PR Case Study: Sounds of the Neighbourhood

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When IHG-owned Hotel Indigo wanted to highlight the influence of the surroundings of each of its hotels, its PR team got TV and radio presenter Edith Bowman to help launch a series of #SundaySocials at three of its top locations, with the help of The Zutons’ Dave McCabe, DJ Mylo and Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B, creating “Sounds of the Neighbourhood”.

Case Study

Campaign: Sounds of the Neighbourhood by Hotel Indigo
PR Team: IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
Timing: October – December 2015

Overview

Every Hotel Indigo is influenced by the culture, character and history of its surrounding neighbourhood; from the design of the building to the music guests hear as they enter the hotel.

This campaign saw Hotel Indigo bring the ‘Sounds of the Neighbourhood’ into its hotels by curating locally-inspired music playlists. It launched with a series of events – The #SundaySocials – at the Hotel Indigo in London, Liverpool and Glasgow, hosted by TV and radio presenter Edith Bowman and a local music legend from each location: frontman of The Zutons Dave McCabe (Liverpool); Scottish DJ Mylo (Glasgow) and founding member of British band Soul II Soul Jazzie B (London).

Objectives

  • Launch a collection of locally inspired music playlists in hotels.
  • Drive brand awareness and consideration through targeted high-impact coverage and story-telling
  • Communicate message to target audience, which will allow Hotel Indigo guests to feel connected with the local neighbourhood.
  • Develop multi-media content for owned and earned media channels (website, editorial, social). 

Strategy

  • Borrow credentials of relevant music experts to connect with/tell our brand story in a compelling and authentic way.
  • Drive target audience (media, guests and locals) into hotels to engage with our brand.

 Implementation

Hotel Indigo teamed up with TV and radio presenter Edith Bowman and three local music artists (frontman of The Zutons Dave McCabe for Liverpool; British DJ, music producer and founding member of Soul II Soul Jazzie B OBE for London, and Scottish electronic musician and record producer Mylo for Glasgow) to curate a collection of locally-inspired playlists from their neighbourhoods.

(NB. These locations represent three of the 19 European Hotel Indigo properties in the portfolio.)

A series of videos were filmed with Edith, together with each musician as they described their own musical journey and playlist inspiration ahead of the Sunday Social events. These videos provided rich content for media and also offered an opportunity to promote the Sunday Social events where Edith, Dave, Mylo and Jazzie B performed live DJ sets.

Brunch and Bloody Marys were served at the events, which were attended by a mix of hotel guests, local residents, media and bloggers.

The events were filmed and photographed to provide content for editorial/PR outreach.

Interviews were also given by Edith, Jazzie, Mylo and Dave to drive awareness for the campaign and to promote the Sunday Social events in the lead-up.

A bespoke music hub was built to house all campaign collateral, including music playlists, videos and images and event information. It continues to be available at: www.hotelindigo/music

A partnership with Spotify helped to engage the audience. Playlists were hosted on Spotify and accessed via the Hotel Indigo hub.

Results

Feedback from the media was positive, as each artist was able to tell a very personal and insightful story about their local neighbourhood and the role it had played in their life and work.

This provided compelling content for media but also perfectly linked back to the brand values. The Sunday Social events provided a great opportunity to engage our target audience and drive them into the hotels, to really experience the brand first-hand.

Stats 

  • 141 pieces of high-impact PR coverage across print, online, broadcast media (TV and radio) and social over 3 months
  • 100% editorial contained at least 1 key brand/campaign message
  • Five videos were produced and multiple music playlists for the hotel’s content hub were created.
  • A successful partnership with Spotify to engage our target audience.

Got a cracking campaign – with impressive results – that you’d like to showcase? If so, please email [email protected].

News UK’s Sarah Mason joins Wild Card

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Wild Card has made a brace of senior appointments, including News UK’s former senior comms manager, Sarah Mason, as senior consultant and House of Fraser’s social media manager, Will Vieri, as head of social.

Wild Card

Sarah Mason

Mason spent ten years writing for leading national magazines, before joining The Sun’s Fabulous magazine as assistant editor and food editor.

She then moved across to News UK’s corporate affairs team as senior comms manager, with a brief to help restore the company’s reputation after the phone hacking scandal and Leveson Inquiry.

