Public Relations

Case Study: Webshots

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Scope:
When the co-founders of Webshots re-acquired their company from Excite@Home, Vineberg Communications was retained to manage business, trade and consumer media  and analyst relations.


Objectives:

  • + Position Webshots as the industry leader among photo sites.
  • + Drive consumer subscriptions.
  • + Increase the perceived value of Webshots as a privately held company.
  • + Overcome dot-com skepticism.



Strategies:

  • + Create Category: The category was dominated by post and print sites due to sustained public relations outreach by companies in the online photo sector, including Kodak’s Ofoto and Shutterfly. As a result, the industry measured category success by photo-finishing sales. We set out to convince analysts and editors that Webshots’ metrics, which favored digital image interaction, community and photo sharing, reflected a more accurate measure of the digital image marketplace and should, instead, be used to measure company success. We created a new category for Webshots to lead — the image network category — and introduced Webshots’ favorable metrics and business model to editors and analysts.
  • + Build Brand Presence: When we launched Webshots, brand awareness among editors and analysts was low because Webshots was a former Excite@Home subsidiary and bundled in with their other offerings. We reintroduced the company’s principals, services, features, business model, positioning and growth plans.
  • + Promote the array of image offerings: We launched a consumer outreach campaign to promote the full array of Webshots’ features and services. This included outreach to major dailies, wire services, magazines and radio/TV programs.



    • Results:


    • + Exposures: We were successful in penetrating all key print, electronic and analyst  media with the Webshots story, including coverage in over 100 major newspapers, magazines and TV stations, including: The Associated Press, Bloomberg News,  Washington Post, LA Times, San Diego Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose  Mercury News, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, USA Today, Business Week, Fox- TV,  CNN and online media. Radio and TV placements included Tech TV, Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline, and TV broadcast news shows in the top 30 markets.
  • + Nielsen/NetRatings issued a report that ranked Webshots as the #1 photo sharing site.
  • + The Future Image Report published a major article that affirmed both Webshots’ #1 category position and the efficacy of its business model.
  • + Industry Ranking: Exalted Webshots to the #1 position, with page view and membership metrics exceeding MSN, AOL, Yahoo, SONY, WalMart, Ofoto, Shutterfly, and others. Webshots is also ranked globally among the top 75 Web sites.
  • + Customer Subscriptions: Doubled customer subscriptions from 12 to 24 million users in the first year. Webshots logs approximately 150,000 new subscribers per week.
  • + Acquisition: Webshots was acquired by CNET culminating a PR campaign just short of two years.



    • “Vineberg Communications was able to bring a polished, professional and hands-on approach to our public relations objectives. They have provided clear and consistent execution and results. In just one year, the perception of Webshots has gone from one of a dot-com story to a clear category leader.”


    -Narendra Rocherolle, Founder and co-CEO, Webshots

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