Warwick Castle
As retail and leisure PR specialists, WPR has been the driving force behind a string of major launches in recent years. So when existing client
Warwick Castle confirmed that it was investing in a new attraction in 2011, we naturally stepped forward.
Merlin: The Dragon Tower at Warwick Castle was the first attraction in the world to be based on the hit BBC TV Show Merlin and was the subject
of a major investment by the Castle owners. It also signalled the start of a new online pricing structure and ticket sales facility, which was a major
step change for Britain's Ultimate Castle. This attraction needed to make a noise across online and offline channels that only the biggest of firebreathing
dragons could make. Just without the fire.
We launched a multi-layered campaign involving social media, stunt activity, blogger relations and national/regional news hooks which gripped
the nation. Using creative ideas such as the appointment of a 'dragonologist' to exploit online and offline channels, we generated 167 pieces of
coverage including 79 regional, 16 national, 16 broadcast hits.
But it wasn't just about coverage. By the end of our campaign, unique visitors to warwick-castle.com were up 79.22% on the same period last
year, web bookings were up 44% on spring/summer 2010 and Merlin combi-tickets accounted for 40% of web bookings. Moreover, ticket sales for
Merlin: The Dragon Tower were 43% above budget. Even Merlin would be proud of that wizardry!
 |
 |
| Best use of Social Media |
Best Consumer Campaign |