GE Appliances
Advantium™ Launch
Disciplines: Publicity
Background:
GE Appliances perfected a revolutionary cooking process that used halogen lights and microwaves to cook foods up to eight times faster than conventional ovens. GE’s main rival, Maytag, was poised to introduce its own hot air rapid cook oven. GE charged New West with planning and executing a national launch of its product, called Advantium, before any rival could come to market.
Objectives:
- Establish GE as the Speedcook oven innovator and leader.
- Establish superiority of light-cooking technology over air-cooking technology.
- Create media interest and demand for information.
- Create pre-order demand with builders.
Strategies:
- New West developed and produced three separate events to take advantage of the National Association of Home Builders show. Two were targeted to the media: 1) an elegant preview dinner/presentation to the 15 top trade and consumer media, and 2) a breakfast/booth presentation during the second day of the show for other media.
- A multi-media presentation, using video and PowerPoint, was developed and produced for a gathering of 1,200 select homebuilders. Live demonstrations throughout the run of the convention provided Advantium_prepared appetizers for 70,000 convention attendees.
- The national media campaign included a video news release and national media tour. In addition, targeted media were invited to GE Appliance Park in Louisville for hands-on
cooking demonstrations.
Results:
- GE’s AdvantiumTM oven was singled out as the highlight of the show in trade journals covering the NAHB.
- It was selected as a Best New Product by Popular Science.
- Advantium was featured in the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, on the TODAY Show, CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and hundreds of other publications and broadcast outlets — the VNR reached approximately 6 million homes.
- GE’s launch gave rise to articles touting the benefits of halogen light technology versus hot air technology.
- Builder pre-orders far exceeded GE’s expectations.
- GE publicly announced that the Advantium launch was the most successful in the history of the company.
- This success prompted Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, to earmark additional funds for a second launch.
