by Trish Boppert, McGinnisPR
Hard as it may be to imagine a world without twittering tweeters, cell phone squawkers, and YouTube gawkers, the hard work that goes into conceptualizing, planning, implementing and promoting successful client events was once accomplished without any of the above. The following gives a snapshot of what B2B “public relations” was like back in the day.
“Stratoquest” was a great example. It was the 1988 attempt by Swedish aeronaut Per Lindstrand, (Lindstrand and Sir Richard Branson were the first to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon), at breaking the existing altitude record for a hot air balloon, then standing at 55,134 feet. Undertaken on behalf of client ICI Films, the goal was to create a one-of-a-kind, compellingly newsworthy event that would showcase the company and demonstrate the versatility, durability and strength of its high performance polyester films. I remember that project well…
Did someone say “one-of-a-kind?” Yes, and with a certifiably big “big idea” at its core, since the enormous “envelope” of the record-breaking Stratoquest balloon was made from ICI’s Melinex film. A professional meteorologist, engaged to determine the optimum launch locale, deemed it to be in South Texas. In Laredo, Texas, specifically, on a ranch north of town owned by a balloon-friendly rancher named Callahan.
A few days before the target launch date, Lindstrand and his crew, (balloon experts all, laden with exquisitely specialized equipment), a handful of reconnaissance pilots (with helicopters in tow), and a shape-shifting collective of balloonists and balloon enthusiasts drawn to the history-making occasion began descending on the ranch. Reporters, camera crews and photographers representing an array of North American and European media outlets followed.
One day before launch, expectations were as high as the mercury, (the humidity was even higher), and the numbers of press and spectators continued to rise. Unfortunately, so did the wind. The next morning’s pre-dawn launch was declared a non-starter, the first in a series of 4 a.m. disappointments. The stars really do burn big and bright in Texas, but watching them wink out over Laredo gets old fast.
All’s well that ends well, and on June 6, 1988, after stumbling through the mesquite in the dark for what was to be the final time, we watched the shiny silver balloon made of ICI’s Melinex film disappear into the great blue yonder over Laredo. The rest, as they say, is history — history recorded by media outlets including BBC, Sky News, ABC-TV CBS-TV, NBC-TV, USA Today, Air and Space Magazine, The Sun, Daily Mirror, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, LA Times, and other daily newspapers in every US metro market.
Sigh… imagine the YouTube hits it would have gotten.
See links here: http://www.performingartistes.co.uk/artistes/518/per-lindstrand.htm
And here: http://www.lindstrandtech.com/
