The unknown start-up Revolution Cooking came to Gear to position the world’s first smart, digital touchscreen toaster as a must-have for consumers. Gear highlighted the product’s unique tech features and $400 price point to get the media’s attention. We conducted product demos via an extensive round of desksides with Oprah, Food and Wine, Real Simple, Food Network and other key media. Sample requests immediately followed, as did inclusion in national stories— the start of a momentum that quickly became a major wave. Oprah highlighted the product in its gift guide, leading to a sharp increase in sales, and a well-known rapper gave the toaster an unprompted starring role in his TikTok video. Gear leveraged the video with editors covering the “Best Viral Tik Tok” stories. In addition, Gear worked with Oprah’s editorial team for 2+ years, resulting in the toaster’s selection as one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in 2022. Revolution’s CEO and product even joined Oprah in the announcement video (one of only five brands included). This strategy resulted in 144 placements with over 6,748,469,080 impressions in Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, Bustle, Esquire, CBS Mornings, and many other outlets, sending sales soaring during the 2022 holiday season.
