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LUCRE NEWS: SUPPORTING CAULDRON FOODS’ CARBON NEUTRAL CERTIFICATION

We’re delighted to announce that we have been appointed by Cauldron Foods, a leading British plant based food brand, to support it’s UK PR strategy. The win adds to an impressive range of clients amongst our rapidly growing Food & Drink division, examples such as; Stonegate Pub Company, Distill Ventures and The Dalmore.

Cauldron Foods has been creating delicious, award-winning plant based food over 40 years. Headquartered in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, the company offers a wide range of vegan and vegetarian great-tasting products that deliver – above all else – flavour, flexibility, and satisfaction.

We were briefed to deliver creative ideas to announce the fact that, as of January 2022, Cauldron Foods has 100% carbon neutral certification across its full range of products.

Tom Lindley, Cauldron Business Unit Head at Cauldron Foods, comments: “We’re always striving to improve the impact we have on our planet and the launch of our new Korean Bites sees us move our products into the Carbon Neutral space for the first time. We wanted to ensure that consumers were aware of this fantastic development in our journey and were incredibly impressed by the strategic and creative approach pitched by The Lucre Group. Our work together in preparation to launch this Veganuary has been a great partnership and as such, we look forward to an ongoing relationship with them.”

Tamarind Wilson-Flint, Director of The Lucre Group, said: “Plant based is increasingly on people’s radars and as a result, the market has become more and more cluttered. Our campaign concept is one unique to Cauldron Foods and all about communicating their journey from plant based products to planet based products. A perfect alignment with their entire range being certified as carbon neutral and a truly authentic way to ensure it is their name on everyone’s lips. It’s such a wonderful and worthy brand to work with and our results speak for themselves.”

Read the feature on Prolific North here. If you want to learn more about how we can support your brand on it’s sustainability journey, get in touch.

Sadie Straw: My Experience as an Intern in Public Relations

Five months ago, I started my twelve-month placement with The Lucre Group after my first two years at university studying Journalism, Public Relations and Media. My time at university gave me a great starting point for entering the communications industry, and my time at Lucre so far has already allowed me to develop my skills even more.

One of the things I love the most about Lucre is its culture. It’s very team-oriented and has given me the opportunity to create strong connections and rapport with colleagues and with clients. Working in a fast-paced environment this has proven invaluable, and not only have I learnt so much about the industry but I’ve also developed my skill set even more in the process. The detail-driven team within the agency have taught me the routes to success, and are always on hand when I need some support – it’s a great foundation that I will take on throughout my career.

During my week I am kept busy with client calls, writing press releases and features, liaising with journalists, and tracking the coverage we have achieved for our clients daily. No day is ever the same and being able to work across B2C and B2B clients, alongside influencer campaigns, is exciting – I love the collaboration and creative process, so being able to work with the team to develop ideas and then implement them has been great.

Working across both our Leeds and London teams has helped me learn about all areas of PR, whilst getting some insight our friends across the Audience Collective has given lots more useful insights.

I came to Leeds with passion and enthusiasm to achieve great things in PR, and so far Lucre has helped me springboard my career. I feel so grateful and am much more prepared for a career in PR – I can’t wait to see what the next seven months bring, before I head back to university in September to finish my degree.

To check in with what else we are doing as a Lucre family please follow us @lucregroup.

How to Rule the Seven Kingdoms of the PR World by Tom Lord

Winter’s not only coming, it’s here! Game of Thrones is back on our screens for its eighth and final series and it’s fair to say that its many fans are hyped.  

Where there’s hype there are also lots of great PR opportunities. In fact, some of our favourite campaigns to come through so far include a global quest to find the hidden thrones, GoT shaped biscuit bites a blood donation drive and even a dragon skin sofa. But, before we find out once and for all who’ll reside on the Iron Throne and rule the Seven Kingdoms, here are seven lessons that we believe PR and creative agencies can take from the series so far.

