Title	THE SMASH-PROOF GUITAR
Brand	SANDVIK GROUP
Product/Service	METAL 3D-PRINTING AND MANUFACTURING
Category	C07. Use of Technology
Entrant	FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Idea Creation	FORSMAN & BODENFORS Gothenburg, SWEDEN
Media Placement	VERIZON, DENMARK
PR	VERIZON, DENMARK
PR 2	STONE JUNCTION Stafford, UNITED KINGDOM
Production	BLECK Stockholm, SWEDEN

Name	Company	Position
Björn Engström	Forsman & Bodenfors	Creative
Kim Cramer	Forsman & Bodenfors	Creative
Stefan Thomson	Forsman & Bodenfors	Creative
Anton Eriksson	Forsman & Bodenfors	Creative
Viktor Eriksson	Forsman & Bodenfors	Creative
Greger Andersson	Forsman & Bodenfors	Account Supervisor
Åsa Pedersen	Forsman & Bodenfors	Account Manager
Daniel Sjöstrand	Forsman & Bodenfors	Planner
Bjarne Darwall	Forsman & Bodenfors	PR Strategist
Anna Junker Lundin	Forsman & Bodenfors	Agency Producer Film
Ingrid Arnsand Jonsson	Forsman & Bodenfors	Designer
Jerry Wass	Forsman & Bodenfors	Designer
Peter Gaudiano	Forsman & Bodenfors	Web Strategist
Malin Careborg	Forsman & Bodenfors	Web Strategist
Helena de Brun	Forsman & Bodenfors	Technical Producer
Andy Holt	Drewman Guitars	Guitar Designer
Marcus Svanberg	Bleck	Director
Robert Feniger	Bleck	Producer
Josefin Kollberg	Bleck	Executive Producer
Carl Nilsson	Bleck	D.O.P
Jo Eken Torp	Bleck	D.O.P
Andres E Sanchez	Bleck	D.O.P
Johan Kjellberg	Bleck	Editor
Oscar Fogelström	Oscar Fogelström	Music Composer
Patrik Olsson	Patrik Olsson	Photographer

Why is this work relevant for PR?

The world’s first smash-proof guitar was innovated to create awareness and change the perception of the Sandvik brand in our specific target group - “tech people”. By using the latest technologies, such as 3D printing, to produce the great looking and sounding guitar, we knew we’d get both tech and music media’s attention. In order to create broad conversations, we added the phenomenon of guitar heroes smashing guitars. Introducing renowned Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen not only made the story interesting for broad consumer and news media, it also fitted well with Sandvik’s Swedish heritage, attention to detail and perfectionism.

Background

Sandvik is a world-leading industrial engineering company with 42,000 employees in 150 countries. However, the awareness and knowledge about Sandvik's advanced techniques were very low outside existing customer relations. This is a problem when attracting talent. Especially since the rapid digitalization requires that Sandvik recruits entirely new competencies in competition with companies such as Google, Apple, and Spotify. The brief was to create awareness on a global level and position Sandvik as a progressive engineering company within a broader target group described as “tech people”. The aim was to start engaging conversation around Sandvik’s technical abilities and foster peer-to-peer marketing from within selected verticals. Other objectives were to strengthen the link to the Sandviks desired brand attributes ​​“Innovative”, “Progressive” and “High-tech” and to increase interest in Sandvik as an attractive employer. The Smash-Proof Guitar is a collectors edition limited to one, created exclusively for this communication project.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Why create a smash-proof guitar? It all started when we tried to find out how to combine high-tech and music, two of the things that our audience is most interested in. So, we hijacked a rock'n roll cultural phenomena—smashing guitars—to showcase Sandvik’s advanced material knowledge and 3D printing competence. The engineers at Sandvik had never built a guitar before but took on the challenge with enthusiasm. To make it unbreakable, they used their high tech innovations in entirely new ways. To make it sound and look great, Sandvik collaborated with renowned guitar designer Andy Holt. The whole process was thoroughly documented, the foundation for our in-depth film. Then we went into pop culture and engaged rock icon Yngwie Malmsteen, guitar virtuoso and famed guitar smasher. On stage in Miami, he gave everything he had to destroy the guitar. Nothing happened. Proof of concept.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Through interviews, we discovered numerous examples of cutting-edge technologies e.g. metal 3D printing. Going beyond Sandvik’s traditional communication, we targeted a global core target group interested in technology and science. Key messages were designed to engage our core and surrounding target groups: “Sandvik created a smash-proof, 3D printed guitar, then challenged rock legend Yngwie Malmsteen to smash it”. The PR strategy aimed at tech, science, music, news and entertainment verticals: Earned media interviews with key spokespersons, media events, global press releases, influencer activation, media partnerships, and social media partnerships. And most importantly: Yngwie Malmsteen himself was heavily involved. Assets were crafted to engage different audiences in their respective channels: Two films, clips, and images, media partners with custom made stories and assets, and influencers, like guitarist YouTubers, that did their own tests with the guitar. Afterward, we auctioned the guitar for charity, initiating a second wave of PR activities.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Starting on April 9th, 2019 spanning over four weeks, the campaign was launched with media interviews in London and Stockholm. Tailor-made press releases in several languages were distributed globally to selected verticals. Media partners and social channels posted own stories and versions of the films, targeting multiple verticals. Channels like Interesting Engineering focused on the 3D printed guitar, while Wired and TechRadar focused more on Yngwie and the pop culture phenomenon of guitar smashing. In social media, influencers told different stories, for example YouTuber musicians Rob Chapman and Rabea Massad test played the guitar. Yngwie Malmsteen made 10+ posts in own channels over the entire period, and B-roll materials were used by broadcast media to cover the story in e.g. Japan and Italy. Finally, music site Reverb.com was chosen to auction the guitar for charity, targeting millions of musicians, creating more articles and social media conversations.

List the results (30% of vote)

Using Yngwie Malmsteen and the pop culture phenomenon guitar smashing was the key PR driver. 96% of the 542 earned media articles featured Malmsteen either in the headline or in the introduction. Malmsteen’s 30 years on the rock stage, his perfectionist guitar technique, and guitar smashing legacy made him both the perfect, credible and unexpected celebrity influencer for the campaign. • 41 million views (720% above target) • 132 million exposures (277% above target) • 542 earned media stories in 43 countries (163% above target) • 405,010 clicks on social post links (2,952% above target) • 29% of the target group became interested in working at Sandvik (107% increase) Sandvik's most important brand attributes increased dramatically: • "Innovative": from 43% to 52%. • “Progressive”: from 38% to 46%. • “High tech”: from 46% to 56%. • 29,241 people visited Reverb's auction with "Smash-proof guitar" (1362% above target).