Most of us in PR will never be involved in
a campaign involving a $4 million, 30-
second commercial, but that doesn’t
mean we can’t take a page from Super
Bowl advertisers’ playbook.
All too often, PR ends up in a peak-
and-valley cycle, especially if a core
tactic is media relations. For example,
funding announcements, major
partnerships, and product launches tend
to drive a big burst of media coverage.
That’s great, but after the initial
excitement (the peak) wears off, then
what? A valley. In other words, minimal
media coverage, reduced share of voice,
and decreased visibility. Sustaining the
peak momentum is the real challenge—
and opportunity—for PR counselors.
That’s why I love that so many of this
year’s Super Bowl advertisers, including
M&M , Axe , Jaguar, and Cheerios , are
connecting their ad purchases to an
integrated campaign that extends far
beyond the game and water-cooler
chatter.
These creative campaigns help the
advertisers break the peak-and-valley
cycle, but you don’t need a behemoth
ad purchase to avoid the “Death Valley”
of PR.
Instead, view a major event or news
opportunity as an invitation to kickstart
a long-term, consistent, sustainable
level of awareness.
[RELATED: Prove the ROI of your
digital efforts after hearing
these top-rated case studies in
March.
]
How? Here are five ideas to help you
sustain momentum:
1. “Audience sharing” events. TheLi.st,
Stacey London (of “What Not to Wear”
fame), and Bauble Bar teamed up for
an event with socially savvy, well-
connected women. Attendees fit the
target demographic of all three
partners, making it a win/win/win.
2. Timely content marketing. Our client,
Seen, had identified sports as a major
growth market, so it created an
infographic about Major League
Baseball’s Opening Day, then another
about the London Olympics. These
infographics resulted in placements on
ESPN.com, Mashable and Yahoo! Sports,
and, most important, it generated
valuable new client leads.
3. Virtual events, like this online
scavenger hunt we executed for the
Columbus Marathon.
4. Ambassador Program. In conjunction
with its Ingiegogo campaign, Poppy Soap
Co. , maker of artisan soaps, equipped
ambassadors with tools to share the
product and campaign with their
personal networks. This helped the brand
with its crowdfunding campaign, but it
also expanded its network of brand
loyalists.
5. “Trend-jacking.” Identify big trends
in your industry or community, and look
for relevant, seamless opportunities to
be part of the story. For example, when
Google Fiber first launched in Kansas
City, we were working with a tech
company that was one of the first to
access Fiber. Knowing that Google Fiber
would generate so much interest from
national media, we connected our client
with reporters looking to humanize the
tech story. It generated a wide range
of media coverage, from CNN and WSJ
… to VentureBeat and the local business
journal.
Those are just a few ideas to get the
creative juices flowing. Don’t forget
about user-generated campaigns,
market research, blog “carnivals,” or
speaking tours.
How do you sustain PR momentum even
when you don’t have a major news story
to offer journalists?
a campaign involving a $4 million, 30-
second commercial, but that doesn’t
mean we can’t take a page from Super
Bowl advertisers’ playbook.
All too often, PR ends up in a peak-
and-valley cycle, especially if a core
tactic is media relations. For example,
funding announcements, major
partnerships, and product launches tend
to drive a big burst of media coverage.
That’s great, but after the initial
excitement (the peak) wears off, then
what? A valley. In other words, minimal
media coverage, reduced share of voice,
and decreased visibility. Sustaining the
peak momentum is the real challenge—
and opportunity—for PR counselors.
That’s why I love that so many of this
year’s Super Bowl advertisers, including
M&M , Axe , Jaguar, and Cheerios , are
connecting their ad purchases to an
integrated campaign that extends far
beyond the game and water-cooler
chatter.
These creative campaigns help the
advertisers break the peak-and-valley
cycle, but you don’t need a behemoth
ad purchase to avoid the “Death Valley”
of PR.
Instead, view a major event or news
opportunity as an invitation to kickstart
a long-term, consistent, sustainable
level of awareness.
[RELATED: Prove the ROI of your
digital efforts after hearing
these top-rated case studies in
March.
]
How? Here are five ideas to help you
sustain momentum:
1. “Audience sharing” events. TheLi.st,
Stacey London (of “What Not to Wear”
fame), and Bauble Bar teamed up for
an event with socially savvy, well-
connected women. Attendees fit the
target demographic of all three
partners, making it a win/win/win.
2. Timely content marketing. Our client,
Seen, had identified sports as a major
growth market, so it created an
infographic about Major League
Baseball’s Opening Day, then another
about the London Olympics. These
infographics resulted in placements on
ESPN.com, Mashable and Yahoo! Sports,
and, most important, it generated
valuable new client leads.
3. Virtual events, like this online
scavenger hunt we executed for the
Columbus Marathon.
4. Ambassador Program. In conjunction
with its Ingiegogo campaign, Poppy Soap
Co. , maker of artisan soaps, equipped
ambassadors with tools to share the
product and campaign with their
personal networks. This helped the brand
with its crowdfunding campaign, but it
also expanded its network of brand
loyalists.
5. “Trend-jacking.” Identify big trends
in your industry or community, and look
for relevant, seamless opportunities to
be part of the story. For example, when
Google Fiber first launched in Kansas
City, we were working with a tech
company that was one of the first to
access Fiber. Knowing that Google Fiber
would generate so much interest from
national media, we connected our client
with reporters looking to humanize the
tech story. It generated a wide range
of media coverage, from CNN and WSJ
… to VentureBeat and the local business
journal.
Those are just a few ideas to get the
creative juices flowing. Don’t forget
about user-generated campaigns,
market research, blog “carnivals,” or
speaking tours.
How do you sustain PR momentum even
when you don’t have a major news story
to offer journalists?
posted from Bloggeroid
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