  1. Research the company you keep

Nothing highlights the consequences of misjudging the company you keep like the ‘Red Wedding’! Now, we’re fairly confident that incorrect audience insight won’t result in bloodshed (certainly not to this scale). However, it can end up with uncomfortable conversations, poor performing campaigns or lacklustre engagement (which to us is surely as bad?). Whether it’s crunching your social feed figures or simply spending time listening to your consumer, getting to know your audiences and their interests is key to surviving the comms game. It’s why insight forms the foundation of any campaign we create.

  1. Collaborate

Despite their initial savagery towards one another, the men of the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings knew that they had to join forces in order to have a chance of defeating the White Walkers. Collaborations can create beautiful content and opportunities. A great example of this is the ‘All in. Leeds’ movement, which saw an army of creative agencies join forces in a bid to welcome Channel 4 to the city of Leeds.

  1. Knowledge is power

Samwell Tarly might not be the greatest warrior, but he’s shown us that knowledge truly is power by unearthing the secret to potentially defeating the White Walkers – dragon glass! Knowledge is key to supporting any PR or content campaign and the use of a credible source or a strong research piece will always add weight to your work.

  1. Be brave

It’s fair to say that GoT has never played it safe. From the incest scenes it featured in the very first episode to each brutally graphic death scene along the way, the show continues to push boundaries and get people talking. You’re never going to set the world alight like Daenerys’ dragons without pushing boundaries and taking calculated risks from time to time– be brave!

  1. Be true to yourself

Whether you love her or hate her, nobody can question Cersei Lannister’s strength or ability to stay true to herself! After losing her children – and having been dragged through the streets of King’s Landing in her birthday suit – she remained as feisty and fearless as ever. Her motives and approach have always been clear and, although she’s not your textbook heroine, she’s a character you’ll always remember and has built a loyal following because of this. In the world of communications, it can be easy to lose your voice. When trying to please everyone, you’re in danger of talking directly to no-one. Have a voice, stand for something, stay true to your values, passion or mission and your fans will find you – whoever you are!

  1. Up your game!

The PR world is an ever-changing landscape and it’s essential to keep ahead of the game wherever you can – perfecting your strategy, approach and tactics with every step. Just like in Oberyn Martell’s showdown with The Mountain, the consequences of taking your eye off the ball can be devastating.  Thanks to our I&I team, we’re constantly updated with the latest tools, topics and techniques to go to battle for our brands and it’s an approach we can thoroughly recommend.

  1. Famous faces aren’t always the answer

Using a celeb to head up a campaign can have amazing results if the fit is right – but it isn’t a sure-fire way of guaranteeing success. Remember when Ed Sheeran popped up as Lannister soldier in series seven? Let’s just leave that one there.

Lucre News: Meadowhall buys into The Lucre Group

We are pleased to announce Meadowhall, one of the nation’s most prestigious fashion and lifestyle hotspots based in Yorkshire, as The Lucre Group’s newest account.

One of six super-regional shopping destinations in the UK, with over 290 stores and more than 50 places to eat and drink, Meadowhall has played a fundamental role in the development of the retail landscape over the past 28 years and we are proud to be representing them throughout Yorkshire and the UK.

Having recently completed an extensive £100 million transformation and with planning approved for a £300m Leisure Hall, adding a further 300,000 sq. ft of leisure space and creating 1,550 new jobs, Meadowhall is well on its way to cementing its market-leading position, with The Lucre Group here to build on the brand’s ambitious plans. Perfectly placed amongst our clients such as Debenhams and Kohler Mira, Meadowhall is now a welcome part of our growing Home and Lifestyle division,

Richard Pinfold, Marketing Director at Meadowhall, has said: “The Lucre Group showed an incredible level of creativity, passion and understanding in its pitch that really caught our imagination. The centre itself has been through a staggering transformation of late and so it’s fantastic to have a new team on board, ready to promote these changes and really bring our Seeing is Believing branding to life.”

