Have you ever wondered if boat shows are actually the right place and time to introduce your new product to the press? We can assure you that, while public events represent a great opportunity, holding a more exclusive gathering, where the focus is only on you and the message you want to convey, can be the winning strategy. Hear us out.
Let’s talk about the PIRELLI 50 launch, the new 15-meter maxirib flagship of a new series that the client, TecnoRib, is investing in heavily. Following the launch of the 2 previous models at past boat shows, the client wanted to organize a different kind of event for the new project, with more exclusivity. The key is to find a context in which the attention of the press is totally focused on the brand in question to delve into every aspect of the product and its peculiarities, without the distractions and time limitations imposed by boat shows. Our solution is a two-day event (insert link sculatiandpartners.com/en/media-relations/), dedicated to the national and international press, with a rich schedule, including product presentation, interviews and sea trials.
The advantages are obvious: the possibility to provide more slots for interviews, accurate and unrestricted sea trials, meetings with management in a more relaxed and less dispersed setting than at a larger event, reserving the possibility of a one-on-one meeting with the relevant person for each interested journalist, with greater certainty of adhering to the schedule.
Organizing a press trip: the press agency’s role
Sculati & Partners managed each phase of organizing the two-day event, from the guest list, which included representatives of the most important yachting magazines, both national and international, to setting the schedule.
Knowing the needs of each journalist and which angle they will use to tell the story is essential to being able to organize a program that is comprehensive and attractive to all participants. There will be journalists who’ll require more technical content, some who will be interested in the design aspect, and others who’ll want to talk about the economic strategy of the site. That’s when the press office becomes indispensable: to figure out which personnel to involve, from the engineer to the designer to the CEO, and at what time.
The choice of location and knowledge of the accompanying opportunities is also an important element, along with all the details, such as number of drivers needed, support boats, catering services and transfers to/from the airport, which, when well planned and managed, contribute significantly to a positive perception of the event.
Handling criticalities
Sinergies and partners
The organization asked S&P to manage not only two separate groups of journalists, those from Italy and those from abroad, each with different logistical needs, but also two of the shipyard’s business partners who were also present at the two-day event: Mercury Marine, which supplied the motorization of the maxirib presented, and Simrad Yachting, another of our clients. Simrad Yachting, which supplied the P50’s onboard electronics, took part in the event from both a press office and marketing perspective. Our team also took care of the aspects related to the production of video and photo material, which will be used by Simrad on their social pages as well as communication materials and public presentations, in addition to maximizing brand visibility at the event itself and the creation of merchandising.
For suppliers, it is crucial to collaborate with shipyards and partners in order to contextualize their product on board premium vessels. Our role allows us to further facilitate these collaborations, creating synergies and making our network of contacts available to clients.
Further insights
The official presentation of the PIRELLI 50 also coincided with the first public occasion to meet the CEO of Sacs TecnoRib, a company just recently born from the merger of the two brands, Sacs and TecnoRib. The news was announced at the end of 2021 by our press office. A simple event dedicated to sea trials of a model was thus leveraged into an opportunity to take stock of the company’s situation, the changes in recent months, and plans for the future.
Results: how to evaluate the return on investement of a press trip
Let’s be modest: the event was a success.
How can we say that? Because, two months later, we can already present to the client a press review with a total AVE – Advertising Value Equivalency – value of more than 125,000€.
All the most important publications from the brand’s main markets were present, achieving media coverage in line with expectations: in addition to several Italian publications – not exclusively yachting ones – Spanish, French, Dutch, Turkish, German and English journalists took part in our event.
Interviews with management and partners, descriptions of the sea trial, in-depth reports: the press response is increasing every day, between hard copy articles and those online. And then there’s the content published on the social channels of the media present, with coverage that reached six different countries. Even more stories will be published in the coming months.