Overview
Gemvara came to marlo marketing in the spring of 2011, a few months after it had changed its business model from a B2B custom jewelry technology company to a direct-to-consumer jewelry e-tailer, and appointed its founder, Matt Lauzon, as CEO. Prior to working with marlo, the company had gone through two technology-focused PR agencies. The company had no OOP or advertising budget and lacked any brand recognition.
Assignment
Our marching orders were significant. marlo marketing was not only tasked with driving online sales for an expensive product that was traditionally bought in-store, but also with presenting Gemvara as a rapidly-growing, “must-watch” company with major plans to turn the archaic jewelry industry upside down.
Strategy
- Position the young CEO/founder as a rising star in consumer tech – a leader of the new “me-commerce” concept – to grab the attention of VC and key influencers for fundraising purposes.
- Develop the unknown idea of “me-commerce” into a concept understood and adopted by the tech and larger business communities.
- Within limitations of a start-up’s marketing budget, focus on pure cut-and-dried earned media relations, giving equal attention to two very different media segments: business/technology and fashion/accessories.
- Focus on the quality, craftsmanship, customization and savings (as a result of direct-to-consumer sales) as the drivers for product placement. However, because of the high cost of the product as well as production lead-times, the traditional practice of sending samples to the media proved challenging, requiring our creativity and can-do attitude to shine through to ensure no missed opportunities.
Results
Media coverage helped to generate 1 million site visits in Q4 2011, beating almost every internal projection
$25M raised in funding; CEO attributed his ease of raising four rounds of funding to his enhanced profile
Gemvara made Forbes list of “America’s Most Promising Private Companies”
