Before the pandemic, I was easily averaging about two to three coverages per day, though I’ve attended as much as eight during what we call “National Events Day” (and something I don’t want to do again).
But now, with everything done via Zoom/Google Meet etc., the number of events you can attend is only limited by the number of devices you have. I once attended four simultaneous virtual events while having coffee in my pajamas and no one ever knew.
For someone who does events on the side, the biggest challenge isn’t just to make press people attend, but how to make it interesting and memorable enough for them to actually write about it. With product launches happening several times everyday, press people can get jaded about the same speech, specs discussion, and, yes, even the dancing/celebrity performances.
Well, after 19 months of attending virtual press cons and media “kumustahans,” I’d say Carrier’s recent event is probably one of the most unique and engaging to say the least.
Last Saturday, Carrier Philippines launched a new campaign, called “The Science of Indoor Living,” via its curated “Invisible Event” that provided attendees with a full sensorial experience.
Media attendees received a PR Kit, a blue box that had several numbered compartments chosen for their sensory impact including a graze box with food items such as dark chocolate bark and mini donuts, ground coffee, microfiber towels, vanilla-scented sprays and UV flashlights.
The purpose was demonstrate the power of the invisible—Carrier’s technology and solutions that work in the background to optimize conditions and filter out equally invisible pollutants, allergens and pathogens—through playing on the audience’s senses.
Instead of having hyper-caffeinated hosts trying to keep everyone awake with “ice breakers” on-screen, we viewed a studio set especially designed by Moss Design House, akin to that of a usual talk show but devoid of hosts or guests. To heighten the sensorial impact, the set remained static throughout the event, while hosts Anne Asis and Show Suzuki interacted with the attendees via voiceovers alone.
They guided us through four event sections, cueing attendees to use particular items in our boxes at specific times to heighten key sensory experiences, and explaining the science behind each, to provide attendees with information that would improve their home lives while highlighting how Carrier products could contribute to such outcomes.
The first section, “The Science of Better Learning,” discussed how external factors such as music, food and room temperature can affect cognitive function, heighten brain activity, and improve overall productivity. Classical music and chocolates were singled out for their ability to sharpen focus and improve learning, and Carrier air-conditioners were also mentioned for their capacity to achieve the optimum room productivity temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius.
For someone who’s been having trouble sleeping, “The Science of Carefree Cooling and Relaxing Sleep” was particularly interesting. Anne and Show underscored the importance of high-quality, relaxing sleep and how it can be achieved through pristine air and optimal temperature maintenance (19 degrees!), which Carrier air-conditioners like the reliable and cost-effective Crystal 2 Inverter are well-placed to achieve. The hosts further underscored the virtues of a comfortable home environment through highlighting touch via soft-touch materials like microfiber and smell through the scent of vanilla. They showed how users can rely upon Carrier’s cost-efficient XPower Gold 3 (only Php1.50 electrical cost per hour) and its Ultrafresh filter, which absorbs and decomposes smoke, ammonia and volatile organic compounds, while preventing bacteria and viruses from proliferating.
Carrier X-Power Gold 3 Inverter also has a unique Magic Coil that protects against oil and dust and a self-cleaning function that prevents mold and germs build-up.
The next part, “The Science of Safer Breathing,” zeroed in on clean air and how air quality affects more than breathing: smell and taste interact and air quality can affect one’s mood and even manifest on the skin. The hosts revealed that indoor air pollution can be as much as 10 times higher than in the outdoors, thanks to improper indoor exhaust and ventilation, and the resulting buildup of volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Carrier is well-placed to help ensure quality indoor air, since its Air Purifier incorporates three-stage filters to efficiently trap pollutants and allergens, and UV-C light to eliminate harmful pathogens. Because certain scents such as that of coffee can improve mood and memory, the distinctive scent of coffee beans helped drive this section’s learnings home.
The concluding section was called “The Invisible Science” and this is where the ultraviolet flashlight came to use to reveal a code hidden in the box that unlocked a special discount. It was also explained that although it was a static set, Carrier’s XPower Gold air-conditioning and Air Purifier had been filtering and cooling the air in the room the entire time, implying the brand’s commitment to the provision of technology that makes homes healthier, safer and more comfortable, while remaining invisible and unobtrusive despite working reliably full-time in the background.
The reason I enjoyed “Carrier’s Invisible” event so much was because I didn’t have to keep staring at the screen to screencap the slides while listening to the presentations. It wasn’t as hard sell as other launches, and because it was purely voiceovers, I was still able to do other things and still be engaged to answer the trivia question in between the sections.
A lot can happen during Zoom events and unforgettable ones are often the most hilarious, like this one time when one attendee forgot to mute and turn off his video and we all saw him snoring and sleeping soundly while the client was presenting the most exciting features of their product. With large face-to-face events still unlikely in the next few months, organizers have to come up with unique ways keep guests engaged, interested and hopefully awake in time for the virtual photo-op.