It’s a common occurrence now to receive a zoom link to a launch party for a new product or service, even from people you don’t really know. You join the launch, hoping to learn more about the company and meet new people, and half an hour in, you realize no one knows what they’re launching. Not even the owners of the business.
After almost two years into the pandemic, people are searching for excuses to bring people together. The focus of their work seems to revolve around connections instead of the real work. While creating and fostering connections are incredibly important, some have lost sight of business basics. Who are you? What are you? Who is your target audience?
Launch parties may be fun, but it is a temporary high without substance. The rise of influencer marketing has only exacerbated the problem. Instead of substance being the focal point, names are the focal point. In the digital age, It’s easier than ever to buy 15 minutes of fame, complete with pictures of influencers and celebrities in the spotlight, but without a foundation it is simply a fleeting moment of media hype. If the focus is on names instead of why people should buy or use your product, it will quickly become lost in the noise.
Prestige cannot be bought. Reputations cannot be bought. A company’s “why” cannot be bought.
The pandemic has also created impatience with customers and clients. People feel like they’ve lost time, which has created a fixation with “making up for lost time.” You can’t “make up for this so-called lost time” in a vapid way. Businesses have to define their why before they can surround themselves with the right people to complement them and their business. PR agencies cannot be the expert of your business. Publicists have to take cues from the client, not the other way around. A PR agency is also constantly tailoring capabilities around the client, so the client has a responsibility and obligation to their vendors.
These two issues combined are a recipe for a perfect storm. Clients are now impatient for ROI on a brand they themselves have not defined. CEOs want press for doing nothing. Companies are expecting PR firms to generate buzz around… nothing.
There is no quick fix in business. To be sustainable, it must be a slow and organic process. Companies must build a reputation, a brand, a solid foundation before going public. Otherwise, they’ll end up as just another premature launch party.
Share:
