Factory visits at last
March has been a busy month for Mills Advertising. Two of our clients opened their manufacturing facility doors and allowed a select number of automotive OE and aftermarket journalists to take a look at their strictly controlled research & development facilities. Meticulous planning was necessary to align with the clients on important things such as what journalists are allowed to see, if they’re allowed to take pictures, etc.
At AISIN Aftermarket Europe in Mons, journalists received a guided tour through the remanufacturing activities of the company, the electronics production, and the logistics site for the OE business. The press day ended with a drive on their ERS (Electric Road System) test track. In Darmstadt today, an OE battery factory visit is taking place – a press day we’ve talked about for years.
Besides the obvious takeaway of these events (additional visibility in trade press), it’s important to emphasize how useful they are in increasing journalist engagement with one’s brand. It requires a considerable amount of time, energy, and financial investment to organise these events, but their mid- and long-term gain will be tangible for the years coming. As proof, here a quick snapshot of the feedback of our journalist friends:
“The meeting in Mons was very useful and instructive. I appreciated the event for its simple and effective format, the ease of movement, the well-planned timing, the interest of contents and the absence of downtime.”
“The event was truly great. It was a great pleasure visiting the gigafactory and talking to so many experts in Darmstadt.”
“Ich war durch und durch zufrieden.”
“Cette journée était effectivement très riche et particulièrement dense en termes de nouveautés. Je sens déjà bien la nécessité de faire plusieurs papiers afin de couvrir efficacement l’évènement.”