A few days ago, Julz extended to me an invite to an event hosted by TenkieBox the local exclusive distributor of OtterBox here in the country. The event was a two-day affair but since the first was on a friday and during office hours I was only able to attend the second day.
The event was held at the North Court of the Rockwell Power Plant Mall and was segregated into four areas representing each of their product protection line,
a purchasing area, and of course the drop test area: a very nice wood platform in the form of the OtterBox insignia.
After registering, Chanty Tan (event organizer) introduced me to Mia Tengco, TenkieBox’ managing director, and we got to sit down and talk about their company and OtterBox before we went around and she showed me what differentiates the products from each other.
A little backgrounder: TenkieBox started with OtterBox at around 2010 and it is only now, after successfully penetrating the market through partnerships with local retailers and official distributors, that their marketing group is making its push with the help of brand ambassadors: Jaymie Pizarro, Rovilson Fernandez, and surf instructor Lorraine Lapus who was set to attend the event later that day.
First we went to the Impact series which is a pure silicone case with ridges that make it easier to hold and a grid styled structure inside which disperses shock energy. This series is also the only one with support for the Xperia X10 and I got to try that out as well.
Next we went to the Reflex series with a quick detach system that allows the user to dock the phone quickly by removing the lower part of the case. While the two pieces are connected, the case has a very firm grip on the device and requires a bit of force so users won’t have to worry about accidental separation. This case is a mix of integrated polycarbonate and silicone.
After that we went to the Commuter series which envelops a device in a snug silicone and then reinforces it further with a second layer of polycarbonate. This series is, as the name suggests, resilient to everyday bumps and bruises your device might face.
Finally we got to the Defender series, their top tier product which provides all around protection, including the screen, using a transparent and conductive glass/acrylic as resistant as the rest of the case. This series also shields most of the ports and you would need to flip open some areas of the case to access them; This protects the device from all manner of particles such as sand and dust. A kickstand/holster combo is also part of this series’ package which allows for a good presentation prop and carrying accessory.
After my tour with Mia, I was endorsed to Josh Richardson, Otterbox Business Development Head for Asia Pacific and direct descendant of the creator of the very first Otterbox.
During my interview with him I learned a lot of things about the company and the processes they use in decision making and evaluating which products to support.
Otterbox was started in 1998 out of a garage in Colorado when his father needed a waterproof case. The name was the brainchild of his mother and it was used because it sounds different and catchy and because the Otter is a playful and waterproof mammal, qualities which are representative of the ideals that Otterbox are working towards. The company operates from four key locations in the globe: Colorado, Ireland, Dubai, and Hong Kong and has partnerships with Nokia, Motorola, Blackberry and Apple as well and it is with these companies where Otterbox support is widest.
We also discussed about how they go about creating the cases and how the drawings of up and coming devices are sent to their offices for development as well as their future drive to support even devices with moving components such as that of the BB Torch. It was very fortunate that I was able to catch and interview him one on one.
Throughout the day during the event a drop test raffle was performed every hour. Purchasers were given the chance to win an extra case by simply putting their phone in the case they bought and dropping it head high into the platform. This demonstration of the capacity of the Otterbox product looks easy but it does take a bit of confidence and trust to drop your device to the ground, trust me, I tried it!
One of my friends, Pam, dropped by and was able to get a case for her iPhone 4, a pink and white Commuter. As a treat to buyers during the event date, discarding your old case into their box merits an automatic 15% off of the retail price and she got to avail of this as well.
Here she is with brand ambassador Lorraine Lapus with their respective cases:
Media partners were treated to a case of their choosing as well in return for a drop test to which everyone gladly participated.
Now my X10 rolls with an Otterbox guaranteed protection and it is a very fine protection indeed!
A congratulations and big thanks goes out to the people of TenkieBox and Otterbox.
Look forward to more Drop Test Tours in the future, I will post schedules here if and when I get them.
Add Comment