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Walker Sands Helps Location-Based  Job App Become a Runawa y Hit  with iPhone Users Walker Sands established a timeline for AirRun’s launch, suggesting that AirRun rst perform a beta test of the app to work out bugs before ocially launching to the public. In the meantime, Walker Sands conducted a comprehensive competitive analysis on emerging competitors who were set to launch after AirRun. Walker Sands also began immediately tapping into relationships with technology reporters, bloggers, and other mainstream media outlets to establish the best way to position AirRun, and then crafted the startup’s messaging. Because AirRun benets two separate audiences – “Runners” and “Seekers” – Walker Sands was tasked with highlighting the most important benets of each and positioning AirRun in a way that The Solution: AirRun came to Walker Sands with a mobile app that had not yet been released to the public. The company was in the midst of nalizing the iPhone version of the app and wanted to launch it before the peer-to-peer commerce space became overly saturated. AirRun sought a way to spread the word to consumers across the globe and establish credibility to potential investors. AirRun consisted of four childhood friends in the midst of bootstrapping their entire operation.  They needed a way to gain early traction in the market through new user downloads while building the credibili ty needed to attract additional investment capital. AirRun specically needed to increase awareness among consumers to show them that a service such as AirRun could be extremely useful a number of situations in life. The Problem: AirRun is an iPhone app that simplies day-to-day tasks by connecting users in a location-based community job hub. AirRun transforms the experience of personal commerce by enabling users to outsource jobs of all types and sizes, from deliveries to projects to items, while providing a multitude of job oppor tunities to those looking for work. The iPhone application connects a community of “Seekers” and “Runners” in order to facilitate these transactions. Program Highl ights :  161 million impressions  10,000 downloads  500 jobs completed in rst three months  Coverage highlights: Mashable, Wired, CNN M oney, Sacramento Bee, Denver Post, MSN Tech & Gadgets, Austin Business Journal, Dallas Morning News, Fox Business, Social Times, Yahoo! News, All Things Digital, Tech Cocktail, IntoMobile, UK & Australian coverage Public Relations Case Study Walker Sands Communications 121 N. Jeferson St., Chicago, IL www.WalkerSands.com • (3 12) 267-0066

AirRun PR Case Study

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would showcase those benefits: What is the most noteworthy

aspect of AirRun? What would make someone want to use AirRun?What problem(s) does AirRun solve? From there, Walker Sands was

able to craft an initial launch announcement that highlighted the

features that made AirRun unique.

 The first big global PR push announcing AirRun was timed to go

out at the same time that the app was available in the Apple App

Store. This was done in order to satisfy an immediate demand:

AirRun wanted consumers to be able to download the app as soon

as they heard about it.

Walker Sands formulated a strategy to conduct highly targeted

media outreach to early technology adopters, as well as localized

outreach to individual markets across the country to let consumers

know the app was coming to their town. The goal was to hit the

early adopter crowd in the high tech spaces, while still reaching the

everyday consumer media in mainstream press.

 Throughout the next month, Walker Sands focused on continual

media outreach to keep the momentum going. Emphasis was

placed on demonstrating ways in which the app could be used

so that journalists could make a real world connection to AirRun.

Walker Sands also set up interviews between the media and

AirRun’s founder so that he was able to share his unique story: how

an idea he was forced to come up with to avoid failing an iPhone

development class in college resulted in a successful iPhone app

startup company.

Additionally, Walker Sands worked with AirRun to find app

users to act as spokespeople in cities across the country. Walker

Sands coordinated interviews between the reporters, AirRunspokespeople, and AirRun’s founder to add another dimension to

the stories written about AirRun.

Walker Sands continued this snowball effect of media

outreach to help grow AirRun’s user base. The results of

these efforts were extremely successful in such a short

period of time.

The Solution (continued):Within just two months, Walker Sands achieved over 161 million

impressions for AirRun. There were over 10,000 downloads 

and about 500 jobs completed during that time.

AirRun’s media coverage ranged from mainstream media outletsto top-tier technology blogs. Some of the outlets include:

Mashable, Wired, CNN Money, Sacramento Bee, Denver Post, MSN

 Tech & Gadgets, Austin Business Journal, Dallas Morning News,

Fox Business, Social Times, Yahoo! News, All Things Digital, Tech

Cocktail, IntoMobile, as well as global coverage in the UK and

Australia.

Initial traction of their concept had been demonstrated and the

coverage from top media outlets has led to several key investor

meetings. Today the app continues to grow and expand and

several hyper local marketing campaigns are underway.

Results:

Need PR that deliversreal business results?

Contact us: 312-267-0066

“The goal was to hit the earlyadopter crowd in the high tech

spaces, while still reaching theeveryday consumer media inmainstream press.” 

Walker Sands Communications  • 121 N. Jeferson St., Chicago, IL www.WalkerSands.com  • (312) 267-0066