Highlights: July 2023

1. The 25th anniversary of the press release announcing a new Silicon Valley office for Wall Street Communications, the founding agency of Dundee Hills Group, passed quietly on July 8. It might have passed unnoticed altogether had I not been rearranging the contents of some three-ring binders in the hope of finding a new home for my collection of chicken recipes, which for personal reasons are taking a hiatus.

It was my thought to scan in all the random items in this particular binder so the originals could be recycled and the sheet protectors now protecting them put to use as protection for non-chicken recipes. But I hesitate; the Wall Street Communications letterhead is printed on such lovely textured paper. If the original is discarded, subsequent generations will find it hard to believe what nice stationery we had 25 years ago and how pleasant it was to hold a sheet of it in one's hand.

Craft: Ingredients for Successful Product Launches

By Bob Decker

In the past several weeks the Redpines team has been focused on product launches for several of our clients. In fact, there's been so much activity around product launches that I've been thinking up new ways to track it all. While every client is different, the process of launching a new product from our point of view is nearly always going to include the following:

• A completed briefing sheet, questionnaire, "platform," or other document that goes beyond the product's specifications to explain what problem it's solving for customers, why they should care, and how it compares to products like it on the market
• A sharp, simple, well-lit photo of the product
• Content on the client's website about the product that includes a way to learn more, get a demo, or order samples
• Outreach content created specifically to be served up to these audiences
• Inside sales and channel partners — who normally should be the first to know when a new product is hitting the market
• Anybody who's ever reached out to the company before indicating an interest in this type of product
• The media and influencers interested in new products in the client's industry
• The client's social media followers and anyone the company would like to have as a social media follower
• The company's investors, if it's a public company

Of course, there are so many other ways to talk about a new product—videos, podcasts, infographics, webinars, and so forth—but you always want to be sure the basics listed above are done as well (and done first). 

Looking for more helpful ideas about successful product launches? I invite you to download Redpines' Product Launch Checklist, which goes into more detail on the key ingredients of a successful launch. 

Highlights: June 2023

By Bob Decker

1. The Posifa Technologies team had an excellent show at Sensors Converge in Santa Clara, where their messaging about hydrogen sensors for EV battery management systems and refrigerant leaks in HVAC systems fit right in with what (along with AI) stood out as cutting edge and different about this year's expo. The Redpines team is so grateful to have worked with them on promoting their presence at the show and creating some simple but actually very effective signage. 

2. Alliance Memory continues to be incredibly successful in growing its business, as evidenced by a string of appointments to newly created positions, including Korea and Taiwan country managers and a head of business development for Europe, all announced between the end of May and the end of June. Meanwhile, there are some very exciting product announcements set to roll in July.

3. Vancouver's Chinatown is a great place to be a digital nomad, particularly when you have day after day of sunny weather. My Airbnb on Georgia Street near the corner of Main was on the same block as Massy Books, a short walk to an amazing tapas place, and a five minute run to False Creek, which has a continuous path (thoughtfully separated into pedestrian and bicycle lanes) along its shoreline. One day I ran to the right, one day I ran to the left, for which the turnaround point (at 2 miles) is shown in the photo.