Sabre Award

Sabre Awards 2008

Finalist – Best Special Event

Voyage of Discovery

Discovery Channel Europe wanted to communicate changes in the Discovery Channel brand and its appeal to a ‘new generation’ audience by highlighting a selection of new, locally produced, programmes. They wanted to give journalists an opportunity to view the programmes, as well as interview key talent and producers from the series.

Chameleon conceived a three part experiential event format over two days in the Barrandov Film Studios in Prague. The location attracted both journalists to come and was accessible enough for local Discovery PR Managers to pay their local media travel costs.

A ‘Maxi’ stage was designed to immerse the journalists in each of the three promotable programmes, with three groups rotating throughout the day to experience each of the events in turn. This was preceded and concluded by a ‘brand values’ presentation held in a bespoke ‘chill out’ area in the centre of the studio.

Interview suites were created ‘off-event’ in which programme talent could be booked for one-to-one interviews, as well as key production staff from all three programmes.

Journalists from leading lifestyle magazines mixed with those from national dailies, TV listings and specialist interest magazines – all targeted towards the key audience.

This was the first time the Discovery Channel Europe team had undertaken a central event on this scale. Many territories reported back that the event changed perceptions of the brand and the channel and refreshed people’s understanding of Discovery Channel Europe’s aims. The event created a European band of loyal media support was such a success; Chameleon was appointed to work alongside the in-house events team on a second event five months later.

Sabre Awards 2007

Winner - Business-Business, Technology, Multi-country programme

Sensoring the changes

Deepstream is a start-up company with a revolutionary new technology that makes electrical products more intelligent through the use of hi-tech sensory systems.

An unknown company with no clients or track record, Chameleon was tasked with the challenge of raising awareness of Deepstream technologies and positioning it as a leading market innovator; and to make Chief Executive Mark Crosier famous and to support a second round of funding ahead of a possible IPO for the company.

Chameleon focused on a sustained PR campaign concentrating on the company’s technology, expansion and funding. By examining how other 'non-mainstream' technology setups had become successful without an announcement stream, Chameleon began a busy awards programme to fill the news vacuum and enhance reputation of DeepStream and its technology. The programme was supported with a 'sensory press office' that responded to every identified media opportunity.

In ten months there were over 80 key pieces of proactive coverage, yielding almost 1.5m OTS and 12 pieces of coverage in Electronics Weekly - a key target title. There was widespread local coverage of Welsh Office minister's Nick Anger's visit in February 2006 where he praised the company for its innovation. The awards programme yielded the best results with the company featuring in the Welsh Hot 100 (DeepStream is headquarted in Bangor, North Wales), nominated as a Design and Innovation Finalist, becoming an Elektra Start-up of the Year (the electronic industry's Oscars) and the WEF award and Time magazine profile that capped the year's activity. 3i Group plc led an £8.1m second round of funding at the end of September, described as a 'coup' in many sections of the press.

Sabre Technology Awards 2006

Winner - Consumer Marketing (New Product), Technology, United Kingdom

Slf dstrct msgs no lngr ‘Mssn Impssbl’

Staellium UK was a leading covert mobile technology specialist offering a self-destruct communication service. Designed to protect the privacy of high profile customers, StealthMobile allows subscribers to send and receive self-destructing communications.

Chameleon was asked to obtain high profile launch coverage to encourage consumers to sign up for - and use – StealthText. In addition generate business leads and queries from potential partners in the UK and internationally.

By positioning the UK launch of StealthText - self destruct text messages, as a must have for businesses executives, celebrity love rats and those simply wishing to have more control over the information they send, Chameleon captured the imagination of the print, online and broadcast media on a global scale.

In under a week, the launch of StealthText generated 22 pieces of UK national coverage, 15 UK broadcast items and 93 online reports. Respected news site Silicon.com named the launch as one of their top ten news stories of 2005.

Subscriptions to the StealthText service were 65% higher than the already ambitious first week target. A major UK mobile telephone operator made an indirect approach to Staellium to re-brand StealthText and offer it to its subscribers and the company received business enquiries from over 30 different territories.