Q: Before we get into the more important content of this interview, I am interested to know more about your relationship with Back Market. How long have they been a client of yours? How has that relationship changed over the years? 

A: We have been working with Back Market since their launch in the US in 2018. Our goal was to gain awareness for their brand, and equally as important, to use PR to shift consumer attitudes about refurbished through education and messaging. When we first started working with them, they had virtually no awareness in the US, and refurbished electronics were known as a cheap option, but more or less seen as a compromise to new. We are proud to have secured feature coverage in a handful of mainstream publications, allowing their audience to get a full view of what the company is all about and their mission to make buying refurbished safe and fun, plus showcasing the expertise behind the marketplace so consumers can understand their refurbished devices are receiving professional care. We also continue to see Back Market included in conversations and coverage evaluating consumer options from some big established names like Amazon Renewed, EBay and Best Buy. This not only shows they are a major player in the space 3 years later, but when the quality assurances are broken down, Back Market often comes out on top. Wired Island has helped the brand achieve this elevation by introducing them to several journalists and other influencers such as analysts. Our team continues to be involved in refining their message for various target customer segments through additional content such as contributed articles, social media, awards and more. 

Q: Given Back Market has such a wide audience, how have you modeled your efforts to bring more value to them?  

A: Back Market's huge target audience represents a ton of opportunity, but that doesn't mean the message is the same for that audience. Even for large company announcements, our job is to refine their message and explain why it matters to their various audience segments.  

Q: A little over a year ago the Wired Island Team helped Back Market make an enormous announcement about their recent funding. Could you offer more details into that funding? How do you think this positions Back Market in the industry going forward? 

A: Back Market raised $120 million during the pandemic and then another $335 million a year later. This is a big deal and really speaks to the maturity and the potential of refurbished electronics industry. Due to the size of this deal, collaboration among investors, as well as Back Market's international communication plan were extremely important. Wired Island was key in coordinating messaging and timing of the announcement, press outreach, interview prep, and more among the English speaking efforts. This resulted in coverage from mainstream media such a Rueters and Forbes, trade and regional pubs such as BuiltInNYC and Sifted, and broadcast opportunities such as Cheddar (grab links for clip report or ask Mandy).