PR Diary – Welcoming in the Year of the Snake, renaming a parking space for Scott Mills, taking on the Yorkshire Beast and a New Year Honours List
- Creative
- Influencer
- PR
- Social Media
It’s been a busy start to the new year for the team, working on several exciting campaigns for our clients, as well as supporting an amazing charity challenge pro bono. Read on to find out what we were up to in January…
Welcoming in the Year of the Snake at Gunwharf Quays 
To celebrate Chinese New Year and usher in the Year of the Snake, the Umpf team worked alongside Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth to create this social content, below, of a giant animatronic snake scaling the outside of the 170-metre Spinnaker Tower. The video went live on the outlet’s Instagram account and has so far amassed 110,000 views.
Alongside the creation of the stunt, we also drafted and issued a press release, highlighting the content alongside several exclusive brand offers taking place to celebrate the occasion. In total, our press outreach secured a reach of more than 2 million.
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Umpf takes on the Yorkshire Beast 
We love a challenge at Umpf, so when we heard about the ‘Yorkshire Beast: Unleashed’ – an epic 1,100-mile cycling race against an electric car from Leeds Bradford Airport to Nice – we knew we had to get involved. We’re providing pro-bono PR support for this brilliant endurance challenge, which is raising funds for Alzheimer’s Society and Candlelighters – a Yorkshire-based charity that supports children with cancer and their families.
With pedal power vs battery power, and some serious hills in between, we can’t wait to see who reaches the French Riviera first. Watch this space for updates – and if you fancy supporting Martin Mansell from EnjoyTravel, check out the Yorkshire Beast challenge here.
Landsec influencer round up 
In January, we wrapped our Q3 Landsec influencer programme report, which collectively created a massive buzz on social media for shopping centres and outlets up and down the UK.
Working with a range of people, from regional influencers to popular content creators and online personalities, such as Carys Whittaker, Summer Fox, Destini Dolor, and Laura Orgill – to name a few – we’ve generated hundreds of pieces of content with millions of views between October and December 2024.
Now, we’ve got our sights sets on Q4, and we have a selection of exciting partnerships and collaborations in the pipeline– watch this space!
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(@carys.whittaker)Making (radio) waves 
When a team member at Primark in Bluewater was name-checked on Scott Mills’ new Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, we piggybacked with a quick piece of social content. During Scott’s first week at Radio 2 he had, among other things, a train station renamed after him. Our Insta post, showing a renamed car parking space for Scott, generated more than 24,000 views.
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New Years Honours List Puts a Spring in Our Step 
There was some good news to see in the New Year for our long-standing bed client Harrison Spinks, as the company’s chairman was awarded an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List. Simon Spinks was given the prestigious award in recognition of his contribution to the mattress and bed industry, having dedicated a 35-year career to creating sustainable, quality sleep for all. Simon has helped revolutionise sustainable mattress making and holds 100 patents globally. He has also helped grow the family business from some 50 employees to over 650, and under his guidance, the Leeds-based mattress and bed manufacturer has been awarded eight Queen’s/King’s Awards for Enterprise. We helped push the news out to media, achieving 46 pieces of coverage with a reach of almost 30m. Congrats again to Simon on the brilliant achievement!
Picture Perfect Moment for Søstrene Grene Launch 
Our client Trinity Leeds shopping centre welcomed a fab new brand as Søstrene Grene opened its doors with an eye-catching launch event. The store arranged live performances from ballerinas and a string duo entertained eager shoppers queuing on the red carpet, with giveaways for the first 100 lucky customers. The Scandi-inspired store has proved a big hit, and we wanted to make sure their exciting launch event would be captured well for local media – we organised photography on the day which resulted in some amazing pictures that were used across regional media, including a double-page spread in the Yorkshire Evening Post. We’ve been working alongside the Søstrene Grene PR team since the first announcement at the end of last year, and coverage has included more than 100 clippings with a reach of 56m.