At House of Fraser, Vieri led the UK department store brand’s social channel strategy, content and community management.

Before leaving the role, he coordinated the #BAFTAstyle campaign, which trended UK-wide on Sunday May 8.

Alongside Mason’s and Vieri’s appointments, Nexus Communications’ former associate director, Lucy Egerton, has joined Wild Card as group account director to lead strategy for The Hain Daniels Group, Arla and other key agency accounts.

At Nexus Communications, she worked on household food accounts including McCain, Lion Eggs and Dorset Cereals.

Tessa Willmott, MD at Wild Card, said: “It’s an exciting time for the agency, and the new additions to the senior team ensure the agency is effectively evolving with the shifting media landscape, and offering a broad range of skills and experience to our clients.”

Just Eat appoints McDonald’s de Koning as first head of corporate comms

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Just Eat has appointed Joanna de Koning from McDonald’s to a new role as global head of corporate communications.

De Koning will lead the delivery of Just Eat’s brand reputation strategy, financial communications and corporate responsibility programme. She will work closely with Just Eat’s head of investor relations, Adam Kay, and its corporate PR agency, Brunswick.

Currently, De Koning is Europe’s senior manager of communications at McDonald’s, where she leads external communications output, supporting teams in 38 markets for three years.

Barnaby Dawe, CMO at Just Eat, said: “De Koning has fantastic experience, managing many complex reputational issues in Europe. Combining her substantial issues management and reputation management experience with the dynamism required by senior consultancy operators, we are thrilled to have her on board as we continue to drive exponential growth in all our markets.”

De Koning added: “It’s a privilege to join one of the most exciting technology businesses in Europe, especially in a role where I will be able to shape and deliver their ambitious communications and business strategy.”

Prior to her experience with McDonald’s, de Koning worked at corporate communications consultancy Fishburn Hedges for nine years, leading teams and working across flagship accounts such as Barclays and Nestle.

Club operator Deltic Group hires Hudson Sandler

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Hudson Sandler has been appointed by clubs and bars operator, Deltic Group, following a competitive pitch.

The agency will build the brand’s profile across national, corporate and broadcast media, and promote Bar&Beyond, a new brand.

Hudson Sandler’s team will also design and drive a corporate comms programme to raise Deltic’s profile in business media and trade publications and promote it to potential employees.

Client director Pema Seely and managing director Nick Lyon will lead the account. Working alongside Limegreen Communications, the teams will also support local openings.

Russell Margerrison, CFO at Deltic Group, said: “We were really impressed with Hudson Sandler’s expertise, insights and creative campaigns. We believe this partnership will enable us to take our brand visibility to the next level, both in traditional media and digital channels.”

Lyon added: “We are delighted to be working with such a vibrant and exciting brand. The late night economy is reinventing itself and we are looking forward to helping Deltic Group communicate its growth and innovation story to a broader audience.”

Weekly, more than 125,000 of people visit one of 59 Deltic-owned late night bars and clubs, according to Hudson Sandler.

Spotify hires Red Consultancy

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Spotify has appointed Red Consultancy as its retained PR agency.

Red Consultancy

 

The agency has been handed a consumer, corporate and B2B comms brief by the digital music streaming brand. It will be part of Red’s consumer tech and entertainment portfolio, which includes Activision, StubHub, Samsung and Twitter.

Alison Bonny, European comms director at Spotify, said: “Red has the right mix of consumer expertise alongside corporate and B2B specialists, and has the perfect team to support us across all disciplines as we continue to expand.  I’m very much looking forward to working with them.

Isobel Coney, MD of consumer (Play) at Red, said: “There’s a daily debate about who is in charge of the Spotify playlist in the Play office, so it’s safe to say we can’t wait to get started on the expanded consumer and corporate remit, working closely with Alison and the broader Spotify team.”

Jericho Chambers offers CIPD-backed work experience

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JerichoChambersoffice-240320Communications consultancy Jericho Chambers (offices pictured) is to hold a summer work experience programme in partnership with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

The three-week programme, dubbed the Jericho WikiWorkLab, is for people aged 17 to 21 and will revolve around the subject of the future world of work.

It will take six people currently in their final two school years at A level; six currently at university; and six pursuing vocational or non-academic careers.

Participants will be tasked with producing and explaining ideas about the future of work, which will be published in the public domain in a format readily shareable with potential employers.

