CASE STUDY 1: COCOA BLACK CHOCOLATE COMPANY, PEEBLES
Cocoa Black produces a delicious high end product!
Brief: To introduce Cocoa Black, a newly formed company in the Scottish Borders, to the Scottish media as THE provider of luxury handmade chocolates and patisserie and the first port of call when looking for first class tuition in chocolate and cake making and an appreciation of quality chocolate. The company is run by experienced and award winning pastry chef Ruth Hinks and her husband David.
Target publications: get the Cocoa Black name and message into some of Scotland's leading Food and Drink pages - coverage was achieved in Scottish Field; Homeplus Scotland; Homes and Interiors Scotland and the Sunday Times Scotland Ecosse Food section to name but a few.
Advantage PR compiled a number of specially targeted press packs covering all of Cocoa Black's main target markets:
- foodie consumers keen to buy luxury handmade chocolates with confidence from one of Scotland's top pastry chefs
- foodie consumers keen to try out chocolate making courses for the day (or buy as a gift) and actually learn how to produce stunning chocolates, cakes and desserts for dinner parties etc
- the corporate market keen to experience an affordable team building day with a difference or choose the company as its supplier for branded corporate gifts
- the professional chef market with younger less experienced pastry chefs wishing to emulate Ruth Hinks and brush up on their pastry skills with her one on one tuition.
Top pastry chef Ruth Hinks hard at work
Trying out the chocolate making courses was an essential part of the campaign - I wanted to get as many quality journalists as possible to come and experience Ruth's high quality tuition in small groups. Appreciation of chocolate is on a par nowadays with fine wine and explaining the careful sourcing of Ruth's chocolate and the artistry of her craft was a unique USP for the company. During the media launch event the Food Critic from the List in Edinburgh was in attendance as well as Scottish Field and several other publications.
I also recommended competitions as an effective way of building the brand with readers winning chocolate courses and hampers of goodies. Comps were run in Homeplus Scotland's new Supplement SO magazine as well as Scottish and Universal's West Lothian Courier.
Cocoa Black then developed courses aimed at children such as the Halloween chocolate making course, with Advantage PR attracting journalists such as Janet Christie from The Scotsman who writes about the family market. She came with her daughter and her friend to try out this course and it produced a fabulous article in the weekend magazine.
Coverage is still coming in for Cocoa Black with a Sunday Mail double page spread pending. The company has also attracted the attention of BBC Landward magazine with the episode due for screening on 18 Dec 2009. Cocoa Black chocolates are now being stocked in Harvey Nichols.