Places, people, reputations and connections

“Oh the places you’ll go” so said Dr Seuss and so, it appears, he was right when it comes to the recent life of the Siren team.

The team have been travelling around the globe this month to support client work in Abu Dhabi and the Rhine Gorge and closer to home we’ve crossed central London (several times) connecting our clients with the media here. Plans for the coming months include trips to France, Florida and a return to Abu Dhabi with bloggers, journalists and broadcasters.

So that’s what’s supposed to happen isn’t it? PR meets media and ta-daah… connections made, and coverage flows? Well, yes, and no. Showing a great product, place or person off is a vital part of the game but it’s not enough.

For us at Siren, what makes an investment of time and trouble in a press trip or brand experience is the long term value in the relationship between a journalist of blogger and a company, product or place. We build expert relationships with the media for our clients that are as deep as they are long but they need to be the right fit for the job.

That person in the right place recently was Kate O’Brien who accompanied some key media to Abu Dhabi with adventurer and TV presenter Ben Fogle with Celebrity Cruises. Now in his third year of working with Celebrity Cruises, Ben hosted a four-day trip to the country to promote the destination in conjunction with the local tourist board. Tours of the Arabian desert complete with sand boarding and a camel ride have left the media wanting more and a rich seam of content for Celebrity Cruises to use across online, social media and PR channels. Far more than seeing and looking – this was persuading and enriching the destination story.

Bringing to life different experiences and stories will continue through what will be a busy summer for the Siren team. The GTMC is holding its annual conference in Florida in a few weeks’ time followed by our team leading some press trips to France for Canvas Holidays and heading to Abu Dhabi for the annual Global Travel Group conference. We hope to see you somewhere lovely very soon.