They will be informed by discussions, lectures and research trips (to organisations including Barclays, the Bank of England and Bounce Back, a social enterprise for ex-offenders).

Jericho describes the programme as “an ideal chance to investigate what work means academically before having to jump in to it”.

Hyundai hands innovation brief to Launch PR

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Hyundai Motor UK has appointed Launch PR to reach a “whole new audience” with a brief centred on innovation and technology.

Launch PR

 

The agency, which won the account following a five-way pitch, has been briefed to develop an integrated campaign that will include a major scientific study, customised driving experiences, media and social outreach and a large scale immersive experience.

Juliet Cameron, Launch PR director,  will lead the account and report to Hyundai Motor UK’s head of PR, Natasha Waddington and its senior manager, brand PR, Laura King.

Waddington said: “The Hyundai brand has grown at a rapid pace and is now at a pivotal point, with the challenge being to improve brand reputation with new audiences, and increase visibility. Launch PR has dreamt up a unique campaign that has innovation at its heart but also captures the emotion of the brand.”

Johnny Pitt, founder at Launch PR, added: “We know Hyundai wants to challenge the norm and is willing to be bold, which is the perfect brief for any creative agency.  Our 2016 campaign has a blend of innovation, technology and emotion – dialled to the max.”

Institute of Customer Service awards PR brief to Kindred

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The Institute of Customer Service, a national professional membership body, has appointed Kindred as its retained PR agency, following a competitive pitch.

 

Working closely with the organisation’s in-house team, Kindred’s remit will include raising the profile of the Institute and establishing it as a key voice in business debates.

The Institute of Customer Service has more than 500 organisational members and 4,000 individual members from a range of sectors, including retail, utilities, financial services, housing and the public sector.

Through the recently launched Institute of Customer Service Academy, it offers accreditation and insight into the state of customer satisfaction across the UK and Europe, with an aim to improve customer experience and business performance.

Sharon Bange, Kindred’s client services director, will lead the PR brief.

Mike Petrook, director of comms and corporate affairs at the Institute of Customer Service, said: “More than 78% of UK GDP is based on the service sector, yet customers are no longer content to be seen as part of an economic transaction. They want ongoing relationships with organisations based on trust, transparency and an ever-growing desire for convenience, speed and value.

“With this in mind, Kindred’s pitch stood out in two key areas: experience and understanding. The team has a wealth of experience in working with membership bodies and delivering tangible results for them, and their understanding of the Institute and what we are trying to achieve through PR channels really impressed us. ”

Bange added: “We’re delighted to be working with the Institute of Customer Service. The importance of customer service in economic growth is, at times, underestimated. Customer service is something we all experience, and has a huge impact on our day to day lives, so the Institute’s work to make it a business priority has an impact on us all.”

Rovio hands Angry Birds consumer PR brief to Mischief

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Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment, one of the world’s biggest mobile gaming publishers, has brought in Mischief as its UK consumer PR agency, following a competitive pitch.

Angry Birds

 

Rovio’s Angry Birds franchise is one of the most successful gaming IPs, which has seen more than three billion downloads of its App and the brand extend into film and theme parks.

The feature film Angry Birds Action! is released globally this month and was produced by Rovio and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. There is also a new partnership with Madame Tussauds for a “first-of-its kind” digital exhibition that will tour the world after opening in London.

The PR brief will see Mischief work on the launch of the new game release in the coming months, as well as a yet-to-be-announced forthcoming title.

Damon Statt, Mischief’s creative director and associate director, Fred Chesher, will lead the account.

Kaisu Karvala, VP, comms and PR, at Rovio, said: “Mischief stood out as the right partner for us, with its gaming and entertainment expertise, smart thinking, creativity and ability to work quickly and with great agility.”

FTI assists Midwich with IPO

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Specialist AV and document solutions distributor, Midwich Group, has been advised by FTI Consulting on its AIM IPO.

Managing director Oliver Winters lead the FTI Consulting team for the IPO, supported by senior director Alex Beagley and senior consultant Tom Hufton.

FTI has been retained as ongoing corporate and financial PR adviser to Midwich.

Midwich has offices in the UK and Ireland, France, Germany and Australia. The group has relationships with more than 300 blue-chip brands.