News

RC Finalist in 2007 CNET Awards

Published - Tuesday, 24 July, 2007

Ranieri Communications has been selected as a finalist with client Moixa Energy in the category of UK Technology PR Campaign of the Year for the CNET Networks UK Business Technology Awards 2007.

Ranieri Communications, a PR and marketing agency with a solid reputation in IT and consumer PR, entered the awards with Moixa Energy for the ‘Perfect Storm’ campaign for the launch of the innovative USBCELL flip-top rechargeable battery. Invented and manufactured by green technology innovator Moixa Energy, the USBCELL launch heralds a new category of rechargeable batteries that recharge by plugging into a USB port without the need for a separate charger or cable.

The campaign focused around creating a Perfect Storm of awareness between traditional press outlets in the UK, online communications and Moixa Energy international communications and launch announcement in the USA to traditional US media outlets including USA Today.  

The result combined to create a buzz that spread rapidly across the web as a perfect example of how the blogosphere can work as a resonator of good ideas and  triggered a wave of online and coverage in the mainstream press, propelling www.USBCELL.com to become the 2460th most visited website in the world (under an Alexa rating) within 48 hours and reach to over 100 countries over the first few weeks.
The hundreds of clippings included pieces in most of the nationals, in online titles like engadget.co.uk, BBC Online and Guardian Unlimited, and a range of magazines from GQ and Stuff through to Macworld, PC Advisor and What Mobile, as well as international press on a front page of USA Today, CNET and in WSJ and most major international technology and innovation blogs.

Pietro Ranieri, founder and managing director of Ranieri Communications, commented: “We are very proud of what has been achieved with the Moixa Energy campaign. Our dedicated team worked extremely hard on creating the build-up around the product and then realising widespread coverage. We are all eagerly anticipating the verdict of the CNET judges on 24th September.”

Simon Daniel, Founder and CEO of Moixa Energy, commented: “We selected Ranieri Communications to support our Perfect Storm announcement of an ideal viral product – USBCELL - that is visual, innovative, eco-friendly and self-explaining across the web as it was essential to make sure we had effective communications to support the traditional media and grass roots gadget press for blanket coverage of the UK IT and gadget press. We also chose Ranieri based on their experience of running successful technology launches and press tour of a previous Moixa licensed technology – ‘The PDA Folding Keyboard’, which itself sold over 2 million units.

“We also targeted US technology press outlets such as CNET and a PR Newswire list, resulting in a significant amplification of the global attention wave, the WSJ commented on the global effect even in USA being far more significant in impact terms when compared with say the $10m spent by Panasonic in North America on promoting one of their battery technologies.”