In 25 years running media relations for Kawasaki, European PR Manager Martin Lambert has seen a major shift in the need for speed at motorcycle launches.
Years ago, journalists came together to check out Kawasaki’s newest supercharged motorbikes and went home with slides. Over time, slides gave way to memory sticks, which were easy to lose and too often fell out of reporters’ bags. Today, editors want the images immediately, and waiting until after a press event to publish the photos isn’t an option.
Martin and his team were quick to start delivering images to journalists and their editors through cloud-based technology, but they struggled to find a system that supported video and fit the brand’s needs. They cast a net for a better system, and chose PhotoShelter for Brands for five key reasons.
1. Custom Interface
First, the system had to be customizable. The team wanted their media library to be branded with Kawasaki’s logo, look and feel – not a technology partner’s.
“We needed to create skins and environments where it looked like us,” says Martin.
2. Reliability
During motorcycle launches, the Kawasaki team needs to deliver broadcast quality 4K video and hundreds of high resolution images to partners all over the world instantly. They needed a lot of storage and a lightning-fast network, with powerful support for huge visual media files. PhotoShelter processes uploads at scale 70% faster than other platforms like Dropbox, Box and Google Drive.
3. Easy User Experience
Providing journalists and editors with eye-catching visual content is a crucial part of Kawasaki’s visual media strategy. Martin wanted a system that would be easy and intuitive for Kawasaki’s partners. Plus, it had to be friendly toward a Mac environment.
“One of the core things we want is solidity,” says Martin, noting that he appreciates having someone at PhotoShelter to answer the phone when he has a question.
4. Security
While Martin wanted his team’s media library to look like a Kawasaki platform, it was important to provide access to content through an external partner, so members of the media weren’t actually logging into Kawasaki’s mainframe. Security is a key priority for the company’s higher management, and Martin needed to rest easy knowing the brand’s images were backed up. PhotoShelter is known for its security and reliability. In 15 years, we’ve had 100% durability – we’ve never lost a single bit of data.
5. An Innovative Platform
Martin wanted a product that was always evolving. He says one of his favorite things about PhotoShelter is that the company is always innovating and finding new ways to help Kawasaki work faster.
Today, Kawasaki’s media library is a centralized hub for journalists and partners – and it hits all five of Martin’s key priorities.
Now, he and his team are building a media relations strategy for motorcycle launches in a post-COVID world. Kawasaki’s media library will act as a critical portal for sharing content with partners – whether they were on site for the event or not.
“We now will be in a situation where few journalists can come but the amount of people accessing content will be enormous,” says Martin. “It couldn’t be a better time to work with PhotoShelter.”
In a time fraught with challenges, he says he’s grateful to have a system that saves him stress.
“We’re moving into our first round of COVID launches with a degree of confidence and not fear,” says Martin.
Check out Martin’s full conversation from 20/21 Vision below, and connect with our team to see how you can build a similar workflow.
Up Next: Watch more on-demand sessions from 20/21 Vision: The Strategy Summit by PhotoShelter
