How to Prioritize Public Relations Event Planning in Guangzhou?

“Big” Strategy: Should Events Aim for Scale?

Organizing a Guinness-style event like “10,000 people eating oysters” or “1,000 people eating oysters” can create impact, and through participants’ WeChat Moments, the message can quickly spread to every corner of the city. Is such an event good? In our view, it is very good, much like the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” which certainly attracts attention without any issues.

However, there is a slight concern: First, as a social welfare activity, the “Ice Bucket Challenge” had high attention and many participants without any problem, but for a corporate event, can it achieve the same effect and influence? This is worth considering. Corporate event planning differs from social welfare event planning. While taking care of “attention,” it should strive to increase impression points on “relevance.” Otherwise, the event may stretch too long, waste a lot of manpower and resources, and put the company in a difficult situation.

Second, whether it is “10,000 people” or “1,000 people,” how many of them will become future target customers? Considering that Korean oysters are not a mass-market product and are not yet able to “enter ordinary households,” is such a scale-driven event appropriate? Can such a somewhat low-end event match the slightly high-end Korean oysters? This is the second concern.

“High” Strategy: Should Events Go Upscale?

In fact, an event like “Korean Mayor Eating Oysters” is important not only because of “attention” but also because of “relevance,” aiming to create an organic combination of the two. Undoubtedly, a foreign mayor coming “from afar” to China and acting as a “foodie” in front of hundreds of Chinese citizens—what a spirit of dedication! What courage does that require? Such “attention” will naturally be high. Since the entire event planning process closely integrated the mayor’s appearance with “Korean oysters,” the “relevance” was greatly enhanced.

Judging from the feedback after the event, such highly relevant activities played a very important role in boosting the sales of Korean oysters in Jinan.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a “mayor” should be dressed in a suit and tie, sitting upright, and managing municipal affairs is his duty. But coming to China to be a “foodie” is clearly not his role, and it does not match his identity. In the eyes of ordinary people, it seems inappropriate, but the more inappropriate it seems, the more attractive it becomes. Therefore, creating an event where the mayor is “not doing his job” gives both “attention” and “relevance.” With the groundwork and design done, the subsequent marketing will naturally follow.

“Special” Strategy: Should Events Be Unique?

If the “Big” strategy is more suitable for mass-market products and the “High” strategy for high-end products, then what about the “Special” strategy? It can encompass both types. For example, “beautiful women eating oysters” is a manifestation of the “Special” strategy, and “newlyweds eating oysters” is also a manifestation of the “Special” strategy, but “beautiful women” and “newlyweds” can be both high-end and mass-market.

Of course, these ideas are all good, but how to meet Director Ren’s need for “widespread publicity”? In this regard, considering the identity characteristics, a bold idea was proposed: organize a grand “Special” strategy event.

“Refined” Strategy: You Need Refined Planning

If your product is a mass-market product, it is recommended that you try some “Big” strategy events; if your product is high-end or niche, it is recommended that you try some “High” strategy events; if you want your product planning to be more sharp and closely aligned with product functions, it is recommended that you try some “Special” strategy events.

But whether it is the “Big” strategy, the “High” strategy, or the “Special” strategy, what you need is still “refined planning,” because in our era, it is not difficult to come up with a plan or a decent plan; what is difficult is that your plan truly resonates with people, is unforgettable, and is talked about by your city and target audience.