PR Case Study: The British Parking Association
The British Parking Association (BPA) wanted to create a mini PR campaign to shine a light on motorists’ attitudes to parking and using parking technology. The PR Office took on the challenge to reveal just how much time UK motorists spend looking for a parking space over the course of a year…
UK drivers apparently spend four days a year looking for a parking space.
Campaign: The British Parking Association
Client: The British Parking Association
PR Team: The PR Office
Timing: January – February 2017
Objectives
The objectives of the campaign were two-fold:
- Create a fun and conversational story that allowed BPA to discuss parking issues, including technology and motorist’s biggest gripes, generating quality news coverage across broadcast, national and local media
- Use the story as a mechanism to drive people to the BPA’s website
Strategy
Having worked with the BPA for a number of years, The PR Office was aware that research-led stories can be a good way to liven up a debate around parking, as well as bring a story to the front of the paper.
Therefore, the campaign involved commissioning research around motorists’ use of technology in parking, what they find most frustrating and the amount of time it takes for them to find somewhere to park.
The PR Office analysed the results and advised on the most newsworthy angle. In this case it was the amount of time motorists spend looking for a parking space. Using government figures, the team was able to calculate how much time this takes over the course of a year – according to the research we spend, on average, four days a year.
While briefing the media, the team discussed the wider issues associated with parking and the lack of accessible spaces to try and secure more in-depth interviews.
Tweets and Facebook posts were also created to generate further buzz and conversations around the story.
Results
- Some 152 pieces of coverage were achieved across broadcast, national and local press.
- Coverage included broadcast slots on BBC and Sky News – which ran short clips of the interview with our key spokesperson throughout the day, as well as coverage in The Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Mirror.
- Coverage included key quotes and generated a wider conversation with other key players in the industry drawn into the debate.
- The BPA saw a 27% increase in visitors to its website compared to the week before.
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