A New Age of Information Sharing
Although the title of this piece is a bit dramatic, the world is changing fast in the twenty first century. We have entered a time where traditional media have been eclipsed by the rise of new media. Newspapers have been replaced by the internet, cable TV has been replaced by streaming, and social media has created brand new mediums for companies and organizations to grow their audiences. Information sharing no longer revolves around credible publications such as the New York Times or NPR. The power has shifted to individuals.
Social media platforms like Twitter and online forums such as Reddit now allow users to be their own news sources. Whether you follow Kylie Jenner, the President of the United States, or Jimmy from Ohio, news and events are being shared at a speed and volume that is hard for traditional media to keep up with. Heck, with the amount of time that people (especially younger generations) spend on these platforms, it only makes sense that it’s where they get their updates, news, and noteworthy topics. I can recall several times where the first place I heard about local or world events was through a friend who posted about it on social media. In a study done by Statista, they found that 48% of Americans and nearly 50% of the rest of the world receive breaking news from social media. When the purpose of the press release was to push noteworthy company updates and news to as many viewers as possible through publications, these statistics put into question the value a press release holds.
How Do PR/Influencer Boxes Fit In?
Ok, great. The press release is dead thanks to social media. Now what?
We move forward. We move on and adapt to new mediums and trends. Social media, arguably the largest new medium, has created a whole new category of public figure: the influencer. Influencer marketing has been the hot topic of the last several years. Despite all the controversy around them, influencers do an incredible job creating a specific audience. They position themselves as experts in their target niche or field in order to attract brand deals or create a revenue stream related to their interests. The highly targeted followers are very attractive from a brand perspective, especially if they are working to grow their existing market to people with similar interests.
One of the fastest growing ways that companies and brands are leveraging these highly specific audiences is through influencer boxes or PR boxes. The influencer box is centered around creating a unique, personal, and memorable experience for the recipient to share with their followers. Although posting pictures of the box may be written in a contract, the sheer exclusivity of the PR box is motivation enough. Many companies like AT&T, Fashion Nova, and Nike have found great success with these types of custom boxes.
Pictured: SONY Playstation influencer box. Custom printed rigid box with custom foam insert.
Instead of using a traditional press release to announce a new campaign, new product, new corporate value proposition, forward thinking companies are using PR kit boxes and custom influencer boxes to get the news out. Utilizing the audience of influencers, brands can rack up millions of views through a well thought out influencer box, even capturing the attention of media. Beyond the views, you are creating a personal experience with the influencer, and by association, for their followers. Influencer marketing efforts like PR boxes can even help companies turn customers into advocates.
With all that being said, the press release isn’t actually dead. Its value and use cases have changed. It can still be useful for companies to relay key information about noteworthy topics to traditional media outlets. However, it is no longer essential in order to have a story be picked up and shared for visibility and traction. In the digital age and the massive presence of social media in people’s daily lives, there are more creative, engaging, and effective ways for brands get noticed. Influencer marketing with an influencer/PR box is one of the best ways to get the right views in the current digital landscape.
Want to start building a killer influencer/PR box for your brand? Take the first step by reaching out to our team below.
Cut Pak Co. is a custom packaging design and manufacturing firm based in Los Angeles, CA. Passionate about being at the forefront of the packaging industry, Cut Pak offers a full range of customizable packaging options for all sorts of industries. Good things come in (our) packages.