When executing a launch campaign, I like to dedicate some time in the planning process to identify a moment where we can ensure the audience has to stop and think. Sometimes it’s a simple, subtle extra inserted into the program, other times it’s a little more overt.

Ultimately, my aim is to create a moment where the audience must stop and reflect by creating a pause in their day. It’s not always easy, but it’s almost always worth it.

I’ve often been asked where these ideas come from. One of the tactics I employ is to ask myself a series of questions. Here are three of the core questions I use along with some examples of media relations tactics from my days in the automotive industry:

1. Is there a charitable component?
Just as consumer interest in compact SUVs was taking off, my employer at the time was launching a new compact sedan. Consumer research often cited cargo volume as a reason why customers were transitioning away from sedans to SUVs. The reality is modern sedans have excellent cargo capacity. So, to deflate the notion that SUVs were the only choice to carry cargo, for the media first-drive program of the new sedan we loaded at least $400 of groceries into every trunk that we had journalists deliver to a local food bank. $400 buys a LOT of groceries and, magically, every bag fit.

2. How can I make something irresistible to camera phones?
For the launch of a critical new SUV, we perched a bright-blue example at the very edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The SUV would be immediately visible as the media arrived, making it their first look at the new vehicle… and the first picture they took. The bonus was a nearby dock was used for boats and float planes.

3. Is there a new way to do something old school?
Some may remember years ago, before the Internet was a thing, PR people would mail press kits to journalists to let them know about a new product. These were typically printed press releases and images on slides or some other storage media. With a product launch in 2016, my challenge was to use the bending rigidity of the company’s proprietary steel as a competitive differentiator. So, we procured a role of the raw steel, cut them into laptop-sized squares and shipped them to media with a kit they could use to test the steel’s bending resistance for themselves.

This is the fun part of launch planning, when you can really get creative.

What usually happens is your audience will realize they’ve been “hooked” onto your message. That’s when they’re forced to let a smile cross their face.

And you’ve just gone above and beyond by making your launch a little more memorable.