Lightfoot
“The Lightfoot Pilot programme was our first move into the consumer market and we were delighted by the coverage across press, online, radio and TV that Absolute PR helped us secure. The team at Absolute PR has taken a very thorough approach to help us build awareness for Lightfoot in the trade press too, securing valuable coverage and helping develop important content.”
Lightfoot
Toby Harbron, Director
The Process
What
Launch new customer trial pilot
How
Broadcast, online and traditional media relations
Where
Regional media and trade press
When
2016
The Challenge
To successfully launch the Exeter pilot of Lightfoot® as a groundbreaking development in driver behaviour technology with the potential to make driving in the city, the South West and, eventually, the globe cheaper, greener and safer.
To recruit a minimum of 100 volunteers to participate in the pilot.
To secure and sustain regular news throughout the pilot and to use the findings of the pilot to stimulate interest in the concept of gamification among fleets.
Our Solution
Our strategy was to work with credible partners in Exeter City to create endorsement and validity for the trial. Working with Exeter City Futures, whose objective is to support projects that enhance Exeter to make it easier to get around, cheaper to live in and healthier, we generated collateral that positioned Exeter and Lightfoot as a pioneering partnership.
To appeal to the public and to instantly grasp their imagination, we created a media launch that drew on similarities between Lightfoot’s in-car audio and visual driver training technology and Knight Rider’s talking car, Kitt.
Coupled with hard evidence, including facts and stats from the commercial fleet sector, where Lightfoot has cut accidents by up to 50% and reduced fuel consumption by an average of 15%, we were able to create a story of substance that appealed to the local media and trade press.
What We Achieved
The launch resulted in widespread TV, radio and press coverage with pieces on ITV West Country, BBC Spotlight and BBC Radio Devon. Almost 200 volunteers came forward and several commercial leads were generated. Over the course of the trial, which is still in its early stages, Absolute kept the trial and its findings in the headlines and generated several pieces of valuable coverage in the commercial fleet trade press.
