WEEK 12 - DEVELOPING IDEAS AND DESIGNS FOR LAUNCH OF AUTHORIAL

RESEARCH & ANALYSIS

Sketchbooks Research & Analysis Ideas for Week 12.

How designers publicise their activities or products. 
 
PR Agencies 
A public relations company helps shape a brand, company or organisation's image through communication and strategy (Lake, 2019). Their value comes in their network and relationships with media outlets, making it easier to place articles and press releases with newspapers, magazines, television stations, radio stations, high-profile websites and podcasts, as well as their ability to seek out opportunities, hone your image, and keep you moving forward (Johnston, 2021).
 
Crafting a press release
Structure – clear communication that gets to the point quickly. 
·       Title
·       Subheading
·       Short Intro
·       Image
·       Body of press release 
 
Personal, do it yourself PR 
Promotion is wrapped up in creation – think about your communication at the start and throughout the creative process. 
 
Key elements to focus on:
Research your target publications
o   Pick the publication or medium that your ideal client engages with, so you are visible to people who are excited to hear from you.
Discover your story
o   Your story will endear you to publications, making them want to feature you and help you grow.
Create a pitch or press release
o   To announce news, pitch or outline an idea.
o   Develop good content that is easy to publish.
Connect with journalists & publications 
o   Build your network of design journalists who can and want to write about you by forming a personal relationship and emailing them directly (Top 60 ways to promote your business – Entrepreneur Handbook, 2021). 
o   Hunter.io is an excellent tool for getting an email address for potential contacts. 
o   Visually driven design publications include Creative Review, It's Nice That, Dieline, Behance and Mr Cup, to name a few. 
Leverage and get the most out of social media
Once you get featured in the press, it's essential to capitalise on a participation culture (Yates, Prince, 2015) and leverage your media coverage through social media channels, your website, and your email list (Lake, 2010). 
Successful campaigns focus on facilitating audience participation and building experiences that value both the consumer and the client. 
Digital is a communication channel that drives all other communication channels.
o   Facebook, TikTok and Instagram allow you to engage a specific audience created by commenting and tagging relevant feeds. Focus on consistency and quality content. 
o   LinkedIn, Twitter and podcasts are excellent platforms to connect with people who could potentially promote your product. Other platforms include Soundcloud, Youtube and other video content (Fox, 2021).
Measure your return on investment (15 Ways to Advertise and Promote Your Business in 2021 | Brandastic, 2021).
 
Overview of crafting a PR strategy
·       Define audience and research target publications
·       Determine goals
·       Create editorial or content
·       Develop distribution
·       Establish measurements
·       Use Data
 
The New You Public Library Insta Stories case study
The New Your Public Library turned social media from an enemy into an ally by re-introduced a new generation to classic literature through Instagram. 
 
Libraries were losing relevance among young readers. The NYPL needed to build a meaningful and enduring engagement with an elusive generation living online. Through research, they realised that generation Z watched 500 million Instagram stories every day and effectively turned Instagram into a library of great storytelling. Generation Z hadn't rejected stories; they simply changed where they found them. 
 
Rather than bringing young people to the library, the solution was to get the library to the young people. The NYPL created Insta Novels, the first digital library explicitly built for Instagram. Each story was constructed together with insta-famous artists and animator collaborations to preserve the integrity of the work while making a new way to consume literature for the modern age. The program was intuitive and comfortable. 
 
Zero media spend resulted in $7.1 million in earned media, 300 000 books read, a 700% increase in followers in the first 24 hours and 700 news mentions. By merging publishing and social media, Insta Novels became an instant classic that ripped through culture and changed behaviour (Aaaa, 2021). 
 

Fig. 1: The New York Public Library Insta Novels, 2019.

Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds is changing the face of marketing and PR single-handedly. He is consistent throughout his communication, both on and off the screen and brings authenticity, charm and wit to his campaigns. Campaigns surrounding both Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile are laden with humour. He is a true believer in connecting with people on a personal level. He believes that relatable stories sell better than creating hype around a product or service.
 
Reynolds is known to be quick in using the current trends to promote his brands. For example, Reynolds cleverly used the controversial Peloton bike ad to promote Aviation Gin. While Peloton was busy controlling damage caused by its ad, Reynolds created a brilliant spoof using the same lead model, Monica Ruiz, within 75 hours, making it one of the best ads in 2019 .
"I can turn something around in 36 hours that another company would take weeks to figure out (Kashyap, 2020)."

Fig. 2: Ryan Reynolds Sneaks an Aviation Gin Ad Into a Movie Ad Inside a Samsung Ad, 2021.

Taking cues from Ryan Reynolds and Michael Lester leads one to believe that an individual approach allows you to be nimble, in touch with your audience and uniquely creative in your ideas and executions. 
 

IMAGINE

 

 

Sketchbook Workshop Challenge ideas for Week 12. 

Short video, to help an audience and business partner see the potential of VitaChu. 

REFLECTION

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