- Erst
- Off the Wheaten Track
- Blackpool Headstart's Resilience Revolution
- Gong Cha Bubble Tea
- Private White V.C.
- Asha's Restaurant
- Transport for Greater Manchester
Dubai-based restaurant chain Asha's has built a reputation across the Middle East as the go-to destination for fresh, authentic Indian cuisine.
When they considered opening in Manchester they looked for a restaurant specialist to facilitate the launch. And with Bollywood legend Asha Bhosle, as the part owner and face of the company, it was clear the event was going to be over subscribed.
We carefully pulled together an agenda for the 85-year-old singing star on launch day – ensuring global and local media opportunities were covered off. From blending spices in the kitchen to singing live on air on the BBC, Asha maximised every opportunity to promote the restaurant.
A series of media lunches and dinners were booked to ensure that journalists had the opportunity to sample the food, step behind the scenes and chat to Asha's team about what makes this high end Indian restaurant and cocktail bar a must-visit for locals and visitors alike.
www.ashasrestaurant.co.ukBlackpool Headstart's behaviour change project, part funded by the National Lottery, involves a whole town approach, encouraging everyone to work together to create a more resilient town in which to grow up and thrive.
We created a website with the young people to go alongside the unveiling of the physical pathway representing a series of resilience moves. Weekly blog content signposts people to supportive partners through vlogs, blogs and interviews underlining that there is help available in many forms across the town.
Alongside the pathway launch, we negotiated a 42 week-long collaboration with The Gazette, which involves a weekly column in print, along with digital articles signposting readers to the website hub of up to date information and contacts for young people to seek help.
The young people's parade to launch the pathway project secured coverage across broadcast and digital channels.
www.resiliencepathway.co.ukBruntwood Spark offers tenants a range of business support services including PR workshops provided by Vesey Communications.
The country's largest provider of residential homes turned to Vesey Communications to help raise its profile in key regions across the UK.
The vast range of heart-warming events that take place in Bupa's care homes are captured by the team at Vesey Communications, who have helped residents celebrate centenaries, enjoy visits from pet therapy charities and welcome school students to read nostalgic literature over tea and cake.
The outputs were an approved resource comprising an agreed core narrative and stakeholder briefing materials with consistent tone of voice and clear key messages created by Vesey Communications and used by stakeholders when explaining the Datawell project.
www.gmahsn.org/datawellAs "dirty burgers" debuted in the North West, Vesey Communications was at the forefront of promoting them for client, Byron Burgers.
Contracted to undertake launches across the Northern cities of Liverpool and Manchester, Vesey Communications ensured burgers were on the menu of journalists and bloggers. One to one interviews were set up with Chief Executive, Tom Byng, who briefed Vesey Communications' media and blogger contacts over dinner.
Positive coverage allowed the Byron chain to quickly scale up with its strategic locations on Northern high streets quickly contributing to the company's success.
www.byronhamburgers.comValue for money suncare range targeted at families continued to grow its distributor base and sales in the UK and Ireland with a steady stream of publicity across tabloid and regional media.
Greater Manchester Academic Health Science Network commissioned Vesey Communications to create a core narrative and stakeholder briefing materials for its Datawell project, an innovative digital infrastructure that enables doctors and care professionals in the region to share and view the patient and client information they need, when they need it, to improve care.
A calendar of key dates was created by the consultancy, which prepares media materials based on these special occasions, and supports the care homes in preparing to take part in themed events.
Coverage in local media and community channels has boosted enquiries for places at the specific care homes which provide specialist nursing and residential care.
www.bupa.co.ukSMEs are vital to the UK economy. If these businesses could be inspired and facilitated to achieve their growth potential, the UK would benefit. Our task for BIS was to motivate business owners to access Government services designed to support them.
We worked with Kindred agency and made small business owners our heroes and rooted our tactics in peer-to-peer advocacy. We created a GREAT Business Network to act as case studies and spokespeople. We put together a series of GREAT moments including a partnership with British Fashion Week, creating a "From Local to Global Guide" for Export Week and a celebration of 24 small businesses in a multi-platform advent calendar. We also created The GREAT Faces of British Business competition which attracted 522 entries and over 18,000 social media interactions.
Underlying this creative activity was an "always on" press office offering thought leadership articles, advice and feature placement.
The Department for International Trade (DIT, formerly UKTI) required an external PR agency to raise awareness and promote the expertise of its regional teams throughout England in assisting first-time and established exporters in the start-up, scale-up and SME sectors.
