Instinct PR

instinct pr’s weekly highlights

We’ve been busy PR bees this week with lots of meetings and events. We have also had a lot of fab newspaper and magazine coverage pieces for our clients and we wanted to let you in on some of our highlights…

Panache swimwear in You magazine

One of our most exciting pieces of coverage has to be the much-coveted ‘It’s Darling’ spot in the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine for Panache. We secured this with the Page Swimsuit and I’m sure you will agree that really stands out on the page.

Panache swimwear in Cosmopolitan

Summer is (sort of) upon us and so thoughts are turning to the bikini season. instinct pr featured the Panache Veronica bikini in Cosmopolitan’s ‘High Street Hit-List’ in this month’s July issue. Highlighted as offering bigger cup sizes, the article reinforces Panache’s market position for those with a cup size D and above.

Panache swimwear in The Times

Panache does it again! The Times chose the Page swimsuit to use for their focus of a body shape swimwear article. I’m sure you’ll agree it would definitely get people’s attention!

UTan features in London Evening Standard

Recently launched UTan, from Michelle Mone OBE, looks stunning in this piece in the London Evening Standard. The Miami Beach Gradual Tan is recommended as one of the best daily tanners.

UTan in Now magazine special

UTan is going from strength to strength and instinct pr is very proud of this feature with UTan in Now magazine’s Beauty Tester review. It looks great on the page and was hailed as the reader’s top choice.

Lucinda Ellery in heat magazine

Our hair loss guru and extension expert, Lucinda Ellery, was called upon to comment in this article about how TOWIE’s Amy Childs is losing her hair through wearing hair extensions. A fabulous profile-raising piece for our ‘hair fairy’!

Laidback London in OK! magazine

Handmade, ethical shoebrand, laidback london, featured in OK magazine in a ‘trend watch’ article with their Rio sandals, making them a must-have for the fashionable this summer.

Lipsy Beauty working with instinct pr

We were incredibly pleased to announce our great news that we are now handling all press for Lipsy beauty, including fragrance, make-up, nail polish and watches. Our news circulated around the top trade press such as PR Week, Diary Directory and Fashion Monitor.

Have a great weekend everyone!

instinct pr team xx

Festival Fever

With this weekend seeing three key music moments take place across the country, we thought it appropriate to write about it…of course.

Beginning with the Isle of Wight where the weather…sorry, I’m speechless with the visions of mud rivers, and non-stop rain, but somehow this didn’t stop the legendary artists putting on a show and many of my friends claiming “It was the best weekend of my life!!”

Taking to the stage on day one of three saw the likes of Example, Lana Del Rey (who FYI, is currently relishing in her Mulberry creation flying off the shelves- we want one purely for office decoration), and Feeder getting the crowds through the treacherous conditions. Saturday saw a precipitation improvement and legends such as Pearl Jam, as well as Jessie J and Tinie Tempah causing a ‘jumping’ fuss and adding to the eclectic atmosphere of the weekend.

Meanwhile, Radio 1’s Hackney Weekend hosted over 100 artists across 6 stages and at least 150 outfit choices over the two-day golden ticket event. With performances that will never be forgotten from modest Ed Sheeran, Brit favourite Rita Ora in pyjama style attire, through to my hero, Jay Z creating Hackney history with a hooded Beyonce moshing to “Paris” – she continues to be my ‘booty-full’ god! Determined to end the weekend on a high, Sunday was all about the closing finale from the ever-extravagant Rihanna, and forget whether she ‘forgot’ to sing at times, her outfit was something to be desired with what only can be described as mesh cycle shorts, cracker prize Egyptian themed glasses and an oversized leather jacket…which I have to say, LOVE. How they will top Hackney weekend, I will never know…but I will be up at the crack of dawn next year to experience it first hand, and hope to see a progression from Beyonce ‘moshing’ to crowd surfing.

