Reclaimed waste mermaids make a splash for World Ocean Day

Our task: To generate news coverage for an exciting media stunt for not-for-profit Be The Future focusing on educating children about climate change, whilst also highlighting the sheer amount of plastic waste in the sea for World Ocean Day.

Our strategy: To develop the story further, we ensured it contained lots of strong news angles and statistics. We then created a media package containing a press release and images to catch the eye of the media, including some spectacular mermaid shots in time for World Ocean Day. The campaign made a real splash!

Our tactics: A survey of 2,000 people in the UK by Be The Future shows over a third of parents (37%) would love to teach their kids more about climate change if they had the right tools or ideas. We utilised the findings to identify a strong, relevant figure. World Ocean Day on 8 June also added to the story as it gave us a current news angle and headline - Reclaimed waste mermaids make a splash for World Ocean Day.

Results: The story achieved outstanding coverage both in the UK and overseas in Sydney. Our Yorkshire mermaid Helen Hill made waves on BBC Look North, Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Business Woman. Securing coverage in The Times was another big success- generating an estimated 37.3k views. And, to top it all off Sydney mermaid Sally Giblin made a special appearance on Channel 10 in Australia showing off her stunning tail.

Sydney Mermaid Sally Giblin (left) and Yorkshire Mermaid Helen Hill (right)

NHS underwater: Unprecedented coverage for a huge climate change issue

Our task: To generate news coverage around a report created by climate change not-for-profit Round Our Way focusing on flooding at NHS sites across the UK

Our strategy: To develop the report further to ensure it contained plenty of strong news angles and statistics, then create a media package containing a series of interviewees, press releases and images to catch the eye of the media. We were able to use our unparalleled knowledge as journalists ourselves to ensure the story we were presenting was as powerful as possible

Our tactics: We worked with the UKHACC (UK Health Alliance on Climate Change) to identify a strong senior health figure to give us a head-turning news angle and headline - then also a case study of someone on the ground at Yorkshire Ambulance Service. She in turn gave us some brilliant insights into how flooding was affecting the NHS, including flood waters coming right up to the door of 999 call centres, as well as a series of strong photographs which depicted the story effectively

Results: The story was syndicated by the Press Association which helped us achieve an incredible 176 pieces of coverage in less than two weeks, including five national pieces and 171 regional. This included hits in the Independent online, Evening Standard, Yahoo! News and MSN generating 1.3million estimated coverage views

As a result of the outstanding coverage, and work with the UKHACC, former BBC and Channel 4 News journalist and Aubergine co-founder Emma Gardner was invited to deliver a talk and training session to senior health professionals at the British Medical Association on how PR works and how to best prepare for broadcast media interviews

Floodwaters outside 999 call centre at Fairfields, Doncaster - Yorkshire Nov 2019

Creating a buzz for Organic September 2022

Our task: To create a high impact campaign for Organic September 2022 with the key message: “If nature had a voice, it would choose organic”

Our strategy: Actually give nature a voice for the first time by launching an online petition asking the new PM to take action to save nature in her first 100 days in government

Our tactics: We launched the petition on Change.org ahead of Organic September to build momentum and coverage in the run-up – we worked with renowned children’s illustrator Kate Pankhurst to create an image to encompass the campaign. We built on this with a head-turning press shot showing insects actually protesting holding miniature placards at an organic farm near Newcastle - this follow-up story was launched at the start of Organic September.

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Results: The online petition went viral with over 47,000 signatures – when it hits 100,000 it will be debated in parliament. We achieved 30 pieces of coverage including stand-out hits in the Telegraph newspaper, Delicious magazine and BBC Radio Newcastle

Creating media buzz around personalised rum bottles for Father’s Day

Our task: To takeover the PR and media relations on behalf of growing rum brand The Duppy Share after the current PR team ran out of steam

Our strategy: Create a full calendar of activity to create a drumbeat of news coverage maximising on seasonal calendar events. Focus on Father’s Day for upcoming launch of personalised rum bottles

Our tactics: For the Father’s Day launch, we created a master press release to issue to the press plus sent personalised bottle samples to journalists

Results: Within our three month contracted period we secured 10 pieces of coverage and generated an online readership of 142 million. This included stand out pieces in Esquire, Stylist, Shortlist and The Sun for Father’s Day

News generated research for climate charity Hope for the Future

Our task: To work with climate charity Hope for the Future comparing attitudes before and after the COP26 climate summit, then generate news coverage from the results.

Strategy: Working with Opinium to create two nationally-representative surveys before and towards the end of the summit, ensuring the questions would generate the most interesting angles possible.

Tactics: Working with our independent market research consultant to ensure the questions asked would generate the strongest responses. Creating a core national press release leading with the most newsworthy angles from the summit, which also wove in HFTF’s key messages. Interviewing case studies on a regional level, which were then weaved into a series of localised releases.

Results: In a two-week window, the campaign received 59 pieces of coverage with a readership of 448 million, including pieces in Evening Standard, Mail Online, the Independent and a swathe of regional media. Constituents used the media coverage to leverage meetings with their MPs to lobby on local climate issues.

