The Situation

LoJack is a trusted brand with a better than 90 percent recognition rate in America.  The company, which invented the Stolen Vehicle Recovery category more than two decades ago, is part of our vernacular and synonymous with “all things recovery.” In fact, for years there has been speculation about “LoJack for People.”

As company executives planned for the future they found a clear market need for a solution that would track and rescue people with cognitive disorders – Alzheimer’s, autism, Down syndrome and dementia – who have a tendency to wander, which is a life-threatening behavior.  The market for this type of service was fragmented and comprised of small players that were challenged to scale their offerings to all those who need them. LoJack recognized this was an opportunity to diversify its business, answer this market need, and make “LoJack for People” a reality.  In February 2009, Tier One helped LoJack execute a high profile launch of LoJack SafetyNet, bringing a much needed solution to the nation and expanding the company’s brand into a new realm. 

Our Approach

Our goal was to create a splash with LoJack SafetyNet that would inform business, consumer and law enforcement communities about this valuable new service offered by a known and trusted brand.  Our approach was to demonstrate a clear market need for the service LoJack was now offering, underscoring that the company had “the right stuff” (recognition, reputation and resources) to lead this industry and take it to an entirely new level, bringing this valuable service to those who need it.

Recognizing that the launch was taking place in the midst of the financial crisis – which was the pre-occupation of the entire nation including the media – Tier One devised a thoughtful and targeted media strategy designed to reach all forms of media (from select national and local traditional media to bloggers and social media sites) and create a rolling thunder effect.  Our approach involved the following:

• Pitch exclusive story to high profile daily paper that would run story day-of announcement
• Pre-pitch local television station to have feature-length coverage day-of announcement
• Develop dynamic multimedia news release containing compelling content, high resolution photos and b-roll
• Conduct targeted outreach day-of announcement to secure widespread print, broadcast (radio/TV) and online coverage
• Leverage social networking platforms like Twitter to feed the momentum and create a buzz online; post b-roll on YouTube
• Generate visibility in the unofficial foot-traffic capital of the world – Times Square – by posting an electronic billboard of this new service 
• Continue momentum with key business interviews immediately following the launch

Results

The strategy paid off.  A comprehensive story on LoJack SafetyNet appeared in both print and online versions of The Wall Street Journal on the day of the launch.  The article outlined a clear need for a leader in this marketplace, and included a quote from the CEO of LoJack as well as one from the president of the National Autism Association, who stated the “enormous need” for the new LoJack offering.  The WSJ article also led to LoJack being mentioned on Fox Business News “Opening Bell” on the day of the announcement.

WBZ-TV in Boston carried a feature/news segment on the evening news the day of the announcement that highlighted an extensive demo of the solution, which was so strong that it led to similar coverage on many other CBS affiliates and was also picked up by ABC affiliates around the country.  Additionally, the b-roll was picked up by approximately 20 other news stations nationwide.  Neil Cavuto did an extensive business piece on Fox Business about LoJack SafetyNet, which ran a week after the announcement.  The story also ran on national ABC radio news, as well as on Boston-based stations.  A broad and extensive range of local and national print and online outlets also covered the story – ranging from Boston.com and the Boston Herald to Information Week, American Cop magazine, the Advocate (Autism Society) and Slate.com, CNNMoney.com, toyourhealth.com, among many others.  The Twitter dialogue Tier One initiated created an ongoing stream of discussion online and the Times Square Billboard helped to build a buzz about the offering in New York City.  In addition, the launch press release won a Bell Ringer Award.