Insight
East and North Herts District Councils gained funds from the Re-opening the High Streets Safely Fund (Covid-19 response programme).
The brief: “We need a PR agency with great contacts in Hertfordshire. The PR and marketing campaign needs to give residents the confidence to return to the High Street, whilst also ensuring their safety.”
Implementation
We reached out to nine towns across East and North Herts. The team ran a series of consultations to gain buy-in of the campaign’s new brand and proposed activity. Their input helped shape the final campaign: Shop Safe, Shop Local.
Our communications activity needed to be agile to cope with the ever-changing messaging from government, plus spikes in cases and lockdowns.
We launched the campaign in January, a time of resolution making – Make a New Year’s Pledge to Support Your High Street. Press releases were issued on an ongoing basis, with top tips on how to shop safely, stats on benefits of shopping locally, plus updates on the campaign to keep the campaign front-of-mind with local citizens. A marcomms toolkit was also created and shared with town councils so they could create their own content but keep all on message.
To create further impact, we hired digital iVANs that toured supermarkets, schools and colleges, plus community centres to encourage people back into towns.
A photographer snapped shopworkers, florists, shoppers, café owners and market traders in all areas. Each image stood out and showed ‘the British spirit’ – we carry on in adversity and we’re still open for business, albeit with a mask and special measures.
A highly targeted advertising plan was created across print, online, social and outdoor to ensure the campaign reached all target groups.
The newsletters to homeowners were produced to coincide with the re-opening of the High Street. Newsletter detailed measures each town has met to keep people safe, top tips on how to shop safe, why support local businesses and more.
Impact
Media campaign reached 320,396.
Newsletter distributed to 121,000 homeowners in East and North Herts.
Advertising on Heart – reached 116,790 people, giving over 15 opportunities to hear and 1,838,274 total impacts.
Newspaper advertising (print and online) – reached 880,729 people.
Social media campaign – reached 471,047 people, gained 3372 clicks and 1947 engagements.
iVAN advertising (outdoor) – Content reached 40,593 people, viewed for 5.02 seconds. Time spent around the iVan 11.55 seconds.
Spotify advertising – reached 24,763 people with 94.61% ad completion rate.
East and North Herts High Streets bounced back post pandemic, with a high proportion of independents opening in town centres.
“The team worked hard to adapt to the ever-changing rules and regulations plus lockdowns and were quick to change the messaging and provide support in areas that most needed it. We’ve been most impressed with Big Wave PR.”