But don’t feel too bad for us, instinct pr had their very own music fun this weekend, as we took to Knebworth to see Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Hosted in an incredible location we enjoyed all of their classics from ‘Can’t Stop’ and ‘Californication’ with a cider in one hand, an umbrella in the other, and the patience of a saint as we queued for the toilet.

Now that the festival bar has been raised, we now wait for all that is set to come for the rest of the summer across the country in music, fashion, and gossip – and rest assured we will be talking about it.

The Best PR Campaigns of 2012 so far…

With half of the year already done and dusted now is a perfect opportunity for us to highlight the great PR campaigns of the year so far as judged by the team at instinct pr.

Dove

One of the best PR campaigns so far is for Dove who decided to ‘spread the love’ with an interactive screen at the busy Victoria station in London for Valentine’s Day. Targeting commuters, Dove encouraged people to tweet or text to different questions posted on the screen each day as part of Dove’s ‘real beauty’ campaign. Questions included “who is the most beautiful woman in your life and why?” and “what makes you feel beautiful?” with responses streamed in real time via #DOVELOVE. Dove brand ambassadors were also scattered throughout the station, giving people presents to give to their Valentine.

This was an eye-catching campaign and a real talking point for Londoners over the Valentine period. It also shows the power of getting customers engaged with your brand via social media. It definitely put a smile on the face of many of London’s stressed-out commuters.

Tropicana

Another London-based stunt, Tropicana launched a huge sun installation over Trafalgar Square on a dreary January Monday as part of their ‘Brighter Mornings’ campaign. More than 35,000 cartons of juice were handed out, with tourists and commuters alike encouraged to take pictures from designated photo points and watch the sunrise from Tropicana deckchairs with branded sunglasses and blankets. The ‘sun’ was suspended from Nelson’s column for the full day to get maximum impact.

This PR stunt for Tropicana is hugely creative yet simple and shows the impact PR can generate. This achieved national coverage newspapers such as The Daily Mail. Tropicana also filmed the day and uploaded this to Youtube where the video has been viewed over 30,000 times.

Facebook and NHS

In May the NHS teamed up with Facebook in order to promote their organ donor service. An incredibly worthwhile campaign, the NHS used popular social networking site, Facebook, in order for people to spread the word amongst their friends. In the UK around 10,000 people are on a waiting list for an organ, and three people on that list die every day still waiting. People create an organ donor ‘life event’ on their wall, which then transfers to all their friends’ timelines to create more awareness of the cause. Zuckerberg personally announced this joint project, giving it even more importance.

This made the headlines on BBC news, Sky news, The Metro and The Telegraph, perhaps unsurprisingly giving the fact it is two of the largest companies, private and public sector, coming together. We don’t have figures on the rise in numbers of organ donors but we are sure this campaign will have targeted a huge section of their key demographic.

Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s played on the fact that nobody wants to share their ice cream as it is so delicious that they created a lock for your tub earlier this year. Perfectly in keeping with Ben & Jerry’s light-hearted humour, the ‘Euphori-Lock’ makes sure nobody steals your precious ice cream! The combination lock fits perfectly onto the pint tubs, and simply states: ‘I’m terribly sorry but there is no “u” in ‘my pint’. These locks are being sold in America for $6.64 for the die-hand Ben & Jerry fans out there.

A pure stroke a genius, we’re not sure this would have increased Ben & Jerry’s sales by much but it certainly emphasises the desirability of their ice cream.  The idea came from them listening to their customer feedback, where one person mentioned the tubs should be padlocked. Customer feedback and most importantly listening to this feedback generated a great PR stunt for Ben & Jerry’s. On this side of the Pond it featured in Stylist magazine.

Guinness

Guinness have upped the QR code ante by creating a pint glass that can only be read once filled with Guinness. A QR code is a two-dimensional barcode that can be read by smartphones and is becoming a huge part of PR and advertising campaigns due to their convenience and ultimately increased sales. Once you’ve scanned the Guinness QR Cup it “tweets about your pint, updates your Facebook status, checks you in via Foursquare, downloads coupons and promotions, invites your friends to join you, and even launches exclusive Guinness content.”

