The challenge

Less of a challenge and more an absolute delight! Timothy Taylor’s is one of the UK’s oldest family-owned breweries with over 160 years’ heritage of brewing award-winning ales, with their Landlord winning more awards than any other beer. Established in 1858, the Keighley brewery had initially brewed Hopical Storm, a triple-hopped sessionable pale ale, as a cask ale, then as its first keg beer and was preparing to launch it in can. Building on its enviable reputation for quality and delicious beers, Timothy Taylor’s wanted to raise awareness and drive sales of its first ever can through an integrated marketing and PR campaign.

The solution

A six month campaign was developed to support and augment the marketing plan which included event sponsorship, print and digital advertising. Having identified key messages for the brand, the brewery and the innovation the next step was to identify and segment target audience groups and the media that would help connect with them. This enabled us to develop a suite of bespoke communication content that provided relevant and compelling stories for each news outlet.

A phased sampling programme with journalists and influencers helped to maintain a steady flow of tasting reviews and news reports, ensuring the launch coverage didn’t peak and finish within a couple of days. Having established the new packaging format, contributions were then made to ongoing feature briefs to demonstrate informed opinion and a longevity for brand development.

With both the beer and the can generating powerful proactive and reactive coverage, we identified a series of awards to enter and created a secondary PR and promotional plan for a second wave of activity in the Spring.

The results

All KPI’s were exceeded and the success of the campaign helped to deliver extended coverage of other Timothy Taylor activity in the local community and for other brewery initiatives. Where some disapproval might have been anticipated from passionate fans of cask ale and brewing tradition, the crafting of the story helped ensure this did not materialise.

• Over 50 pieces of coverage across trade, consumer and social media
• Coverage encompassed digital, print, magazine and six broadcast reviews
• Minimum reach/opportunity to see of 4,446,660
• Minimum campaign ROI of 486%
• 100% positive or neutral coverage
• Over a quarter (27%) of coverage included backlinks, enabling readers to search for further information or stockist details quickly and easily
• Hopical Storm received a silver medal in the International Beer Challenge 2023
• Hopical Storm was named World’s Best Can Design at the World Beer Awards 2023 and also received a design and packaging gold medal at the International Beer Challenge 2023

Hopical Storm cans are available from major grocery stores, including Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons, or online at Timothy Taylor’s Beer Shop but for further information please visit Hopical Storm – Timothy Taylor’s and feel free to contact Kate if you would like to discuss your PR opportunities.

The post Timothy Taylor’s appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

The challenge

Bemuse non-alcoholic mead was developed during the COVID pandemic and launched when lockdowns and social distancing prevented any on-trade activation or face to face interaction with the brand. From a standing start, and not knowing where its unique proposition would be a hinderance or a help, the challenge was to raise brand awareness, encourage trial and inspire purchase. With a small PR budget, it was essential to create noise that got the brand noticed.

The solution

Bemuse was the first range of non-alcoholic meads and therefore created a unique drinks category which needed a clear explanation of why and how the drink was developed at the very start of the communications strategy. To simplify the channel approach, three distinct strands were identified for communication purposes:

• Development of the brand, it’s background and environmental credentials
• The liquid itself – it’s taste, versatility and food pairing potential
• The entrepreneurial journey of Bemuse’s two female founders

A target media list and feature angles were established, whilst also pursuing reactive ad-hoc opportunities identified through regular monitoring of journalist requests. Additionally, research was carried out into a series of events including trade and consumer shows and exhibitions to produce a calendar of sampling occasions to bring Bemuse to life. Receiving independent recognition for the brand was also seen as an integral part of the PR plan, so entries were produced for a series of agreed award programmes which, once again, encompassed each of the three core strands.

