It’s never easy figuring out all your PR and marketing needs in advance of signing the paperwork with your celebrity (or non celebrity) spokesperson.   It’s usually only when the ink is dry that you hit your head and say, "I wish I had thought of adding in another two hours for that special event or another tour."

 

But, let’s say the contract is signed and sealed and you’ve got a hunky reality TV star as your newly-minted spokesperson for an over the counter acne cream.  Let’s call him David and pretend he’s the famously single star of a show about dating. He’s the spokes-guy because handsome David had adult acne in his 20s, still has an occasional flare up and uses the acne cream to make sure he always looks TV-ready.  (This is a completely made up example for the purpose of this article).

 

This acne cream already has a solid teenage and young adult female consumer base and is now looking to expand its target demos by reeling in guys in their 20s and 30s. 

 

So, the challenge is that we have David for a full day in a big city studio and can have our way with him (not what you’re thinking).  In short, we can use David for that one day to book live media, and to also produce and edit content to keep delivering the brand message for the next couple of months.  This is where it pays to think "there is no box" instead of "outside the box."

 

So, how do we maximize the day?

 

First, we create a timetable for David for the entire day starting at 6AM and running til 5PM and divide his day into specific production segments.  At the same time, we prepare for the day with ways to edit and distribute the audio and video content generated and have various client pre-approved scripts on hand for every, single tactic.

 

 

Let’s start David’s day with a pre-booked SMT/RMT/IMT. The focus could be how to look like the bachelor in 5 easy steps. The tips could include gym time, good eating, romance, fashion and skin.  The SMT would take up most of the morning, but guarantees that David is on national, large broadcast and online outlets.  Not only does this give us an audience of 1 million plus to start with, but we also produce generic  :30 and :60 video spots from the SMT and place them on programs such as Sports Cable Clusters to boost audience numbers and get David in front of a bigger guy audience.  Morning TV shows are perfect for David even though some radio morning shows will have bigger audiences than TV.  But, it’s always smart to have the video content from the SMT to use over time.

 

After the SMT, we place a 60-second audio news release script in David’s hand for him to record two soundbites.  The ANR with narrator will handle the rest and the ANR will be both pitched and strategically placed on news/talk and guy oriented shows which could mean a placement on Nikki Sixx or an ESPN show.

 

Radio series

 

We then give David a much deserved coffee break and cronut and then have him record a series of clever, pre-scripted, audio vignettes that are 45-seconds of pure, fresh content with a 15-second branded client tagline.  This takes David about a half hour to record in the studio and provides us with a series to place on Mike & Mike or Dan Patrick on Sirius XM Radio.  When we edit these down to 30-second tips we can also place them for broadcast in pharmacies across the country where the acne cream is sold.

 

 

Right after the radio/audio series, David takes a couple of minutes to record a few audio teasers for specific Rock and Top 40 radio stations we’ve already secured in key DMAs to run one or two week contests with prizes like a skin saver swag bag filled with great stuff for guys’ skin including acne product and a skype session with David for personal tips.  When negotiating with radio stations for contests or promotions, we also twisted arms to post client video and have their popular DJs tweet out David’s acne regimen.

 

 

It’s now lunchtime for David (tuna on rye) and then it’s time to use him for all he’s worth.  During lunch, the studio is being set up to resemble a man cave with sofa, chips, soda, huge TV set, vase of "roses," etc.

 

Right after lunch we place David on the sofa and have him record a couple of cool video "Skin is In" tips that are placed on the teleprompter for an easy read and a more casual vibe.  We also take a few quick photos of David on the sofa.

 

The "Skin is In" tips will be used to feed big-name guy bloggers over the next few months to prompt them to post about David and his daily skin routine, and we’ve already arranged for David to tweet out some pics of himself from the studio in real-time to tap into his twitter fans.  To keep the buzz alive and surround target demos at home and out, we place video spots in fitness clubs and on screens in bars in target DMAs.

 

 

Final stretch for David is an in-studio blog tour where we’ve already secured 8-12 top dude bloggers to chat live with David over 2-3 hours.  Blog sites like askmen.com and justaguything.com.

 

And that caps the day with David where we’ve managed to go live with radio, TV and online hosts, crank out audio spots for online shows, radio contests and radio series, go live with top guy bloggers and produce enough cool video to keep those bloggers posting and tweeting for the next couple of months.  Add audio in pharmacies and video in gyms and bars, and that’s ices the cake.

 

David fulfills his contract, PR pros pass the test and the acne clients gets millions of impressions and a whole new demo trying their product.  And all from just one day in a studio.  Everything’s coming up roses.

 

 

Risë Birnbaum is Founder & CEO of zcomm. From headquarters in Washington, D.C. she oversees a staff of 15 and has spent the last 24 years developing and executing successful integrated marketing communications programs for national companies, agencies and organizations.   A former ABC Network News Correspondent, Risë works at the highest levels to map out and execute integrated marcomm programs that amplify client messages, raise awareness and influence behavior.  Risë currently develops programs that include radio, video and online elements that involve both earned media and strategic placements and in home and out-of-home venues, to blanket niche or national audiences.

 

Clients span all industries -- from consumer products and beauty & fitness to finance and healthcare including Kraft, Unilever, Amgen, Pfizer, Amtrak, Wells Fargo, The Alzheimer’s Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans.

 

A graduate of the University of Rochester, Risë earned a Masters Degree in Broadcast-Journalism from Boston University’s School of Public Communications.