It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Or is it? In PR, Christmas can often be the most stressful time of the year. But used in the right way, television PR can make Christmas the most fun (and effective!) time of the year! We speak to two top experts from 4media group to find out more:
Claire Chandler, Head of Client and PR Services
“Christmas is a peak trading period for many brands. However, you need to use television PR in an intelligent way. To cut-though the promotional editorially, unless you’ve got a stellar product story (and yes, I do need Aldi’s 6ft-long pig-in-blanket in my life), you need storytelling and story-doing that doesn’t just hawk at your wares, but shows an unexpected over-commitment to making Christmas better. Make sure you have a stellar story line and a strong spokesperson to really carry your television PR campaign too.”
“Use former television PR campaigns for inspiration. For example, tactics I’ve admired include Greggs’ free gift-wrapping service, Iceland turning its aisles into a skating rink, Game’s canned Christmas dinner and Deliveroo’s fast food baubles. Nostalgia, uniqueness, or just plain daftness are really great places to start! Do your research and use television PR to channel other Christmas campaigns that have had success.”
“Subvert the traditions and tropes of the Christmas season. Through your television PR campaign, you should really be trying to create something that completely stands out against the others. Go against the grain and try something different. Finally, make your Christmas story a banger with a killer visual! This is for television after all, so how it looks is very important.”
Alan Edwards, Head of News
“This close to Christmas, there is, naturally, so much Christmas content. In terms of using television PR to your advantage, you need to think really hard about how strong your campaign is. Is it really hard-hitting, is it going to grab people’s attention?”
“There are three things you need to consider. First, do you have a strong news hook? This goes for television or any other medium – without a strong news hook, your story will fall flat. Secondly, your story needs to be a talking point, something that people will want to debate about in the pub or talk about over the dinner table. Thirdly, your story needs to be relatable. When using television PR to deliver your Christmas campaign, you need to ensure your audience is going to look at it and think “oh, that’s me” – they need to be able to see themselves in the story.”
“Don’t be too downbeat! There is always room for serious stuff, but it’s Christmas! People are finishing work, attending parties and trying to have fun – they don’t want to be guilt tripped. Channel this through your television PR campaign and put out a warm, happy story that your audience will love.”
“One final note – try and be original. The ‘old chestnuts’ get rolled out every year: ‘The house with the most Christmas lights’, ‘The biggest Christmas tree’ – and journalists will always groan. Use television PR to try and create a unique, whacky story that has a real impact – not only will it impress your audience, but it’s more likely to get picked up by multiple media outlets too.”
Want to know more? Contact 4media group today!