Do consumer electronics and gadgets always guarantee press coverage? In an ideal PR world, perhaps. In reality, even products that look fashionable and exciting often need something extra to generate strong coverage. Attractive lifestyle images and a compelling pitch are essential to B2C PR, but regular personal visits to editorial teams matter too. Consumer electronics needs to be seen, tested and experienced.
Alongside a good story, personal contact or a strong relationship often determines whether a journalist wants to discover a product and write about it. That might involve a face-to-face meeting, a press tour or arranging product reviews.
A personal meeting can be an informal conversation over coffee, but at Progress Communications we often develop a tailored demonstration. For our client Sonos, for example, we regularly organise listening sessions in a domestic setting. We introduce wireless speakers in the environment they were designed for: the home, with journalists’ favourite music playing.
For the launch of the latest PLAY:5 speaker, we rented a beautiful lived-in townhouse in Antwerp. Fifteen journalists explored the speaker and new Trueplay software with us in separate rooms.
On a press tour, we take the latest products to several editorial teams in one day, sometimes accompanied by the client. In an informal setting, we update journalists on new consumer electronics and strengthen relationships between brands and the media.
Interaction is essential. We do more than discuss design, specifications and trends: we let journalists try the products themselves. That allows us to respond to their personal experience, because seeing is believing. The experience differs for everyone. Technology journalists may want to explore specifications, while lifestyle media are more interested in everyday benefits.
These meetings provide a real opportunity to tell the story behind a brand and show why a product is relevant to a publication and its readers or followers. For our client Robopolis, for example, a press tour combined visits to Radio 2, Moustique, RTL TVI and Het Laatste Nieuws. We demonstrated iRobot household robots on location, from newsrooms to freelance journalists’ homes.
Journalists, bloggers and influencers generally find it more enjoyable to write about products they can test themselves. Every month, we therefore contact a range of media on behalf of clients to find out which new products they would like to try. Careful follow-up on reviews is essential and helps us continue developing our press relationships.
Media relationships remain central to PR. Since 2002, Progress Communications has built a network from Amsterdam and Antwerp encompassing more than 6,500 media outlets and journalists. This network and our enthusiastic, tailored approach have helped us introduce many brands successfully in the Benelux. Could your brand benefit too? Get in touch.
Aurelie_Cordier
More news ›