HORL, the Freiburg family business credited with creating the rolling knife sharpener category, has signed a 12-month national PR programme with Compass Studio as it prepares to enter Australian retail. The brief is a textbook example of using earned media to open a new market before paid performance budgets kick in.
The launch setup
Timo and Otmar Horl developed the first rolling knife sharpener in 2016. What began as a single product has grown into a full sharpening and cutting range, from kitchen scissors to system accessories. The brand now sells through more than 1,700 specialist retailers across 76 countries, with every unit manufactured in the Black Forest.
Compass Studio will target both Australian consumers and the retail trade over the next year, building awareness as HORL locks in its first local stockists. That dual mandate matters: retail buyers need to see demand being created before they commit shelf space, and shoppers need a reason to ask for the product by name.
Why this campaign is worth watching
The brief is built on a rare asset: a true origin story and a category the brand can claim to have invented. Emma Butler, PR Account Director at Compass Studio, puts it simply.
Every Australian home has knives and scissors, and every one of them eventually goes dull.
That daily pain point gives the agency a hook that works across food media, lifestyle press and barbecue culture.
Heiko Stahl, HORL’s Managing Director, adds local credibility: he lived in Brisbane for a year and a half and sees Australia’s food and outdoor-living culture as a natural fit for the brand.
For growth marketers, the playbook looks like this:
- Lead with the founder story and the invention, not the product specs.
- Brief the agency to serve two audiences: consumers who will ask for the product and retail buyers who will stock it.
- Use the PR window to build search and social demand before performance ads can convert efficiently.
What to do with this
If you’re launching a physical product into a new market, don’t wait for distribution to be finalised before starting earned media. A 12-month agency relationship gives a consistent drumbeat of stories, seeding demand that makes retail conversations easier and lowers customer acquisition cost once paid channels switch on.
The next milestone to watch is whether early coverage converts into retail sell-through. If it does, expect more craft-led brands to copy the PR-first market entry model.
Source: Campaign Brief
