Trying to get the media to an event, launch, press briefing, and so on, is as hard to do, as breaking through the multi-media advertising clutter that consumers are bombarded with daily. So it's no wonder that PROs and marketers try various creative means with invites, that border on the laughable to the just plain waste of money. The fact is that no amount of begging or gifts is going to get us there if you invite us at the last minute, or when the year's biggest single event is taking place, ie, Loeries, and we'll all be out of town! I must have already received about seven industry invites for Friday and Monday - so keep a diary of main events! And yes, the limp carrot, the loo roll or the stale cupcake may get our attention, but it's probably not the attention you seek. The fact remains that alerting the media well in advance to your special event, even before the invites go out, sending out invites 10 days before at least (my diary is generally booked up two weeks in advance - most high profile media directors or marketers a month in advance), will ensure a much better success rate! As will a well thought out press pack in the correct format online, and with the right visuals BELOW 1MB! Have a good one! Louise Marsland, Editor, editor@bizcommunity.com