EksoSuccess18

Case Study

In autumn 2011, Ekso Bionics, developer and manufacturer of an “wearable” walking robot for use in medical rehabilitation, decided to enter the German market. For this purpose, the US-American company appointed Weissenbach PR to organize and conduct a kick-off press conference in Munich.

Challenge

The company and exoskeleton technology in general were also largely unknown to specialist journalists in Germany. The effort to present this approach in a concise way and to persuade journalists was accordingly high.

Objective of the customer

Organization of a press conference in Munich including event management on site

Presence of approximately 15 journalists (both specialist editors of medical, rehabilitation and health care magazines as well as editors of leading general media)

PR successes of the press conference at a glance

Attending journalists (incl. TV and broadcast)

TV coverage in nationwide newscasts

Radio features

Print coverage

Online coverage in trade and general press

On the day of the press conference, the Ekso walking robot was the subject of various regional and national news broadcasts. For example, ZDF showed a two-minute contribution in its lunchtime programme “heute in deutschland” and repeated the feature in its “wochenjournal”. Sat1 also presented the device in a two-minute feature in the evening. Deutschlandfunk and on the next day Bayern 2 also reported on the Ekso.

Articles about the robot appeared promptly in both the print and online editions of leading trade and consumer magazines such as Ärztezeitung, Handelsblatt, BILD, Münchner Merkur, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Stern. In addition, the trade magazine Orthopädie & Rheuma published a three-page article in its November/December issue. Freizeit Aktuell in December featured the technology more from the human perspective.

After the successful introduction of the walking robot at the end of 2011, Ekso Bionics opted for continuous press activities in the DACH region and continued his cooperation with Weissenbach PR on a more extensive scale.

Case Study

In autumn 2011, Ekso Bionics, developer and manufacturer of an “wearable” walking robot for use in medical rehabilitation, decided to enter the German market. For this purpose, the US-American company appointed Weissenbach PR to organize and conduct a kick-off press conference in Munich.

Challenge

The company and exoskeleton technology in general were also largely unknown to specialist journalists in Germany. The effort to present this approach in a concise way and to persuade journalists was accordingly high.

Objective of the customer

Organization of a press conference in Munich including event management on site

Presence of approximately 15 journalists (both specialist editors of medical, rehabilitation and health care magazines as well as editors of leading general media)

PR successes of the press conference at a glance

After the successful introduction of the walking robot at the end of 2011, Ekso Bionics opted for continuous press activities in the DACH region and continued his cooperation with Weissenbach PR on a more extensive scale.

Goals of the customer

Permanent increase of the visibility of Ekso Bionics in the media

Positioning of the company as an expert for exoskeleton-based rehabilitation

Establishing solid relationships with leading specialist journalists

Highlighting the main differences to the two main competitors Rewalk and HAL

Our focus

Communicating the technologies behind the walking robot

Highlighting the different application scenarios

Cooperations with leading rehabilitation centers and clinics in Germany