 

“Meadowhall is an iconic destination with exciting times ahead and we’re delighted to be joining it’s dynamic marketing team. Home and Lifestyle is one of four specialist divisions in The Lucre Group and an area in which we have extensive experience. It’s this, alongside our approach to strategic planning and creative content, that makes us the perfect partner to help maximise the many opportunities that lie ahead.”

Tamarind Wilson-Flint, Co-Owner and Director, The Lucre Group

Missing a trick with GoPro? by Rose Dooley

It started as a surfer using a botched camera to film his action on the waves. But today, the GoPro camera is now a must-have on any traveller’s packing check list, a technology household name and a dream for any brand wanting its consumers to share experiences in an immersive way.

Providing a unique and incredibly personal perspective for viewers, GoPro cameras are now frequently used to maximise engagement on campaigns, events and PR stunts across the world.

One of the brands at the forefront of GoPro usage is Red Bull. Targeting adrenaline junkies and adventure seekers, the global partnership between Red Bull and GoPro has allowed viewers to immerse themselves in anything from a Formula1 race to a sky dive and its produced great results. This success has led us to expect a certain pace or feel from GoPro edits. But it’s not just fast and furious footage that can have an impact.

Way back in 2013, GoPro released a video of a fireman saving a cat from a fire, providing heart-warming moments rather than the heart-stopping ones audiences have grown used to. This type of content was met with an equally strong reaction and allowed the GoPro brand to reach out to an audience beyond exotic explorers.

This style of softer, slower and more emotionally-driven content can be seen in other campaigns but GoPros are often overlooked when it comes to capturing it, simply because of the stereoptypes we’ve become used to. Experiential restaurants, first dates or job interviews could all be possible ways for brands to still use the personal point of view that GoPros provide to tell compelling stories GoPro will continue to go hand in hand with adventure but, in the world of video creation, brands have a real opportunity to embrace this type of content at a slower pace to fit with their own products and ethos.

Making the Most of Switch Search Fever by Rebecca Mann

With March’s release of the Nintendo Switch console drawing closer, the internet is buzzing with the promise of new gaming experiences for 2017. Whether it’s the return of our favourite plumber pal in Super Mario Odyssey or the console’s unique combination of portable/home gaming, there are plenty of reasons to celebrate its arrival. And, as the hype only builds prior to 3rd March, we can look forward to being updated with conversations, reviews and analysis articles across the media for the foreseeable future.

Watching Google Trends over the past months, and seeing the visible leaps in search traffic every time a new announcement or trailer is shared, it’s not just gamers that will be excited about the Nintendo Switch. As we saw with Pokémon GO in 2016, innovations in gaming also provide the PR and content creation communities with lots of opportunities too!

From topical blog posts timed perfectly to support SEO plans to witty graphics that help reach new audiences on social feeds, there are numerous ways that brands can utilise trending topics to help their engagement/awareness strategies. It is important to note, however, that jumping on a band wagon is NOT a guaranteed recipe for success as can be seen in the below Pokémon GO example from 2016.

Super mario post image 2

With launches that have such an avid following and die-hard fan base, expectations and competition for content is especially high. So, if you’re planning to make the most of Switch search fever this year, here are five questions you may want to ask yourself before you get posting:

-Is the topic relevant to my audience/is there a brand benefit to joining in the conversation

-Have I got anything to offer to/further the conversation on this topic?

-What are my objectives and when will I need to post my content to support them?

-Will my content make my audience feel anything/want to respond/engage?

-Have I done my research (including everything from the sensitivities involved to the correct hashtag I should use)?

Provenance vs Price: The Future of British Food Post-Brexit

This month we held our second Lucre Group Ideas & Insight session looking at the Food & Drink sector. The title was Provenance vs Price: The Future of British Food Post-Brexit. A very relevant topic in the current uncertainty of whether Brexit will be an opportunity or a challenge for food manufacturers, retailers and ultimately, customers.

