45. Overview
IKON art gallery based in Birmingham is running a competition to find a
‘real Birmingham family’. The campaign, owned by the IKON Gallery, is
designed to celebrate diversity and ‘family’ values in society. The winner
will be selected by a panel of upstanding members of the Birmingham
community e.g. newspaper editor, local Mayor etc (still tbc). The winning
family will then be immortalised as a bronze sculpture created by local
award winning Turner prize artist Gillian Wearing, and positioned in
Centenary Square in central Birmingham.
The Ikon Gallery has held several mini ‘search’ events so far – some in
public spaces and some in commercial places such as hotel brasseries.
HomeSense hosted one such ‘search’ event in the Birmingham. Fort retail
park store on 25 and 26 February. IKON’s photographers will photograph
HomeSense customers for entry
46. Increase footfall to Birmingham Fort store
Raise awareness of the HomeSense brand and product
Create a strong link between HomeSense and the local community
To create substantial buzz and excitement around the weekend
To attract new customers
Build and promote core brand values
Objectives
47. Leaflets bag stuffed in HomeSense Fort, HomeSense Merry Hill,
TK Maxx Castle Vale, TK Maxx Bullring (from 13 Feb – event)
Window posters at HomeSense Fort and HomeSense Merry Hill
(displayed from 13 Feb – event)
Digital activity – emails to HS database in the Birmingham area
(16 & 23 Feb)
Facebook activity (from 13 Feb – event)
Event listed in the Ikon newsletter which goes out to 7,500 people
Ikon distribute another 20,000 leaflets in Birmingham
Event listed on the Real Birmingham Family website
Marketing activity
48. Twitter feed:
Ikon Tweeted about the weekend
Connor PR tweets to local Birmingham Sites including
@local Birmingham
@brum survival
@daily Birmingham
@brumculture
@bhamcitysu
Adil Ray, BBC Five live presenter @adilray retweeted to 7,591 followers
BBC West Midlands today Suzanne Virdee retweeted to 3,020 followers
Facebook:
HomeSense FB posts, Ikon FB page
• Web Raiding:
Connor PR actively targeted forums and chat rooms and spread the word
about the event
Ie Netmums
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/media_nonmember_requests/a1410609-Do-
you-and-your-family-fancy-being-the-face-of-Birmingham-cast-in-bronze-by-
Turner-Prize-winner-Gillian-Wearing
Spreading the word...
54. Broadcast
The presenter of the breakfast show Jo
Russell gave the campaign shout outs
on air
Listenership 331,000 adults per week
The event was pitched to local TV
including BBC Midlands Today and
Central News
The curator from Ikon was offered to BBC
Radio WM as a guest
The event was pitched to BBC Radio 4
Woman’s Hour and Front Row
Both are still interested in doing an item
and are being followed up
55. Feeback from Ikon has been very positive
22 families were photographed over the
weekend
Birmingham Mail also sent a
photographer to HomeSense
This was followed up with a quote from
the curator at Ikon
'Ikon is delighted by the reaction to our
weekend at HomeSense. We had many
new families nominate themselves to be
the face of Birmingham, and we feel that
momentum is building as we approach
the closing date for nominations at the
end of March. Anyone who wants to get
involved can still do so at
www.arealbirminghamfamily.com'
The Event
57. HomeSense sponsored York’s very first festival celebrating street
performance, Buskival.
Buskival is an important new event, launched as part of City of York
Council’s 2012 York 800 programme
York has had a long association with street entertainers and the
festival celebrated the sometimes wacky but wonderful tradition by
showcasing the successful busking scheme operated by City of York
Council
A trail of busking pitches was created around York during the
Diamond Jubilee weekend, which formed an easy path for members
of the public to enjoy
Overview
58. Drive footfall to York, Foss Islands Retail Park store
Raise awareness of the HomeSense brand and product
Increase fame and personality within the local community
To create substantial buzz and excitement around the weekend
To attract new customers as well as existing ones
Raising brand awareness about who we are and what we do
Get people talking
Build and promote core brand values
Objectives
59. As part of the two-day festival, a
competition was held for members of
the public to choose their favourite
amateur busker
The winning artist won
a prize of £200 and there was also a
runner-up prize for second and third
place
Members of the public could win a
£250 HomeSense gift card and five
runner up gift cards of £50
Competition
60. HomeSense Logo on all Buskival
advertising, leaflets, banners,
programmes, sponsors speech
Profiling of Home Sense goods by
dressing Buskival marquee in city centre
Leafleting in City Centre by Home Sense
staff – maintaining high presence during
event
Hosting of a Buskival site at HomeSense
HomeSense presentation ceremony in
marquee on Sunday 3 June
Marketing
61. Announcement of sponsorship and support by HomeSense –
Buskival and York 800
Press and publicity before event through advertising of a prize and
sponsorship, including Local Link, York Press, BBC York, etc
Acknowledgement of sponsorship in Buskival publicity on CYC and
York 800 websites
Coverage on BBC Radio York
Participation in photo opportunities with local press and City of
York Council dignitaries
PR Opportunities
63. Twitter feed:
The following tweeted about Buskival
@city of York
@York 800
Facebook:
HomeSense FB posts
City Centre FB page
CYCThe Councils intranet which is
called COLIN
Buzz – councils monthly electronic
news letter
Spreading the word...
