There’s more to PR than news releases

Proving that there’s more to public relations than news releases, our PR team has devised a more direct approach to spread the word about Gressingham Duck this summer for our client, Gressingham Foods.

The speciality poultry producer asked us for ideas on how to encourage more people to eat duck, in light of its recent research into people’s perception of this meat. A lot of respondents said they lacked the confidence to cook duck themselves and that they wanted to be inspired with simple, delicious duck recipes.

Responding to this brief, we instantly realised that Gressingham needed to get out on the road and show people how to cook duck, firsthand. We also wanted to take advantage of Gressingham’s partnership with Michelin-starred chef Galton Blackiston, and have Galton create inspiring duck recipes for the home cook, as well as provide great cooking tips.

We researched large and small-scale food festivals, and agricultural shows, which attract a strong foodie audience; also taking into account their suitability, dates, demographics, attendance and content. We knew it was vital for Gressingham to attend shows where it could engage with visitors, give demos and thus meet its objectives. Gressingham shortlisted six of these festivals, which enabled us to put a more detailed strategy into place.

As well as advising on stands, sponsorship, demos, handing out samples and securing further opportunities, we recommended recipe cards be distributed to inspire people to cook duck at home. These cards, designed by the agency, feature delicious seasonal duck recipes, as well as a discount voucher, to give visitors an added incentive to try Gressingham Duck. We also put a script together for the demonstrators to ensure Gressingham’s key messages are relayed to the audience, plus suggested one of Galton’s demos be filmed so that it can be used on Gressingham’s website and continue to inspire more people to cook duck.

This strategy was very much in response to Gressingham’s research findings, showing people how simple it is to successfully cook duck and, in turn, raising the profile. This strategy highlights Gressingham’s key messages to a foodie audience, reaching people who would go on to buy duck. We are confident that festival demos, tips and advice, combined with working with Galton and giving out recipe cards, will encourage more people to cook and eat duck.