Launching a brewery during lockdown

Our task: To launch a Leeds-based craft brewery online shop during the pandemic

Our strategy: To have a drumbeat of news coverage using business, lifestyle and trade angles to maximum effect.

Our tactics: We created multiple versions of the same press release supported by striking photography fit for the relevant press

Results: Coverage secured in Yorkshire Post, Morning Advertiser, the Metro and several pieces in the Telegraph. The coverage has also led to collaborations with larger breweries such as Vocation, Kirkstall and Beavertown.  The coverage also served as social content and was shared online and trended within the craft beer community leading to on-trade listings, online purchases and wholesaler listings.

Standing Up For British Standards with WWF

Our task: To work with non-profit specialists Glimpse on behalf of their client WWF to support the hyper local campaign to Stand Up For British Food Standards in the wake of Brexit and target three key towns in the north of England.

Our strategy: To create a formidable news package, local artists were commissioned to build a scarecrow which give a nod to local history and personality. The scarecrows bring a serious message to the town that British food standards are under threat, while calling on MPs, food producers, businesses and shoppers to get involved in the campaign.

Our tactics: Supported with a far reaching YouGov survey, colourful press photography and thought leadership in a short, sharp 5-week campaign

Results: An audience of 4.8 million was reached with a £1.70 return on the investment (per £1 spent). Coverage secured on BBC Radio, Yorkshire Post, Dewsbury Reporter, Stoke Sentential and Bishop Auckland News

A product placement campaign with "buzz"

Our task: To work with honey brand Hilltop to create buzz for their NPD and current range to make honey more than an occasional store cupboard purchase.

Our strategy: This was the first time the brand had engaged a PR agency so we simply started with product placement, CEO profiling and added value through recipes and newsjacking

Our tactics: A steady drum beat of news releases, feature submissions and high-quality images and sampling. 

Results: An audience of 17 million was reached with a £31 return on the investment for every £1 spent.  Coverage secured on LadBible, Daily Express, The Sun, The Mirror, BBC, The Times and Olive

Maximising Tesco listing for healthy ketchup brand Dr. Will's

Our task: To maximise a new listing in Tesco for condiment brand Dr Will’s and increase brand awareness

Our strategy: Everyone has ketchup in the cupboard and associates it with big brands so we wanted to lead the conversation and become associated with a more modern way to enjoy condiments

Our tactics: To create a far reaching survey and compelling thought leadership content package alongside product placement and reviews. We backed up the credibility of our survey by using a food psychiatrist to analyse our answers

Results: Coverage secured in EVERY tabloid and broadsheet newspaper on the news stands. Campaign returned £45 for every £1 spent on PR

Organic September's shop in a tree

Our task: To maximise the publicity for Organic September (Aubergine appointed 10 days before 1 Sep 2020)

Our strategy: To create a media stunt, survey and compelling thought leadership content package to target every last minute opportunity possible in a short timeline

Our tactics: Held a pop up organic shop in a tree in central London for journalists, influencers and members of the public learn more about the benefits of shopping organic

Results: Coverage secured in Telegraph, Guardian, The Sun plus trade and regional titles

Healthy results for immunity brand, Tonic Health

Our task: Fast-growth plant-based immunity brand, Tonic Health, invited Aubergine to put forward ideas on how to drive further awareness about its range of innovative high dose vitamin supplements.

Our strategy: On behalf of Tonic Health, we developed a wide-ranging survey of 2,000 people in the UK examining attitudes towards immunity within the context of the pandemic. Our strategy was to use the survey to cement Tonic Health as a thought leader in the field of immune health, whilst ensuring key messages hinting to the product range were present in all coverage.

Our tactics: We created several press releases tailored to high-end media, tabloids and lifestyle press weaving in the most newsworthy statistics. For example, we uncovered that a significant proportion of young people were suffering symptoms of immune health but weren’t worried about a second wave of coronavirus.

The press releases were accompanied by a rich bank of expert comment written by us on behalf of Tonic Health’s in-house expert, the UK’s ‘Plant Power’ doctor, Dr Gemma Newman.

Results: We secured 10 pieces of national news and lifestyle coverage, reaching over 23 million people. Coverage highlights were in the i newspaper, Metro, Daily Mail, Chat magazine, Women’s Fitness, Daily Express and the Mail On Sunday. All titles mentioned Tonic Health and weaved in key messages around vitamin intake and immune health.

Creating the world's first 'Wellness Shed'

Our task: To create a head-turning PR and social media campaign to launch GLORIOUS! Soups’ new range of superfood soups, appealing to a health conscious consumer.

Our strategy: We then decided to create a pop-up “Wellness Shed” in Shoreditch, London which would be a world first. We worked with partners to create a virtual reality (VR) mindfulness game which people could experience inside the shed. This involved wearing a headset and being challenged to stir soup as slowly as possible on a cooker, to remind people of the benefits of mindful cooking and eating.

