Spirit was asked to lead a sustained marketing and PR campaign to encourage take-up of a £2 million grant scheme to help businesses that had been flooded during the Gloucestershire floods.
After launching the scheme, we kept the fund in the media spotlight by drip-feeding Gloucestershire media with updates on the take-up, milestones and case studies of businesses that had received funding. We also led the publicity for two high profile visits to the county including former government minister John Hutton.
We ran an integrated communications campaign alongside intensive media work, which included a regular flood-themed newsletter for the RDA’s stakeholders, mailings and improving the scheme’s online presence.
Throughout the campaign, we worked closely with the RDA’s partners to ensure co-ordinated messages and activity.
Gloucestershire’s media was saturated with stories about the fund and we attracted interest from national media, including The Telegraph.
More than 60 per cent of the calls to the fund helpline were generated by PR and word of mouth, and the press coverage achieved a 60 fold return on investment.
“If you’re looking for a small, perfectly-formed PR agency, look no further. They are willing to give robust advice and show persistence in picking up opportunities or risks and seeing them through. They also bring a strong and genuine personal touch to their customer care.”
James Harper, Head of Communications, South West RDA
