Background
The Chapelfield site has been famous in Norwich for a century and made the capital of East Anglia famous around the world for chocolate. Chapelfield, the £275 million development and largest shopping centre to open in the country in 2005, regenerates the former Nestlé factory site and has created a prime fashion destination in Norwich as well as a retail heart for a new cultural quarter.
Objectives
The PR campaign needed to communicate the opening of Chapelfield on 21st September 2005, announcing the arrival of over 80 retailers (40 of which are new to Norwich) and 17 cafes and restaurants, to consumers in Norwich and the surrounding areas and position Chapelfield as a prime shopping destination in Norwich. It was essential that the launch was managed sensitively to ensure a quality experience for all first time visitors and avoid congestion issues in the city centre on opening day and weekend.
The Lord Mayor and Duncan Bower, Development Director at Chapelfield, at the media breakfast
The Lord Mayor and Duncan Bower, Development Director at Chapelfield, at the media breakfast
Press and local dignitaries gathered by the Castle Museum to witness the spire being turned on
Planning and Implementation
To prevent overwhelming visitor numbers on opening day, it was decided the opening date would be announced through PR activity only.
The PR campaign implemented a proactive press office function to achieve regular editorial coverage in the run up to opening. Product placement in the key local media announced key seasonal pieces and new products. Organising competitions and reader offers achieved strong branding for both the retailer involved and the centre itself.
Creating a timeline to incorporate the history of the site with the future of Chapelfield demonstrated how Norwich is evolving with the times and linked Chapelfield with the cultural destinations around the centre positioning it as a complementary quarter to the city.
Three media previews were held in the run up to opening, updating the media on progress and for key moments such as the turning on of the spire and including the launch day media breakfast and preview tour.
Press and local dignitaries gathered by the Castle Museum to witness the spire being turned on
Creativity
To position Chapelfield as the prime fashion destination in Norwich The Works produced a high quality glossy boutique-style shopping bag to give to all guests on opening day. The bag was filled with products from a broad range of retailers in the centre, showcasing the type of products available. Throughout opening day, shoppers in other areas of the city saw the bags and were led to Chapelfield.
The launch day itself featured lots of outdoor entertainment such as stilt walkers, musicians and fake paparazzi to entertain the queues of people waiting for the centre to open and to continue throughout the day. Promotional staff handed out leaflets and retailer offers throughout the city centre and street artists directed the way to Chapelfield.
Results
The PR coverage reached almost 12 million regional consumers in six months. The coverage achieved amounted to 23 times the value of the client’s PR budget.
Chapelfield was featured in every single broadcast news bulletin on opening day and was run as the lead story on two thirds of those occasions.