Tech specifications in a press release are forgettable. To maintain and deepen relationships with the UK’s most influential media, I was tasked with bringing a global handset brand’s partnership with Roland-Garros to life. The objective was to move the product out of the "tech gadget" category and position it as an essential luxury lifestyle item on one of the world’s most prestigious sporting stages.

The Strategy

I moved away from the "hard sell" and focused on high-utility immersion. I hand-selected a delegation of Top-Tier editors from the UK’s leading fashion, lifestyle, and business publications for an exclusive press residency in Paris. Instead of lecturing them on the phone’s features, I put the device in their hands during the tournament.

We leaned into a single, undeniable USP: the 50x Ultra-Zoom function. By allowing journalists to capture the action on the clay courts from the stands with professional-grade clarity, the product proved its own value. This allowed us to land the brand's key messaging through organic experience rather than a scripted pitch, successfully bridging the gap between high-tech capability and high-fashion lifestyle.

The Result

By embedding the brand within the culture of Roland-Garros, we secured long-term advocacy from the UK’s most gate-kept publications. The residency successfully shifted the handset from a tech commodity to a lifestyle essential, evidenced by the high-authority attendance and subsequent coverage from Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, GQ, Wired, and The Times. This high-caliber engagement solidified the brand's reputation at the intersection of technology and luxury.