Gromit Unleashed
I don’t know if anyone has noticed but Bristol has recently been overtaken by our nation’s favourite plasticine modelled pet, Gromit. There are currently 80 wonderfully decorated statues dotted around our city which seem to be quite a big hit with children and many adults who secretly don’t want to admit it. “Gromit unleashed” is proving to be one of Bristol’s most successful fundraising PR drives ever to be rolled out across the South West, so when the Wired Media crew were invited to find out all the secrets to what has made it so popular, we all jumped at the chance.
Thinking we were all past the days of hour long seminars and boring lectures, the WM gang were a little apprehensive of spending our evening flicking through slides but we were all pleasantly surprised to arrive at a quaint bar and presented with free drink vouchers. The hosts, Bristol Media, couldn’t have hit the spot any better!
As fellow digital marketers and PR firms began to arrive, the ambiance was very different to the lecture environment we had expected. Despite the rather confined rooms, it was a great chance for us to mingle and converse with some of Bristol’s top media organisations.
With the lights dimmed down, the presentation began. Caroline Harris, the managing director of Spirit Public Relations, the masterminds behind the Gromit Unleashed explained how the campaign had taken months and months of planning. Not only was the campaign designed to help parents with the arduous task of entertaining their kiddies during the school holidays but it was all in name of raising funds for Bristol’s Childrens Hospital. With 80 renowned artists all designing their unique Gromit, not one of the statues are the same.
It was rather astonishing to learn just how much press coverage the trail has received in such a small period of time, with over 300 pieces of coverage to have been circulated since June. Our very own One Direction fanatic Helen was pleased to hear that the Zayn Malik designed Gromit received over 33,000 retweets on Twitter, after the 1D heartthrob was photographed with his own design.
Ensuring our clients are given the best coverage
Caroline’s presentation reinforced how important media relations are in the success of any campaign, and how significant it is to Wired Media when ensuring our clients are given the best coverage on the web and on other platforms.
It was great to learn all the secrets to Gromit Unleashed’s success, although the press release masterclass that we had been eagerly awaiting left a little more to be desired but was short and sweet. I guess the main message we took away with us is, keep it concise, answer the 5 W’s and ensure you know exactly what story you want the journalist to tell for you!
After a lovely evening filled with Gromit, wine and discussions of our favourite designs, the WM crew packed up and headed home, all with the excitement of helping to fundraise for the hospital and head off on our own Gromit trail.