68. Broadcast
BBC Radio York
Launch interview on May 3rd with Debbie Bell,
York City Centre Events Manager and a busker,
Rob Roy Collins
Live interview with a busker on Saturday June 2nd
The Press did a video at the second press call at
the HomeSense store
Click on link to see film
http://youtu.be/3ZFa-6jWkyM
Pushed for shout outs on Minster FM
69. Footfall figures show an increase of 4.1
% on the previous year.
Despite the poor weather total footfall for
York that weekend was 127661
Councillor Sonja Crisp, cabinet member
for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said :
“The event made for a wonderful
weekend in the city, despite the weather
on the Sunday! We have received very
positive feedback from the public and
the buskers themselves since Buskival,
and are negotiating about the possibility
of holding it again next year.
Congratulations to all the lucky winners!”
The Event
70.
71. Key Learning's & Evaluation
Summary of coverage achieved
Print: 6 items
Broadcast: 3 items
Online: 15 items
Social Media: Facebook & Tweets 15 items
Since the event, the editor of BBC Radio York
the station has said they would like to be much
more involved in any similar event next year,
having seen how good it was
73. HomeSense customers find out what their home really says
about them
HomeSense has teamed up with the nation’s top home psychic,
Raymond Castrogiovanni from Five’s Housebusters, Sky’s
Psychic TV and LIVNG’s Jane Goldman Investigates
The house whisperer to offer readings to shoppers in the Leeds
store, revealing information about themselves and their homes
from a photograph of a room
Fun and interactive way of engaging customers
Drive footfall
Opportunity to invite local press along
Overview
74. Drive footfall to Birstall Retail Park, Leeds
Raise awareness of the HomeSense brand and product
Increase fame and personality within the local community
To create substantial buzz and excitement around the day
To attract new customers as well as existing ones
Raising brand awareness about who we are and what we do
Get people talking
Build and promote core brand values
Objectives
75. The event was supported via content
& pictures being uploaded on the
HomeSense Face Book site
Content about House Whispering
was also uploaded
Store was fully briefed and banners
and leaflets were available to
promote the event
The store had an associate leafleting
at the entrance and welcoming
customers
HS blog
HS database emailed
Marketing
76. House Whispering
A fusion of Feng Shui and Spirituality.
House whispering creates harmony in the home. House whispering helps you get the
best out of life by making the most of your environment, utilizing colour, space, nature
and location of your home.
Each individual sharing a home creates a dynamic that can be positive or negative.
It is the role of the House Whisperer to enhance all aspects of your home to make the
best environment for you and the people you live with, using colour and texture to feed
the soul of all you share your space with.
Red walls or green walls will touch our subconscious in different ways. How textures
look and feel also have an emotional impact. Smooth and reflective surfaces reassure
and strengthen. Soft and warm fabrics comfort and relax us. Different types of light can
affect our mood, ie candle light - romantic, bright white light - alert and focused soft
light - calming.
Wooden furniture connects us to nature, plants enhance our sense of responsibility, art
work and objet d'art expresses who we are. Its colour that has the strongest impact. For
instance, red tones in the bedroom attract love, yellow in a hallway enhances joy, black
and white in a bathroom feels cleansing. Grey's with splashes off vivid colour in a
kitchen helps the creative juices. A living room should not just be neutral but utilise the
colour appropriate to each individual to create comfort and security.
77. Press and publicity before event through
mentions on the local radio station Magic 828,
Aire FM
Support of event by local paper Yorkshire
Evening Post, Birstall News
Social media, twitter, net mums and other local
listings
PR Opportunities
79. Via
Facebook:
HomeSense FB posts
Leeds local what’s on pages
Social network sites including
Mumsnet
Netmums
What’s on listings
Where can we go
Spreading the word...
80. Online coverage
HomeSense Leeds
www.psychicraymond.co.uk/ai1ec_event/homesense-leeds/?...id=Cached
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TV Psychic, The House Whisperer, will be offering customers at HomeSense on Birstall Retail Park, Leeds, handpicked
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Come to our Leeds store this Saturday between 1 and 4 to meet the House Whisperer, Raymond Castrogiovanni - off the telly!
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85. The event ran from 1-4pm
We were off to a good start with
customers waiting for The House
Whisperer to appear
Customers had seen the feature in the
local paper
The House Whisperer did 14 readings
The Event
86. Key Learning's & Evaluation
Summary of coverage achieved
Print: 4 items
Broadcast: mentions on Magic & Aire FM
Online coverage
Social Media: Facebook & Tweets
Briefing notes were sent to the store
manager and talked through
The store was fully prepared & very
supportive of the event
The event bought new faces to the store
as well as existing customers
