We’re celebrating our relaunch here at Trevor George, having recently teamed up with Sternberg Clarke to offer brilliant event entertainment for parties, weddings and corporate functions all over the country. So naturally thoughts have drifted to the idea of launches; product launches, company launches, venue openings and so on.
PUT YOUR PRODUCT IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Here’s an obvious one to begin with; if you want your product to be the star of the show, you need to make it part of the action by incorporating it into your performances. This is often a good fit for handheld products and pieces of tech as they can be seamlessly included in circus shows and magic tricks, but with a bit of hard work and careful planning, anything can be slotted into a show. In the past we’ve had everything from sports drinks to JCBs feature in performances, so there’s really no limit to what you can achieve.
Magicians often enjoy the challenge of slipping a product into their sets, and circus acts like jugglers and acrobats can make an item part of their act. But it’s important to bear in mind it takes a little time to prepare these kinds of bespoke performances, so make sure you mention this in the early stages of the booking enquiry.
As entertainment experts, we’re often asked to pair the right entertainment with different types of events, and launch events are no different. So how can you use entertainment as part of a product launch? Here are five tips to get you started.
BRAND YOUR ENTERTAINMENT
In most cases, at a product launch your brand should be front and centre. But that doesn’t have to just mean projecting your logo onto a big screen. There are plenty of ways, both subtle and not-so-subtle, to sneak your brand, logo, and company colours into an evening’s entertainment.
That could mean colour co-ordinated costumes for circus performers or dancers, incorporating your branding into interactive entertainment like casino tables or digital graffiti surfaces, or using high tech acts with pre-programmed LEDs that can display your logo as part of a dance routine – there’s no shortage of options.
USE ENTERTAINMENT THAT REFLECTS THE PRODUCT
If you don’t feel like slapping your logo on everything that moves is the right course of action (and hey, sometimes it isn’t) then there are many other ways to make your entertainment work for your product and your brand. By picking the right acts, you can subtly reinforce elements of your brand or key features of the product you’re launching in a way that feels natural and unforced.
Circus acts are particularly good for this. Say you’re looking to convey strength or power, in this case you might consider booking an acrobalance act; for flexibility you might want to try a contortionist; or if your product was waterproof you could make a splash with something like La Soiree’s Bath Boy. But don’t feel limited to circus; music, dance, cabaret and magic are all great for bringing out the particular strengths of a product or brand.
LET YOUR HOST KEEP THINGS ON MESSAGE
In the midst of all the food, drinks and entertainment, there’s sometimes a danger that the message of your event can get lost. That’s why it’s often useful to have an event host who can guide guests through proceedings and smoothly pull things back to the real reason everyone’s there in the first place: your product and your brand.
Whether it’s a big name comedian to provide structure and jokes between other elements of the event, or a seasoned presenter who can host Q&As and panel discussions, a good host can weave together the disparate elements of the evening and create a cohesive whole.
TELL A STORY
Brands have long understood the power of storytelling in their communications to the point where some ads have more in common with short films than traditional advertisements, and other brands like Prada simply opt to make their own short films. So with storytelling such a valuable tool in any brand’s arsenal, why not make it part of a launch event too?
From ballet to opera, circus to cabaret, there are countless entertainment genres that excel at telling a story through performance. Your story might be a literal one, with characters and a plot that unfolds throughout the evening, or it might be more abstract bringing together a series of different performances that take guests on a journey over the course of an event.
As you can see, there’s limitless potential for using entertainment at product launches, so if you have some ideas that you’d like to bring to life, or you’d like to discuss the possibilities for your next event, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.
