Knowles Empowers Consumer and Drives OEM Innovation with Multi-Channel Campaign
“These are seriously good earbuds with the potential to reproduce hi-res music wirelessly and with an extended frequency response, thanks to the Knowles balanced armatures and Preferred Listening Response Curve.”
– Mark Sparrow Contributor, Forbes
Scope
PR + Media Relations
Digital + Social
Content Programs
Consulting + Strategy
Campaign Highlights
Over 260 consumer-facing earned media mentions for Knowles research and component technologies in less than two years.
Expansive consumer audience reach, with tier-one and mainstream inclusions in VICE, Forbes, Digital Trends, Wirecutter, Medium, Popular Mechanics, TechCrunch, Engadget, CNET, Android Authority, Trusted Reviews, Slashgear, and MUO
Over 1,800 qualified leads from consumer technology OEMs in the first five months.
The Client: Knowles
Knowles is a market leader and global provider of advanced micro-acoustic, audio processing, and precision device solutions. Knowles has been among the most well-established pioneers in personal audio innovation for over 70 years. From inventing balanced armatures to improve sound quality for early hearing aids to designing the small-but-mighty receivers and MEMS microphones driving today’s most coveted earbud designs, the brand is a trusted partner for leading hearing health and audio brands at the forefront of exceptional sound design.
While Knowles technology is concealed within final end-user products, working behind the scenes and out of sight, Knowles invests in delivering on consumer expectations. Its engineers leverage their research to help leading TWS brands deliver the best sound possible. Notably, in 2022, Knowles completed a study to identify the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve, which expands on previous theories around frequency range preferences and provides recommendations for designing the best TWS earbuds for those likings.
The Challenge
Today’s true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud designs transform what’s possible for music listening. New driver configurations, microphone combinations, codecs, and algorithms enable brands to deliver advanced features like high-res streaming, active noise canceling, and hearing personalization. This innovation has quickly saturated the market with consumer choice: Selecting the best earbud is no longer about brand recognition but rather experience and versatility, leaving consumers sifting through technical jargon to find the best sound.
Knowles is uniquely positioned to help: As a leading provider of balanced armature receivers and MEMS microphones, its technology is at the forefront of modern wireless earbud innovation, responsible for the balanced armature receivers that bring exceptional treble range to many of today’s highest-performing TWS audio designs developed in partnership with industry-leading brands. Plus, with their recently released Preferred Listening Response Curve, Knowles experts knew what consumers wanted and the complexities of the evolving market to consumers.
The challenge was awareness: As an ingredient brand liaising with OEMs, Knowles had little clout with the end users. The brand’s products work behind the scenes, concealed within earbuds. Knowles needed a strategy that enabled them to advance their research while educating and pulling consumers. With the earbud market in full swing, Caster worked to design a multi-channel strategy that would bolster support for Knowles manufacturing partners in a competitive market and help consumers understand the complexities of earbud design, including the technologies inside, and choose the best, most personalized listening experiences available.
“ I learned from researching Knowles that balanced armature drivers use tiny magnets to center the audio signal in order to bypass any unwanted resonances, leading to way higher fidelity, detail, and overall sound quality than regular ol’ drivers.”
– Adam Rothbarth, Contributor, VICE Media
The Solution
Caster worked closely with Knowles’s sound engineers and product teams to design a multi-faceted, long-term campaign strategy:
Unveil the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve to OEMs.
Align the Knowles brand with authoritative TWS manufacturers.
Empower consumers to understand how Knowles technology creates exceptional listening experiences in various contexts.
The plan involved a press release cadence with renowned audio brands featuring Knowles components in their products – beginning with JH Audio and Astell & Kern and later expanding to include Edifier, JLab, and more. As Knowles gained traction in alignment with these brands, Caster also planned to debut the Knowles Preferred Listening Response Curve and accompanying whitepaper, demonstrating the brand’s expertise and commitment to premium sound innovation.
Caster used a two-pronged brand leadership strategy: The team targeted technical and engineering trades, emphasizing new design considerations and consumer demands to elevate the Knowles Curve. Then, Caster developed consumer-friendly messaging aligned with the releases to position the news to tech journalists, then expanded conversations through SME briefings about how TWS designs can enhance user experiences.
Caster deployed an organic LinkedIn campaign to introduce consumers to earphone design concepts and technical specs. Simultaneously, a paid campaign strategy was designed to drive leads to the whitepaper, encouraging TWS OEMS to understand consumer preferences and inform future TWS design.
Caster incorporated these campaigns into its earned media strategy, too, elevating the Preferred Listening Response Curve research and experts from Knowles with contributed articles, Q&As, and quotes. Knowles also presented their research at conferences like AES Chicago, ALTI, and NAMM and engaged with consumers at events such as CES 2023 and CanJam NYC, Chicago, SoCal.
The Results
Since the May 2022 kickoff of the consumer awareness campaigns, Knowles has garnered over 260 mentions in consumer-reaching publications, including VICE, Forbes, Digital Trends, Wirecutter, Medium, Popular Mechanics, TechCrunch, Engadget, CNET, Android Authority, Trusted Reviews, Slashgear, and MUO. Knowles balanced armatures and the Knowles curve are frequently included in highly sought TWS product reviews – and in late 2023, dominated headlines and ledes in notable TWS product launches like the Edifier NeoBuds Pro 2 and JLab Epic Lab Edition. Knowles has also enjoyed thought leadership placements around premium audio topics on Lifewire, Forbes, Sound Guys, Sound & Vision, Dealerscope, TWICE, and Embedded. These new relationships would be nurtured with future consumer interest releases and later translated to Knowles mentions in coverage of award-winning products from Edifier, JLab, Ultimate Ears, and more.
With more consumer audio press aligned with Knowles’ goal of educating consumers on what technology is inside the products they are evaluating for purchase, Caster continues to elevate Knowles as a leader in audio innovation, leveraging its research and reach to empower consumer choice. Knowles continues to interest leading consumer audio audiences and has since expanded the conversation in these outlets to also include insights around active noise canceling, hearing personalization, hearing health, and more.
Early in the campaign, Caster saw success attributed to the organic LinkedIn campaigns, which drew over 889 unique page visitors on social media in just two weeks. Meanwhile, the OEM-facing campaigns drove over 1800 qualified leads and 600 downloads from leaders at Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Spotify, and more. In 2024, a healthy mix of consumer and technical audiences will continue celebrating Knowles’ impact on audio innovation, demonstrating trust in the brand’s insights through year-over-year social media growth.
Now in its fourth year of partnership with Caster, Knowles continues to hold its stance as a core technology provider for personal audio solutions. With more press releases on the docket to celebrate Knowles TWS design wins and innovations, the future of personal audio looks as good as it sounds.
260+
Tier-One Consumer Media Mentions
1,800+
Qualified Consumer Technology OEM Leads
889
Unique LinkedIn Page Visitors in Two Weeks