PR Wins for HaptX: Wired, WSJ, TechCrunch, Axios, and More
As Director of Marketing for HaptX, I was their de facto PR lead. Perhaps because I didn't know any better, I took a bunch of big PR swings and earned positive media coverage from both niche VR trade publications and some of the most widely read news outlets in the world.
This is a collection of some of my favorite PR moments at HaptX.
WSJ: "The Best of CES 2020"
January 2020
The Wall Street Journal featured HaptX in their "Best of CES 2020" roundup https://www.wsj.com/video/the-best-of-ces-2020-from-s-pods-to-smart-pjs/F8F99A05-4407-4532-8BAC-316AE051A353.html
This telerobot was prominently featured on the home page of WSJ.com on the first night of the show.
Upload names HaptX "Best of Show" at CES 2020
Upload, the most widely read AR/VR news outlet on the internet, so it was a tremendous honor when they named HaptX as their winner for Best of Show at CES 2020. There were dozens of companies in our category, including major players like Panasonic and Nvidia. The vast majority of these companies are much bigger than our startup haptics company, so this award is a testament to the ingenuity of our engineers and tireless efforts our team.
Read Upload’s full coverage:
- Best of Show article
- Video + Interview - https://uploadvr.com/haptx-ces2020-video/
- CES Roundup - https://uploadvr.com/ces-2020-roundup/
Tom’s Guide: The Coolest Thing I Did At CES
Tom's Guide wrote that "Controlling these robotic arms was the coolest thing I did at CES 2020." https://www.tomsguide.com/news/tactile-telerobot
IEEE Spectrum: "This is one of the most advanced teleoperated robots we've ever seen"
instagram.com/technology/ - This account has 4.7M followers. They published two to their “story” (which disappeared after 24 hours) and this one to their feed, receiving nearly 1M views:
Newsweek, Business Insider, Mashable, and More: Jeff Bezos demos HaptX at re:MARS
June 2019
Jeff Bezos did a viral demo of HaptX Gloves, earning us front-page coverage in Newsweek, Mashable, Business Insider, and GeekWire that hit the front page of Reddit.
HaptX Telerobot | Wired Magazine Profile
March 2019
HaptX collaborated with ANA, SynTouch, and Shadow Robot Company to develop the world’s first haptic telerobot hand to deliver touch feedback across the Atlantic. I led the media strategy among the four companies involved, which led to a prominent piece from Wired.
You can watch the video included in their article: https://www.wired.com/story/how-i-became-a-robot-in-london/
HaptX Gloves Development Kit Launch
October 2018
In the month preceding our HaptX Gloves Development Kit announcement, we demoed and interviewed with several journalists under embargo. On launch day TechCrunch, Axios, VentureBeat, GeekWire, Road to VR, Forbes, Upload, VR Scout, and VR Focus wrote first-hand accounts of experiencing our gloves. We also shared HaptX Gloves with leading virtual reality influencers, and encouraged them to share their experience on our launch day.
We executed a bicoastal launch with two simultaneous events: The Future of Storytelling Summit in New York City and the GeekWire Summit in Seattle.
All of this activity worked together to build a critical mass, raising awareness and driving demand for the HaptX Gloves Development Kit.
“I have tried several other VR gloves, and this is definitely the most complete solution.”
“It was surreal… the feeling was more fine-grained in terms of sensations”
“In the short preview I was able to experience, you couldn’t help but think about where realistic and immersive haptic technology is headed in the future.”
Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Profile
May 2018
The Wall Street Journal is the pinnacle of business reporting in the United States. When we visited New York City for the Future of Storytelling Summit last fall, I met with WSJ technology reporter Sarah Needleman to share our story and give a demo of our technology. This meeting led to a terrific piece in the WSJ's quarterly magazine, The Future of Everything.
CNET, Variety, The Verge, and More Cover HaptX at Sundance 2018
January 2018
CNET describes the fidelity of HaptX Gloves as "startlingly real"
The Verge describes HaptX as experiencing "realistic touch."
Variety features HaptX as the cover photo of their Sundance announcement.
The Hollywood Reporter namedrops my project for HaptX.
