By Julian Fisher, Director of Media Output
I’m reflecting on another hugely successful campaign for our Corporate & Transport Practice at markettiers on behalf of our JCB client this week.
The British family construction equipment manufacturer was using its 80th anniversary to announce a £100m investment in their Staffordshire HQ which is, of course, very positive business news.
And yes, we were delighted that so many broadcast outlets from BBC News, Radio 4 Today, Radio 5 Wake Up to Money and GB News among many others covered the story but should we have been surprised?
In recent weeks we’ve delivered a string of successful campaign for our Transport clients, from train operators GWR and LNER, to car companies including established firms such as Renault & Dacia as well as Chinese EV newcomer Zeekr.
That’s on top of our work in the aviation and maritime sectors and increasingly space as well.
So why do these transport brands and their stories resonate so well with broadcasters?
Firstly, because they are relatable to producers and their viewers and listeners. We all drive cars, catch trains, use boats and planes, and who isn’t fascinated by space?
Secondly, they are all highly visual – a real plus for TV in a world where stories of tech and AI make for great copy but are a struggle to bring to life on screen.
Finally, in many cases the brands or the manufacturing bases for these brands are in the UK and there is a dearth of positive UK business news at the moment – probably why JCB stood out this week.
Given all of that it still takes a lot of work to bring these stories to life on TV and radio so some quick tips on making these stories work for broadcast:
Have a positive story to tell – broadcasters told us this week it was great to be covering something positive in their news – particularly business programming
Be flexible – JCB CEO Graeme McDonald was willing to be suited and booted and on camera at 0530 in the morning and by 8am had done the rounds of the business broadcasters. LNER MD David Horne was willing to drive through the night from a 2am event to be on the BBC Breakfast sofa five hours later
Maximise those assets – it’s not about a single photo call or a single talking head. JCB arranged multiple filming opportunities and an array of interviewees from Lord Bamford himself down to a production line worker
Have up to date B-Roll – when interviewing Zeekr’s European CEO a few weeks ago all seven international TV stations that interviewed him ran B-Roll of the new electric cars the brand is bringing to Europe
Work with broadcasters – Good Morning Britian loved the fact that GWR were willing to allow their reporter to broadcast live from a moving train as it broke the world record for the longest ever journey on a single charge on a battery-operated train
With the news agenda so dominated by seemingly endless geopolitical news and a focus on the myriad possibilities – and challenges – the tech sector has to offer, it’s a reminder that old school brands who have stories to tell and actually make things that consumers still want and need are welcomed by broadcast producers.
Email me at [email protected] if you want to find out more.
If you would like to speak to us about capturing the public’s attention through earned media, or maximising the impact of your next PR or marketing campaign in the AI era, please get in touch.