Augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) are hot technologies in Silicon Valley. With dozens of scrappy startups in the region clamoring for attention, Sterling got creative with content to cultivate media interest in interactive virtual experience pioneer uSens.
Digital Trends published “Before Augmented Reality Becomes the Next Big Thing, Here’s What Needs to Happen” on July 28, 2017. Journalist Brad Jones explored 3D gesture-tracking as a vital component to the success and mass-adoption of AR/VR, concluding that “it could be as big a leap forward as the first generation of touchscreen interfaces ushered in by the original iPhone.”
Silicon-Valley-based uSens was featured in the article as the company leading the push for immersion in AR, with uSens CTO Dr. Yue Fei and marketing manager Will McCormick quoted throughout. The article is considered a valuable feature for uSens, particularly because the young company is compared to technological giants with choice quotes: “uSens is like Apple and Microsoft in that it’s providing tools for the development of AR experiences.”
Digital Trends readership
How Sterling Made uSens Stand Out
The story behind the story begins with Sterling’s approach to content. A month before the feature hit, Dr. Fei spoke at Augmented World Expo in Santa Clara, Calif. His presentation, which was posted on YouTube, included information that we multipurposed into additional uSens content.
Rather than simply transcribe Dr. Fei’s presentation and post it on the uSens blog, Sterling took his main points and turned them into a byline narrative ready to be published in a vertical outlet. Sterling then reached out to a strategically targeted list of journalists, with pitches positioning Dr. Fei as an AR/VR thought leader standing up to argue for a unique industry vision. This approach proved to be critical to the success of outreach efforts, as Digital Trends consequently decided to write a broader feature on uSens instead of publishing the byline narrative.
A date was arranged for Digital Trends reporter Brad Jones to interview uSens leadership. Sterling supplied Dr. Fei with a pre-call briefing sheet to use as a guideline, outlining objectives and messaging specific to Digital Trends’ interest in helping readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. As a result, Dr. Fei was predisposed to talking in the outlet’s language, giving Jones exactly the type of usable quotes and insight needed to put together a complete story.
The narrative byline, still waiting in the wings, was then re-pitched for placement and published as “4 technologies that will unlock AR’s full potential” by VentureBeat shortly thereafter.
VentureBeat readership
When Dr. Fei stood up at Augmented World Expo, Sterling saw an opportunity to make his company stand out in the AR/VR world. Now, millions of Digital Trends and VentureBeat readers know more about uSens, its mission, and its technology.
Sterling Communications was a pleasure to work with, and displayed particular skill in turning complicated, highly technical concepts into effective messaging. In addition, their professionalism and ability to operate in cross-cultural and dynamic environments were tremendous assets. I look forward to additional opportunities to work together.”
— Raj Rao, senior business development and market strategist, uSens