We held the event in the stunning setting of the National Association of British and Irish Millers which backs onto Green Park in central London and has the Ritz as its neighbour. We invited a host of food industry experts from a variety of businesses, including Iceland, British Pepper & Spice, Sacla, Hellmans, Trealy Farm Charcuterie, Yorkshire Farmhouse Eggs and the Quality Food Awards.

They all came to listen to four speakers who looked at different angles to the British food debate.

Margaret McSorley Walker, a food trends consultant for major FMCG brands and supermarkets including Asda and M&S, talked through emerging British food trends from butter and seaweed to quark and cold-smoked chocolate. We had a personal tasting session from James Swift of his award-winning British Trealy Farm Charcuterie. We were inspired by Fraser Doherty’s story on how he set up SuperJam when he was just 16-years-old and looked at the hard realities of shopper behaviour and retailer strategies from retail commentator, Bryan Roberts.

The consensus was that British food is living through an increasingly interesting, exciting and challenging time. Brexit could offer some opportunities for British food manufacturers as it becomes cheaper to source home-grown products but it’s important to always keep a close eye on costs and pricing. British customers like the idea of British-made food but the weekly shopping bill is still tightly controlled, and shoppers won’t tolerate large hikes in prices.

All in all, it was a fascinating look at the issues surrounding British food and the likely impact of Brexit which is causing a lot of uncertainty, but one thing is certain…we have some brilliant food producers in the UK both big and small, and we should be doing everything we can to celebrate them.

You can see some highlights of the event in this video.

 

 

 

 

How much fun is this? make your own new London Tube line sign

Well this has whiled away the time at Lucre Towers, as we made our own new London Tube line signs.  Our lovely friends at BuzzFeedUK really know how to hit the spot!

Naturally, we had our own take on it.

There was the fairly literal approach:

washing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And:

jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although some were more sporty.  Our resident tennis buff gave us:

tennis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some went slightly off-piste:

balls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And (there’s always one) went her own way entirely:

 

judging you

 

Luckiest Girl Alive – book review

Luckiest Girl Alive

 

When Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll was been tipped as the must-read book of 2015, it went immediately onto our reading list.  Yes, it’s taken us a little while to get round to it, but hey, we read a lot! Anyway, the novel entered the UK market in July last year with a position in the Top 10 New York Times Betseller list already under its belt, along with comparisons to previous blockbuster hits in the contemporary fiction world, including Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.

It’s no plot spoiler to suggest the protagonist is perhaps not quite as lucky as the title portrays, from the poisonous sting of yellow font on the front cover overlaying a deadly black rose, to the first sentence “I inspected the knife in my hand.” Not the subtlest of introductions but the subsequent pages turn effortlessly as this latest popular thriller unfolds.

With Reese Witherspoon snapping up the rights to a film adaptation in the US, and media outlets across both sides of the Atlantic rushing to leave rave reviews, the book has also gone on to perform sensationally here in the UK since its release, buoyed by traditional marketing techniques enhanced by social media.

Central to this has been Jessica Knoll, of whom it could be said has taken on a character herself in support of promoting her first fictional work. A former senior editor at Cosmopolitan in the US and currently an editor at SELF, Knoll has played a critical role in the story behind the story, with comparisons being made between herself and her fictional anti-heroine.

Supported by a clever influencer strategy helping to maintain in excess of 2 million impressions of the hashtag, #LuckiestGirlAlive on Twitter in only one week, the social buzz was peppered with cross platform author Q&As, interviews and competitions, including a $1,000 prize draw, covering everything from the contents on the page to Knoll’s career path.

Whether interested in Jessica’s steps to stardom, or fictional TifAni’s road to redemption, Luckiest Girl Alive is definitely worth a read for fans of crime fiction. We’d like to see the next smash hit focus on a more positive female role model. Drunk, damaged or dangerous has been the topic of debate around the female dialogues in the latest genre success stories including the aforementioned Gone Girl and Girl on the Train. While the tortured hero is not a new character concept for men either, it would be nice to see an inspiring female lead take the spotlight, we’re confident ‘good’ girls can be interesting too.