It’s events and awards season. From the ultimate movie-industry soiree, the Academy Awards—which airs this Sunday, Feb. 24— to New York’s glitzy Fashion Week, event communicators are all looking to cut through the clutter and create buzz to gain the most engagement and eyeballs.
And while the glitzy entertainment/fashion shows get much of the attention, PR pros across industries—in B2C and B2B—are employing myriad strategies and tactics to get the word out about their own events and their appearances at other events.
STAND OUT
What’s the best way to do that? Follow the old Steve Jobs/ Apple adage: Think different. “In the end if you do what everyone else does for an event, you’ll never stand out,” says Joel York, director of demand generation and digital marketing at productivity software maker Meltwater Group.
THINK THEMATICALLY
At Meltwater, events are crafted around a thematic idea, which drives more creativity in media outreach, York says. At the 2012 PRSA International Conference in San Francisco, Meltwater, a sponsor of the event, crafted a theme around the city and wine, offering an event of its own at Press Club, a top wine bar in the Bay Area.
York’s event PR philosophy is to work smarter, not harder. “Focus on a few tactics that reinforce each other, such as a contest or a flash mob around your theme,” he says. “It’s better to put your emphasis on one or two tactics instead of throwing pasta against the wall,” York adds.
However, working smarter also means leaving no logistical stone unturned. “Bad or incomplete logistical planning will make your theme irrelevant,” York says.
GO OFF-SITE
If you’re looking to stand out from another organization’s event and get past the clutter of a crowded floor, think about holding your own event before the main event, or go off-site while at the main event, says Robin Carr, public relations director at online money transfer company Xoom Corp., based in San Francisco.
Carr, who previously worked in the videogame industry, recalls how Electronic Arts would host a press event in San Francisco before the big gaming show, E3, began in Los Angeles.
Once at E3, Carr would host special EA gatherings at swank LA venues. “That really gets the press and other guests to participate,” Carr says.
Another tactic particularly effective for time-stretched journalists is to make a video of your own event. “Create your own B-roll and provide it to the press,” says Carr.
GOING DIGITAL
Creating buzz around an event will no doubt include digital and social elements.
Rick Foote, senior VP of Digital at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, says many of the basic event engagement tactics can be achieved through digital platforms.
Working mainly with B2B clients, event outreach starts with LinkedIn, where relevant industry groups—and groups that may peripherally be interested— are targeted for outreach. “LinkedIn is usually the first place we go to, because it’s a natural fit for B2B,” Foote says.
Facebook is another proven social platform for event outreach, Foote says. Creating a dedicated page for the event, posting event announcements and driving thought leadership conversations before, during and after the event all drive engagement.
LEVERAGING VIDEO
A key goal: If it’s your own event, have speakers participate in a video or tweet chat before the event. As we have reported before, video is exploding onto the PR scene, and the ability to add the visual element to event outreach is critical.
To leverage video to its fullest, start with solid production values and make the video no more than two minutes in length. Then, Foote says, push the video out on Facebook, Twitter and other relevant social media platforms. “The key is getting the video shared by as many targets as possible,” he says.
Recently, H+K has been experimenting with Twitter’s Vine—the six-second video clip tool available to users. One Vine tactic is to have event registrants tweet short, six-second video questions to presenters. “We’re looking closely at many options involving this tool,” Foote says.
Here are some other tips from Foote on how to optimize your event using digital strategies and tactics:
1. Get people to share content socially before the event. The consistent use of one standard hashtag makes all the difference.
2. Using LinkedIn for the B2B space is a proven way to drum up interest.
3. Offer giveaways—usually a presenter or two has a book to hawk.
4. Use every digital and social channel, including blogs, to maximize your audience engagement.
Meanwhile, communicators who work on the more glamorous events are pulling out all the stops to build buzz. For instance, to drive TV viewership for this year’s Grammys, communicators tapped a largely unused mobile tactic: geo-location. Building on its main message, “Music Is Life Is Music,” the centerpiece of the mobile effort was a map developed with the music-streaming service Rdio, on which fans could tag places with videos, photos and messages that tell a personal story connecting them to their favorite music.
Leading up to the Oscar telecast, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is allowing fans to touch the 8.5-pound statue that has been gripped by Hollywood’s finest.
There’s a twist to the 21-day roadtrip, though: The @OscarRoadTrip Twitter account is revealing the pit stops and asking followers to choose between two locations of where Oscar will appear next.
And at the start recent Fashion Week in New York City, communicators hit the media relations jackpot in landing a page-one Wall Street Journal feature titled “Fashion Plates: Here’s the Skinny on Off-the-Runway Pigging Out.”
Ultimately, though, when it comes to events, human nature wins out. To slay the competition, the best thing you can do, says York, is to throw a most incredible party. PRN
CONTACT:
Joel York, [email protected]; Robin Carr, [email protected]; Rick Foote, [email protected]; Emily Rosen, [email protected].
Event PR
Digital PR
Media Relations
Building Buzz Around Events
The Reporter Whisperer: How to Wrangle the Media at Events
Getting good press for an event is a key goal for any communicator. For Emily Rosen, account supervisor at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, it’s all about creating the most unique experiences for journalists. For client Ford, in 2012 H+K engineered a three-day experience for 300 bloggers that introduced the car company’s cutting-edge technologies.
The challenge: Google’s IO conference was scheduled for the same time, which would lure many of Ford’s tech-blogger targets. In response, H+K created a once-in-a lifetime experience for the bloggers. “We offered them time with a car, and Ford customers and executives to talk to,” Rosen says. Here are Rosen’s tips for best handling the media at events:
• During an event, constantly check in with journalists to make sure they feel taken care of and have a point of contact.
• Ensure reporters have downtime. “This is often overlooked at events,” Rosen says. “If they want time to blog or relax, give them a break.”
• Provide a variety of executives on site to provide different points of view. One-on-one or small group sessions are important, too.