This week is the opening of the Salon de l’Auto in Montreal, the symbolic start of the auto show season for the Canadian automotive industry. So, I thought I would tell the story of one of my most memorable campaigns at the show. While helping a client launch a new car, I shed nearly 20 pounds in three days.
An important point to clarify here is that I’m not a big guy. I’m tall but wiry, spindly even. I say this because it was weight I didn’t really have to lose.
It started with an incredible opportunity for a PR professional. I was working for a premium, European automotive brand and they were bringing a new vehicle to market. This particular vehicle was compact, had a hatch, and had unmistakable style; perfect for the Canadian market. The most interesting bit, however, is the exterior of the car was the work of a Canadian that grew up and studied in Quebec.
In a fortuitous bit of timing, the Canadian launch of the product was going to take place at the Montreal Auto Show in early January… and the Canadian designer agreed to fly over the Atlantic to help us launch it.
This type of convergence of fortunes is rare. So, it had to be maximized.
I got my hands on an example of the yet-to-be-released vehicle and organized two days of activities: media interviews for TV, radio, and print outlets, a visit to the designer’s Alma mater, and culminating with an press conference at the auto show. It was a packed schedule with minimal wiggle room.
The day before it was to all happen, the local team and I hosted the designer to a nice dinner at a restaurant in downtown Montreal. My fortunes turned when I ate something that disagreed with me so much I was unable to eat anything else for 72 hours.
But, the show must go on.
In between minute sips of water, I executed my communications plan, navigating the designer around his former home town while stick-handling unscheduled media requests and ensuring we hit those that were previously scheduled.
Everything came together, my client’s brand was front-and-centre in nearly every Montreal media outlet thanks to the homecoming of this automotive designer and the launch of a car that acutely fit the interests of buyers in that province and the country. By the time I was able to seek medical attention, however, my body weight dropped from about 175 to 156 lbs.
I learned two lessons from that experience:
If I hadn’t arranged and scheduled everything well in advance, it wouldn’t have been possible to execute the plan. All of the thinking was done ahead of time.
Before a big event, watch what you eat.
To this day, as much as I love the product, I shudder every time I see an example on the road.
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