Mobile World Congress Influencer Relations 2024 – Q&A
With just under 3 weeks to go until MWC, your MWC communications activities will be well underway and it should just be the case of finessing your messaging, securing those last-minute briefings and ensuring that you have a tightly run ship at the event. It’s also important to consider how you use the learnings from the show this year to inform your communications activities for the rest of 2024. We sat down with our Director, Paul Campbell, to get his thoughts on these areas.
How can ensure your briefings run smoothly at the show?
For many brands, the pressure is on to strike the balance between fielding executives for customer meetings and putting key company spokespeople in place for influencer briefings. For the show to be a success, your influencer relations planning and execution needs to run like clockwork. You need to ensure spokespeople meet with influencers when and where they should, and that these briefings yield the maximum value for both parties.
Briefings must be carefully executed, with spokespeople given comprehensive briefing material ahead of time. With so much breaking news happening at the show, it’s also important that spokespeople are kept up-to-date with events so they can embellish briefings with topical comments and opinions.
An interesting perspective on a key industry trend or big industry news development can be as useful to media and analysts as updates on your company. So, encourage your spokespeople to come prepared with bold opinions that could inform analysis of the show and the megatrends. This will also help in making your spokespeople become go-to experts moving forward.
How can briefings go wrong?
Briefings typically go wrong when spokespeople are unprepared. One of the first rules of influencer briefing engagement is to not ask a journalist or analyst what they want to talk about or acknowledge any level of unpreparedness which could taint the spokesperson’s reputation. Instead, spokespeople should have an agenda for every discussion and be aware of key areas of interest of the journalist or analyst they’re meeting.
Be very careful to clearly signpost any information that you want to share that’s under embargo or you don’t want to be reported on. If a spokesperson lets slip on a new customer that hasn’t been announced yet and that goes to print, it can be very difficult to retract. Preparation and onsite support from your PR team can help avoid such mishaps.
How can you make the most of the resources you have on the ground at MWC?
Much of your collateral will have been prepared before the show, so during MWC, focus your attention on video and digital content. You can make the most of available resources by filming demos, talking heads, and product explainers either on their stand or at notable locations within the Fira. Preparing video scripts ahead of time can save time, effort, and money during the filming process.
How can companies engage with the media outside of traditional channels during MWC?
Companies can leverage social media to share viewpoints, learnings, and experiences at the show. Short, snappy copy and visuals provide opportunities to promote the brand. Engaging with influencers through re-tweets, sharing coverage, and incorporating influencer profiles on Linked and Twitter is an ongoing process that adds value to your overall MWC media and analyst strategy.
What steps should be taken to maintain momentum post-show and ensure the brand stays top-of-mind?
Companies should follow up with any no-show influencers and reschedule briefings in the days following MWC. It’s crucial not to dial down influencer outreach during the quiet period between the close of MWC and the return to normality. Monitoring coverage, spotting inaccuracies early, and leveraging them to engage with influencers and clarify details are important for sustaining momentum.
How can companies engage with the media outside of traditional channels during MWC?
The quiet period post-MWC is an opportunity to reset and consider the next steps for your communications program. What interesting things came up during media and analyst briefings during the show that you could play a role in your next PR campaign activity? What are the megatrends and new stories that drive column inches at the show, and can you develop an interesting and unique position on these topics? These are all considerations as you plan activities for the next quarter and beyond.
If you would like to speak to Babel about making the most out of events like MWC, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Paul Campbell
Director
