Insight
Chelmsford City Council had a number of assets and wanted to become more entrepreneurial.
The brief: “We need to maximise our income so that the council can further invest in the growth and quality of life in the city. We want to invest in a PR campaign that will help raise awareness about our venues, events, services and facilities to increase income as well as ensuring a wide cross section of the community are able to participate in our various services and offerings.”
Implementation
A creative PR strategy was created. A number of ‘sub-brands’ were also launched to re-position Chelmsford City Council’s offer.
An on-going media relations campaign was developed to promote all events and services, such as The Fling Festival, theatre events, ice skating lessons, Get in! Holiday clubs and pre-natal classes.
A focused campaign was set-up to develop Hylands House as a premier wedding and business conference venue. Stunning photography was taken to showcase the venue in a different light. A launch event was set-up to showcase its facilities to the business community, plus a series of wedding case studies and images were created.
Impact
Booking for weddings doubled with a further 69 booked in for the following year, plus a further 34 for the year after. Previously no weddings were booked a year in advance.
In the first four months of the campaign each ‘sub-brand’ gained at least 100 cuttings, including in depth features in Essex Life, regular items on BBC Essex and events listings in a wide range of regional media.
Tickets for the 3foot People Festival sold out in just 48 hours.
Campaign won a CIPR PRide GOLD award.
If you require creative PR services, please contact us.
“Whether it’s been boosting sales of weddings, filling more seats at the theatres, or encouraging a more diverse range of citizens to participate in activities, Big Wave PR has helped us boost our income and get people to think differently about what we offer.”
