Launching the World’s First Aotearoa Bilingual Keyboard for Lenovo 

Challenge

In 2023, Lenovo launched an innovative new bilingual keyboard designed to help users seamlessly write in te reo Māori.

Herd MSL was challenged to support the debut of this world-first product in market and showcase how Lenovo is using innovative technology to help preserve the native language of Aotearoa.

Approach

To ensure the launch was culturally considered, Lenovo and Herd MSL worked in close collaboration with Māori cultural experts to articulate the product benefits to their community and how best to launch it.

This resulted in Lenovo hosting a launch event at Ngā Whare Waatea Marae in Auckland. Kicking off with a Pōwhiri, the event saw Lenovo spokespeople discuss the importance of digital inclusion to a room full of media, partners and key customers.

This was followed by a panel discussion with subject matter experts on the importance of language preservation and identity in Aotearoa: Te Aranga o Otene Hopa, National Cultural Lead at PwC, Barry Soutar, Executive Director at Te Tira Toi Whakangao and Director at TORO Studios and Brittany Teei, Founder of Kidscoin and Three Bags Full.

Herd MSL pitched key spokespeople interviews to top tier national media, sharing the product launch far and wide across general news, technology and Te Ao Māori journalists. Coverage discussed how the device enabled rangatahi and professional workforce to utilise te reo Māori with ease in their everyday lives and contributed to revitalisation efforts for the indigenous language of Aotearoa.

Impact

• 15.2 million in total reach across 34 pieces of coverage.
• Herd MSL secured 11 pieces of coverage in top tier publications, six of which featured interviews with Lenovo spokespeople including 1 News at 6pm, NZ Herald, Stuff and NBR.
• Client feedback indicated the response to launch was phenomenal, resulting in a significant number of commercial transactions in the education and public sector.
• Lenovo was positioned as a thought leader in the space, using advanced technology to support digital inclusion efforts in Aotearoa.