Up Close with Eve Gaut

Up Close with Eve Gaut

Eve Gaut is not a lighting designer, but we chose her for the Up Close column because she is a worldclass marketeer creating PR for lighting designers throughout the world. Eve is the founder of Parrot PR and Marketing, and she co-founded a brilliant mentoring program called The Silhouette Awards with Katia Kolovea. This global program matches 20 young lighting designers with 20 mentors.

Eve explained that while most large lighting design firms have in-house marcomm, the small and midsize companies typically don’t need a full time PR person, nor do they have the budget, so they will outsource. I asked Eve about the role of PR in the business of lighting design, and she shared a few tips:

• Invest in great photography. What we do in our industry allows for brilliant images. She strongly suggests hiring a talented photographer who knows how to photograph lighting. She cited a few recent images of lighting jobs, where the lights were not energized, saying how important it is to use an architectural photographer and to give a tight brief. She encourages her clients not to be shy on spending money because the images can be used across so many different platforms. “A much stronger story will resonate with the editorial team when the images are strong,” she emphasized.

• Look beyond the lighting industry. Eve remarked that, so many times, lighting designers will work to get their jobs published in the lighting trade, while they ignore other channels. She explained, “If a lighting designer works on a hotel, I will submit that article to various hospitality magazines. If a residence has been designed with gorgeous landscape lighting, we will find an outlet for landscape that does not necessarily specialize in landscape lighting.” It is important to be seen in the right places for the story you are telling or message you are conveying.

• Know your audience. She said that it is much better to have one strong consistent and repetitive message to a core audience, rather than multiple messages to the masses.

• Consistency is king. The more that a company is out there, the more visibility they will have, strengthening their brand. But, she cautioned not to over communicate, saying, “News is only news if you have something to share. If you don’t have anything to say, don’t share for the sake of it, as people will disengage.” She also cautions against radio silence for long periods of time, as people will wonder where you have been.

We also discussed manufacturers, and she emphasized a reciprocal process, saying, “To make the industry tick, luminaire manufacturers need PR to generate leads. Lighting companies all have great websites that say they are wonderful, but they need independent publications to build up the trust with exemplar case studies of where their lighting has worked alongside great lighting design to transform an environment.”

She shared a few nuggets about the financial side. Most PR firms work on a retainer, and the main goal is to build presence. Some contracts are based on metrics, such as the number of articles that are published. Other contracts are built on time, such as two or three days per month. She stressed the importance of setting and managing expectations. PR is a long-term strategy.

Eve concluded our conversation by saying, “Designers need to invest in a consistent strategy. They must have their own internal strategy before they can begin external marketing. You have to know what you want to achieve from the get go.”