HOW TO ASSEMBLE: Eventizing

A friend, and former colleague, recently asked me:

“What do you mean when you say eventize?”

It’s a fair question. I talk a lot about “eventizing,” so much so that I’ve had several people say, “You know that’s not a real word.” (I’ve used it so often that I think it deserves to be in your book, Mr. Webster.)

Eventizing informs every strategy I create in marketing — launches, releases, moments, momentum, acceleration, activations, and so on.

Familiarity to me doesn’t mean others fully understand what it is. I’m starting this new video and Substack series called “How To Assemble” which is an attempt to help you put these ideas into practice, in your own way and in your own timing.

Today I want to focus on eventizing.

The first time I heard that big, beautiful word (sorry, bad timing) was in 2007. I was in a high-rise conference room in Century City. Jeffrey Godsick, the lead executive with Fox-Walden, a short-lived joint venture between 20th Century Fox and Walden Media, was introducing a teaser trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. He looked around the room and said:

“We want to eventize this movie.”

He didn’t mean another press release or a few ads in the trades. He meant: make this an unmissable moment in culture. A signal. A spark. An assembly.

Make it feel bigger than just a movie. Make it an event.

That resonated with me. My campaign background taught me that in politics everything intensifies and compresses into a single moment: election day. Why couldn’t that also be true with other endeavors?

Nearly 20 years later, I’ve seen the power of eventizing not just in billion-dollar studio campaigns, but in indie films, podcasts, political campaigns, book tours, album drops, product launches, livestreams, and local grassroots movements.

Whether you’re announcing your campaign, performing in a friend’s backyard, rolling out a product, or launching a cause … I want to convince you that your strategy must include a plan to eventize.

Yes, this is the most distracted audience in history. Most cluttered market ever. Naturally, marketers think they need more dollars or more noise to break-through and break-out.

Or, in an over-scheduled, overstimulated, and under-inspired culture, creators and marketers lean on the most tragic “strategy” of them all: hope.

We assume artist Benson Boone sold out his tour in 9 seconds because he is topping the charts and dominating on social. I see something different: an artist’s team that knows how to eventize his marketing and messaging, as well as his shows.

“If you want people to take action, give them a reason … and a deadline.”
- Political organizer

Eventizing is the art and strategy of transforming your content or campaign into something people feel they can’t miss. A shared, time-sensitive experience that demands attention, participation, and action.

It’s not just a marketing plan. It’s not a slow-drip awareness strategy.

It’s a moment in time that creates urgency, elevates importance, and pulls people together in a concentrated, high-intensity burst.

Eventizing isn’t a luxury. It’s how you get noticed. It’s how momentum begins.

We live in an age of ambient noise. Everyone is talking. Everything is launching. But nothing seems to stick. Why?

Because we’re all scanning, not stopping.

Eventizing cuts through the clutter. Here’s how.

First, it compresses the timeline.

Instead of “whenever you get around to it,” it’s “don’t miss this.” Scarcity drives engagement. Eventizing begins with a deadline. You are either there or not, in the room or outside, in the moment or hearing about it later.

Second, it intensifies the audience.

When everyone is paying attention at the same time, it multiplies the energy. It becomes a shared experience. That’s cultural gravity. All. Together. Now. Pulling the same way. Arriving at the same moment. Showing up for the same experience.

Third, it clarifies the call to action.

Effective marketing moves someone to act. Eventizing says: Buy the ticket. Show up. Donate now. Watch tonight. No confusion. No hesitation. I remember our frustration after all of our attempts to get tens of thousands of moviegoers to show up for opening weekend, only to have them go the second-weekend, or wait until the movie comes to streaming. Conversely, the benefit of a concert is that there is only one show date, most often, and your marketing and messaging is clear: be there when.

Fourth, it mobilizes people.

Passive views don’t change culture. Mobilized people do. Eventizing invites them to do something, not just consume. Marketing is wide. Mobilization is deep. Marketing is about individuals. Mobilization is about like-minded groups, networks, associations, and assemblies. Marketing is about convincing. Mobilization is about catalyzing.

Fifth, it creates momentum

You don’t build momentum with sporadic nudges. You build it by assembling everyone at once, pointing them in the same direction, and lighting a spark.

“If you make everything available all the time, nothing feels urgent.
But if you give people a moment… they’ll show up.”
- Erik Løkkesmoe

Traditional marketing is often slow, expensive, and dull. A few posts. A long runway. A media push. Meh.

Eventizing is marketing with urgency.

It meets people where they are … overwhelmed, distracted, with 30-tabs open .. and gives them a reason to act now.

It asks:

• What would make this unforgettable?

• What would make someone cancel plans to be part of it?

• What if this only happened once?

• What would bring like-minded people together?

Ok, back to my friend’s question: how do you actually do it?

Start small. This doesn’t require big budgets and large teams. I promise.

First, pick your moment.

Choose a specific date and time that becomes the rally point. Premiere. Drop. Gathering. Livestream. Fundraiser. Tour. One-night-only.

Second, build the anticipation.

Tease. Countdown. Reveal. Build pressure. Don’t give it all away up front. Curiosity is a powerful magnet.

Third, clarify the stakes.

Why does this matter now? What happens if someone misses it? Scarcity sharpens decision-making.

Fourth, and this is big, invite participation.

Let your audience do something. RSVP. Share. Host. Fund. Post. Show up. Join. Turn watchers into co-owners. The worst thing, and I’m serious, is an audience that just buys a ticket. Or just buys the book. Find ways for your audience to take action before, during, and after your eventized moment.

Fifth, create the aftershock.

Don’t stop when the moment ends. Capture the ripple with clear call-to-actions, user-generated content, media, after-events, community follow-ups. Let one moment launch the next.

I’ll say it again. You don’t need a massive following or a marketing budget. What you need is an intentional moment … and the strategy to bring people together around it.

That’s what Some Assembly Required is built for: helping makers, artists, builders, and movement-leaders eventize their way to impact.

It’s not just about building a product.
It’s about assembling people to experience it together.

“Ideas don’t go viral. Moments do.”
- Digital strategist

In a distracted world, the rarest resource is shared attention.

Eventizing is how you claim it.

So if you’re sitting on something good… don’t just post about it. Don’t just whisper into the bullhorn.

Assemble it. Eventize it. Experiment. And see what happens.