Media – online and offline – is seeking compelling content and real news. Events have great potential to offer opportunities that drive your communications efforts in PR and Marketing Communications. This ebook presents 5 reasons why events become even more important for communications.

1. reasons
why events become even more
important for communications
Photo: flickr.com | duncan

2. Photo: flickr.com | Jason A. Howie 2
Media – online and offline
– is seeking compelling
content and real news.
Social media allowed all of us to become
amateur journalists. Today, millions of amateurs
are producing good and not so good content,
but a myriad of content every day.
Professional media can only survive by
providing high quality journalism. Chief editors
have sharpened their eagle eyes.
That is why today PR people have to be even
more creative and know what journalists (and
the public) are interested in.

3. So, how can events help?
Photo: flickr.com | jeff_golden 3

4. 1. Events have a good
chance to be newsworthy
Photo: flickr.com | John Smith 4

5. Newsworthyness & News Factors
News are newsworthy information about recent
events or happenings.
5 news factors define newsworthyness
(some pros talk about even more factors, but lets keep it simple here)
1. TIMING things that are truly new, today not yesterday
2. SIGNIFICANCE number of people affected by the story
3. PROXIMITY the closer the story to home of the reader, the better
4. PROMINENCE famous people get more coverage
5. HUMAN INTEREST these stories appeal to emotion, evoke responses
such as amusement or sadness
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6. Mind the news factors
when creating an event
1. Be on time & maybe even invite to an
event when others don’t
2. The larger the event (number of guests)
the better the chance media is interested
3. Inform and invite national but also regional
media channels
4. Involve testimonials, celebrities and VIPs
5. Emotionalize! Let your guests experience
something with their senses
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7. 2. Events offer good opportunities to
create social media hypes
Photo: Twitter.com | @BarackObama 7

8. What happens in social networks has
an origin in real events in real life.
At least that is still the case in the year 2013.
There is only one reason why social networks
develop their mobile applications and right now
more than 50% of all Facebook users update their
status with their smartphone:
Whether it is the most liked photo on Facebook
(Barack hugs Michelle: Four more years), the 50th
visit in the fitness studio to get a foursquare batch or
the sunset – one of the most spectacular free
events without guest list – all these happenings
fascinate us in the one or other way, we tell our
friends about it, make it being an important topic.
We thematize spectacular events.
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9. If you want to be the next social media
hype, think about how to fascinate your
customers and business partners.
If you want to be the next social
media hype, think about how to
fascinate your customers and
business partners. Red Bull Stratos
delivered with Felix Baumgaertner
and „The world’s biggest jump“ a
best case, how events can create a
social media hype (which then
continues its triumphant in offline
media). Admittedly, the Red Bull
Budget can not be a
benchmark, but the examples
proofs that creativity paired with risk
offers great chances. Thats the
same for small events.
Photo: Live Stream Red Bull Stratos 9

10. 3. Direct control of your
messages
Photo: flickr.com | Quasic 10

11. What shall guests and the public understand
and “take home” from the event? What
messages should they remember two years
after the event?
Events offer a real rarity in communications: control.
The communication medium is the event itself. If you
control the event, you also control the
communication media and therefore the messages
you convey with the event towards your guests and
to the public. For this course, a stringent event
concept is essential. Clarify exactly what goals are to
be achieved with the event.
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12. 4. Bringing brand worlds
to life
Photo: flickr.com | Fabrizio Sciami 12

13. If messages are the content, the
connected emotion is the packaging.
In forums and social networks customers share their opinion and thoughts a lot quicker
and more frequently than any marketing department. Yesterday push – today pull.
Consumers are not interested in plain product information anymore, but creative
possibilities to combine product information with their own realm of life in an
entertaining way. Brand worlds emerge and become accessible through various
communications channels.
Events at the point of sale or in exciting locations that fit to the brand identity bring
brand worlds to life. Consumers can experience a brand with all their senses. Its about
colors, forms, taste and scent. Consumers want to touch, try and have fun. Events offer
unparalelled opportunities for intensive client relationship building – more intensive
than other communications channels. Whether it is a small summer party or a press trip
with your key multiplicators – let your target audience experience something great.
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14. 5. Personlity – direct
exchange with customers and
business partners
Photo: flickr.com | el7bara 14

15. Probably the most important reason why
we should focus more on events in our
communications mix is the personal note.
No communications channel offers a better chance to get in
contact with our customers and business partners that effectively
and close like a good event.
Social networking without online social networks inspires, lets us
share information very quickly and targeted and helps to build trust
– foundation for any business and maybe even a real friendship.
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16. Conclusion
Our media landscape is getting even more colorful. The
more difficult it is to convince.
Events offer good opportunities to deliver our messages very
targeted to our guests and (through multiplicators) to the
broader public and to bring our brand world to life.
This requires creative concepts and tailored PR solutions.
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17. Learn more about it.
Sebastian Hesse
Big Bang & Whisper
Phone: +49 30 69202499
Email: sebastian@bigbangandwhisper.com
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