We know that editorial space in the media is worth a lot, but what works even better is to have media and advertising work hand-in-hand.

Why do you get a huge impact on your ads as a result of editorial mentions? When you create a buzz in the media, people want to know why the buzz - it will pique the consumers' interest once the buzz has been created.

When Ford launched its Mustang, it had a 95 percent readership score from its print ads. Because there was a buzz about the new car, people wanted to know more, and they were hungry to read or see anything about it - including the ads.  In other words, the media amplified Ford's ad dollars.

"Capturing the attention of the media is valuable, but marketing plus media buzz is priceless," said Mark Hughes, CEO of Buzzmarketing.

Obviously, paying for some ads will be easier to achieve than getting the media to write about your product and create a buzz. So here's some tips for the latter.

Hughes has categorised these as the five most written about news stories:

1.     The David-and-Goliath story
2.     The unusual or outrageous story
3.     The controversial story
4.     The celebrity story
5.     What's already hot in the media

If you incorporate two or more of these angles, Hughes says, you'll most certainly get a word in.

The David-and-Goliath story

This maxim is based on the understanding that most people like to support the underdog - the media included. When a small guy takes on the big guy, the media would lap up the story. If you encounter an unhappy controversy involving you and a larger organisation, it may not be a bad idea to harness the opportunity to create a buzz about your organisation and pitch yourself as the underdog. This is exactly what Ben & Jerry's ice cream (then a small player) did when it suffered some ills with distribution and Haagan Daaz.

The unusual or outrageous story

If you don't have a Goliath waiting to crush you, try other options. If you have launched an innovative marketing campaign, sell it to the media. If you have hit on a a big idea that has never been done before, make sure the media knows about it.

The controversial story

Sometimes, harmless controversy can help create buzz. When John McEnroe played at Wimbledon for the first time as a teenager, he sent his racket flying across the court over bad play. Realising that it caused quite a crowd reaction, he decided to try it again. Before long, John McEnroe was all over the media as the "bad boy of tennis". Even though it wasn't exactly complimentary, it did wonders for his brand recognition.

The celebrity story

We all know that the world has a morbid fascination with celebrities. They trail their every move, what they buy, wear and consume. You can latch on to this and get celebrities to endorse your product. Let them try your product and win them over with it. Establish a meaningful relationship with your celebrity sponsor instead of just throwing endorsement dollars at their feet. You want them to be genuine believers in your product (or service) so that they will endorse it any chance they get, and not necessarily just because they have been paid to do so, in an ad, say.

What's already hot in the media

You sure would have heard the term "media frenzy". A hot topic in the media tends to get even hotter. The press has a tendency to fuel itself and pour even more gasoline on an already burning topic. So if you want to capture the media, create the story that piggybacks on some hot topics they are already covering.

Remember that your marketing and advertising plans should work hand in hand with your media relations. The two working hand-in-hand will create the buzz about your product and service that sometimes money can't buy.
 
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