Avionics News February 2016 - 67

POINT OF COMMUNICATION
Continued from page 4

In many ways, Bertorelli hit the nail on the head. As the editor of the AEA's monthly magazine, Avionics News, it is my
hope that marketing and communications executives from AEA
member companies hear Bertorelli's message loud and clear.
Although the AEA Convention is still a few weeks away, that's
not much time in our world. As the trade association publication
for the AEA, Avionics News strives to help member companies
share their news and educate the general aviation avionics industry about new technologies and innovative services in the marketplace. But we can't do this service justice if you don't communicate in a timely fashion with press deadlines to consider.
If you think it's still 1999 and plan to unveil your news behind
the curtain with a drumroll, think again. Assuming you get any
coverage at all with this approach, you haven't given an industry
publication any chance to help you make a splash. Did you give
any consideration at all to advertising, editing and printing deadlines? Think about it for a minute. A monthly industry magazine
that is published on the first day of the month requires a twoweek window for production and printing. Back up another
couple of weeks, and you have editing deadlines. Yes, the writers
need time to interview you, write the story, collect artwork, and
the copy editors need time to make changes and design the layout. It doesn't just happen overnight. So a magazine editor would
ideally like to have your embargoed news four to six weeks in
advance of your announcement. Without that lead time, you may
not receive the big splash you desired.
If you are afraid to share embargoed information in advance
with the press, expect a delay in your coverage, if there is any
coverage at all. Is your news really so secretive that you cannot share it in advance with a few select aviation reporters and
editors? Believe it or not, the aviation press can be urged to
honor your embargoed news until the appropriate release date
for public consumption. And if a member of the aviation press
violates your embargo, he or she should expect that to be the
last time they receive a news tip in advance. On a side note,
how truly bad would it be if your news leaked out a few days
in advance of the show? And heaven forbid if that happened -
you might actually be thought of as "kind of a big deal."
Know this. Your competitors are sharing their announcements in advance with key members of the aviation press and
complement that effort with an advertising campaign. As a
result, most aviation reporters already have their follow-up
interviews scheduled during the trade show. In other words,
their schedule is full before they arrive on-site. If you don't
have an advance advertising and public relations plan, you are
missing the boat and may be dead weight upon arrival. If this is
your approach, your post-show cries wondering why you didn't
get the desired news coverage will fall on deaf ears.

So, how can you position your company to get the attention
of those aviation media representatives this April in Orlando?
For starters, if you plan to participate in the AEA's New
Product Introductions session on April 27, pay attention to the
instructions provided by the AEA, especially the presentation
deadlines. For the approximately 25 companies that participate,
your presentation in Orlando may be one of the most important
three to four minutes of the year. Act like it - if you put your
presentation together at the last minute, it will be obvious to
everyone in the industry. If your announcement is pending
regulatory certification and you just don't know whether or not
it will come through in time, consider waiting until the next
industry trade show to make your announcement.
For NPI participants, keep in mind that not only is your presentation being witnessed in person by nearly 2,000 attendees,
it will be livestreamed by the Aero-News Network. Following
the live ANN broadcast, each company presentation will be
available on YouTube for your own promotional use, provided
you haven't used copyrighted music, videos and images during
the presentation. This gives you some ammunition to use and is
another promotional tool available throughout the year ahead.
Will you remember to link your on-site presentation to your
website? What about your social media outlets? You are given
a lot of tools here, but what are you doing with them?
It also helps to liven up your presentation. Consider the use
of props or something that will be attention-getting. Try a little
harder than just regurgitating in a monotone voice the fact that
"you are really happy to be here today and blah, blah, blah."
Make it fun. Think outside the box. Those are the types of
announcements that will be remembered by your customers.
For now, ask yourself some questions. What can I do today
that will help get members of the aviation press, convention
attendees and my dealer network to my booth in the exhibit
hall? What is so unique about my company's announcement
that others will want to learn more about it - what's in it for
them? If a member of the aviation press places a microphone
in front of my face in Orlando, what is my message? What will
I say in a matter of seconds to get my message across to the
audience, my end users, and why do they care? Do I have an
elevator speech? Will my product be on display in Orlando?
Is it ready to ship? Have I supported my news announcement
with a strategic advertising campaign?
This is a lot to consider, but the marketing professionals who
understand these points will have a leg up on the competition. q

GEOFF HILL
Editor, Avionics News
avionics news

february

2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News February 2016