Duracell Powermat Launches Wireless Charging Campaign Around Retail Kit and Charging Stations

Duracell Powermat, a joint venture between Procter & Gamble’s Duracell division and Powermat, launched a charging kit called the 24-Hour Power System for smartphones in New York electronics stores Monday. The kit is part of a $100 million design, marketing and infrastructure effort to advance wireless charging in general, Ron Rabinowitz, CEO of Duracell Powermat, told us. In addition to the new charging kit, the initiative includes wireless charging “hotspots” in and around the New York area and an education/marketing campaign featuring rapper Jay-Z, who has invested in the joint venture and whose Manhattan 40/40 Club features wireless charging tables for patrons to charge their smartphones. Duracell Powermat wouldn’t disclose Jay-Z’s stake in the venture or how it changed the 55/45 ratio of Duracell and Powermat investments.

Education is critical to the success of the wireless charging business because it’s “a habit change and a big one,” Rabinowitz said, since consumers are used to tethering their devices to a charger and carrying chargers with them. Rabinowitz called the marketing effort “the most local campaign” he’s worked on in 10 years at P&G. Duracell Powermat chose New York for the physical store launch because “it’s the city that never sleeps” and the 24-hour reputation of New York City meshes with the 24-hour message the venture wants to portray with its wireless charging initiative, Rabinowitz said.

The venture will promote the technology at outdoor events, in stores and via digital TV ads, Rabinowitz said. The digital video features Jay-Z in a “drama” that will run on YouTube and digital B-rolls, Rabinowitz said, adding there are no plans for print advertising. The venture is targeting the “young, connected” smartphone user, he said. TV advertising is a possibility, he said, but the target user “spends much more time on the Internet than watching TV,” he said. The venture is attempting to “create the right conversation” in New York and is using social media in the hopes of having a “ripple effect” when expanding nationwide, he said.

The initiative has the lofty goal to “change and revolutionize” the infrastructure of device charging, Rabinowitz said, comparing its wireless charging hotspot concept to Wi-Fi hotspots. Duracell Powermat is partnering with entities from different industries that are part of a consumer’s “daily routine” -- such as coffee shops, hotels, airports, gyms, and office buildings -- with the future vision that “a few years from now you won’t even need the charger to go” that the company launched yesterday for sale in stores. “Wherever you go, you'll put your phone on the table and it will charge from the table,” he said, noting that charging mats will be embedded in furniture.

The venture has a partnership with General Motors for 2013 vehicles, which will begin with the Chevy Volt and then roll out to the entire fleet, Rabinowitz said. After a renovation this summer, Madison Square Garden will open in September with 650 wireless charging stations, he said. In selected places, patrons can watch a game or concert and charge their phones at the same time. Delta Sky Clubs will feature charging tables, and the venture is also working with Westfield Malls to install charging stations in the Garden State Mall in Paramus, N.J., he said. Duracell Powermat is working with hotels and universities, but he wouldn’t disclose names saying more information will be available in two weeks. The infrastructure program is called Wireless Power Nation, and by the end of the year, Rabinowitz said the venture foresees a “scalable wide-level partner,” but he wouldn’t elaborate.

The $99.99 charger kit packs a charging case, a Powermat charging surface that fits two devices and a backup rechargeable battery. In addition to New York stores, the kit will be available online from duracellpowermat.com and Amazon, Rabinowitz told us. The kit is being sold through New York stores including Best Buy, Radio Shack, AT&T Wireless, PC Richard & Son and others, Rabinowitz said, and will be available through brick-and-mortar stores nationwide in October. The kit is available for the iPhone 4 and 4S now and a version for the Samsung Galaxy 3 is due in October, he said.

Regarding possible consumer concerns over smartphone case thickness when lined with charging electronics, Rabinowitz said users would be hard-pressed to tell a difference in thickness with their smartphones when compared with standard cases. The 0.6-inch cases come in seven colors, he said. Charge time with wireless technology “is about the same,” he said, but “smarter.” Once the phone reaches full capacity, the charging function stops, he said.

Duracell Powermat was at one time part of the Wireless Power Consortium but is no longer a member, Rabinowitz said. He acknowledged that in “creating a new category,” a standard is required, which is why the venture joined the consortium “and why we left,” he said. “Having a bunch of great names with great intention is good for a while, but in the end you need to drive action,” he said. Progress within the consortium -- “maybe because of its size” -- didn’t happen as quickly as the venture wanted, Rabinowitz said. As the only party “able and committed enough to take wireless charging from a conversation to real action,” to wait for the consortium to take action “could take years,” he said, because of the formalities required in a standards group. Duracell and Powermat combined hold a 90 percent market share in wireless charging products, he said. He said the venture has no intention to keep its wireless charging technology proprietary. “We want to make it ubiquitous."

Smartphone solutions were first to market because of the “urgent need” in the category as battery life becomes more of an issue as devices have more functionality. Growth in the category, too, made smartphones a priority, but the venture is working on products for tablets, PCs, digital cameras and other devices, Rabinowitz said. Tablets are important, he said, but in the first stages of wireless charging, “it’s the difference between ‘nice to have’ and a ‘must,'” he said, when comparing tablets to smartphones. Tablets require a higher ampere level and more charging real estate, and the venture is working on ways to accommodate both, he said. “There are solutions for all kinds of devices,” he said, citing a charging toy box the venture has shown at CES and Mobile World Congress using rechargeable “A” and “AA” batteries in toys. When toys are tossed in the box, they charge overnight,” Rabinowitz said, and “you never have to open and replace the battery.” Wireless charging “could go a very long way,” he said.