First things first, for the uninitiated, a famil is a PR activity used to familiarise journalists, influencers or bloggers with a particular region, product or package. It is offered with the intention that the recipient will then write a favourable story about their experience. While they’re most commonly carried out in the tourism industry, beauty brands often include them as part of their overall PR strategy too.
A media famil can be a costly exercise although usually it’s relative to the coverage generated, whether it’s on social media or in print. However, they can get awkward when expectations are not managed and discussed or the famil isn’t a positive experience for the recipient.
We talked to a variety of media, influencers and bloggers to get their thoughts…
Discuss expectations
“Discussing coverage expectations from the get-go is key. Often there seems to be a disconnect between the PR agency organising the famil and the client. Sometimes false promises are made to the brand without having been discussed with me in the first instance. One time a brand promised coverage across a selection of platforms, interviews, social media etc. and I had no idea. It’s important that agencies bear in mind these platforms costed out as per the usual rate card would exceed the total cost of the famil (often a few times over!).”
“Accept the coverage agreed upon! I’ve negotiated coverage beforehand and still issues arise where the brand/PR seems to be under the impression I’d deliver more.”
“Brands need to separate the journalist from the title. I’ve been invited to some amazing famils and would of course love to go and if it were my own publication I wouldn’t give a second thought. But, when you work on behalf of a publication you need to get the green light from the higher ups too. If the brand isn’t advertising there isn’t really a benefit for the wider company. Often the brand seems to think I'm ungrateufl if I decline or reject some expectations of coverage”
It needs to be worth it
“Being invited to a launch or famil, especially overseas, is lovely but a work trip is not a holiday, so first and foremost the event needs to deliver enough content to justify the time away. Ideally interview access to experts and speedy follow-up provision of PR assets. It’s a long way to go for a goodie bag, if a similar event is held locally a few weeks later.”
“Standing around for hours is irksome to media who have to get ahead and catch up on work around travelling and may be left out of pocket for the experience - freelancers particularly aren’t always recompensed for airport travel costs, parking or daily expenses.”
Be straight up about costs
“My main bugbear is when transport to the destination (or to the drop off point for transport to the destination) is not provided.”
“If you’ve been invited on behalf of a title, especially if the brand isn’t advertising, all costs need to be covered, as the company isn’t likely to cover anything.”
Be mindful
“Editors with families have extra issues around childcare so need plenty of notice on trip timings.”
“Look to schedule flights to events in a user-friendly manner. Provide transport to and from the airport at both ends.”
“It is always appreciated if there is some flexibility on flight times and dates (if this is cost neutral), in case the editor can extend their stay for personal reasons.”
"Most overseas trips I go on the PR are amazing and totally do the brand justice. But sometimes it seems like they're just their for the ride! I went to a launch where the PR person just went to the airline lounge instead of hosting us - it's just rude"
“When you are catching a flight at a key meal time and the brand skimps on costs and doesn’t include meals as part of your seat.”
"I recently went on a famil where I had a full-on day with back to back activities, and as it was an overnight trip so I only brought one pair of shoes...heels. The brand was super tight on costs and didn't provide any taxis to and from venues and asked us to walk everywhere..."
“If you’re considering sending an editor on a long-haul flight in economy, expecting them to hop off a plane and do a high-stakes interview and then return to work, is just not reasonable.”
“Downtime is always appreciated. A jam-packed schedule is fun but if you are self-employed and need to be checking emails at least twice a day you need the quiet space to do that. Even just an hour for a chance to sit with your laptop.”
“Ensure wifi is provided with the room. Unfortunately, we still have to work while overseas so this is appreciated.”
“A draft itinerary outlining activities is always great so we know what to expect and pack.”
…and sometimes the offer just isn’t that great
“PR and brands seem to get caught up and think any chance to get on a plane is incredible but without sounding like a primma-donna, often the experience doesn’t offset the inconvenience. I was recently offered a trip to Australia for a launch but it was a fly in/out the same day with a 4am start. I’d rather just go to the localised version of the launch here or get a media kit.”
“Part of the allure of a famil is the luxury of a hotel room or an amazing experience. Last year I was invited to a launch and put up in a 3 star hotel with no wifi and flown on Jetstar with no food or movies…”
"A famil where you have to fly home the same day is just not appealing to me. I have to make arrangement for childcare (at a cost), miss a day of work so have to play catch-up and then am just knackered the next day for work."
An honourable mention!
A large majority of media interviewed acknowledged their incredible experiences with Benefit Cosmetics, fondly remembering the seamless organisation, hosts that went above and beyond and money-can't-buy experiences.
