As a Producer you never really know what each day will bring – a whacky TV shoot or maybe a more serious, hard-hitting Radio campaign. But when I got a call from FocusPR, I knew this project would be a whole new kettle of fish – or in this case a giant bowl of punch.
Courvoisier cognac – together with food architects Bompas & Parr – had decided to flood a room at 33 Portland Place in London with 4,000 litres of punch by some remarkable feat of engineering. They opened the event to Londoners who could come and taste the cocktail and even row across it, if that’s what floats their boat!
What’s more they wanted TNR to film the spectacle and get online media coverage of the event’s launch. But a unique idea and visually exciting material is always a recipe for video success, especially when you add ex-Blur guitarist Alex James into the mix, as Courvoisier’s ‘Taste Consultant.’ I was excited about jumping on board the campaign.
So, after many phone conversations that went a bit like this…..“a giant bowl of punch, which can serve 250 thousand people….Alex James floating on top of the cocktail?” I was off with my cameraman into the great unknown.
Things were about to get even more interesting. When we got there we were told to scrub our hands (hospital style), don a hair net and a butcher’s apron, and enter the “Courvoisier Architectural Punch Bowl.”
Alex James sits on a raft in a 4,000-litre Courvoisier punch bowl, at the VIP launch of the Courvoisier Architectural Punch Bowl exhibition. Matt Crossick/TNR Communications
Then the man of the moment arrived. It was certainly the first time I’ve ever interviewed a celeb while wearing a hairnet (Alex James was not wearing said hairnet, but a cooler version reserved only for famous people).
It was movie magic – a big lake of booze, dry ice, fancy dress, giant remote-controlled pieces of fruit and Alex James floating around on a massive inflatable slice of orange.
We edited a fantastic video of the launch (if I do say so myself) which generated plenty of online interest. I may not be wearing a hairnet again in a hurry for a shoot. But it’s not the first time – nor I suspect the last time – I looked daft in the line of duty.
Post by Tessa Parry-Wingfield (Producer for TNR Communications)
PR Week hits the nail on the head in terms of Social Media
PR Week has hit the nail on the head, again. Turn to page 20 of this week’s copy and read for yourself how digital communications is by no means a flash in the pan!
The report from Cathy Wallace, highlights the findings from the PR Week’s Digital Survey which was conducted amongst PR and comms teams. It asked comms professionals to back up their claims and prove their digital credentials. The survey revealed “how the PR industry views digital right now and where it might be going”. The findings were interesting to say the least, and as a communications consultancy incorporating digital media into campaigns more and more, we thoroughly enjoyed their findings.
Digital comms has really picked up pace and has everyone talking about it. PR Week has found 83% of clients request digital to form part of the PR activity. Which is unsurprising considering how the internet has officially overtaken word of mouth as ‘the most influential source of information when considering purchases’ (Weber Shandwick Inline Research 2009). So the end consumer, the client and the PR agency are all now embracing the world of video sharing sites, social media, blogging, twittering etc.
PR Week also reported last week that 30% of senior PRO’s already embracing online video and a massive 70% already seeing 2010 as the year where video will be the most important interactive channel.
We have certainly seen a large increase this year alone for requests for online video. PRO’s are beginning to see the added value to their campaigns of making the same footage, content and story available to online editorials as well as social media sites. One news story now needs to reach multiple media platforms simultaneously.
At TNR we regularly take the broadcast news footage we shoot (B-Roll) and edit it into a finished piece (A-Roll) for the online editorials; tweaking it for video sharing sites; and fine-tuning it for corporate websites. The same footage and ultimately the same message can now go beyond traditional media and reach the growing online and digital audiences.
That’s what I call bang for your buck!
A recent example of a very successful multimedia campaign was the launch of the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records last month. We knew that not only would this story capture the imagination of TV audiences and radio listeners, but the online news providers and editorial pages as well as social media, with their YouTube page.
From our experience, every PR campaign that comes our way needs to be thought of as a multi media campaign. Can it work in the traditional broadcast arena? Can we edit the footage for online editorials? Do we need a video only with stills? What about a podcast with the celebrity spokesperson?
Having a multi-view will produce a multi media campaign.
Post by Elizabeth Herridge (Project Manager at TNR Communications)
Tags: Broadcast PR, Digital, Digital Marketing, Elizabeth Herridge, Guinness World Records, insider comments, Media, media coverage, mulitmedia, Multimedia, News, ONline Communications, Online News Release, Photographic Consultancy, PR, PR agency, PR Consultancy, PR Media, Social Media, TNR, TNR Communications, TV, Video production, Videos
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