Medialink and Evins Communications Produce Global Campaign for Leica Camera AG

Medialink and Evins Communications Produce Global Campaign for Leica Camera AG

Launch Generates Substantial Spike on Leica Web Site and Social Media Channels

NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Medialink Worldwide Incorporated (www.medialink.com) and Evins Communications, Ltd. (www.evins.com) hosted a press conference and live video webcast for Leica Camera AG on September 9, 2009, broadcasting the debut of the LEICA M9, LEICA X1 and LEICA S2 camera models to a worldwide audience. The press conference, led by Leica Camera AG Chief Executive Officer Mr. Rudi Spiller and Director of Product Management Mr. Stefan Daniel, featured a special guest appearance by Seal, the Grammy award-winning international recording artist and Leica devotee. The press conference was webcast in real time in both a standard webcast stream and an additional high-bandwidth stream that fed special "viewing parties" watching the webcast on the new Leica high resolution projector in 15 locations worldwide. The production also included simultaneous integration of multiple video elements displayed to both the room and the webcast from a single source.

Immediately following the announcement, the Leica Web site received an impressive 222% increase in daily visitation. The dealer locator function on the site registered a 158% increase in page visits in a single day, signaling immediate consumer demand. Additionally, in the ensuing days after the 9.9.09 press conference, Leica's Facebook group increased by 50% and the brand's followers on Twitter grew by 40%. To support the webcast, Medialink produced and edited a high-resolution archived video, which was uploaded to Vimeo.com, among many other social media sites, allowing brand enthusiasts around the world to witness the event conducted in New York City.

This initiative, a landmark event for Leica Camera, was the result of three months of planning by all parties involved. Leica Camera first announced plans for the September 9th event with the distribution of a "teaser" video, featuring Mr. Spiller at Leica's headquarters in Solms, Germany. The video, which was developed and scripted by Evins Communications and filmed by Freischwimmer Films, was disseminated to key members of the press, top photography dealers and Leica enthusiasts to build excitement and garner interest leading up to the September 9th unveiling of the innovative new camera models.

"Since the initial creation of this ambitious project, Evins Communications has been an essential partner as we enter this new era of our legacy brand," said Mr. Spiller. "Leica has collaborated with Evins Communications for nearly a decade, and we look to their team to continuously develop innovative marketing and branding initiatives. Our sales results since the release of the new products have been greater than we initially anticipated - the clear mark of an incredibly successful and strategic launch," Mr. Spiller said.

This event was technically innovative as a result of the multiple production elements, including two separately switched event outputs, requiring seamless integration of all creative elements both at the live event and in the streamed version distributed to the worldwide audience.

"The global webcast was a success due to the smooth and seamless teamwork between Evins, Medialink and Leica," said Mr. Andrew Lipson, vice president of operations at Medialink. "It's exciting to be part of a close collaboration and challenging project, where we're able to surpass our client's expectations, " Mr. Lipson said.

"When we first imagined the 9.9.09 event concept, we knew we'd need a strong partner to help translate our vision on behalf of Leica into a reality," said Mr. Mathew Evins, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Evins Communications. "We have a 20 year relationship with Medialink and have collaborated to produce projects for a diverse set of clients. The Medialink team was able to help us create the near flawless global webcast we envisioned for Leica and expeditiously produce the archived video that we desired. Not only did we achieve our own goals for this exciting launch, we exceeded the client's expectations on what was possible," Mr. Evins said.

An archived version of the press conference can be viewed at www.leica-camera.com.

About Medialink:

Medialink, a division of The NewsMarket, (www.medialink.com) produces and distributes news-oriented video and audio content via the Internet, television and radio for public and private corporations, governmental and non-profit organizations, as well as public relations and investor relations agencies. The NewsMarket is the global leader in the creation, production and distribution of video based marketing services and a resource platform for international media. Digital content hosted on the company's media site (www.thenewsmarket.com) is used by media professionals in more than 25,000 media outlets in 190 countries. Global brands, including General Motors, Volvo Cars, the U.S. Department of State, IBM, UNICEF, Facebook and Google use the NewsMarket's proprietary technology to communicate with target audiences. Headquartered in New York, the company has offices in London, Beijing, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, and Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.

About Evins Communications, Ltd.:

Since its inception in 1987, Evins Communications has received consistent acclaim for its marketing communications and public relations programs in a wide array of industries, including apparel and accessories, beauty and health, catalogues and direct marketing, consumer products and services, fashion, food and spirits, home furnishings and interior design, jewelry and watches, publishing, specialty retail, travel and hospitality, as well as technology and consumer electronics. Evins' singular goal is to enhance brand/product awareness and visibility, to utilize such awareness and visibility to foster brand/product mindshare, and to translate brand/product mindshare into market share. In order to break through the competitive clutter in the marketplace, Evins' marketing communications and public relations programs are designed to enhance market perception, heighten market presence, increase market awareness, foster brand/product affinity by utilizing third-party influencers for affirmation and validation, as well as to build sales and market share by differentiating a brand/product from its competition and establishing a brand/product as a destination in the marketplace. Evins Communications provide clients with an unparalleled breadth, depth and scope of expertise in the Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer marketplace. The firm has represented such clientele as Bergdorf Goodman, Chaumet, Courvoisier, Damiani, Ebel, Escada, Glaceau Vitamin Water, JCPenney Direct, Jean Patou, Joseph Abboud, Lancaster Group, Leica Camera, Maker's Mark, Neiman Marcus Direct, Park Hyatt Hotels North America, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Swarovski, Tourneau and Vera Wang, amongst many others.

For additional information, please visit the company's website (www.evins.com).

About Leica Camera AG:

Leica represents a union of craftsmanship, technology and experience. It is at once an extension of art, knowledge and philosophy, providing a state-of-the-art optical experience in a precision, hand-made photographic instrument. Leica Camera has a simple mission: to provide users with an incomparable experience, an instrument that defines an unsurpassed heritage and sets a standard of excellence for the industry to meet.

Throughout the world, Leica enjoys recognition and customer loyalty, because of its achievements in the photography industry and its uncompromising pursuit of high-quality standards. Leica products are appreciated by discerning clientele; the hand-crafted designs are fabricated with unmatched mechanical and optical precision and yet they have an extraordinary aura that can evoke feelings and emotions. For more than 150 years, Leica has maintained a tradition of precision manufacturing and consistent innovation, which have steadily reinforced its preeminent worldwide reputation.

For additional information, please visit the company's website (www.leica-camera.com).

Source: Medialink Worldwide Incorporated

CONTACT: Jack Serpa, Senior Vice President Client Solutions of Medialink
Worldwide Incorporated, +1-212-812-7152, jserpa@medialink.com, or Mitch
Polikoff, Senior Account Executive of Evins Communications, Ltd.,
+1-212-377-3594, mitch.polikoff@evins.com

Web Site: http://www.medialink.com/
http://www.evins.com/
http://www.leica-camera.com/

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