The ad publicising Aston Martin’s most recent promotion in the States is a thing of beauty in its simplicity – it combines Daniel Craig, an Aston Martin and cuddly puppies against a white backdrop with Craig talking to camera. Clean, cute and very clever because it crosses over so many audience groups whilst still maintaining the ‘I want one of those’ appeal of the Aston Martin marque. See for yourself …. Daniel & Puppies

It’s an illustration of how effective that well-worn phrase ‘less is more’ can be when it comes to brand appeal and communication. And that can also translate into events and press launches. Many a client’s initial brief for a new product launch is to have an all singing, all dancing, block buster type event. Even if their budget allowed for such a spend, we often find that be keeping things simple we can tailor a press launch in such a way that it comes under budget, but over achieves on the results.

Before rushing in to any launch event we always ask our clients, and ourselves, some simple questions – so here are Clareville’s top tips for a successful press launch:

Choose the right venue
Make sure your choice of venue reflects the product or service you are launching and that it’s the right size. Your mission is to fill your venue with happy smiling faces – there is nothing worse than a half empty room at a press launch – so make sure you initially invite more guests than your venue can hold, to ensure a comfortable full house on the day.

Choose the right theme
The theme should relate to the product or service or to the industry you are in. At each touch point throughout the event the brand message must come across (from your food right through to the clothing of your promotional team). Everyone should be briefed on the event on the message you are trying to get across, from the caterers, barmen, models and hosts.

Choose the right time
When hosting a press event make sure the timing is one that fits their working day. For instance, award ceremonies … lunch time awards are best as photographs of celebs will definitely be filed in time for the following day print news. If held in the evening then a press photo opportunity as guests arrive will still give any seasoned paparazzi enough time to make the next day editions. If your audience is mummy bloggers then events during half term, school holidays or in the evening are a no-no. One time doesn’t necessarily fit all.

Choose the entertainment
Decide whether or not to include some kind of entertainment based on the type of product launch event you’re hosting. The entertainment has to reflect both the product and audience. If your product is a practical one then a demonstration of how it works will give your event some structure and will give journalists the information they need. It makes it that much easier to write about something if you can see exactly what it is and how it works.

Choose the host
There should be someone who is the event organiser or host, or a small team responsible for hosting. They should be visible, control the proceedings, meet and greet, keep the momentum going and ensure the energy in the venue is maintained. If there have to be speeches keep them short and do them early on in the proceedings when more people will listen than not.