When Varta wanted to launch a new flashlight, we knew such an object is not very interesting for consumers. So how do you meet the objectives of raising big awareness and generating rapid sales? The answer came right from the product, since Varta flashlight was really special: It was indestructible. So in order to make a memorable launch, our strategy was to challenge the indestructibility of our product.

We did everything and encouraged everyone to destroy it: from celebrities to journalists, bloggers, key opinion leaders and, of course, consumers. We reached these targets through a complex PR and Social Media campaign, including general and niched publications, blogs, social networks (Facebook, Twitter), online communities, events.The outcome was that the product’s relevance expanded by successfully positioning it not only as a useful tool for specialists, but also as a cool gadget for anybody.In terms of output, we reached over 4m people. 10,000 people actively participated in our campaign. We had a 6:1 Return on Investment and thousands of indestructible flashlights sold, as client’s sales grew 10% more than initially expected.This communication campaign was considered by journalists and bloggers 'the best and most daring product launch campaign of 2011'.

The campaign started with a 2-week teasing period. Journalists and bloggers were invited to meet 'the Indestructible', who confronted the 3 most powerful men in Romania. The teaser quickly spread online on blogs, Facebook and Twitter, where it generated tons of rumours.

The flashlight was revealed during a totally unexpected launch event, in which the warriors tried to bend it with huge tongs, passed it through fire, punched it with metal baseball bats and hit it with a hacker.

Many bloggers and journalists did wild tests on their own and shared them with consumers. The most read blogger in Romania organised a huge 'destroy' contest on his blog. Only after the word spread everywhere, we targeted the natural target: professionals or wildlife lovers in their niched communities, through product tests and contests.

We also had a strong crisis plan, in case the flashlight broke. Naturally, it didn’t.

Our great campaign had great results:- 4,140,700 people were reached (triple the initial objective)- 71 consistent, dedicated media materials - TV news, printed and online press (200% more than expected)- 40 complex stories on blogs (300% more than expected) - Hundreds of comments on blog posts, hundreds of tweets containing the campaign’s official hashtag #theindestructible- Thousands of 'likes', 'shares', pictures and videos - Over 10,000 people actively engaged with our campaign (double what was initially planned)- Return on investment 6:1- Exceeding 10+% client’s sales expectations: from 4,500 to 5,000 flashlights.