"Hey - how about a picture of a few of us sat round our computer!"
Anyone working in PR will be familiar with the problem of how to launch a website. When I say 'problem', most launches need a picture to fix them in the mind of the media, as well as the public as a whole, and if you literally think 'launch' and 'website' it is possible to come up with “Hey - how about a picture of a few of us sat round our computer!”
I heard this in staff meetings with clients quite regularly at the start of the internet age when websites were new and shiny, and while I'm not suggesting that anyone would say this in today's visually sophisticated age, local papers still carry photos of variations on a theme: Teddy Bear At Computer; Celebrity At Computer, Hilariously Dressed Person At Computer etc etc.
This isn't to minimise the fact that expressing the launch of a website is tricky. I've seen really imaginative approaches, recently for instance I went to a launch which focused on a brilliant piece of work the organisation in question had done. It was moving, dramatic and got a lot of coverage, the only problem was the story was so good that the fact that the website itself was lost. This isn't a problem that you get with “Hey - how about a picture of couple of us sat round our computer!” The issue here that it looks so deathly boring that the chances of anyone being inspired to actually go to the website are probably nil.
It's so boring that the chances of anyone going to the website are probably nil
Striking a balance between creating something that will grab attention whilst keeping the focus on the website is tricky. One fairly obvious element is that any event promoting a website needs to be about the business of the website rather than the fact of it. This is where the pictures of computers fall down, it's a bit like advertising a car by showing the inside of the engine. When you're buying a car you don't want the mechanics of it you want to whole package - the look, the feel, what it will do for you and where it will take you.
Unpacking the business of a website is not as easy as it sounds - who it's for, who it's from, the bigger picture, what benefits it will bring. If within this you can uncover a great story, this can lead you to your next element: the picture. As we all know, having a striking image, which itself tells a story, can add a lot of fuel to whatever you are trying to promote. For the papers it can turn what might have been couple of news paragraphs into a feature, it can give you a head start in the magazine stakes, and will massively boost your chances of getting on TV. In fact it will give you a head start anywhere, and will even catch the eye of radio producers, and help to get your story across.
Thinking outside the box...
One of the best website launches I've worked on was for Revealing Histories two years ago. This was the original legacy website of the Revealing Histories project, a very ambitious project which represented Greater Manchester's response to the bicentenary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. In looking to illustrate the business of the website, and in turn that of the partnership, we wanted to show something of the 'uncovered' or revealed history of Greater Manchester's connections with the slave trade. In talking to the writers, young poets and academics who contributed to the site, and looking at some of the associated work done with community/arts groups - we found our story: the incredible history of Henry 'Box' Brown.
...and finding Henry Brown.
Henry Brown was a slave from Virginia, one of America’s slaveholding Southern states, who in 1849, got inside a box and had himself posted to Philadelphia in the free North, where slavery was outlawed. Henry endured 27 hours cramped inside the box, getting thrown about and generally manhandled, as he travelled 350 miles to his destination.
The draconian Fugitive Slave Act forced Henry to flee to England, and he came to the North West where he lived on and off for 20 years, making his home in Manchester's Cheetham Hill for a time. Here he made a living touring, and lecturing about his remarkable story, which he re-enacted on numerous occasions.
This potentially gave us our picture: that of a man climbing out of a box, a single image which told a many-layered story. The added bonus of course is that it was intensely local and thus extremely relevant: having roots right at the heart of Manchester. Finally, in taking this little known history, we were indeed 'revealing' it - just as the website was doing, with this and many other stories.
In order to get our picture we commissioned Ashmore Acts, a small group of actors/writers specialising in historic re-enactments. With them we staged Henry Brown's story in full costume in the fantastic setting of one of MOSI’s* galleries. This got us widespread and extensive coverage. Of course we had to watch out that the website didn't get lost, as that was a real danger, and in future I would try to ensure that some aspect of the website itself was built into the story. However on this occasion the event was original and exciting enough to create a buzz which the website and the project really benefitted from. And I don't think I’m sticking my neck out too much to say.... it wouldn't have been the same with a picture of couple of people looking at a screen.
You can take a look at our work at the Revealing Histories website, or if you want to find out more about what we did you can read our case study.