The brief
Beach Street Felixstowe, launched by Mannings, is a brand-new seafront development in the coastal town of Felixstowe. The ‘box park’ inspired shopping and eating area was created from upcycled shipping containers and includes an eclectic selection of street food stalls, art, clothing and gift shops with more on the way.
The development needed to be launched and promoted as an exciting new shopping and eating destination; first to the local press and media and then to national titles.
Following the launch, ongoing media relations for Beach Street Felixstowe needed to be promoted to build on the excitement of this vibrant new visitor destination all year round.
"Elma has been doing a brilliant job of securing a wide range of local and national coverage across online, TV and radio media for Beach Street Felixstowe. She worked with us on our soft launch in December 2020 to ensure the public knew we were open for Christmas shopping, and has continued to consistently raise our profile in new publications, podcasts and websites.
"Elma assisted at our official launch day in June 2021 by inviting key contacts in arts and culture! Her expertise and media relationships have helped our new business reach new audiences, while maintaining a tone of excitement, fun and warmth, which is what Beach Street is all about!" - Charlie and Jonny Manning, brothers and owners of Beach Street Felixstowe
The strategy
The strategy is ongoing and constantly in development, but the focus is on reflecting the vibrant and friendly nature of Beach Street Felixstowe, showcasing any new traders as they join the community and raising the profile of Beach Street within Felixstowe and Suffolk as a go-to destination for tourists and locals alike.
Boosting the profile of this new destination and getting the information out to as many people as possible is a vital part of the ongoing strategy. So far, this has involved:
· A soft launch in December 2020 (between lockdowns) to let people know about a new destination that was opening for Christmas shopping.
· Ongoing media relations work between January 2020 and present.
· Creating brand new messaging for Beach Street Felixstowe.
· Collaborating with the social media team at At Large to ensure the messaging and content were closely in synch, presenting a coherent brand image.
· Liaising with traders at Beach Street and making sure information is kept up to date.
· Contacting new traders as soon as they move into Beach Street to capture their stories for PR and the Beach Street blog.
· Blog writing for the Beach Street website.
· Regular announcements for new traders and events to the press.
The results
The project is ongoing, and so far, the results have been positive. Beach Street Felixstowe has had a high level of coverage in local and regional titles, including:
· The East Anglian Daily Times
· Suffolk Live
· Planet Radio
· The Suffolk Money podcast
· ITV Anglia
· Radio Suffolk
· Suffolk Magazine.
The project has also been picked up and reported on by national titles including:
· MyLondon
· The Upcoming
· We Heart
· Great British Life.
The development was also featured in the final list of The Sunday Times Best Great British Beach Guide 2021.