Are Your Press Releases And Brochures Ready?
Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
There’s nothing more frustrating for the recipient of material such as press releases, brochures and other material at a conference or trade show than to find that the material is badly written, doesn’t have any real ‘news’ or is simply irrelevant.
Canadian-based marketing communications firm pressDOOH has developed a special program intended to help industry firms worldwide to ‘tune up’ their communications in advance of the many digital signage trade shows and related events scheduled over the next few weeks and months. As part of its offer, it has dropped its ‘minimum engagement’ policy from now through April, 2010, as a way to help a wider range of clients who don’t need a full communications program for the shows, but do need two or three hours to get their material reviewed, tweaked and polished.
The ‘Message Tune-Up’ program is aimed squarely at vendors, service companies and network operators looking to gain some marketing notice before and during such events as ISE, Digital Signage Expo, GlobalShop, NAB, Kioskcom/The Digital Signage Show and ScreenMedia Expo. The program offers quick reviews, recommendations and updates on marketing and press materials for companies heading into the show season, as well as fast turnarounds on newly crafted material.
“I have been going to these events for years, and know at least a couple of things will happen,” says Dave Haynes, pressDOOH founder. “Some companies will remember at pretty much the last moment that they need to get out a release or update their hand-outs or mail-outs, so they’ll do it themselves – and it will look like it! Others will hire a public relations firm and get something cranked out that is polished but utterly pointless, because the PR writer had no idea about the industry or what the audience was actually interested in.
“I think it would be refreshing change for everybody in the business if the big blitz of press releases and marketing materials that’s about to start was characterized by substance and far less hype. This industry is now at a level of maturity that the target audiences are knowledgeable and a little jaded. Their tolerance for BS gets lower every year.”
pressDOOH is a copywriting and marketing strategy firm working specifically in the digital signage and digital out of home sectors. The company was founded in 2009 by Haynes, a former print journalist who has spent the past decade doing everything from running pioneering DOOH networks to selling top industry software. pressDOOH produces press material, white papers, case studies, sales and marketing sheets, and website copy, as well as developing overall marketing strategy, for companies in all aspects of the industry. (The company markets itself on the value of having copy developed by a subject matter expert – usually faster and at substantially less cost than mainstream PR firms with high overheads and limited or no in-house expertise in this sector.)
DailyDOOH recently cited pressDOOH as one of its Best of 2009 companies, products and people, saying, “There is one place that we do throw work and that’s in Burlington, just outside Toronto. That’s the home/work office of David Haynes, who has made writing a press release an art form. When pressDOOH has written or massaged a press release, the job of journalist is made so much easier.”
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