DATS in 2021
January
In January, we joined forces with Simon Wood to help feed families in need, through our campaign ‘Feeding Families with Simon Wood’.
We found ourselves outraged by the failure to provide children with substantial meals, something they would receive if they were in school, but due to the current lockdown restrictions they went without. We were also incredibly inspired by the work of Marcus Rashford and his continued fight to ensure that children across the UK were fed.
Joining forces with acclaimed Masterchef champion, Simon Wood, we went on to showcase what £30 worth of food from a supermarket should actually look like, compared to the free school meal parcels provided by the government and hopefully held them to account and make them do better in the future.
FeedingFamiliesFor30 invited people to show what £30 of food really looks like when done properly, buying dried goods, tinned produce and essentials from a supermarket of their choice and donating the goods to a local food bank.
Simon Wood also created a series of quick and tasty recipes which used dried goods and tinned produce, so that families can easily make them at home. An absolute masterpiece was the Spam Biryani.
February
Our client, Chopstix Noodle Bars loves to think outside the box and so do we! Due to lockdown restrictions, Chinese New Year 2021 was cancelled. With this in mind, and taking inspiration from the viral Tik Tok cooking videos making the rounds, we worked with them to create the first ever pizza made in a wok!
The recipe allowed people to celebrate the occasion from the comfort and safety of their own homes and also showcasing the Chopstix brand as fun, quirky and tasty.
March
Led by a team of women, Diablesse Rum, is an independent female-owned rum brand based in Manchester, disrupting the landscape of a predominantly male rum industry.
For International Women's Day in March 2021, with the country in lockdown and IWD events forced online, we worked with Diablesse Rum and Manchester-based illustrator and graphic designer, Alexandra Francis, to create two limited edition prints of two inspirational women, past and present.
Featuring Kamala Harris and Emmeline Pankhurst, the prints were designed in the IWD colours of purple, green and white, seeing all proceeds going to The Pankhurst Trust.
Alongside the prints, female mixologist Sammie Cox has designed three International Women’s Day Diablesse cocktails, with each one representing the IWD colours and meanings. Plus, in collaboration with Femme Forward, male & female bartenders from around the UK were invited to post their own Diablesse white, purple and green cocktails on social on the day to honour the occasion. The perfect tipples to toast International Women’s Day and powerful females doing great things.
April
Have you even worked in PR in the North West if you haven’t had a client in Blackpool?
April saw us appointed to work with ART B&B an exciting new boutique art hotel at the heart of the resort.
The hotel, which was set to launch in early 2020, was shut for the majority of 2020 and 2021 following an initial soft opening period and was ready to welcome guests and make a huge splash.
That’s where we came in.
The work we have done was to clarify and refine the positioning for the hotel and how to describe its very unique position in the Blackpool accommodation market.
The hotel features 30 rooms designed by 30 different contemporary artists, it has suites with bars in and incredibly comfy beds right on the famous sea front.
May
May saw us put down our roots into a permanent office in Manchester City centre! We took up residence in the Treehouse at Buffalo 7, a great place for us to work and meet.
June
June saw a great win for our SOCIAL division, we welcomed Kampus to our portfolio.
Kampus is a vibrant new neighbourhood in Manchester’s city centre, a collection of old and new buildings offers a melting pot of architectural styles and builds on a rich cultural heritage, making use of historic buildings that lay derelict for years, right next to the famous Canal Street in Manchester’s Gay Village and just minutes from Piccadilly Station.
We started working with Kampus in June 2021, from here we have helped them build a loyal, engaged and inclusive community online to reflect their growing community of residents. In under six months with Kampus, we have almost doubled their Instagram following which is now 7,200+ people strong.
Through the creation and implementation of expert social media strategy and consistent account management, Kampus now reaches over 4,000 individual accounts each week. We have grown reach significantly on Facebook and Twitter despite the challenge of those channels being less visual-centric than Instagram. What’s more, we’re proud to say we have built a healthy and sustained engagement rate of 2-5%, which is way above the average for a brand on Instagram.
July
July saw us solidify our London operation with a national launch for Islington-based disruptive wine bar, Bar Liber. The venue, which promises to make wine fun again with signature services such as the £100 cocktail The Empire Punch, appointed us to handle PR and social to promote on a regional and national level to consumer and trade media.
Bar Liber’s Empire Punch is the first full recreation of the infamous amazing wine cocktail in many decades. Sourced from Harry Johnson’s seminal Bartenders Manual, first published in the 1880’s, a combination of liqueurs, wine and Champagne including Hennessy Paradis Imperial Cognac, Dom Perignon 2010 Champagne, Patricius 6 Puttonyos Tokaji, Blandy’s 1980 Serical Madeira and Chateau Lafite 2008, the Empire Punch is worth a staggering £5k, and will be made in specialist batches, costing £100 per serving.
August
We were so happy to work on delivering an in person Manchester Pride Festival in 2021.
This saw us continue the vital work we do in raising the profile of the charity and working with media and influencers to keep the conversation about equality and inclusion moving forwards.
We announced that the festival was happening in February to give everyone time to digest the plan and then last Thursday at 9am tickets went on sale.
The weekend rainbow passes to Manchester Pride Live sold out in less than an hour!
September
Clementine’s, is a newly renovated boutique hotel situated in the heart of York. We were tasked with creating a full-scale PR campaign in September to raise awareness of the hotel, making sure to highlight its quirkiness.
Blending classic art with modern-day mischief, Clementine’s sees cheeky interior touches, where Parisian chic meets Yorkshire heritage. So, what did we do to stand out in the hotel market?
Looking to pay homage to the iconic Chocolate Orange, we worked with Clementine’s to create a dedicated Chocolate Orange hotel suite!
The aptly named Chocolate Orange Room gives chocolate orange lovers the chance to indulge in a chocolate paradise with the room, including chocolate orange-themed gifts upon arrival.
A series of themed chocolate cocktails were also created by Clementine’s in-house mixologist, with Chocolate Orange Daiquiris and After Eight Mojitos available via room service, or to be sipped in the hotel bar, providing guests with the full chocolate experience.
It all started with a very fun and slightly cheeky photoshoot at Clementine’s. Our wonderful model looked to recreate a scene from the cult-classic American Beauty, covered in orange rose petals.
The campaign was met with rapturous applause from the press with one journalist describing it as ‘Genius PR’.
October
Something wicked this way comes!
We were so pleased to be working with The Spooktacular in October, a Halloween fairground in Silverburn, Glasgow featuring a ton of spooky rides and surprises.
November
November saw us get not one, but TWO new alcohol clients!
First up, Skinny Lager, a 4% ABV lager with only 89 calories per bottle! Not to mention it’s also gluten-free and vegan-certified.
Putting the bear in beer, Beartown Brewery was born out of Congleton in 1994, blossoming in the world of cask beer. Over the years they have evolved with the market, adding bottles, cans and kegs to their range.
December
Rockin around the DATS Christmas tree, looking back at 2021 is really quite something! From new team members, new clients and of course some epic campaigns. We have so much more in store for 2022, the question is, world, are you ready?