Videos help educate teens about Master Lock's speed-dial series

Master Lock (Milwaukee)

JSH&A Public Relations (Chicago)

The Secret Combination to Surviving the Teen Years

April-September 2010

$110,000

As back-to-school season neared, Master Lock wanted to promote its new speed- dial combination locks to students, especially busy teens. "Based on what we hear, students are time starved," says Rebecca Smith, VP of marketing for Master Lock.

The company already has brand equity and awareness, but there was a need to justify the higher price point of the new lock, she adds. "We saw a need to leverage unique marketing elements."

Master Lock tapped JSH&A Public Relations to build and implement a multi-faceted media and online community-focused campaign. "They were open to new ideas," says Jim Kokoris, president and GM of the firm. "You're never sure how it will work on social media."

The agency produced 10 videos, each featuring the new lock in a humorous school scenario, and posted them on Master Lock's website. Viewers could find clues in each video answering the question, "What is the secret combination to surviving the teen years?" Viewers submitted their answers through the website to win prizes.

Master Lock and JSH&A set up a teen blogger panel to discuss the locks and promote the video series, which was buttressed with updates via Facebook. They also reached out to mommy bloggers.

The video series received 36,000-plus views on YouTube and on the Master Lock website from August 2-30. The Master Lock video page itself garnered in excess of 67,000 visits.

The contest drew more than 13,000 entries, and the new speed-dial lock was featured in a Wired write-up on August 24.

"This was a huge number of hits for us," Smith says. Master Lock will now build upon the community it has cultivated in the social media space.