By Curt Bennink, Senior PR Editor, Lessing-Flynn —
In more than 25 years as a construction editor, only a few notable media events remain vivid in my memory. Most blur together. The events that left an impression stand out due to their innovation or as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Companies will often imitate what worked for competitors. This leads to a predictable cadence. In the case of construction media events, this looks like a PowerPoint presentation followed by a product walk-around and then operating time. Attending many events often had an eerie feeling of being in “Groundhog Day.”
So how do you break out of that formula and make your media event stand out? We have a few ideas.
Set Your Goals and Stick With Them
With already short attention spans seeming to shrink by the year, sometimes less is more.
I’ve attended several events where justifiably proud engineers or managers delved into every aspect of a new machine, right down to redesigned door latches and cup holders. One media event gained notoriety for subjecting editors to over three hours of PowerPoint slides.
Extensive presentations like these are a result of avoiding tough decisions. When multiple products are introduced at once, companies want to give every product manager time to address the media. While this might satisfy internal teams, too much information can make it easy for attendees to leave with the wrong message.
Your media event should tie back to a business goal. What have you set out to accomplish? What are the top one or two things you want your audience to take away? Rather than sharing every detail, create a list of key takeaways you want attendees to remember and stick to the list. Drive them home with the editors to ensure you achieve your desired result.
Make Your Presentation Dynamic
Presentation decks are overused. Putting editors in a room after lunch or at the end of a long day at a trade show and dimming the lights is a sure way to lose your audience. More dynamic ways of addressing the audience will help you make the most of your media event.
- Make it interactive. Is there a way your audience can interact with the technology or product? I once sat in a conference room in Las Vegas while operating a dozer on a demonstration site in another state via remote control. The experience would not have been as memorable if it was a simple presentation.
- Welcome a little friendly competition. Product interaction and competition between attendees can drive engagement. Some events have pitted editors against each other in timed events using equipment to pick up basketballs or volleyballs off construction cones. Others have tested attendees’ various skills while showing off the new machine’s capabilities.
- Live demonstrations trump static displays. Editors love to see machines operate. This tactic lends itself to video coverage. In one event, I watched a live demonstration of autonomous machines working together with directions from drones flying overhead. In another, I saw a fully loaded mine haul truck come to a rapid stop, lifting the rear wheels off the ground. You could hear and feel the rear wheels come back down, leaving a lasting impression about the equipment’s braking capability.
Take It to the Extreme
Capture (and keep) editors’ attention with innovative events they’ll only experience once in a lifetime. One of my favorite examples was a media event where graders worked in the dark while a synchronized light show played “Dark Side of the Moon.” You might not have your own Pink Floyd moment, but you can leverage the unexpected to get editors excited about your product.
Consider:
- Outdoor synchronized events. Manufacturers have created unique synchronized routines that demonstrate operator skills and machine capabilities. These events aren’t something you see in the field. But that’s what makes them memorable.
- Destination events. I remember every unique destination that I visited — whether it was an international trip or a domestic adventure. Often the destination is worked into the editorial. It is also a draw for the audience who is curious about equipment origins and unique solutions used in other parts of the world.
- Once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I would have never envisioned an opportunity to push a Ferrari around a racetrack, navigate an off-road course in Nevada, ride around Phoenix Raceway with a famed NASCAR driver or have a conversation with legendary Buddy Baker. I vividly remember each experience and the companies that enabled these opportunities.
Create Customer-Centered Events
Lastly, every manufacturer touts the voice of the customer and how they are focused on meeting customer needs. This same approach should apply to media events. Consider including contractor customers and dealers as part of your event. You could even build the event around a customer.
Editors value their contractor contacts. Being able to interact with customers at an event is a rare opportunity. I have been to several customer-centered media events that led to additional coverage for the manufacturer. For construction editors, peer-to-peer editorial will always carry more weight than taking the manufacturer at their word.
So, what will your next media event look like? A drop in the sea of endless presentations or an engaging, memorable event? You can’t guarantee coverage with either strategy, but I can tell you which ones held my attention as an editor. Get ready to make some memories and you’ll be on your way.
Curt Bennink is Senior PR Editor at Lessing-Flynn, the longest-standing independently owned advertising agency in America. Bennink has been a staple in the construction media industry for 25 years, serving as an editor for various publications before joining Lessing-Flynn in March 2022.
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