AVG Technologies: New IT Security Product Series AVG 8.0 to open up additional market shares 

PR Aim: Stronger establishment of AVG as IT security specialist and tapping of new market shares in Germany

AVG Technologies with headquarters in Amsterdam (former in Brno, Czech Republic) is a leading vendor of Internet security solutions for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs) and the home users. The declared target for 2008 was to increase the share of the market held by AVG security products in the hotly contested IT security market in Germany. The opportunity presented itself with the release of Version 8.0 of the AVG security product line with a live debut at CeBIT in March 2008 and the introduction of the free virus scanner AVG Free 8.0 in German in September 2008. The release of the free product in German had a competitive importance in the context of the strong market share of other local language products. Accompanying specialized articles about the latest security trends and threats were designed to reinforce security awareness among users. messerPR accompanied the product releases effectively in the media. Our PR strategy had to combine the local requirements of AVG’s German partner Jürgen Jakob with the international PR campaign planning at AVG headquarters in Brno.

PR Resources: Announcement, Editorial Tour and Press Dates at CeBIT 2008

The PR strategy we adopted was for a gradual introduction of the new product line:

  • The first press release for the public Beta version of AVG Internet Security 8.0 was released in January 2008 to prepare the market.
  • This was followed in early February by a roadshow to several IT editors with Jürgen Jakob, Managing Director of AVG’s German partner, and Larry Bridwell, Global Security Strategist at AVG Technologies. messerPR organized and accompanied the press tour personally.
  • In February, the final version of the AVG 8.0 product line was released.
  • Since the date was scheduled for shortly before CeBIT 2008, we organized and facilitated press interviews at the trade fair stand to run parallel to the fair.
  • In September, AVG further improved their offerings with the free AVG Free 8.0 version in German. We informed news editors and the individuals responsible for download sections and cover mounts in good time.

Result: Great press response and opening of AVG Deutschland offices in Munich

The launch of the AVG 8.0 product series was a complete success. All relevant online news pages reported on the release, including heise.de, CHIP.de, PCWelt.de, Golem.de and ZDNet.de. The print media followed suit and AVG was included in comparison tests of IT security suites in 2008. The release of AVG Free 8.0 in German created another news wave in the fall, whereupon download figures skyrocketed. Bottom line: Due to product releases and the press presence, AVG Technologies was able to acquire additional market shares in the German-language IT security market. This has had a positive effect over and above the sales figures: In December, AVG Technologies opened a subsidiary in Germany – a logical step as part of their focus on the German market.