The fantastic twist to this is that the QR code can only be used when the pint is filled with Guinness, no other drink will work. Some techie deserves a medal for this one! The clever concept created lots of media interest and featured in Brand Republic, Ad Week and The Grocer to name a few.

We could have go on and on and on about great 2012 campaigns. Let’s hope the second half of the year is just as creative.

FASHION LUST LIST AT LOVE BOX

 

instinct pr newbie

Hi all, my name is Christina and I’m the instinct pr’s newest team member. My background is mainly beauty and lifestyle so a perfect fit for instinct pr and their clients. Here is the inside scoop on my first week with the team.

My first week has gone by in a haze of meetings, tea and making friends with my Mac. It’s been great to get stuck in and immersed in work after having a few months off whilst I was travelling the world. Now I’m back in the game. A bit of a shock to the system though!

Day one = information overload. Team introductions, client backgrounds, ongoing projects, general HR admin, plus setting me up on a Mac which I have NEVER used before. Most important thing was where the kitchen is so I can make my tea (I’m a tea-oholic by the way). Getting to grips with my tasks for the week and letting all my contacts know my new details have been the order of the day.

Day two and I’m slowly getting used to my Mac. Although Jonathan did have to help me with quite simple tasks such as when I couldn’t work out how to print. Could have been a blonde moment or just a Mac moment. My brain managed to retain most of the information I was told yesterday though, plus I had a client meeting, which went really well. Some great gossip came out of it, although my lips are sealed…

Day three at instinct pr and I’m definitely getting into the swing of things. Work is busy and the days are flying past but I enjoy the fast-paced nature of it – you have to when you work in PR! We have lots of exciting things happening for BACARDI as well as Lipsy fragrance and Ultimo Beauty. Watch this space! After work we headed out for a drink as the sun had finally appeared. I’m getting to know everyone and it helps that we all like a glass of wine at the end of the day!

The remainder of the week passes by super fast. I’m working on a new beauty launch which is incredibly exciting as well as lots of media partnerships and events. It’s been a crazy week and I’m looking forward to a lie in tomorrow morning but it’s also been a lot of fun. We’ll have to see what next week at instinct pr has in store for me…

Weather, what’s up?

So, it’s a Tuesday morning…middle of June to be more specific and I entered the wardrobe admiring the faux fur collection. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.

Don’t get me wrong…an avid fan of AW in the right time of year, but in the 6th month of the year, I find the job of “coat searching” tedious, and it doesn’t sit right.

This time last year I remember the dilemma of choosing a denim jacket or cardigan- take me back to those days. Looking around instinct pr HQ, our friends are wool, denim and fur collars…in June.

High street is catering to our summer needs and as Drapers Magazine is continually informing us, drop in retail sales is prominent. I for one don’t wish to try on an aspiring outfit as a drowned rat, and this is apparently echoing the rest of the country.

Then waking up on now a Wednesday, and the sun is beaming. Whether the weather goddess heard my call, but my quick mind / wardrobe change to summer, as much as it is a welcome one, has thrown my body temperature and fashion colour palette.

Sun, please continue to shine –  you appear once in a blue moon, but the London atmosphere, roof top beverages and sporadic elements of colour on the London high streets are worth it!

Usain Bolt: Jamaican Me Crazy

Last Friday the instinct pr office started their Jubilee weekend with an exotic Jamaican twist at Village Underground. We were all lucky enough to attend the Puma launch of Jamaica’s Olympic kit. Designed by Cedella Marley, the kit was inspired by her revolutionary father and took its green, yellow and black colour scheme from the country’s flag.

