The 2015 awards season will come to a close with the broadcast of the 87th Annual Academy Awards this Sunday. The conversations about the year’s best actors, actresses and films will cease. We’ll stop obsessing over who wore what and if they should be a part of the best or worst dressed list until this time next year.
We’re not quite ready for it all to be over! We’ll miss the glitz and glamour for sure, but at least we know we’ll have something else to talk about long after the Oscars. Here are three public relations lessons from awards season that apply all year long:
1. Mistakes will live in infamy.
It wasn’t enough that Jennifer Lawrence fell on her way to the podium to accept the award for Best Actress in 2013; she fell for a second time on the red carpet the following year. And no one will soon forget the moment that John Travolta butchered Idina Menzel’s name during the 2014 broadcast.
Blunders like this will be easily forgiven, but they are not often forgotten. Whether laughable or inexcusable, your mistakes will come back to haunt you or your brand if not handled appropriately. If you manage these gaffes effectively and move on quickly, others may follow in your footsteps so that this one moment in time doesn’t define you or your brand.
2. It’s all about the hype.
Both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes have special ceremonies every year to announce their nominees. We receive exciting news of hosts, presenters and featured performers in the weeks leading up to the awards shows. There is also the variety of pre-shows that give us a look at our favorite celebrities’ arrivals and the fabulous red carpet fashions.
The sort of publicity we see before and during awards season reminds us that the buzz often matters more than the event. These promotions are meant to both spark interest and encourage us to tune into the broadcast – and that’s exactly what they do. Whether you prefer quality and/or quantity, your efforts should focus on building excitement!
3. Tell YOUR story.
Every award winner has a long list of people to thank, but more importantly, each individual has something personal to share when they step up to that podium to accept an award. Who wasn’t inspired by the speech from Lupita Nyong’o last year? And how could you not laugh when Matthew McConaughey inserted a certain catch phrase into his acceptance speech?
The people who get personal and tell a meaningful story are the ones that are talked about and remembered long after awards season has ended. Those who take the time to prepare convey valuable messages that resonate with the audience. If you focus on your story instead of doing what everyone else does, you or your brand will surely grab attention.
This list of valuable tips may not be delivered in a fabulous song-and-dance number featuring Neil Patrick Harris, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy it. In fact, these lessons will be much easier for you to remember and recreate. So go for it!