To achieve this ambition, Vesey Communications established a national network of Regional PR Professionals (RPPs) with ‘on the ground' experience and extensive media contacts to plug DIT into the bloodstream of regional, local and hyper local media.
Working in partnership with DIT regional directors and their colleagues and partner organisations, this network of RPPs continues to produce a constant stream of news releases, thought leadership and opinion columns and timely quotes on topical issues and breaking news – all of which help to achieve the DIT's ambitions via sustained coverage in target print and online media titles nationwide.
Enterprise Nation's vibrant community of business advisers help small businesses get it right. Its collaboration with Bruntwood Spark includes offering PR support to small businesses who benefit from one to one consultancy.
It's natural that contacts will visit Ancoats eatery
'Until recently a derelict area on the edge of the city, Ancoats is now home to a thriving restaurant scene. We worked with the team at natural wine bar and restaurant, Erst, to share its stories with locals and foodies, helping them discover a delicious combination of seasonal flavours, simple dishes and hand selected wines.'
Our background in food and drink campaigns, including Tast, Asha's, Fazenda and Gong Cha, ensures clients can rely on our experience to effectively undertake launches, create events and encourage the influential food writers to sample the menu.
Erst on Murray Street quickly became one of the most talked about locations in the city once we got to work with our contacts on the foodie scene locally and nationally. With numerous positive media reviews, notably the Sunday Times, and dishes being featured on the Instagram feeds of countless influencers, bookings at Erst continue to increase and trade is at an all-time high.
www.erst-mcr.co.ukMeadowside, The Stile and The Gate, overlooking Angel Meadow park, Manchester city centre's largest green space, are the first in a series of developments being supported by PR and communications as they expand across the Northern Gateway.
"When Taiwanese bubble tea brand, Gong Cha, selected the UK for the expansion of their franchise into Europe, Geraldine Vesey responded with a creative city-by-city launch campaign. Having worked on similar clients for Uniqlo, Domino's Pizza and Zara, she knew how to adapt the global blueprint to work for UK audiences. Targeting the student population and local taste makers, she braved all weathers to ensure the traditional ceremonial dragon opening ceremony had impact and relevance in the UK. Queues 100 deep were testament that the pre-opening publicity resonated with the public, all primed to try pearls, coconut strips and flavours from the Far East.
www.gong-cha.co.ukWhen Shaun T announced, he was jetting to England to meet his devotees and lead them in his Insanity workout, the choice of Manchester above London as his destination of choice sent the media into a spin.
Vesey Communications were taken on board to organise the mass workout at client, Event City, with over 1000 fitness fanatics travelling from across the country to workout with the master of the fitness DVD.
Journalists and bloggers were given front row access to Shaun and his team and were challenged to bust the moves for an hour early on a Saturday morning. Those that made it through had the opportunity to interview Shaun after the cool down.
Event City was profiled as a perfect destination for large scale events and has gone on to host the Ideal Home Show, International Cakes Show and many other high profile, major footfall events with Vesey Communications' assistance.
www.shauntfitness.comCommunications support was offered from before the first spade was put in the ground for over a decade for this chain of childcare centres which expanded across Cheshire and the North West offering high quality nursery provision.
Manchester Eats brings the very best in food and drink from in and around Manchester.
Vesey Communications were tasked with raising the profile of Manchester's newest foodie festival, Manchester Eats.
The festival, held on Manchester's Heaton Park, offered a food and drink lovers paradise with the latest food trends, 100's hundreds of exhibitors to choose from – both local and nationally known including Red's True BBQ, Proove Pizza and Cottonopolis.
Festival goers also enjoyed sunshine and demonstrations from some of the UK's best chefs including Marco Pierre White and James Martin.
Using our strong North West contacts, Vesey Communications worked closely with broadcast, print and digital media in order to achieve coverage and raise the profile of this foodie fest.
Vesey Communications achieved a total of 69 pieces of coverage including national hits in Grazia, Sheerluxe, Cosmopolitan and Conde Nast Traveller. Regional hits included Manchester Evening News, Taste of Manchester, Manchester Pulse, Manchester's Finest, About Manchester and BBC Radio Manchester.
www.manchestereats.co.ukAs mixing up ways to keep fit continued to grow as a national obsession, so did Move GB, the app which linked a wide variety of gyms and classes, for a single monthly payment. The Sheffield event attracted influencers and journalists keen to try out the latest ways to look good and feel great.
