When you represent
the world’s leading manufacturer of high-performance composite decking, it can
be difficult to showcase products to media. It’s not like we can easily ship
out samples of finished decks. So, as the saying goes, we brought Mohammed – or
Trex in this case – to the media mountain in the form of a dedicated product
preview event hosted at Meredith Corporation’s headquarters in Des Moines – home to many of the country’s leading shelter and lifestyle
publications, including Better Homes
& Gardens, Country Home, Midwest Living and Traditional Home.
To elevate Trex as the ultimate outdoor living resource, we invited editors to join us for a fun and
informative lunch-and-learn “picnic.” While our media guests enjoyed a catered
lunch of picnic favorites,
Adam Zambanini, senior vice president of marketing for Trex, shared the Trex
story – from inventing the first
composite deck boards to “engineering what’s next in outdoor
living.”
Editors were
then invited
to engage with Trex’s extensive
portfolio of products and resources via a series of interactive displays.
The mini-expo engaged editors and proved
an ideal conversation starter for pitching
and exploring future coverage opportunities.
Rather than using a
“one-size-fits-all” press kit, we created customized packages for each of the
attending editors. Contents included actual tear-sheets and screen shots from
their respective print and digital publications customized with Trex images to
show how the brand might fit into their content. Based on the feedback we received
both on-site and since the event, editors were extremely impressed and
appreciative of this thoughtful approach to our
leave-behind materials.
The well-attended event
attracted editors representing more than 20 top print and online properties. By bringing Mohammed to the mountain, we were able to reach more editors
with a single visit and showcase Trex in an experiential and memorable way.
As far as results go,
Trex effectively solidified relationships with known editors, established rapport with new editors, and laid the
groundwork for future editorial coverage. Adam Zambanini
was interviewed on-the-spot
by the host of
“Living the Country Life”
radio, which reaches 1.9 million listeners. Additionally, as a direct outcome of this visit, Trex
Outdoor Storage will be featured in an upcoming issue of Better Homes & Gardens Outdoor Spaces magazine. As we
proactively follow up with all of the event attendees, we look forward to
securing additional opportunities that move mountains for Trex.
The IHA “Inspired Home”
summer media event took place on Thursday, June 11, at the Metropolitan West,
an open and chic event space in the Clinton neighborhood just outside of
Midtown – and LCWA client Contigo was
on the scene, ready to help editors create inspired commutes for busy families
on the go. 
