Scary Good PR: The Annual Buzz, Launch, and Terror Behind the Nation’s Premier Halloween Event by Alyson Lundell
by Andrea Knies
It is always good day to be a member of the CWC FPRA, but our March professional development luncheon was an especially good day! We met at Sage, a new local restaurant which is housed in an historic Sarasota building, over 50 people were in attendance, and we learned from Alyson Lundell of Universal Orlando.
Alyson shared with the group the successes and challenges of Universal Orlando’s annual Halloween Horror Nights. Here are five take-a-ways from this great speaker.
Even a successful
event needs to be tweaked.
Even one of their most successful events does not have a magic formula for each
year. Trends need to be monitored carefully, mice may be scary one year, but
the next year clowns are the popular way to be frightened.
But the strategies might
stay the same.
Even if the trends and the messaging changes, the overall strategies might
remain the same. Without changing the PR strategies, 2018 Horror Nights more
than doubled in reach just by incorporating the popular Netflix show, Stranger
Things.
Think outside of the
media box.
Popular Mechanics might not seem like a media outlet that in interested in
Horror Nights, but the technology behind the event is top notch and fascinating
to that community.
Use multiple angles.
Horror Nights is a combination of licensed characters and original content. In
addition, new things are added every year, but some things remain each year due
to audience demand like Jack the Clown.
Create an environment
and feeling with your story telling.
Telling people to come and be scared is not the same as sharing the fear.
