Shokz

Communicating the benefits of open-ear listening for all day comfort and situational awareness

Shokz is a consumer electronics brand known for being the world’s leading pioneer in wireless open-ear headphones, having expanded its global footprint into over 60 countries and regions and selling over seven million pairs of headphones internationally.

Unlike traditional noise-cancelling ear-buds, which sit in your ear canal and block out external sounds, the latest product release from the brand – OpenFit – is built around the ear and leaves the inner ear open for all-day comfort. The signature design was developed to let listeners stay engaged with the world, even while immersed in their own playlists, and to also allow them to maintain situational awareness and safety.

We were brought on board to launch OpenFit to the UK market and raise awareness of Shokz’s first move into air conduction technology, expanding on its well established bone conduction sport headphones. We focused on the new acoustic technology integrated into the product, DirectPitch, educating media about the sound waves that are sent into the ear through air conduction, so instead of the inner ear being vibrated, it is the air.

To get the product into the hands of key journalists, we set up review pieces with top tier media outlets including Men’s Health, T3, Stuff, Women’s Health, Women’s Running, ShortList and Evening Standard.

The emphasis on education was crucial to this process, especially with new technology and innovation that had been developed for this product launch. Key messages were packaged up in a media friendly way and shared with anyone reviewing the product to help inform the messaging included in their write-ups.

To support the reviews coverage, we actively pitched in feature angles to national and consumer media, including summer holiday essentials, best fitness gear after the clocks go back, and a London Marathon kit guide. Feature coverage has been secured with publications including Mail On Sunday, Mail Online, Daily Telegraph, GQ, T3 and The Run Testers.

Black Friday was a key sales moment for Shokz, and preparation was key to our success. We made sure that ecommerce writers were briefed on Shokz’s deals well in advance, supplying them with clear overviews of the discounts on offer and high-res imagery.

We secured 35 pieces in total, across national, consumer and health and fitness media. Standout placements included Men’s Health, Stuff, Men’s Fitness, TechRadar, Runner’s World, The Independent and Evening Standard.