Time to pull out the polished shoes and the ornate
accessories because were throwing a media event!
A media event is not your average party. These events can
range from press conferences, interviews, receptions, press launches. Their mission is to gain maximum amount of
media coverage. “Media events are pre-planned, announced and advertised in
advance; they are typically organized outside the media and the media serve as
a channel; they electrify very large audiences; and they could cause an
audience to celebrate the event” (Feng, Dong, Xu, Feng 2011).
A lot of tireless preparation is needed for a successful
event. Much of this success is a result of the coverage the event receives in
the media. And it is the job on the Media Relations Practitioner to get on that
media coverage!
The book suggests to create a media checklist for the
following:
1. Date/
Time of announcement- You must consider other components when selecting a date
such as weather, holidays, and media availability.
2. Site
of Announcement- Pick a place that makes the most sense for your company and
event and also accommodates guests.
3. Main
theme/ Primary Message: What is the main reason you are throwing this big
shindig?
4. Guests
and Media- Just like any other party you need to make sure you have the most
popular and influential people there i.e. government officials, community
leaders, news media, etc.
5. Speakers-
Who does the public want to hear from?
6. Type
of Occasion- Is it a standard tie or bowtie kind of night?
7. Media
Relations: Organize press kits, interviews, and transportation.
8. Invitations
to Media- Who will make the biggest noise about my event?
9. Mementos-
Gift bags for everyone! (Only when appropriate, no puppies.)
10. Collateral
Materials- Standard marketing materials geared specifically towards the company
and the media event. (Howard
&Mathews p. 128)
Apple jumped on the media party train, mid September, with a
media event to premier the next-generation of multicolor iPhone models. (Okay,
so I know that this news is a little old, but we can still look at their stellar
use of a media event.)
Apple created buzz about the hot event, held at the
corporate headquarters in Cupertino California, by releasing an announcement saying
“it should brighten everyone’s day.” This was hinting towards the newer and
“brighter” iPhones on the starting line.
Boom! Now this really caught the public’s attention.
Everyone loves their iPhones. Now by adding bright colors to the electronic the
people are really going to get going!
Using this momentum, Apple also used the media event to
announce the release date of the one and only iOS 7. Not only was the outside
of the iPhone getting a facelift, but the inside as well.
I want to hear from you my fellow Media Relations bloggers.
How would you create a big media event? Do you find the
checklist a helpful beginning for event preparation, or is there anything else
you would add?
And Apple! Do you think they made a big enough splash with
their big announcement? Would you have done anything different to make it
bigger?
Bingqi, F., Bing, D., Taolong, X., & Ruofei, F. (2011).
Place media events and place image communication: The role of festivals and
special events from the perspective of media relations. Catalan Journal Of
Communication & Cultural Studies, 3(2), 159-173.
doi:10.1386/cjcs.3.2.159 1
Howard, C. M., Mathews, W. K. (2013). On Deadline:
Managing Media Relations. Illinois: Waveland Press Inc.
AppleInsider Staff. (2013). Apple promises to ‘brighten
everyone’s day’ at Sept. 10 iPhone announcement. AppleInsider. Retrieved
from
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/03/apple-issues-invitations-for-iphone-media-event-on-sept-10
http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/09/03/apple-issues-invitations-for-iphone-media-event-on-sept-10
