To successfully launch the Gizmo brand and service in Australia and highlight the brand as the leading home technology support service designed to help consumers bring their computers and digital gear to life.

The Sauce Agency was engaged to launch Gizmo to the Australian market in August 2006 and over a 12 month period executed a seven-city, go-to-market plan, beginning with the brand launch and initial service offering in Sydney. The Sauce Agency also managed communication during Gizmo’s acquisition of Melbourne-based business ‘Nerds for Hire.’

At the time of launch, Gizmo’s service offering represented a significant gap in the market for consumers in the home. The Sauce Agency used consumer market research, Gizmo trials and executive profiling to kick start a dialogue with technology, consumer and lifestyle media. This resulting coverage not only encouraged consumer take-up of the service, but engaged potential business partners building strong relationships to help establish Gizmo’s profile in the lead up to further announcements and brand activities.

In the months to follow, The Sauce Agency increased Gizmo’s media presence with the announcement of its service partnership with Microsoft and additional industry relationships with vendors including AAPT, Toshiba, Primus and Virgin Mobile. Additionally, a series of media roundtable luncheons were coordinated with key women’s consumer, men’s consumer, technology and home/ lifestyle media encouraging a broader media footprint across relevant niches.

The Sauce Agency has now successfully managed Gizmo’s expansion across Australia, conducting launch activities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and The Gold Coast.

The Gizmo launch-to-market campaign assisted Gizmo, a start-up company in 2006, to become a recognised resource for home technology support within the first six months. The 12 month campaign demonstrated that PR activity directly led to positive business outcomes, with an overall increase in service sales and traffic site spikes through positive media coverage.

Extensive national media coverage was achieved in leading broadcast, print and online media outlets including Triple M, 2UE, 2GB, Channel 7, The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Herald Sun.

The Sauce Agency extended Gizmo’s reach beyond the technology audience achieving widespread media coverage in leading consumer and home and lifestyle publications including Voyeur, Home Beautiful, Cosmopolitan, Real Living, Notebook and Alpha Magazine. To view a snapshot of media coverage achieved in the campaign period, please visit http://www.gizmo.com.au/about/inthenews.html.