rubber Comms devised a multi stop tour of the city, bringing to life all the aspects of the city that make it so exciting, vibrant, cool and different.
Our approach: To curate a visually impactful shoot in Berlin which created a narrative of the bloggers conducting their own tour of the city, told to their own followers, in a cool but accessible visual Berlin guide. The shoot would reflect the city through history, shopping, sightseeing and urban landscapes, plus outdoors food spots to refuel along the way. Each location aimed to challenge the product and to create interesting sharable content for each blogger.
Rubber Comms assessed feasibility and conducted initial art direction, negotiated access, photography approval, costume change space and the social media messaging for each venue and played the role of fixer during the five day shoot in wintery Berlin.
Each blogger created a personalised lookbook featuring up to eight different looks across up to eight different cool Berlin backdrops. The activity showcased a variety of Nike clothing, and their followers were given interesting content on the varied guide to Berlin, plus were exposed to the great new season from Nike.
Bloggers:
Eleonora Carisi - 209k followers - http://instagram.com/eleonoracarisi
Ebba Zingmark - 116k followers - http://instagram.com/ebbazingmark
Lily Melrose - 137k followers - http://instagram.com/llymlrs
Linda Tol - 97k followers - http://instagram.com/lindatol_
Auriela - 23k followers - http://instagram.com/absolutelyglamourous
Our shoot partners and venues:
Daluma - Fresh, healthy and fruity smoothies & juices.
Urban Spree - Home of street art and culture in Friedrichshain.
Photoautomat - A must for all visitors to Berlin.
Revalerstrasse - Eat, shop, snap, dance, drink, relax, repeat.
Görlitzer Park - An edgy feast for the eyes.
Burgermeister - The original and arguably still the best Burgers in town
Lily Burger - Alternative burger vibes, you name it they have it.
Maybachufer Markt & Canal - Neukölln Turkish food market heaven.
Colours - Pay by weight for your new wardrobe.
Templehofer Feld - Iconic former Berlin airport now cool hangout spot.
Results :
5 full day photoshoots. 10 venues. 5 key bloggers. 50 costume changes.
Aligning the product with key opinion formers in the market, allowing direct conversations with the target consumer. Our chosen venues resonated with the blogger and their followers and gave a suitable setting to showcase the new product.
Brief: ghd had a new product release that styles hair to stay in position for 24 hours, they wanted a way to tell the story in a city known for it's staying power. Rubber was briefed to put together a programme that reflected the eclectic and hectic personality of Berlin, and to take media on this fast paced city tour
Our approach: To challenge the new ghd product and to challenge our guests to really experience Berlin in 24 hours. To show them the essential attractions but to take the less trodden path
Rubber had one week to deliver, we set about the curation of a tour of Berlin to take in as many regions to enjoy sights, sounds, hidden gems, must sees, eats and of course drinks. Many guides to Berlin have been written but ours was to bring to life all aspects that make the city such an exciting visit. The venues would illustrate the old, the new, the local, the tourist, the beautiful and the unexpected and of course to test against the elements, telling the ghd 24 hour story as we went. Along for the ride were journalists from the Mail Online and the Independent and to style their hair for the Berlin in 24 Hours challenge, ghd UK Styling Ambassador Kenna of London and New York stylists Kennaland.
Our route:
Das Stue Hotel - First class breakfast at a hotel with views into Berlinische Zoo.
CFA Gallery - A private viewing of Borden Capalino, Roses and Dreams with an introduction from Rachel Keeler.
Blub - Urban exploring at an abandoned hidden water world in Neukölln
Parker Bowles - Pulled pork sarnies & German suds on Prinzenstrasse
Berlin Wall - It is 25 years since the fall, it was fitting to visit and to take stock
East Side Gallery - Tourist essential viewing next to the Spree in Friedrichshain,
Das Stue - A mini pitstop for a costume change and a glass of Riesling
25hour Bikini Hotel - Panoramic views from The Monkey Bar and some delectable cocktails.
Sauvage - A Paleo treat for the tastebuds in Prenzlauerberg, private dining and personalized menu and drinks.
Geist im Glas - Strong and tasty cocktails in our fave Neukölln hangout.
Chalet - Berlin knows how to put on a party, we stayed till the morning
And finally back to the hotel with still perfect hair and a well deserved sleep.....
Results :
1 hair styling session. 11 venues. 13 stops. 24 hours.
Total coverage: 2 - Mail Online & Independent
Total SM: 7
Brief: Paramount pictures had a German release of the latest in their series of Daddy’s Home movies featuring Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, Paramount wanted to find a way to expertly target their audience in spaces they naturally are found.Rubber Communications acted as the German based agency to consult on the best route, partners, the creative pladirection and execution of the brief. After assessing the budget and objectives Rubber suggested a piece of video content created by a popular Vlogger in market. This would offer a dedicated audience, an expert in reaching the target audience and keeping production costs low in what needed to be a fast turnaround.
Our approach: Rubber suggested a suitable route would be to create content with a local market Vlogger. We drafted a shortlist of suitable influencer options in market, assessing their fit to brand, social media reach and tonality within an agreed budget. Rubber carried out an analysis of all options and conducted all communications and negotiations on fee and SM access as well as overseeing timelines, script creative and filming of the content, amends and final delivery. The content was viewed by 35,000 on YouTube, and the Vlogger posted an Instagram story to his 226,000 follows, encouraging people to go and check out the movie during their Christmas holidays.