Virtual sustainability events, electrifying press releases, global coverage, and organic placements that have turned our PR earth upside down – it’s been a green start to Q2!
This month saw the return of Earth Day – an event dedicated to promoting a sustainable future for our planet, and a day that has not been lost on our clients, who have embraced the sustainability theme with open arms. But remember – beware greenwashing!
It’s been another jam-packed month of PR activity here at IBA.
Power to the (green) press release
At the beginning of 2024 we did our take on ‘what’s in and what’s out’ for PR pros in 2024 and it came as no surprise to see press releases were very much in. At IBA we believe when written well, press releases are a very powerful tool in the PR pro arsenal! Press releases are the perfect medium for businesses to add proof points and corporate messaging to their thought leadership. Take our aerospace and defense client, where we have been carefully building a sales-oriented campaign around Advanced Air Mobility for the last 18 months, and the culmination of a stream of articles, blogs, and white papers is a new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) customer.
A Pro Forma for the perfect campaign, the result? Masses of coverage! The Pitch&Place team at IBA managed to secure a staggering 35 placements across a range of global commercial aviation publications – go Team!
What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a virtual ESG event
When it comes to sustainability, actions speak much louder than words and far too often, we see cases of greenwashing and unfulfilled promises. From consumers to investors, people are becoming more aware of eco-friendly practices and savvy to greenwashing, making it crucial for businesses to get their ESG messaging right to gain a competitive edge and ensure an authentic ESG brand image.
This month, our enterprise software client came to us for help securing media attendees to a virtual sustainability roundtable which included a trailblazing sustainability customer. The objective? To demonstrate how ESG’s role extends beyond just disclosure and regulation, to creating an opportunity to improve industry operations. And what better way to kick-start this discussion than with a virtual event attended by industry and tech media. These have grown massively in popularity over recent years as they allow journalists to attend multiple events – without having to hop on a plane or travel (very sustainable I know!).
Gaining coverage in all corners of the globe!
Establishing a client as a global industry thought leader is no easy feat. It can take months of strategically aligning PR content and pitching around core themes selected through hot topic research and SMEs. But the reward at the end of it all is definitely worth it, as we have seen for our data movement client. Our Pitch&Place team has managed to gain placements in four different geographies, and surprise, surprise, an article looking at ESG in the retail sector, (you could say there’s something of a theme occurring here)!
There is an even bigger reward for establishing your client as an industry thought leader and that comes in the form of organic coverage. It’s when journalists come directly to you asking for input for features they are working on. Which of our clients were in the spotlight this month I hear you ask? Well, it was our business management software client, who has had two different journalists reach out to our team asking if we have content that would be suitable for their upcoming issues. Proof that when you build campaign momentum to establish yourself as an industry thought leader, your organic coverage takes care of itself!
Keeping the PR momentum spinning
We may need to cool the earth down, but at IBA our focus is to keep the PR momentum hot! With briefing calls in our pocket and upcoming events to take care of, I best put the tree hugging to one side and get back to work.
Sam Walker is PR Executive at IBA International.
Leave a comment