Raising profile

Case Study

£118,000 of highly targeted editorial coverage in 4 months plus TV debut!

Newark College appointed us to raise their profile and within only eight weeks we organised their TV and radio debut and also achieved newspaper editorial value in excess of £24,000. By month 4 we had delivered £118,000 of editorial coverage (based on a fee of £6,000) and built a fine relationship with targeted press and raised their recruitment potential.

How did we do that?
There was a perception that the local press portrayed the college in a negative light and that the recent merger with another regional College had not brought about any positive changes. It was vital to the campaign to tackle these two issues by developing relationships with key media and identifying a schedule of opportunities in the college calendar which would highlight the extent and quality of the provision at the college.

After working with the college to identify their key messages it became clear that the £3m refurbishment programme, including a stunning woodland walk on the outside of the building, would be a very visual way to demonstrate the changing face of the college. So we suggested that the college host the Last Garden Party of the year to showcase not only a new woodland walk area but also the work of the students. The event was a huge success. There was outdoor music and drama performances, hospitality from the Travel and Tourism students and hand made bird feeders and boxes made by the Skills for Life students were on sale. The guest of honour at the party was a local resident, who remembered playing in the gardens as a child. She officially opened the garden and congratulated the college for bringing the area back to life. The local newspaper ran the story in a colour picture spread and on line.

To build on this success we followed the introduction to the ‘new’ college up by a stream of other newsworthy stories from within the college, including a 400 year old violin visit. By being targeted and considering what the local media need for the story to be attractive, we have successfully gained newspaper, television and radio coverage.