The results

• A regular flow of trade and consumer media coverage was generated
• Coverage included being profiled as a delicious cocktail mixer fit for the Queen’s Jubilee Weekend on ITV’s Love Your Weekend and the different brand variants tasted on Greatest Hits Radio
• Testimonials secured from several high profile drinks writers to give the brand independent recommendations
• Gained recognition in over 20 award schemes that represented taste, business development, and entrepreneurial spirit including Food & Drink Federation Brand Launch of the Year, Best Low or No Alcohol Drink at the World Beverage Innovation Awards, and multiple tasting programmes. Founder Anna Chalov was also named in the top 10 ‘Highly Commended’ business people in the Daily Telegraph 100 female entrepreneurs to watch
• In addition to brand awareness content, we supplied commentary on a range of subjects including alcohol-free drinks category, environmental issues, inclusivity and diversity in the workplace that positioned Bemuse as a start-up business leader and innovator
• Persuaded award organisers to create a new category that would accommodate Bemuse and other NPD beverages
• Provided the foundation for a successful and over-subscribed round of crowdfunding

For more information about Bemuse, visit Bemuse Non Alcoholic Sparkling Mead and please contact Kate if you would like to discuss your PR opportunities.

The post Bemuse appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

Smiling Grape

The challenge

Smiling Grape Adventure tours is a travel company that specialises in ‘quirky imbibing and trekking adventures around the world’ and is run by Matt Ellis, owner of The Smiling Grape wine merchant in the market town of St Neots in Cambridgeshire. With world travel and hospitality restricted during the pandemic things were a little quiet, so Matt wanted to do something that grabbed people’s attention to celebrate the value of pubs within society and promote his next series of tours.

The solution

Matt discovered that whilst there was a Guinness World Record for the most pubs visited in 24 hours by a group, there wasn’t a similar record for an individual. He promptly set about organising a route across Cambridgeshire and it was all systems go.

Kate designed a simple plan for media awareness amongst the target audience and developed the story of the pub crawl, which included the key messages of praising the role of British pubs in our local communities, promoting future tours with Smiling Grape, and emphasising the need to drink responsibly. Even when on a tour of 51 pubs!

Local media were given advance notice of the event for planning purposes and invited to join Matt along his route. The Mayor of St Neots, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, was asked to welcome Matt into the last pub and when the photographer was unable to attend, we stepped in to record the moment that the World Record was clinched.

The following morning, details of the pub crawl were shared with a wider media audience and individual requests for interviews were carried out by Matt for the rest of the week.

The results

A small event organised and completed by one person, overseen by a handful of local people acting as witnesses, went viral.

Coverage was achieved in all the main target markets – local, national, and the hospitality industry – but the story circulated worldwide for many weeks after. From live interviews on local radio, acknowledgement of the feat on regional TV and the support of BBC online, the compelling story was soon covered by The Daily Mirror, LadBible, The Daily Star, The Sun, MSN and Yahoo as well as a host of overseas news services. Golf Digest even named Matt as their athlete of the week for his achievement!

And all of this added up to:

• Imagery shared around the world
• Over 45 pieces of news coverage being recorded
• A reach of over 25 million people worldwide
• Promotional messaging returning a massive return on investment of 16,667%

If you’re interested in following in Matt’s footsteps – check out smilinggrapeadventure.com/ for details of his next tours or contact Kate to discuss your PR opportunities.

The post Smiling Grape appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

Gravity Theory Cider

The challenge

Specialist drinks supplier, Drinkscraft, launched a new cider into the on-trade sector in December 2019 but before it could gain traction, hospitality venues were forced to close indefinitely on 20th March 2020.

Once they reopened, it was a race against time to secure listings to make the most of the traditional cider trade over the summer, especially with more people taking staycations in the UK.

The solution

As a start-up with a limited budget, a straightforward PR awareness plan was agreed with relevant trade media identified and targeted.

Kate Hempsall arranged for one of the country’s leading cider experts and the first cider Pommelier to taste the cider and provide tasting notes and a selection of food matches to give Gravity Theory Cider a strong personality. She researched the most important aspects of cider from an expert and consumer perspective and created a story around these, building in the background story that gave the drink its name and visual identity.

The results

The simple campaign generated:

• 12 pieces of coverage in the most relevant trade titles
• A reach of 125,000 people
• Invitations to contribute to, and receive coverage in, two cider features within a month
• Further opening for the wider Drinkscraft range in a more general trade feature

The client has subsequently retained Kate Hempsall for further PR & Communication campaigns based on the results achieved and sales leads generated.

The post Gravity Theory Cider appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

Big Drop Brewing Co.

The challenge

Big Drop Brewing Co. was the UK’s first brewer to exclusively brew low alcohol beers under 0.5%ABV. The business needed to build on the successful launch of its first beer, raising awareness in trade media to achieve listings and appeal to drinkers looking for a low-alcohol beer through consumer media.

