Press junkets are common in the newspaper industry. A junket is a third-party-sponsored event where that third party is looking for some free publicity. For example:
• A car manufacturer will take a group of writers to an exotic location where they can test drive a new vehicle. Of course, the car company will pay all the expenses.
• A travel company will pay for everything when it flies reporters to a series of tropical destinations so they can experience the locations firsthand and then write about their adventures. (Although I’ve been told by one such travel writer that these excursions can often visit a number of destinations in as many days and it can become a gruelling endurance test.)
• An entertainment network will fly writers to Hollywood, New York City or the location of a movie shoot so they can meet and interview the actors and director.
• The federal government might do a junket so reporters and photographers can see what that government is doing in a remote area of the country or even in another country if the military is somehow involved.
• A provincial government will bring in foreign travel or business reporters so they can tour local areas. The purpose is to boost tourism and business investment in the province.
In the old days, companies often used (celebrity) spokespeople to talk about their products. But today, companies are learning that it’s more effective to use real people with authentic voices.
A recent article in the Vancouver Sun mentioned this trend of companies hiring professional photographers to shoot pictures for a company’s Twitter or Instagram account and/or for the photographer’s own social media use. These companies use real photographers to shoot authentic pictures.
For example, a company might hire a photographer to cover or participate in an event the company is sponsoring. The resulting pictures would either be posted on the photographer’s own social network (often making it appear as if the sponsoring company wasn’t involved and the pictures “just happened”) or the photos would be posted on the company’s own social media.
Companies are learning that although Twitter is limited to 140 characters, if they include a professional photo that message becomes a thousand words long. Photography is very important online where a viewer’s attention span is short. Even 140 characters is becoming too long for some people.
The Sun article repeated a long-known truism:
Inexpensive or free stock photos are no longer good enough. These stilted images drive a wedge between the consumer and the brand . . .
“People don’t go to brand pages or brand social media accounts to simply look at the brand’s product. They can do that easily on the website or in a catalogue. They want to be engaged. It’s hard to connect to them when you have canned photography.”
Meanwhile, user-generated photos are neither dependable nor necessarily on point for an advertising campaign.
If your company is investing in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or a company blog, then it’s crucial that you have first-rate editorial-style photography. This is the best way to get attention, engage your audience and build trust and credibility.
