Microsoft

"Surface has landed"

In 2013, Microsoft was preparing for the launch of the Surface 2. Veritas was tasked with building a product launch PR campaign that would change perceptions of the Surface 2.

Veritas initiated a detailed audit of both the category and audience. The category audit identified a key insight: the primary challenge facing the Surface was not the product itself, but its perceived relevance. While the product had unique features and benefits, it hadn't broken through to the consideration set. The agency had to create a single, breakthrough moment for the launch of the Surface Pro 2.

The audit also revealed that the agency needed to reach consumers through broader lifestyle coverage that went beyond "techs and specs" reviews. Also, the agency found that electronic music icon Deadmau5 was a big Surface fan. With more than three million followers on his social channels, Deadmau5 had the awareness and the relevance the brand was looking for.

So Verista brought Deadmau5 home to Toronto for a surprise concert to celebrate the Surface 2 launch. Five Toronto-based influencers in tech, lifestyle and EDM partnered with the brand for the launch, helping amplify its story from pre-launch to execution.

The agency arranged two exclusive announcement media opportunities for Breakfast Television and MSN. Once the announcement was made, a press release announcing the concert and the new Surface 2 went live on Canada Newswire and national media relations began. Veritas created two opportunities for consumers to get tickets for the concert: first, by interacting with the tablet at #SurfaceHasLanded pop-up activations across the city and second, by tweeting to influencers about the best Surface feature using the #SurfaceHasLandedhashtag.

Prior to the concert, more than 40 media descended on Koolhaus for a preview of the Surface 2, with the brand inviting them to touch and feel the new technology in advance of the concert. More than 1,200 people were immersed in a Surface 2 environment while they watched the deadmau5 show. They could interact with the Surface throughout the evening and social conversations were shared on massive #SurfaceHasLanded Twitter walls.

The campaign doubled its target, delivering 40.2 million impressions from a single day of activation and generated 10.9 million social impressions. #SurfaceHasLanded trended in Toronto within hours of the announcement. An MRP Quality Score of 80% was achieved.