The Big Drop Brewing Co. team retained Kate Hempsall to manage its PR and marketing strategy in April 2017.

The solution

An 18-month plan was developed to position Big Drop Brewing Co. as the authoritative voice in the emerging category of low alcohol beers and encourage trial and purchase. It was designed to provide transparency through the communication of the unique brewing process and establish a loyal consumer base whose advocacy spread across a sector thirsty to share news about great beers.

The plan included a range of activity including award entries, securing speaking opportunities, writing and placing thought leadership articles, attendance at industry events, interviews with the brand’s founder, news releases and an active social media presence.

The results

• Big Drop Brewing Co. won medals at the International Beer Challenge 2017 and World Beer Awards 2017, catapulting the low alcohol sector into the mainstream for the first time
• Big Drop was named Innovator of the Year at New Producer Awards 2017, was shortlisted in BBC Food & Farming Awards 2018 and won Best Targeting of New Markets at the Beer & Cider Marketing Awards 2018
• Over 300 pieces of media coverage recorded in the 18-month period
• Social media followers and engagement increased by over 500%
• Widely recognised as the leading low alcohol craft brewer in the World
• Founder, Rob Fink, positioned as a thought leader and primary spokesperson for the category
• Direct introductions made to several stockists leading to listings.

“Kate managed Big Drop’s PR function through a period of huge expansion for our company. Her astute observations and an extensive network of contacts in the drinks industry were invaluable in building Big Drop’s brand and market awareness. Pieces which she was able to place for us led directly to further listings and so we were able to directly correlate her work and financial results – not always possible with PR! I would not hesitate to recommend Kate to any business looking to build brand and awareness.”

Rob Fink, Founder, Big Drop Brewing Co

The post Big Drop Brewing Co appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

Drinkaware

The challenge

Drinkaware, the alcohol education charity, faced a gap in its support services when an untimely mix of staff departure and long-term sickness left its communications and media team exposed.

Having worked together in the past, the Chief Executive contacted Kate Hempsall PR & Communications to discuss interim support and occasional back up for the charity when required.

The solution

Kate Hempsall was able to provide interim management of the press office for an initial period of three months covering all aspects of media liaison, implementation of communication strategy, appointment and management of support staff.

It was important to quickly grasp the key priorities, messages and operation of the charity, ensuring that all stakeholders were consulted and informed and media communication was accordant with strict research and health guidelines.

Following the phased return of the media team, Kate continued to provide support to Drinkaware through a challenging, and often controversial, launch of the Drink Free Days campaign in conjunction with Public Health England, working occasional shifts with the media team and managing special projects such as celebrity radio days.  She also provided strategy planning and internal communication development expertise, later returning for a further period of press office management during a change in personnel in Spring 2019 and planning for the launch of an annual impact report.

The results

• Progressed key messages and lines to take document
• Contributed to campaign activations that yielded:
  • 321 pieces of coverage
  • 3.8million print circulation
  • 23million broadcast views
  • 39.2million radio listeners
• Part of the media team that dealt with response to health lobby reaction to Drink Free Days campaign, working in association with Public Health England
• Developed series of internal and external message house platforms
• Managed general running of press office
• Maintained close working relationship with members of the Medical Advisory Panel to ensure the accuracy and integrity of information released
• Interviewed, recruited and managed interim support staff

The post Drinkaware appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

The Access Group

The challenge

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the UK into lockdown, hospitality venues were amongst the first to close and the last to reopen, requiring operators to react quickly to the change in circumstances. Some repurposed their offer, some took advantage of the closure to upgrade the venue and others stayed closed for the duration.

At the same time, many of the usual communication channels fell silent and several trade titles moved online or were paused indefinitely.

But Access Hospitality, part of The Access Group wanted to support the industry and took a proactive stance to offer help and advice for operators to take stock of their business and prepare for reopening, whatever that looked like and whenever it was.

The solution

Access Hospitality created a series of support mechanisms, specifically targeted at the unusual trading circumstances hospitality found itself in and helped operators prepare for the future.

Kate worked closely with the in-house marketing team to create copy for the guides, materials and thought leadership pieces and led the process for communication across the industry, targeting specific sectors with the information most relevant to them.

