Getting voice above the noise
How Whiteoaks gets its clients’ messages heard above 40,000 others at IBC. The
annual IBC in Amsterdam dominates broadcast manufacturers’ marketing
calendars and consistently attracts over 40,000 visitors from 130
countries around the world, exhibiting more than 1,300 of the world’s
key technology suppliers. The Brief Whiteoaks’ impressive list of broadcast clients include amongst others, the world’s second largest broadcast and professional solutions supplier, Grass Valley; French
multi-media giant, Technicolor and The Vitec Group, a multi-brand
organisation serving worldwide customers in the media sector . Whiteoaks’
core objective at IBC is to communicate key announcements and
competitive advantages in the build up to the show and on the
show-floor. As IBC attracts journalists from all over the world,
Whiteoaks must ensure that the right messages reach the relevant
journalists. The Challenge While
the convention itself lasts a matter of days in September, it
effectively runs for around five months in PR terms. Monthly
publications distribute pre-IBC editions in August, so PR activity
begins as early as June and follow-ups continue for more than a month
after. The
key challenge for Whiteoaks is to ensure its clients are front-of-mind
throughout, which means positioning them ahead of thousands of
competitors and maintaining the greatest share of voice for the entire
period. In addition, it has to ensure it meets the strategic, logistic
and budgetary requirements of each client. The Response Strategising
begins at least two months before the big event and in response to each
client’s precise needs, effective communications plans are put in
place. Careful co-ordination and client
communication ensures that all relevant materials are collated ahead of
time in order for these plans to be effectively carried out. Whiteoaks’
strength lies in its long standing and close relationships with the
core broadcast trade press and its strong presence amongst key industry
groups and associations. As
a result, the consultancy is able to effectively organise press tours
for journalists to all its clients’ stands and events at the show, which
is a real benefit for the journalists as it means they save valuable
time that would otherwise be spent trying to track down each exhibitor individually. And of course, these economies of scale are a real benefit to Whiteoaks’ clients too. The Result By
integrating schedules for conferences and interviews across all its
clients at IBC, Whiteoaks achieves higher levels of media contact for
each than they would individually. It consistently attracts journalist
attendance in triple figures to its major press conferences and at
IBC2009, every Whiteoaks client appeared in the show’s own publication,
IBC Daily as well as appearing each morning on the IBC TV News – a
dedicated news channel which is played out of every hotel room in
Amsterdam during the exhibition. Journalists
trust Whiteoaks as a highly efficient industry news source. Respected
industry journalist, Dick Hobbs comments: “Even without breaks,
journalists would have to visit 26 companies an hour to cover all
exhibitors at IBC so a good PR tour is the best use of limited time.
Whiteoaks is excellent at this and makes it easy for journalists to
cover its clients’ issues.” Every
year pre- and post-IBC, Whiteoaks generates hundreds of press clips in
key publications, reaching thousands of target readers around the world.
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