Swingers is a 1996 Indie film that follows Mike (Jon Favreau), a yet-to-be-discovered comedian and actor who finds himself freshly dumped from his long-term relationship and new to the LA scene. Lucky for him, his supportive friends, mainly Trent (Vince Vaughn), take him on a journey to find love again. Due to a mix of failed tactics, wild nights out and continued perseverance, Mike ultimately meets (spoiler alert!) his dream girl.
So, how did he ultimately close the deal?
The perfect hybrid of sales and PR!
Here are the three lessons gleaned from Swingers to ultimately land your dream communication strategy:
- Deliver More than a Hard Sell
In Swingers, Vaughn’s character is hands down the PR pro. Every chance he gets, Trent talks up Mike in a bid to get a girl interested. He jumps on opportunities and fine-tunes his message for each audience – much like the PR team talking up a company or product. But his approach is too direct and ultimately never gets his friend far. You can say the same for a PR campaign in 2024 – companies can no longer rely on simply talking themselves up to get media wins.
2024 has seen the fiercest year yet for public relations success. By the end of this year, the country is on track to lose a third of our newspapers since 2005. Compounded with a loss of nearly two-thirds of journalists, PR teams face fewer options to place a story or quote. This challenging environment is exacerbated by an increase in startups fighting for harder-to-get opportunities. The United States saw the number of startups (those of less than one year) increase by 16% between 2019 and 2023.
As newsrooms close and VC funding has created an explosion of startups fighting for top-tier space – relying on a hard sell will leave you falling flat.
Integrated marketing services ensure consistent messaging that resonates and maximizes effectiveness. This form of strategy is seen in our work with Infobip, whose omnichannel cloud communications platform saw placements on Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Today Show. The PR team developed a unique pitch that landed with the audience by delivering a message that made them the main character but not the sole character.
Armed with proprietary data from Infobip and a PR-led report on America’s texting habits, Infobip reached an entirely new audience and stood apart from a field crowded with competitors. The campaign secured 206 pieces of coverage, amounting to more than 1.15 billion unique visitors monthly (UVM), or individual readers over the course of a month.
- Operating in a Vacuum Won’t Work
The best way to bring your A-game is not to rely solely on one approach – but on your entire all-star team and several strategies. Jon’s character makes his way through the ups and downs of dating with the support of his whole crew of friends – who all bring different approaches to relationships. As the movie progresses, you see him slowly start to find his footing as he learns to lean into charisma, crisis management and a more laid-back nature, each of which is a quality he finds within his different friendships.
For public relations success, this often means putting time and energy into cultivating a unique narrative, building out thought leadership and actively engaging with your community – customers, social media followers and other key stakeholders. Turning to content and social media can further amplify earned PR, boost website traffic and generate leads.
Axway has helped over 11,000 businesses unlock the total value of their digital ecosystems – but despite a product that shines on its own, the company needed to make a concerted effort to boost their presence. With Bospar’s team supercharging their presence on Twitter and LinkedIn, further enhanced by influencer relations and an executive visibility program, Axway saw a boost in brand awareness. With an 83% increase in posts, what followed was a 37% boost in engagement, a 43% increase in clicks and an audience increase of 4%!
- Prioritize Confidence and Authenticity Above All Else
If you remember one quote from this film, it’s this: “You’re so money, and you don’t even know it!”
As Trent’s go-to pep talk for a leading man still lacking in self-esteem, this statement can also be deployed at the start of every Bospar media training.
At the heart of every company is incredible leadership that should be front and center. Seventy-five percent of decision-makers and C-suite executives noted that a piece of thought leadership has led them to research a product or service they were not previously considering, while 54% said that a general high-level of thought leadership from executive positioning works best (and gets the most top-tier attention) when executives are confident enough to be bold in their expertise. With mass layoffs in journalism, a large part of reporters’ job is driving traffic to their articles. The best way to get their interest is to offer unique perspectives, be forward-thinking in your commentary, and show off your own personality by leaning into your background and experience.
One example of an eye-catching initiative that captures journalists’ attention can be seen with Jugo, a cloud-based immersive communication platform that needed to enter the U.S. market against nationally-recognized competitors. By focusing on executive visibility and quick thought leadership initiatives, multiple publications used the client’s survey data and expert tips to craft stories about Zoom etiquette faux pas during National Etiquette Week. Resulting coverage included top-tier media outlets MSN and PCMag. The survey was also mentioned on Fox News Radio during a segment about the anniversary of the first video call.
Put simply, authentic messaging resonates the most. Just like many fish in the sea, many C-suite executives are vying to be heard in the media. If you want to speak out on a topic, make it memorable. If you want to rally around an initiative, make it unique.
While the end of Swingers brings audiences with the feel-good positivity we all know and love, the center of the film is not just about landing the girl but finding oneself in the process. A company with clear messaging, an active C-suite and clear communication goals will ultimately win.
Just like Jon Favreau’s character meeting the right young woman, once you meet your dream PR team, everything will come together for the happily ever after.