The chilled, Jamaican themed party warmed up the crowd with their traditional cuisine, cans of Red Stripe and lethal concoctions of rum, while cool reggae beats played from the DJ booth.

Models cooly took to the catwalk to show off the Jamaican kit and bopped to the music, showing that surely Jamaica is one of the coolest, smoothest countries in the Olympics.  However, the best surprise was the finale. Easing, hopping and strutting down the catwalk like a natural was the world’s fastest man, and need I say probably one of the tallest, best built men too.

Usain Bolt appeared from the cloud of smoke, casually showcasing his muscular physique in a classic yellow vest pulling his signature ‘lightening bolt’ move.  He continued parading down the runway, hyping the crowd with his confident, humorous antics and infamous poses.

Usain certainly wasn’t shy when he later strolled from behind the stage to treat himself to some chicken, rice and peas (the biggest plate of food we’ve ever seen!).  The instinct team couldn’t help being this near to the star without seizing the perfect photo opportunity.

After seeing their stylish kit, being charmed by Usain and getting a little drunk on Jamaican Rum, it’s impossible to not support the Jamaican athletes in London 2012.

A Very Special Front Cover

Getting a front cover is always mega-exciting, but the front cover on this month’s Essentials is particularly special as the model, the lovely Katie Neiman, is a client of our wonderful Lucinda Ellery, the hair extensions specialist.

Many people hear the words “hair extensions” and immediately dismiss them as a vanity/beauty tool, however Lucinda’s work changes 1000s of women’s lives for the better as she specializes in helping women who have suffered with hair loss.

Whether it’s alopecia, trichotillomania (TTM, the hair pulling condition) or the result of chemotherapy, women can imagine how horrendous it is to lose your hair.  Lucinda helps these women by offering them a hugely effective solution by giving them fabulous, real hair extensions that makes them feel a million dollars again.

So having Katie Neiman, who has pulled her hair for six years, on the cover of Essentials is very special, as it raises awareness of hair loss in young women (which is a lot more common than people think) and it also shows women that there is a real solution.

For the full article, please see below, as well as some behind-the-scene pics from the shoot of Katie being pampered and posing!

Some of our recent coverage

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks in the instinct office but needless to say it’s been totally worth it. We are delighted to have received some fantastic coverage for our clients across various media outlets.

Here are a few highlights :

UTan Launch – Michelle Mone launches Ultimo Beauty

Following breakfast with the Beauty Director of Sunday Times Style, Edwina Ings-Chambers, the 20^th May edition of the Sunday Times Style took a shine to the UTan products, featuring them under their ‘What we learnt this week’ feature.

Cosmopolitan Online featured UTan in May’s Best New Beauty Buys.  Check out the full range of products at www.ultimobeauty.co.uk

UTan featured in The Daily Mirror on the 28^th May. Described as a ‘great multi-tasker’, UTan was 1 of 5 of products selected for a tan and tighten article.

On the 11^th May, UTan was mentioned in The Sun. With an emphasis on the product’s ability to not only tan but to also tone, the article also discusses the ingredients and effectiveness of the product. Find out more about the product at www.ultimobeauty.co.uk

Panache Lingerie:

The Page Swimsuit by Panache fitted in perfectly on the ‘InStyle Loves’ webpage. For more images and the whole Page print range, visit www.panache.co.uk

The Porcelain by Panache Superbra featured in the 2^nd June Issue of Reveal. Get your copy now and see for yourself.

We were very pleased that the Page swimsuit by Panache received three pieces of coverage in newly launched magazine Women’s Health. Get your copy of the Summer Issue now to have a peek!

Not only have we had print and online media coverage we are also excited to announce some coverage on Television.

Amira by Masquerade from Panache featured on The Lorraine show on ITV on the 5^th May.

laidback london:

laidback london’s Camilla flat sandals in gun metal gained a spot in what Bella Magazine is loving in the 22^nd May issue. Check out the summery beach items in the issue now!