Clarion showcases self-parking technology to the world

In late 2018, Clarion was planning to showcase its self-parking car technology at the 2019 CES event in Las Vegas.  This event is the primary annual event for the consumer electronics industry and is attended by more than 180,000 people.  Clarion needed a way to cut through the noise at the show and demonstrate to the media the potential of its new technology.

Parking itself

Clarion’s self-parking technology enabled a vehicle to record the last few minutes of a journey in depth and then reverse this information.  This enabled the car driver to summon the car to meet them at a specific place using a combination of sensors around the vehicle and detailed GPS technology.  A typical application would be somebody that was shopping and summoned the car to meet it at a convenient place to avoid returning to the car park.

Addressing the PR challenges

The challenge for Clarion was enabling this technology to cut through at an incredibly crowded event.  It hired a parking lot to showcase the technology and asked XL Communications to manage a limited number of slots that the company had allocated for the media.  XL recommended all media engagements be carried out before the exhibition started to ensure the attention of media before the CES frenzy began.  With the two time slots allocated to the company, XL managed to secure high profile media coverage in BBC Click – showcasing Clarion’s technology as one of the highlights of the show.  Furthermore, XL persuaded both Stuff Magazine and Pocket Lint to cover the story in the remaining slot.  XL managed all briefing logistics and background information for the client, including some incredibly challenging issues around showcasing the technology in accordance with Nevada law.

The results

The results were a global showcase for the company on the world’s premier technology TV programme and further coverage in the most respected monthly technology title as well as the UK’s largest consumer technology web news site.