18th July | Katie Watson back

R&T launches Brooklyn Pilsner to the masses

Brooklyn Brewery (part of Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company) is the beer brand that revolutionised the American craft beer scene, and is renowned for its premium, flavourful range of craft beers. But when it came to breaking into the premium world category with its crisp and refreshing new pilsner, it needed a killer launch campaign – one that would build awareness, reach the masses, and drive trial whilst securing all-important listings with trade customers.

That’s where we came in!

With long-standing experience delivering high impact PR and social campaigns for other CMBC brands, (Estrella Damm and Erdinger), Brooklyn Brewery knew it could rely on us to deliver a standout launch programme that would deliver tangible results. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. We kickstarted our trade programme in March and have already helped Brooklyn Brewery secure listings across major multiples and on-trade accounts – and this summer we’re about to embark a consumer campaign that will bring Brooklyn Pilsner and the Brooklyn brand ethos to the UK with a bang. But more on that later…

Tricks of the trade

Because Brooklyn Pilsner is a brand-new product, our first job was to support the sales team. Amongst stiff competition in this space, they needed to secure shelf space in the off-trade and gain strong listings in the on-trade. We needed to make sure every buyer knew about Brooklyn Pilsner and why it was a must-have for their customers. That’s why we developed a hard-hitting on and off-trade launch that was carefully timed to support the sales team as they approached buyers. Our launch news generated a real buzz amongst key target audiences, and we secured x19 pieces of print and online launch editorial in top titles in just three months. We also made it impossible to miss, with bright yellow, eye-catching paid activations with The Grocer and The Morning Advertiser that delivered high engagement and boosted brand awareness. The result? Brooklyn Pilsner is now firmly front of mind amongst trade buyers and is already available in 600+ distribution points across the UK, and we’re only a few months in!

Watch this space

Now that Brooklyn Brewery has established a healthy distribution, we’re almost ready to kick-start our exciting consumer launch campaign. This is supported by a multi-million-pound national marketing campaign including OOH, VOD, digital advertising, experiential, social and shopper marketing. Most of you will have already seen the flurry of bright yellow ads splashed across billboards and tube stations, you can’t miss it. Our consumer launch will champion the brand’s culture of diversity, inclusivity and creativity and will bring a true taste of the iconic Brooklyn borough to the streets of London. We won’t give anything away just yet, but rest assured it’ll be dazzling (watch out for more bright yellow!) flavourful, attention-grabbing, community centric – and very Brooklyn. And it’ll no doubt get you sipping and enjoying Brooklyn Pilsner! Watch this space…

19th June | Katie Watson back

Richmond & Towers Sponsors PRCA Built Environment Group

As Richmond & Towers becomes lead sponsor of the PRCA’s new Built Environment Group, director Katie Watson explains why effective communications is crucial for the sector, and outlines what exciting events are planned for the year ahead.

At
Richmond & Towers we’re passionate about the built environment. And why
wouldn’t we be? This is an area that touches every facet of our lives on a
daily basis – it’s where we live, work, play and visit – day in, day out.

This
is exactly what makes it such a fascinating sector for us as communications professionals.
The audience is vast and varied, the industry (and technology) is fast-evolving
and the issues that impact it are always highly topical.

Over
the past decade we’ve become real experts in every part of this diverse sector
– from the very fabric of a building and its energy supply, right through to
its softer elements, such as interiors, homewares and electrical appliances.

And, during
this time, we’ve seen first-hand the vital role that effective communications
plays for key companies and brands in the sector – whether
it’s through more traditional media relations campaigns, through to high impact
social activations, events, advertising or even crisis management.

In short, our experience shows that the right strategic comms
approach (and the right ideas) really can lead to true business success –
delivering tangible and measurable results. So, it pays to get it right!

Laying
the foundations for a new group

That’s why we’re proud to say that this year, we’ve become the lead sponsor of the PRCA’s newly re-branded Built Environment group – a group that promotes the importance of communications in this sector, and importantly highlights best practice too.

Together with the group’s chair, Julius Duncan (director of the Built Environment Group), we will be hosting a raft of exciting events over the next year, from crisis simulations through to insightful sector knowledge sharing with expert industry speakers.

It’s
all about having a collaborative approach. These events are aimed at bringing comms
professionals (agency, in-house, or independent) together to learn share,
curate ideas and ultimately champion this exciting industry.

As we move towards an increasingly energy-efficient, smarter way of living, this is a particularly exciting time to be part of the built environment communications debate, and we can’t wait to get started.

The first event will be taking place this Summer, (more details to follow). To register your interest in joining the group, please email:
isobel.arrowsmith@prca.org.uk

15th November | Katie Watson back

Sunsquare picks Richmond & Towers to light up its comms

Skylight specialist Sunsquare has appointed built environment PR specialists, Richmond & Towers to launch a high-impact, integrated PR campaign – one that builds the brand amongst core customer audiences and ultimately drives sales of its market-leading rooflights. Sunsquare designs and manufactures the safest, highest quality skylights on the market today. In fact, it’s the only company in the world to hold a BSI kitemark, which means its products have been tested to absolute destruction. The result?  People can rest assured that the glass over their heads is not only 100% safe, but rooms are kept warmer, drier, brighter (without harmful UV rays) and more energy efficient. A key part of Richmond & Towers’ campaign will focus on putting Sunsquare firmly on the map amongst its key audience of architects and specifiers, as well as homeowners and selfbuilders. Sunsquare Managing Director Justin Seldis says: “I’m really excited to be working with real experts in our sector. This team not only has extensive industry experience, but an excellent black book of contacts that should really leverage the Sunsquare brand in all the right places. They’ve come up with an integrated PR, social and advertising campaign that will give Sunsquare the share of voice and exposure it needs in what’s a highly competitive market space.” R&T Director Katie Watson adds: “Not only is Sunsquare a trend-setter in Skylight design, it’s leading the way in setting industry quality standards – so there’s no shortage of great things to shout about. At the very heart of our campaign will be targeted, compelling content and through a multi-channel approach, we’ll work hard to maximise brand visibility and establish a trusted, expert voice for the business and its spokespeople. As specialists in the built environment, we know how to effectively target Sunsquare’s core audiences and ultimately deliver real business results – and we can’t wait to get started!”