Objectives
The agency was initially engaged to organise the announcement of the deal and launch the new brand in March 2016.
The £1.5m Mattel Play! Liverpool is the first attraction of its kind in Europe and features iconic children’s brands Thomas & Friendsᵀᴹ, Bob the Builderᵀᴹ and Fireman Samᵀᴹ.
With no advertising planned until after launch, the agency fed regular stories to the media including the Mayor’s backing, visualisations of the zones, opening date announcement and the arrival of Mattel Play!’s iconic characters.
Results
Since the announcement in October 2015, Boxed Off has secured hundreds of pieces of local regional and national print, broadcast and online media coverage. Highlights include Daily Mirror, Shanghai Daily, BBC Radio Merseyside, Liverpool ECHO, Bay TV, Radio City, Chester Chronicle and Manchester Evening News. There has also been extensive coverage in the regional business and trade press including North West Business Insider, The Business Desk, Travel GBI, Blooloop, Event magazine, Indoor Play, Toyworld and Vending Times.
By specifically targeting mummy bloggers, extensive reviews have also been secured in Mums In The Know, Let Them Be Small and Mini Travellers.
In terms of target audience for the launch, the Liverpool ECHO’s Mums’ Writer was our main focus and, as a result, 14 separate stories were drip-fed and posted online achieving more than 50,000 social media shares. A front page splash was also secured in the ECHO following the announcement in October.
The attraction opened to the public in March 2016, with Boxed Off securing Channel Five’s Milkshake! presenters to cut the ribbon on the day itself. Tickets sold out for much of the first month without the need for any advertising.
What the client says
“Since the initial announcement, Boxed Off has consistently delivered positive coverage and conveyed Mattel’s key messages for this unique attraction. Mattel Play! Liverpool is proving to be really popular and there is no doubt that the PR coverage in the months leading up to the opening has driven visitor numbers.”
Georgina Povey, Manager, Live Events & Attractions, Mattel, Inc.