Our tactics: The pop up space was beautifully decorated and we made sure it was as “Instagrammable” as possible. We gave out vouchers to anyone using the hashtag #WellnessShed for free soups. We also invited the founders of Mindful Chef to be the first to try out the experience, which was broadcast live on Instagram Stories. For the media materials, we worked with a mindfulness expert to ascertain the health benefits of mindful eating and cooking.

Results: The hashtag #WellnessShed trended on the launch day across multiple social media platforms and was seen by over two million users. GLORIOUS! Soups’ Instagram followers doubled and the product sold out in Shoreditch. The story of the Wellness Shed and products were covered in 17 different media titles including Sunday Mirror (Notebook), Now magazine and PlantBased magazine.

Maximising the festive season for One Year No Beer

Our task: We were invited to pitch our creative ideas to One Year No Beer (OYNB) after we were kindly recommended for our PR services to the brand. We were then chosen to handle the PR account for the alcohol-free (AF) community hub, focusing on maximising the festive season.

OYNB is a fast growth tech business that is essentially an online toolkit to “help survive modern society alcohol-free”. It had already secured over 50,000 members worldwide - our task was to further raise awareness.

Our strategy: We created an in-depth report examining the various lifestyle benefits of going AF using experts at the top of their game which integrated the results of a bespoke survey with headline grabbing statistics. We paired this with a bank of interesting case studies from the community of people who were AF thanks to OYNB.

Our tactics: Using the survey results, we crafted various different press releases targeted to different media to maximise our chances of coverage. The stories we created covered Christmas, New Year, so-called ‘Shameovers’, The Rise of Sober Dating, and the impact on mental health and sleep.

Results: The campaign reached over 38 million people within 63 pieces of media coverage, achieving a result that was 215% better than the expected coverage KPI. Highlights included coverage in the Mirror online and in print, Top Sante, Daily Express, Manchester Evening News, The Scotsman and Pick Me Up!

PatSnap's quick turnaround project

Our task: We were appointed just two days before tech firm PatSnap were due to appear at a House of Commons summit on intellectual property – they wanted to get coverage, quickly and broadly, on the event

Our strategy: To not only target PatSnap’s peers but also its customers by creating four press releases, each of which was targeted to a different key media sector

Our tactics: We carried out an hour-long interview with one of the company’s key thought leaders which helped us inform the press releases. We issued the press releases the day before the event then created a new version integrating comments from the summit on the day of the event itself

Results: Despite the quick turnaround on the project we managed to secure 13 pieces of coverage across all four of the company’s target media sectors. The total circulation for the media coverage was 400,000 and PatSnap used the coverage as a sales tool in the coming weeks for its products

Chuckling Goat has the last laugh

Our task: Chuckling Goat tasked Aubergine with amplifying the news to the media that the company had been recognised by the Parliamentary Review as an example of best business practice in the UK

Our strategy: Highlighting business owner Shann's expertise and the business' turnover for national press. Emphasising 'success despite Brexit' angle for regional press in Wales

Our tactics: We developed a series of press releases tailored to different media audiences; national business press and regional newspapers/online. We also offered one-on-one interviews with Shann to national press and broadcast media

Results: We secured 13 pieces of coverage for the story across national, regional and trade media, including pieces in The Telegraph print and online, Daily Express print and online and BBC Radio Wales. The campaign reached an audience of over one million people. Aubergine was appointed on a retained basis with Chuckling Goat as a result of the success of the project

Launching Evapolar

Our task

To launch a smart technology device that enables the user to create a microclimate at home, work or at the gym

Our strategy

To replicate the feeling of temperature control by launching the product at a London Spa and inviting UK’s leading consumer titles to try out a “Heat and Ice” experience

Our tactics

We sent out beautiful invitations to select journalists and planned a luxury day of heat and ice treatments with an opportunity to try out the device personally and take it home

Results

Attendees included Red, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Telegraph, Daily Mail, ES Magazine, Stylist and Top Sante

Launching Glorious Soups’ Super Soups

Our task

To launch a range of superfood-inspired soups to the consumer media

Our strategy

To own the winter season by placing Glorious Soups as the thought leader on the season’s health and lifestyle

Our tactics

Conducted a survey of 2,000 people to uncover how Britain will approach food and lifestyle in winter 2016. We backed up the findings with an in-depth report written by a leading food futurologist and an infographic

Results

Coverage secured in 13 national news and lifestyle titles including The Telegraph, The Huffington Post, Daily Mail, Waitrose Weekend and Your Fitness magazine

Launching Surfaceskins

Our task

To promote the fact that Surfaceskins has just launched (the pads are placed on doors and are proven to reduce infection rates by 90%)

Our strategy

To profile the new CEO of the business, Brian Waligora, whose father used to be a doctor and fought against infection himself

Our tactics

We offered briefings between the CEO and journalists and sold in a series of press releases

Results

We secured 25 pieces of coverage mainly in the trade press – but also in the Daily Express online and print, profiling Brian to a national audience for the first time