With several regular information channels furloughed, it was important to keep informed as to what sources hospitality personnel were using and make sure that Access Hospitality’s activity was an integral part of their support structure.

The range of materials produced and promoted through PR included:

• Website content on managing a remote workforce
• Take-away and delivery software promotional offer
• Top Tips for handling the restrictions imposed
• Preparing for a bounce-back
• Launch of delivery night website
• Getting operational guide
• Transforming the guide into a checklist
• Social Distancing e-book
• Employee wellbeing guide
• Webinar on using booking features for safe reopening
• Consumer research on attitudes towards Christmas planning

The results

• From mid-March to the end of June 2020, more than 70 pieces of coverage were received
• Over 1.25m people were reached through planned PR activity
• This equated to a value of at least £150,000
• Downloads of information guides rose by up to 500% on anticipated levels based on previous responses
• An opportunity was identified for a supplier interview featuring the Access Hospitality Managing Director
• New trade audiences were reached through newsletters of Member organisations and associations raising awareness of ‘good news’ stories throughout the pandemic

There is a long way to go before the hospitality industry fully recovers, but an active Marketing and PR campaign helped ensure that Access Hospitality was at the forefront of encouraging and supporting operators through this exceptional four-month period.

The post The Access Group appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

Access Hospitality

The challenge

Access Hospitality had recently been formed as the latest division of the Access Group, one of the UK’s fastest growing software providers. Having established their identity in the hospitality sector, they wanted to develop a greater B2B profile within the licensed trade through an ongoing presence in trade publications.

The solution

The editor of a trade publication connected Access Hospitality with Kate who was appointed to work with the division on its content creation.  Following a short period of familiarisation with the company’s products and services an initial three-month plan was developed to get some momentum behind the brands.

The plan included a range of different channels to raise the profile of Access Hospitality including:

• Thought Leadership content
• Feature submissions
• News releases
• Blog posts
• Potential awards programme in conjunction with customers
• Customer case studies

Whilst still retaining capacity for ad hoc news and other reactive comments

Following a successful first three months, Kate was then retained on a rolling contract to continue raising Access Hospitality’s presence in the hospitality sector.

The results

• Developed productive working relationship with four members of staff at the client, each working in different product areas
• Quickly learned about a range of technology products and their functionality to be able to represent them accurately
• Kate continues to deliver a running programme of high-quality content for Access Hospitality
• Regular positioning in relevant feature articles
• A series of blogs, case studies and reports featured on Access Hospitality’s digital channels
• Customer shortlisted for award recognition in conjunction with Access Hospitality product

The post Access Hospitality appeared first on Kate Hempsall.

The School of Booze

The challenge

Jane Peyton, founder of the School of Booze, is a well-respected commentator on all things drink-related and the history and role of the great British pub in British society. Having launched Beer Day Britain in 2015, celebrating Britain’s favourite alcohol drink, Jane wanted to widen awareness of the calendar date, encourage more people to get involved, use her own credentials to give credibility to the event and persuade businesses to support Beer Day Britain financially.

The solution

Having worked on Beer Day Britain for another client, Kate Hempsall PR & Communications has continued to work with the School of Booze from 2018. Without a significant budget to run research or launch a big-scale campaign, it was important that the PR plan made use of information already available and was targeted appropriately.

A series of releases leading up to the celebrations helped ensure that licensed trade operators were in no doubt of what was happening, how they could get involved and the commercial benefits of doing so. Several additional options were then researched and editorial copy supplied to trade and consumer media, with content targeted at their respective readership.  These included

• Top 10 beers to celebrate Beer Day Britain
• Beer and Food pairings
• Focus on the rise of low/no alcohol beers
• History of brewing
• Bluffers Guide to Beer
• The Rise of Women Brewers
• Top Beer occasions

Results were monitored and analysed to provide feedback to the School of Booze and its Beer Day Britain supporters to help focus time and effort for future campaigns.

“I have worked with Kate Hempsall on a number of drinks related PR and publicity projects including Beer Day Britain (the UK’s National Beer day which I instigated ) and my drinks consultancy ‘School of Booze’. Kate is well connected, diligent and reliable.

Very importantly she is also a lovely person and great fun to work with!”

Jane Peyton, founder of the School of Booze

The post The School of Booze appeared first on Kate Hempsall.