We executed a two-phased approach over six months. Phase one focused on the products themselves and the story behind SevenYays, and phase two would promote new ranges launched later in 2021 for teens, men, and Christmas.
Ahead of the official launch on 1st June 2021, we created our kit of lifestyle and product shots to give us plenty of content for the website, social media, and our media kit. We then identified key journalists and influencers who were gifted with a calendar personalised to their tastes and a personalised branded card with a QR code driving them to a specially designed VIP restricted access web page where we housed our media kit. We wanted journalists to experience the brand and website customer journey, so they were gifted a free box each to send to a friend and the one they received in the post as a surprise.
We engaged 65 macro and micro-influencers on a gifted basis who posted on Instagram with various grid posts, Stories, and Reels, highlighting the quality of the boxes and gifts. We were strategic with our outreach and engaged people that were more generically lifestyle with the right audiences but also more niche accounts like ”ginfluencers” to help promote products like the ”Ginspiration” Calendar.
We created teaser and launch Instagram assets and started to post a week before launch with a countdown mechanic. We also created a social media strategy that included content around key awareness days, brand messaging, and products. SevenYays offers gifts from some gorgeous British Independent brands, including Masons Gin and Space Masks, who posted jointly branded launch content.
As well as gifting 50 journalists pre-launch, we issued a wider launch story to other key consumer contacts to secure as many product placements as possible. And we responded to any reactive gift call-out media requests and continued to pitch different products for different occasions, including Father’s Day. We issued a separate press story on the launch success, focusing on sales and the genius idea the family’s daughter thought up, tying into the GCSE results announcement in August 2021.
Phase Two
For phase two, we launched new products for men, teens, and children and a Christmas range which we gifted to key press and influencer contacts.
We focused on securing product placements around special occasions and key relevant topics, including Christmas, wellbeing, and men’s grooming.
We also pitched the calendars as an alternative corporate Christmas staff gift to regional and national trade and business media, which led to an order from The Financial Times!
See results below!
For more of our lifestyle and retail PR agency work, visit our case studies page