Welcome to another edition of Single Shot. I’m Kaylee Hultgren, Content Director for PRNEWS.

This afternoon’s total solar eclipse, a rare celestial event in which the sun, moon and Earth align, will temporarily darken the skies that fall under its 122-mile-wide path. Those wanting to witness the phenomenon directly (as opposed to partially) have traveled to U.S. cities located within the “path of totality,” including Dallas, Texas, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Buffalo, New York. In any case, it’s caught our attention, which is a rarity these days.

A once-in-a-lifetime moment such as this presents an opportunity for communications professionals to benefit from the buzz with an experiential event tie-in, writes Nadine General, Managing Director of Communications at Dixon Schwabl + Company, in a PRNEWS column this week. Rather than relying on traditional communications tactics, cut through the marketing noise with a memorable experience.

But where to start? “Research is key at the beginning of your planning process,” she says. Connect with your target audience through focus groups or surveys, which will provide concrete data with which to craft tailored messaging. Most important, “identify what your brand is best at and what makes it special,” she says. “This will lead you right to ideas for how to best leverage the local event in a way that makes sense for your brand.” Check out a few of the takeaways below, and the full article here.

The PRNEWS team wishes you a great start to your week. As always, we welcome feedback on our newsletters. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].

When something of this magnitude (an eclipse) comes along, it can be a gift for businesses looking to capitalize on and create an experiential event that provides a memorable experience for target audiences. Here’s how communicators can take advantage.

Create an Unconventional Campaign. Build an experiential marketing campaign to grab your target audience’s attention rather than relying on traditional communications tactics to help cut through the marketing noise and repetitive news cycle.

Talk Directly to Your Audience. Consider connecting with your target audience through primary research like focus groups or surveys to gather information that will help identify appealing experiences, giving you concrete data from which you can craft tailored messaging that will grab their attention.

Create a Uniquely Memorable Experience. Identify what your brand is best at and what makes it special. This will lead you right to ideas for how to best leverage the local event in a way that makes sense for your brand.

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