In January, I highlighted releases with strong CTAs, and in February, it was those leading the charge onthought leadership content. Rounding out this first quarter, I'm highlighting five releases in March that stood out when it came to brands delivering the promise of a positive experience to their readers.
While a press release itself can’t quite deliver on actual experiential marketing, it certainly sets the stage in exposing the reader to potential fun endeavors. A good release will spark the reader’s imagination on what the experience will deliver - and then tie that experience back to a particular brand.
Five releases that do a nice job crafting a positive brand experience in March were:
- MTN DEW® Fuels Outdoor Adventures by Challenging Fans to 'Hook the Big One'
PepsiCo leads with a strong headline connecting their Mountain Dew brand to outdoor adventure, and the chance to “win epic fishing prizes and experiences.” They also nicely double down on this experience-driven fishing theme with some good will -- by announcing a donation to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing. Not only do they give that organization a plug, they link back to it so readers can donate as well. Every element comes together to create an overall engaging, positive release.
- Wellness Travel Hits the Road with Lexus "Retreats in Motion"
Their lead paragraph says it all: “… retreats allow guests to take a scenic, restorative drive in a new 2021 Lexus IS between two of the brand's luxury hotel partners… .“ They combine colorful, descriptive messaging with an eye-catching in-action product image and formatting best practices (breaking up the block paragraph style so readers don’t gloss over) to craft a luxurious possible experience for the reader: Hit the road, get some fresh air, in a Lexus.
- Backyard Scientists - Teach Kids About Pollinators & Where Their Food Comes From
This standout multi-channel news release – which leads with a headline that knows exactly what audience it’s targeting – includes a winning video with beautiful imagery on what the experience of renting bees entails. The release manages to accomplish being both concise and descriptive, and delivering a message – with the help of a short, entertaining video – of a fun family experience.
- This spring: New technology, new show and lush greenhouses at Espace pour la vie
I for one want to visit the Planétarium Rio Tinto Alcan in Montreal after reading this release. Making sure the reader doesn’t just quickly scan down the left-hand side of the page, Espace pour la vie breaks up the text for easy reading with bolding, multimedia elements and a stand-out CTA that links to a YouTube video. Combining all these elements expertly, the brand does a remarkable job describing the positive experience visitors will have.
- Lowe's Makes Home The Destination This Spring
Embracing the new season with “SpringFest." a "celebration featuring free, curbside family project kits,” Lowe’s makes use of lifestyle photography (vs. more dry product images) to help attach their brand to a positive experience. There is also a nice nod to media potentially covering this (or a related) story, with a solid survey data point in the second paragraph, “Home has never been more important with 85 percent of people saying their home is now their sanctuary.”
Remember that you’re competing with the vastamount of onlin content your target audience is consuming every day. If you want to truly engage them, entice them with an experience that creates a long-lasting, positive memory. This can be achieved by delivering a well-crafted, thoughtful press release like the five above. Happy Springtime, everyone!
