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Hein Gericke
Hein Gericke, a long-established German company, was purchased by an American company several years ago. Despite the fact that the name is well known both among motorcyclists, who are the main target group, and in the population as a whole, the brand was seen by the majority as being antiquated, unexciting and uninspired.
What was needed was a PR campaign, combined with advertising, POS and internet, which would add an emotive quality to the image of the Hein Gericke brand and which would reclaim the trust of the motorcyclists. The theme of authenticity (“FEEL THE RIDE”) was the unifying theme for all online and PR measures: from agenda setting to visits to the editorial rooms of various media, form sweepstakes all the way to company portraits in which the Hein Gericke employees who themselves ride motorcycles are the centre of attention. A more intense interaction between the motorcyclists and Hein Gericke is ensured through the creation of an online community. The community tips and recommendations that are gathered here are used for the media work and directly involve the motorcyclists The involvement of prominent motorcyclist further serves to make Hein Gericke authentic and moves the company emotionally closer to the motorcyclist target group.
This makes it possible to effectively place Hein Gericke in the lifestyle and daily media and to increase its emotional value. Within the first six months public affairs achieved a coverage of more than 10 million contacts, one of the factors that lead to a substantial increase in the sales of Hein Gericke in the first quarter of 2008.
