Sway were briefed to launch new products into the consumer bike market with a focus on engaging leisure customers and commuters to enquire about new products in retail partners and through the Batribike website.

Through a regional and and national leisure focused media relations campaign, Sway generated coverage in a number of lifestyle, regional, camping, boating and trade titles increasing traffic and consumer interest in Batribike products as well as engaging a new and existing retailers in its network.

The team were were tasked to support the re-launch of an upgraded B&Q site in the region to drive customers to a re-launch day together with reinforcing ties to the local community and pushing the upgraded eco-elements of the development.

A pre-launch media relations campaign focused on celebrating human interest stories uncovered behind the staff at the renovated store, as well as developing features around the new plans and environmental credentials of the building itself. With print and radio coverage achieved across local and regional media, including key messages agreed, the campaign caused such interest that a 100m queue for the opening of the store on re-launch day was achieved. Further media relations from the launch added to the high footfall in the weeks that followed the relaunch.

The team were engaged for a project to launch a new Starbucks outlet gaining positive and well timed media coverage involving community tie-ins.

Results: Gathering many of the local community groups to the site on launch day we created a patchwork piece of art which was exhibited locally generating a positive reception to the new café and ongoing media coverage. The media relations resulting from the launch event not only drove initial awareness and footfall, but also initiated a wide range of community partnerships and engagement activities that embedded the new cafe within the region.

The brief for Heavenly Desserts was threefold. Firstly to run a brand session to clarify the brand values that could then be communicated across the company; secondly to plan and support a store launch programme for new franchise stores; and thirdly to support existing stores with media relations to drive awareness and interest in the Heavenly Deserts concept.

Sway brought together the senior team within Heavenly Desserts for a brand development day which has already informed key decisions within the business. Our team developed a launch ‘play book’ which laid out the framework of the marketing around a launch which allowed for local flexibility, yet gave a structure and clear actions for a new store launch plan. Finally, through media relations, sway worked with bloggers and regional newspapers to test and review product, launched new product ranges and created a PR stunt to drive interest and news coverage around National Chocolate day, all of which drove awareness of the brand and footfall into key stores.

The team were asked to create a launch event that would bring together notable celebrities, businesses and media, and put the Liverpool Hilton at it’s centre.

We partnered with complementary brands to add value to event and stretch budget whilst engaging further celebrities to the event. With a Liverpool connection, the Sugababes headlined the entertainment at the launch event which attracted a red-carpet guest list that was the envy of the city.

Media coverage covered the regional and national lifestyle and celebrity titles with front pages of OK! and Hello magazine, Daily Mirror, The Sun, The Guardian, Marie Claire. The high-profile event resulted in the venue being booked out for meetings, conferences and day guests.

Sway was asked by New Zealand In Depth to develop a media relations campaign to support and build the NZID brand, whilst promoting it’s personalised travel services to an active, yet affluent, demographic in the UK and US.

Initially launching the campaign in the UK, Sway arranged two high profile media visits with the Financial Times and the Sunday Telegraph which resulted in front covers of the travel section, significant coverage and drove sales both in the UK and internationally.

A further press office led media relations campaign promoting new experiences and itineraries has underpinned the media activity creating a regular stream of national coverage in key markets.

The team at Sway managed a project for the Football Association to support the Partially Sighted World Championships with pre-event media support and online content management from the games held in Manchester.

Pre-event player interviews generated coverage on all key media with quality match reports uploaded live from the venue engaging both spectators and football fans across the region.

The team were asked to attain sponsorship for, and manage the media relations of the half and full IRONMAN UK Triathlon in regional, national and sports specific media.

Having secured the headline sponsorship of Gatorade, and many other sub sponsors, we drove regional, national and international coverage in print, radio, TV and online formats across many of the key titles identified.

The media relations campaign generated huge national and international interest in the event with with entries reaching capacity within days of opening. Since the initial events in the UK supported by Sway, IRONMAN has introduced new events to cater for the demand generated.

The team were asked to manage the pre-event, event, and post-media relations campaign for the Salford Triathlon ITU World Cup focusing on generating coverage in regional, national and sports specific media for sponsors. We were also tasked with selling Salford as a destination for business and pleasure and to reaffirm Salford as the “home of world class triathlon in the UK”.

Over the years working with the event we won a CIPR industry award for “best use of photography and design in a PR campaign” and hit all KPI’s set. The campaign generated the coverage in a wide range of national and regional titles totalling over 1000 individual pieces of coverage including The Times, The Independent, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio 1, Metro, Health and Fitness, The Guardian, 220 Triathlon Magazine, Running Fitness; as well as regional titles including Key 103, ITV and BBC TV, Manchester Evening News and Salford Advertiser; as well as many pieces of regional coverage across the UK from Liverpool, to Birmingham. The event and PR was heralded as a huge success on and off the course.