Primarily viewed as a great extravaganza, the press event seems to be losing traction and turn into a less spectacular show. It leads us to wonder if the press events aim at having a huge impact on media, spreading information, or controlling one’s image and reputation. We will tackle this issue in this article.
The birth of “infotainment”
Although pinpointing the first press event in history may be tricky, those organized by Phineas Taylor Barnum, Thomas Edison orEdward Bernays are deemed the three potential winners. Yet, opinions vary on the matter.
According to Edison’s myth, the American inventor used to invite journalists to press conferences to introduce his so-called latest invention before rushing into his laboratory and actually inventing it! Moreover, Edison was known for his gruesome habit of electrocuting animals to prove that direct current was less dangerous than alternate current –promoted by Nikola Tesla.
The fact is, when recounting such stories, historians are only interested by impactful events symbolizing their time. For instance, in 1914, an event known as the Colorado “Ludlow Massacre”– where Rockefeller’s coal miners and their families went on strike – led to bloody riots facing the Colorado National Guard. M. Rockefeller then hired Ivy Lee, father of the very first press release, to brush up his family’s public and mediatic image. In response, M. Lee organized a few encounters between the Rockefellers and the miners’ families – before a journalist’s eyes – in order to successfully manipulate the media opinion.
Among these candidates to the very first press event in history, purposes seem to differ. On the one hand, Barnum’s shows were viewed as a mere advertisement, although his aim was to generate chatter. On the other hand, Edison’s press conferences were a form of keynote address, whose goal was to introduce a new product or (aggressively) conquer new market shares. Finally, Lee’s job was to regain control over his client’s image through crisis communication and management.
At the end of the day, these events’ common denominator is the brand image. Thus, those press events aimed at conveying a brand identity through a theatrical performance while controlling the companies’ image and communication.
Excessively extravagant
Flash forward to the 2000s and 2010s, a time where press events were bold, creative… as well as extravagant! Apple, for instance, was (and still is) known for its spectacular product launches (involving flying items or Hollywood-grade special effects) in front of thousands of enthusiastic people, orchestrated by Steve Jobs himself. Therefore, ever since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007, Apple’s press events represent– as Steve Jobs used to say –a revolutionary communication scheme involving a passionate audience, lobbying campaigns for journalists, and unprecedented technological promises to cap it off.
The press event therefore became a full-blown show. It was no longer a mere information vector or a convenient place where experts, spokespeople, and journalists got together, but became a topic in itself, that embodied the company’s values, culture and (sometimes) vision – an opportunity to express one’s identity, which had more to do with marketing than PR.
Although Apple did not invent its own brand identity- which relies on values such as sobriety, efficiency, and pioneering -, the company associated it with the image of a man standing alone on stage, wearing a black turtleneck sweater. However, Apple also made its own keynotes obsolete by promulgating many criticized product updates and turning them year after year into a caricature of themselves.
Yet, this concept has now become mainstreamed and led to the multiplication of events including corporate branding, press events, as well as a rallying point for a targeted community –i.e. Blitzcon, Google I/O, SpaceX Rocket Launch Events, Microsoft Surface Event or Samsung Galaxy Unpacked.
Furthermore, the Tech market has quickly followed in Steve Jobs’ steps and logically elected to think bigger to capture the people’s attention.
Nowadays, those events have all but disappeared, especially since the LA fiasco of 21 November 2019, when Elon Musk asked his Head Designer to test his Cybertruck’s shielding and its– supposedly – unbreakable windows. One metal ball later, Tesla, SpaceX, and X’s (formerly Twitter) boss became a laughingstock on the Internet.
Yet, excess is not necessarily a key characteristic of every press event and only makes headlines because of media giants who always succeed in capturing the media’s attention.
Telling a tale of control
Nowadays– probably thanks to the pandemics –, most of these events moved online and became smoother, more consistent, and more controlled. Yet, a question remains unsolved: how to tell a story to efficiently convey an information and control one’s brand image? The trick mainly resides in thinking out of the box to capture or deflect media’s attention– like a kind of magic!
However, online events need to follow consistent approaches and promote simplicity as things seem to be much blander though a screen. Still, Apple keeps its avant-garde mindset by introducing its products via blockbuster videos. The latest features CEO Tim Cook in the company of Mother Nature herself!
Having a good idea based on an interactive principle can make all the difference and create an innovative experience. However, this idea is a mere luxury case designed to promote a new story destined to be told by many people, as it contains the seeds of a narrative which would enhance– and control – the brand’s image.
Online events can also be problematic for the organizers due to their high cost. Indeed, the technical prowess involved to conduct the event successfully and engage journalists and participants requires considerable coordination and preparation efforts– which can lead to considerable expenses! Therefore, at a time when sobriety– regarding energy, the environment, and other matters –is still the order of the day, it may be time to revert to physical events, whose measurement reflects the importance of information.
This does not mean that you should not have an original idea or approach, to pique the interest of the press and the public. However, rather than opting for the grandiose, it is above all crucial to articulate your press events around a clear statement or information, to better control your brand’s image and story.
Guillaume Le Postec
