Proper Propaganda Delivers Its Largest CES Performance Yet: 500+ Placements and AI Search Lift for Consumer Tech Brands
At CES 2026, Proper Propaganda ran a high-intent media program built for two outcomes: attention now and discoverability for the year. The agency booked 130+ Tier-1 meetings and helped clients land 500+ media and creator placements across broadcast, print, and digital. The result: durable visibility in top outlets and stronger presence inside AI-driven search and language models.
"Our strategy with CES is to start early and view it as a building block for the year, not a one-off moment. The work that happens before the show determines whether CES becomes noise or a real inflection point for a brand," said Jackson Wightman, Founder of Proper Propaganda.
Why CES Still Matters for PR and AI Search
CES is where demand, skepticism, and attention collide. With 4,100+ exhibitors competing for the same headlines, most brands blur together. The teams that win treat the show as a system: pre-briefs, repeatable narratives, and placements in high-authority outlets that AI tools frequently surface. As AI search leans on trusted publications, media relations now shapes how brands are represented inside LLMs.
If you work in PR, this reframes CES. Coverage is not just reach-it's training data for the internet's default research assistants.
By the Numbers
- 130+ Tier-1 media interactions pre-arranged and executed on-site (including New York Times, Washington Post, TODAY). Keychron and DNSYS each held 50+ briefings.
- 500+ combined placements across broadcast, print, and digital, with repeat coverage and syndication in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
- International reach across English, French, and German via original reporting, syndication, and comparative reviews.
- Awards momentum including multiple CES Innovation Awards 2026 honorees and publisher awards.
Coverage Highlights
- Tier-1 press: Agence France-Presse, USA Today, CNET, PCMag, Engadget
- Broadcast: TODAY, Fox News Morning, CTV
- Tech media depth: AppleInsider, Gizmodo, Tom's Hardware, Android Central
- AI search-relevant outlets: Forbes, PCWorld, The Verge
- Emerging upstarts: Morning Brew
The Playbook That Drove Results
The team treated CES as a campaign, not a sprint. Briefings were secured weeks in advance, with disciplined story angles and live demos that matched reporter beats. On-site, the agency handled coordination, message reinforcement, and priority events such as CES Unveiled Las Vegas and Pepcom - Digital Experience.
Clients handled dense floors and stacked interview blocks with tight product demos. The groundwork unlocked the meetings; the execution on the floor earned the coverage.
Clients Represented at CES 2026
- Keychron: Global mechanical keyboards built for productivity and design
- Fraimic: AI startup with an interactive e-ink display for visual creation
- ProtoArc: Ergonomic office and travel accessories
- KPIT: Automotive software for next-gen mobility
- Beijing Insbotics: Robotics company presenting its AI companion, Pophie
- DNSYS: Consumer exoskeletons focused on mobility
What PR Teams Can Steal from This Approach
- Start early. Lock your top 30 targets, then build a briefing calendar that stacks momentum into show week.
- Anchor in authority. Prioritize outlets that AI search and LLMs cite. Think repeatable mentions across a few high-trust publications.
- Package for speed. One-liners, demo scripts, and media assets that cut setup time to under two minutes.
- Design the demo. Reporters remember what they see and can explain in a sentence. Make that sentence easy to write.
- Measure what compounds. Track placements by domain authority, topic clustering, and how often your brand appears in AI-generated answers.
- Debrief weekly post-show. Turn questions, objections, and feature requests into your next three months of pitches.
Bottom Line
CES can be noise or it can be a flywheel. Proper Propaganda treated it as the first move in a year-long media strategy-and the numbers reflect that choice. For PR leaders, the takeaway is simple: engineer authority, then repeat it where journalists and AI search look first.
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