June 11, 2015
When you represent the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance composite decking, it can be difficult to showcase products to media. It’s not like we can easily ship out samples of finished decks. So, as the saying goes, we brought Mohammed – or Trex in this case – to the media mountain in the form of a dedicated product preview event hosted at Meredith Corporation’s headquarters in Des Moines – home to many of the country’s leading shelter and lifestyle publications, including Better Homes & Gardens, Country Home, Midwest Living and Traditional Home.To elevate Trex as the ultimate outdoor living resource, we invited editors to join us for a fun and informative lunch-and-learn “picnic.” While our media guests enjoyed a catered lunch of picnic favorites, Adam Zambanini, senior vice president of marketing for Trex, shared the Trex story – from inventing the first composite deck boards to “engineering what’s next in outdoor living.”
Editors were then invited to engage with Trex’s extensive portfolio of products and resources via a series of interactive displays. The mini-expo engaged editors and proved an ideal conversation starter for pitching and exploring future coverage opportunities.
Rather than using a “one-size-fits-all” press kit, we created customized packages for each of the attending editors. Contents included actual tear-sheets and screen shots from their respective print and digital publications customized with Trex images to show how the brand might fit into their content. Based on the feedback we received both on-site and since the event, editors were extremely impressed and appreciative of this thoughtful approach to our leave-behind materials.
The well-attended event attracted editors representing more than 20 top print and online properties. By bringing Mohammed to the mountain, we were able to reach more editors with a single visit and showcase Trex in an experiential and memorable way.
As far as results go, Trex effectively solidified relationships with known editors, established rapport with new editors, and laid the groundwork for future editorial coverage. Adam Zambaniniwas interviewed on-the-spotby the host of“Living the Country Life”radio, which reaches 1.9 million listeners. Additionally, as a direct outcome of this visit, Trex Outdoor Storage will be featured in an upcoming issue of Better Homes & Gardens Outdoor Spaces magazine. As we proactively follow up with all of the event attendees, we look forward to securing additional opportunities that move mountains for Trex.