Orbbec creates and manufactures a range of 3D and AI vision sensors.
A listed company, it offers a wide range of vision-focused products that span structured light, stereo vision, time-of-flight (ToF), and LiDAR technologies. These solutions have applications in a host of industries, including robotics, logistics, manufacturing, 3D scanning, retail, health technology and fitness, as well as media and entertainment.
Founded in 2013, its products reach over 100 countries globally and it has its own manufacturing bases to work with OEMs to create custom and embedded designs for robots. Its robot production capacity exceeds one million per year.
Orbbec, a leader in 3D vision systems, had generated inconsistent cut-through with media and was looking for a new PR agency partner to make a breakthrough with journalists for a crucial collaboration announcement with Microsoft. The company creates 3D cameras, sensors and software that enables devices to recognize and perceive objects and movements, a perfect fit for Wise Up PR’s significant sensor and deep tech experience.
Orbbec has built a strong product portfolio and while being a leading name in 3D technology in Asia (where it is often the first brand that comes to mind) its brand awareness and credibility in the US and Europe had yet to reach the same level. The collaboration with Microsoft provided a pivotal opportunity to change that. With Wise Up PR’s expertise, Orbbec aimed to leverage this partnership to build its reputation and expand its presence in these key markets.
Beyond this mission-critical announcement, Orbbec was also seeking an effective press office function that could regularly place insightful thought leadership and Q&A articles, across a host of Orbbec’s key customer segments, including sensors, robotics, logistics, healthtech, retail and consumer.
After working together for a number of months, Orbbec also wished to target and activate the hard-to-reach developer community through influencer marketing.
Wise Up PR was well positioned to make Orbbec’s collaboration announcement with Microsoft a resounding success due to its existing and significant experience working with sensor clients across many industries. This meant the team was able to shortcut the ramp-up by having in place existing media relationships it could activate for this announcement and make it a success.
Beyond this starting point, the team put in place a PR strategy and plan revolving around a robust pipeline of news, supported by regular placement of thought leadership and Q&As for Orbbec’s bench of spokespeople, again, relying on its extensive media knowledge and links to a host of journalists.
Wise Up PR also kicked off a full influencer in-kind plan (i.e. not paid for), including a multi-month strategy, which included detailed recommendations for the program, an expansive influencer target list, as well as an execution plan to target these influencers with the right approach at the right time.
The influencer outreach was timed to coincide with the biggest consumer electronics show in the world, CES. In this way, media and influencer relations were combined at a key point for Orbbec, meaning Wise Up PR could maximize its impact at the show across all channels.
In addition, Orbbec has repeatedly returned to work with Wise Up PR for a wide range of its most important announcements, highlighting how our agency builds long-term relationships with our clients.
293 Articles
Coverage secured in top business, technology, electronics, robotics and sensor publications.
11.2 Million
Estimated audience that viewed the coverage generated.
48
Aggregate Domain Authority (DA) score of the publications which published.
817.8 Million
Combined audience that are unique monthly visitors (UMVs) to the media outlets that covered Orbbec stories.
351,000
Coverage that was viewed via social posts accompanying media articles.
11,100
Organic social posts prompted by the launch media placements.
Wise Up PR assisted Orbbec to substantially grow its visibility, for its partnerships and products, across its ideal customer profile (ICP) within robotics, electronics and sensors, through an integrated media and influencer relations campaign. In summary, a total of 293 articles with media were published, viewed by an estimated audience of 11.2 million. Standout pieces of earned media coverage were secured within The Verge, Forbes, Robot Report, Robotics 24/7 and other prominent publications, with an average domain authority (DA) of 48. In tandem with this, a successful purely in-kind influencer work stream secured four partnerships, extending Orbbec’s reach into developer communities.
“Orbbec’s brand awareness in the US and Europe has been transformed thanks to working with Wise Up PR. They provided exceptional media and influencer relations results during a crucial time for us, including a collaboration with Microsoft and a product launch at CES. They are a team of sensor and deep tech experts who can be trusted to not only get your brand and industry but also get the job done.”
Deep tech, like LiDAR or other sensors, typically has many different applications spanning a variety of industries. This fact should really influence your media outreach plan and you should thoroughly audit the media landscape to ensure that when you do pitch something like a press release, you can go very broad, but relevant to your key audiences. This approach adds serious volumes of media coverage to your outreach.
Deep tech isn’t easy to explain or understand in many cases. For any content or media relations campaign for a deep tech brand, you have to simplify and explain in clear language what a piece of technology does, why it matters and what data points highlight the difference it can make. Guided by these three pillars, you can then build content that speaks beyond your highly knowledgeable core audience, can go broader with your media outreach and likely generate much more mainstream coverage for your deep tech brand.
For deep tech product launches, if you don’t have high-quality product images, your chances of securing quality media coverage are at risk. It seems extremely basic, but some brands still struggle to provide media with such core assets. Often for highly technical products, images set the scene for a journalist’s story, while also acting as a way to drive clicks for publishers. Without interesting, high-quality images, media can flat out decline to cover your product launch. Given the amount of work you’ve likely put into getting to such a point in a product launch, invest time and resources in getting images that media need.
Where once influencer outreach was seen solely as a consumer tactic for brands, deep tech companies should incorporate B2B influencer programs into their PR approach if their product is appropriate. Often influencers, especially within hard-to-reach audiences, like developers, can influence audiences that traditional B2B media may not have a following with. In the case of Orbbec, we successfully landed a wide range of in-depth reviews of their 3D cameras, showing that there is a definite appetite amongst B2B influencers to get their hands on and try out quite technical products for their YouTube channels, Substacks and more.