Place-making and way finding were required when the part of Manchester city centre habited by many parts of the co-operative movement was being re-generated. The "Name Our Square" campaign for NOMA resulted in Sadler's Yard being selected from the many options submitted online.
Private White V.C. fashion brand used us to support the opening of its factory store.
The high-end range of menswear is expertly constructed by hand in the factory where garments are designed and developed using only the finest regionally sourced fabrics, trims and materials. Owner, and great grandson of the original Private White, James Eden, wanted to throw open the doors to let visitors see the full range of coats, jackets, suits and casual wear for themselves in their leisure time.
Through our network of contacts in the corporate world, associations, the media and the well turned out, we arranged a series of events and visits to the factory to ensure the Private White VC brand is brought to the attention of the discerning fashion forward community. We've also introduced the brand to key journalists, securing coverage in selected media targeted at our niche audience.
www.privatewhitevc.comEncouraging final year medical students to choose General Practice through a creative campaign that reached them in hospitals and online as they made their career choice decisions.
Birmingham, Trafford Centre and Manchester stores were kept in the headlines and the minds of influencers with designer meet and greets, launches and seasonal gifting.
Tast is the taste of Catalonia. Tast invites guests to enjoy new foods and experience new flavours through Tastets, which are small tastes of food, more complex than tapas, yet smaller than a plate. The menus, created by five-Michelin-star Chef Paco Pérez, bring his passion for unexpected food combinations with every bite
The team's skilled high-level work in restaurant launches was in evidence in 2018 with the launch of Tast in Manchester. The buzz created led to reviews in national newspapers The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph and the Financial Times. The Manchester Evening News food and drink editor was flown to Catalonia to experience lunch with Paco Perez at his Michelin 2* Miramar, resulting in an exclusive spread and online feature.
Located on elegant King Street, Tast is an authentic celebration of Catalan food and wine. Its full name is Tast Cuina Catalana, roughly translated as ‘Taste from the Catalan Kitchen. Tast brings the talent of multi-Michelin star chef Paco Perez – the renowned international patron-chef who holds six Michelin stars at his restaurants in Spain and Germany – together with Pep Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano, who are investors in a personal capacity.
They have teamed up with the independent Fazenda group, whose directors' passion for South American cuisine has made their award-winning ‘rodizio' grilled meat restaurants in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester (and recent Edinburgh opening) a great popular success.
Tast has 120 covers over three floors, with third floor private rooms offering a tasting menu.
www.tastcatala.comThe Kings Fund backed the Arts in Health: Improving Lives campaign, the coming together of a group of regionally based projects helping members of communities through arts-based activities.
Vesey Communications was taken on board to help build capacity and confidence in the group through a series of workshops.
Two workshops were staged where Vesey Communications led participants through a strategic overview of the campaign leading to brand identification, a strapline and key message register. Once developed Vesey Communications then created a website and media trained spokespeople to take the brand out to media across the regions.
Media coverage was achieved across the country and shared via the website, a hub for ideas, news and best practice from group members.
www.artshealthandwellbeing.org.ukThe solution to encouraging travellers to take the Metrolink in the busy period in the run up to Christmas involved creating a web app packed with suggested festive itineraries, competitions and maps to guide visitors around the city of Manchester. Partnerships were forged with tourist attractions to extend the promotion and on-stop giveaways were shared to offer free weekend travel, shifting behaviours and moving people out of their cars and onto the tram.
www.tfgm.comUsing PR to stay on the Wheaten Track
The pandemic impacted Hayley Hadfield's business hard causing the entrepreneur to pivot to ensure she could serve the needs of coeliacs and those that need a gluten free diet.
She enlisted the services of Vesey Communications to support her as she converted her 25 seat cafe to a deli and mini market stocking over 150 gluten free goods.
An intensive PR campaign resulted in Hayley being interviewed to uncover the secrets of her success in pivoting her business. Her collaboration with Petit Francais to provide them with gluten free pies, quiches and cakes also captured the attention of journalists who shared her story.
Hayley's determination shone through in the media coverage which in turn attracted more and more shoppers to buy her home baked goods.
www.offthewheatentrackdeli.comFamily firm, Williams Motor Group, has traded in the North West since 1909 when it started out manufacturing wheels. Its TraffordCity retail centre offers BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar and MINI, all in one premium location, alongside established dealerships in communities in Liverpool, Rochdale, Stockport and Bolton.
The global women's conference 2020 in Manchester moved entirely online via Zoom and attracted 200+ professionals from across the world to participate and share ideas.
