Bucharest, 25th of May, 2009

Lowe PR and Electrolux host the most daring home appliances showroom

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Sook, Coox, E-bag, Stratosphere, iBasket, Vesta, Drawer Kitchen, Flatshare and Scan Toaster are coming to Romania, following a Lowe PR initiative

For the first time, finalists’ prototypes of the Electrolux Design Lab Industrial design competition are arriving in Romania, after a European tour, which included countries such as: Sweden, France, Estonia and Great Britain. The showroom in Romania will be followed by four others in Belgium, Austria, Czech Republic and Poland.

The home appliances are the stars of a showroom open at the University of Architecture and Town-Planning Ion Mincu in Bucharest, and can be visited for free from May 19th to June 2nd.

„The first time I saw such an experimental showroom, it was an Auto-prototypes show, in Berlin; it was then that I was certain that we have to bring these masterpieces from the Electrolux Design Lab to Romania. I also strongly believe that the presence of these prototypes in Romania is the best way to advertise this competition. It takes a complete sensorial experience in order to perceive the phenomenon at its real dimensions: to see, to listen to and to touch these products. Only then you believe that they really exist. How many of us could have admitted some time ago that the Jetson’s or the Star Trek’s world exists! We invite you to convince yourselves! ” stated Diana Grigorescu, Senior PR Executive at Lowe PR.

Taking place annually since 2002, the Electrolux Design Lab competition is one of the most original and creative educational actions ever to have been carried out by the Swedish company. Participants from over 49 countries are submitting their visions about the ‘face of the future’, about the way in which our homes will adapt to evolution.

Each year, the competition has a theme which guides the contestants’ creativity. The prototypes made in 2008, and exposed these two weeks in Bucharest, are based on the challenge to create home appliances for the internet generation. This year, the year Electrolux celebrates its 90th anniversary, young contestants are invited to create home appliances for the next 90 years.

Lowe PR started promoting the competition this year in January and, because this was a niche event, the channels they chose where either non-conventional or extremely well targeted. Stickers glued to university walls, meetings with students and the blog of the program www.electroluxdesignlab.ro have been the ways in which the messages were delivered to potential participants.

The prizes of the competition and the opportunity to meet renowned people in the product design field are also good motivational factors for the young talented students; all finalists have the chance to interact directly with members of the jury - international experts in design, but also in other interesting domains, and the three winners will receive awards of 5000 Euros, 3000 Euros and 2000 Euros and a 6 month internship at an international design center.

“We are lucky to have the last year’s exhibits in Romania, especially in the final week of submissions. I’m certain that there are young people who will be motivated seeing how others have tried and won. Last year, the winning prototype came from Austria. I’m sure that we will see a Romanian on stage in the following years”, states Carmen Georgescu, Marketing &Communications Manager, Electrolux Romania.

The deadline for this year’s competition is May 31st and the last stage of the campaign will take place on September 26th in London, where contestants will have the opportunity to present their projects in front of an international jury of experts and top designers in the industry.


About Lowe PR
Winner of a Golden PR Award for Excellence in the “PR for marketing” category at the PR Award 2008 together with Unilever/Rexona, and finalist in the Sabre Awards 2008, Lowe PR covers the entire spectrum of global specialty practices (Corporate Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility, Healthcare, Internal Communications, Marketing & Brand Strategic Communications, Public Affairs, Technology), as well as specialized services (Media Relations, Financial Communications, Media Training, Research, Issue & Crisis Management).
The Lowe Public Relations client portfolio includes big companies such as: Orange, Electrolux, Unilever, Orange, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), Johnson&Johnson, Eli Lilly, Walmark, Abbott Romania, Stem Health Unirea, CSC Pharmaceuticals, TNT Romania, FOCUS „The Romanian Centre for Missing & Sexually Abused Children” Lowe & Partners, Initiative Romania, Medic One.
In 2009, Lowe PR managed the public relations campaign for the European Parliament elections in Romania, the largest institutional campaign of the year and in the history of Europe.
Lowe PR is member of one of the biggest communication groups in Romania along with: Lowe & Partners, Initiative, e-Lowe, Medic One and Scholz & Friends.