Background
Clifton College which hosts annual outdoor classical music concert, Prom on The Close, appointed JBP to provide PR support for the event in 2007, which was headlined by Russell Watson and all-girl classical group All Angels.
Strategic approach
- Maximise attendance at the event by securing media coverage within and outside the Bristol catchment area
- Create a high profile stunt to create media interest outside the Bristol area.
Tactics
- JBP came up with the idea to invite a girl from the region to sing on stage with All Angels at the Prom, becoming the ‘5th Angel’ for a night. This involved a South West-wide, Pop Idol-style audition. By inviting girls across the region to take part, JBP maximised the opportunity for coverage outside Bristol.
- JBP set up media partnerships with the Western Daily Press, covering the whole South West region from where the College wished to attract concert goers; Bristol Evening Post; GWR radio, covering Bristol and the surrounding area; and ITV West, which again covers the whole of the target region.
- JBP launched the competition with releases to all media across the South West, tailored for their region e.g. “Girls in Gloucester have the chance to be the West’s musical star!”
- JBP also wrote to the heads of music at every school in the region, encouraging them to put forward talented pupils; asked ITV West and the print media partners to run interviews with early entrants to publicise the competition; and promoted the competition through the Prom website.
- As well as promoting the competition, JBP arranged for ITV West to televise the finalists’ auditions and allow viewers to vote for the winner.
Results
- Over the 11 weeks leading up to Prom on The Close, more than 80 pieces of media coverage appeared. This included almost two hours of prime time television coverage on ITV West’s “The West Tonight” evening news.
- The media coverage had a total audience reach of 8.5 million and an AEV of £205,000, more than 30 times the budget for the project.
- The number of visitors to the Prom on The Close website tripled as soon as the competition was launched, with the number of people looking at the ticket booking section more than quadrupling.
- More than 3,000 ITV West viewers voted for their favourite finalist to win the 5th Angel competition.
- As well as coverage from the Bristol press, the College’s desire to appear in the press further afield was fulfilled, with coverage appearing in the media in South Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire.
- Despite weeks of bad weather in the lead up to Prom on The Close, thousands of people attended the outdoor event and feedback was excellent.
