The challenge
In a crowded market of Christmas tree sales, we were tasked with generating maximum coverage for Christmas tree providers Pines and Needles in all areas in which they operate – including London.
The ROUS+
Treatment…
Grown in two plantations in Perthshire and Aberdeenshire up in picturesque Scotland, Pines and Needles feathery firs have donned the homes of celebrities such as Richard Madeley, Dermot O’Leary, David Tennant and Madonna to name a few.
We first started working with the company back in 2016 and just a few months in to our working relationship, a stellar PR story almost went under the radar!
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, then only rumoured to be dating, were pictured buying a tree from Pines’s Battersea Park store. We received an email on December 12th stating ‘Don’t think you’ll be able to make anything of this but…” – of course, we did.
Our team worked overnight to ensure every national news desk knew exactly where the hottest couple of the moment were buying their tree.
The coverage wave was impressive, and the company still receives notoriety for being ‘the place where Harry and Meghan were first spotted’ as an official couple.
Not a one-trick pony
However, the Nathan Rous PR team were also certain to ensure Pines and Needles weren’t just a one-trick pony. We began by identifying potential stories including the company’s offer of a decoration and removal service. It was perfect for those busy Londoners that Pines and Needles would be targeting.
We’ve now worked with the company for four years, with each season presenting its opportunities and its challenges.
As former journalists, we know that telling a great story is the backbone of most successful campaigns, and that’s exactly what we did.
Christmas in July
We begin working on Christmas in July, ensuring our client is at the top of the nice list for journalists every year, and then high-season begins in September.
Utilising our vast network of journalists, we were able to encourage the press to review the experience the company wanted every London home to have.
The Results
- Pines & Needles reached a huge 47 million in national coverage in the Telegraph, Daily Mail and The Sun as well as regional publications Time Out London, The Resident and the Absolute magazine group.
- The company has also featured in national broadcast programmes such as Inside Track on BBC World and regionally across the BBC radio network.
- We have also created and maintained relationships between Pines and Needles and other brands such as Oak Furniture Land and ZSL London Zoo, allowing for cross promotion across a variety of sectors.
