Let’s retire the BFI
I hate most PR stunts and launch events. They’re expensive, they often don’t speak to the product at hand, the public doesn’t usually understand them and traditional media couldn’t care less. Television upfronts are possibly an exception (my client, CBC, just had theirs last week and CTV had theirs last night) as media still attend in droves to see what’s new on the fall season slate. But even so - these events no longer get as much positive feedback and why should they? Could we not achieve the same goals by simply talking to media, bloggers and viewers about what’s new and exciting in TV land?
PR practitioners often come under a great deal of pressure from their clients to deliver what some have called "The Big F*ing Idea." You know the one - the big stunt, the huge launch party, a travelling caravan with zoo animals and rock band performances. We get so caught up in finding that magic big idea that we forget about all the little ideas that really matter.
When PR focuses too much on the big splashy idea, the smaller, better roads to communication get ignored. I’d been thinking of this in the wake of the recent upfront events. Seth Godin (whose books you simply must read) posted today on grand openings and just how overrated they are. I couldn’t agree more with his point that money can be better spent on building relationships and conversing.
A great product will sell itself - without the red carpet event or the people in costumes handing out flyers. It’s our job to communicate the benefits to the people who will get the most out of it. Social media opens up numerous doors and ways of reaching communities, allowing many ideas - big, medium and small - to flourish and spread outwards. I would happily support an event that brings bloggers together with the goal of sparking conversation.
Let’s hope the BFI goes MIA, so that we can concentrate on being more effective and creative communicators.
June 3rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
BFIs are one thing, but the best part about events is meeting media IN PERSON and building a relationship by talking to them face-to-face, something that happens all too rarely in the PR world.
June 3rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I totally agree - it is a great opportunity. I’m thinking more events where media and PR people can mix and share ideas without the stunts.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:42 am
Interestingly, this complements a convo we had at TFC yesterday.
The challenge is getting clients to understand your point.
I like a great BFI - who doesn’t? Sometimes they have a one-off, event proposal and often, it is the kernel of a concept that leads to great media awareness.
There used to be the budget for the big splash. Somewhere along the line, media stopped reporting on the splash and, instead, decided that they would create “partnerships” with products they deemed worthy of said splash.
In other words, the landscape changed. We need to change our game. And we need to educate our clients about the new playing field.
June 5th, 2008 at 8:44 am
I agree with your points - and you have always been great at coming up with big, creative ideas! I perhaps should have referred more to the big splash as opposed to the BFI. But yes, we are still grappling with how to explain to our clients just how much - and how quickly - the landscape has changed.