Drake PR works with the media in a number of different ways. Each campaign is strategically planned and tailored to maximise media interest, exposure and coverage. Below is a case study from the launch of Beau-Rivage Palace’s Cinq Mondes Spa.
To launch the new spa, Drake PR implemented a campaign designed to initially target a small niche group of media – the ‘industry experts’ – and once this was successfully completed, to roll out a broader campaign and exposure.
With a long lead time, the initial target media were personally advised of the spa plan at the Beau-Rivage Palace and invited to attend the pre-launch lunch at Gordon Ramsay Claridges, London.
News of the spa peaked such interest that the pre-launch lunch was oversubscribed and a second day of launch events was added, including individual pre and post lunch media briefings. Both days were attended by the créme de la créme of the luxury travel and spa press. The spa creator and the hotel’s General Manager attended the London launch to communicate the vision of the spa, as well as provide the most up-to-date information on the spa’s progress.
The event was followed by a wave of news stories, spa features and column inches throughout the media including Tatler, Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia, Glamour and BA’s High Life Magazine.
The broader campaign was then rolled out targeting all lifestyle, beauty and travel media – each received a press release, pre-launch brochure and images. Coverage as a result included the Independent, the Guardian and American Express Centurion Magazine.
Press who had attended the launch events were invited to exclusively sample the spa pre-opening, and a press trip was arranged for five days prior to the official opening. Individual press trips were also arranged and media from the top glossy magazines and national newspapers visited and experienced the spa. Coverage appeared in the likes of Saturday Telegraph Magazine, Condé Nast Traveller, Red, annual luxury travel supplements and spa guides.
