The Engine Room of a Successful Media Launch

The service technicians from the M55 Service Workshops are the unsung heroes of every media launch. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the journalists in attendance can enjoy new models at their full potential. At the international media launch of the new Opel Astra and Opel Astra Sports Tourer we went behind the scenes with the team around senior service technician Jan Niklas Hammer.

The headlines from the international media launch of the new Astra and Astra Sports Tourer are promising. Autocar from the UK for example wrote: “It feels like a return for form for the brand, playing to its historic strength of offering decent cars at sensible prices. For usability, the Astra is ahead of anything from the Volkswagen Group”. The Times also from the UK added: “A calm, steady, likeable companion in a world that is increasingly difficult to understand.”

To achieve such positive coverage, numerous Opel departments need to come together. The PR and Events teams are responsible for the overall set-up, content and devise the press conference. Subject matter experts from Product Marketing and Engineering present the highlights of the new car. These are the faces known to the journalists. However, a large number of colleagues also work behind the scenes to ensure a successful event.

“We could not deliver international launch events of this quality without the help of our service technicians on site. The team around Jan Niklas Hammer did an outstanding job and ironed out any minor issues,” said Martin Golka, Director International Product Communications.

28-year-old Hammer joined Opel directly after completing high school. He served an apprenticeship as a master automotive technician (HwO) before going on to study Technical Management (CCI). And the Astra & Astra Sports Tourer launch in Dalmatia was not his first gig. “I was part of the team led by Matthias Gawlica that successfully launched the Astra electric in Berlin three years ago. So, it is exciting to come back with another great car,” said Hammer.

At every launch the service technicians arrive before most of the other teams – the reason is very simple. “Transport can represent the first challenge. Sometimes there can be some damage to the cars. Bumps, scratches – minor things that we are well prepared for,” says Hammer. Together with his team, Hammer inspects every vehicle and makes the necessary repairs. “We want the cars to be perfect – no more, no less.”

This attention to detail obviously requires meticulous preparation. Anything from replacement doors and bumpers to spare inverters for electric cars are transported to the location. “Overall, we can rely on the experienced gathered during previous events and therefore we are rarely surprised. We prepare for the worst-case scenario and can repair almost anything on-site in the unlikely case of a serious incident. Luckily, that was not the case during the Astra launch,” said the 28-year-old.

A key part of the team’s work remains invisible. “We operate in the background and keep a low profile – ideally nobody should even notice that we exist,” explained Hammer. “No one should ever see that any damage occurred – and certainly not that it was repaired. The cars must always appear perfect.”

In Dalmatia, the team needed to replace some scratched rims, some front ends and a few doors. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Loose stones hurled up by other road users can cause chipping and parking accidents can happen despite the excellent parking sensors and camera used in the Astra,” said Hammer.

With the Astra launch successfully in the bag, Hammer is already looking forward to the next opportunity of accompanying a media launch. “The long hours are worth it when you see the excellent coverage in the press. I am delighted that we could play our part. The way the event was organised shows exactly why Opel is the approachable brand. Every department works hand in hand to deliver an outstanding experience for our guests – and it shows,” concluded Hammer.