Angela March Aug 27, 2021 2 min read
Launching New Zealand’s first charity broadband provider
Encouraging Kiwis to feel good about their fibre
Launching into a competitive market is never easy. Disrupting a competitive market with an entirely new business model is even more difficult. When we launched New Zealand’s first charity broadband provider, YelloHalo, we needed to find a way to use media relations to differentiate them from existing broadband providers and find a story that would resonate with hardworking Kiwis.
Real authenticity is one of the best marketing currencies but in an Instagram age, it can be difficult to find. From the moment we first spoke to New Zealand’s first charity broadband provider, YelloHalo, we knew that they had authenticity in spades.
The company was the brainchild of CEO Graeme Blake who still remembers the sheer terror he felt when his, then six-day-old, daughter stopped breathing. Feeling completely helpless and unsure what to do, he says that the calm actions of the ambulance workers who arrived in response to their 111 call saved his little girls life.
Five years on and Graeme and wife Julie decided to launch YelloHalo as a way to give back to those who they consider unsung heroes.
By sharing the personal story behind the brand, we ensured that people were at the centre of our PR strategy in the same way that people are at the heart of the YelloHalo business model. An integrated approach, we worked closely with PAN to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.
The results? The YelloHalo story was told across digital, print, TV and radio with highlights including TV One’s Good Sorts as well as national coverage on Stuff, Idealog, Kia Ora Magazine and consumer radio stations including The Rock, The Hits and More FM. Utilising media helped the brand build credibility as a serious, but purpose-driven player.
The true story captured the hearts and minds of New Zealanders while driving sign-ups to the broadband service.
