Arch Stories #3

There have been many occasions when a client has said they expect us to get them on the front page – and I always reply: “That’s the last place you want to be!” Because if you’re on the front page, it’s usually for the wrong reasons. My latest PR story focuses on the potential power of good news….

Business opportunities can come to you in many different ways. A few years ago, Arch Communications were commissioned by Social Enterprise East Midlands to support a new social business – so-called, because of its potential to have a positive impact on society. Right up our street!

The Nottingham business was set up by Nicky Gray, whose two children have severe food intolerances. Her aim was to train restaurants and schools to raise awareness and reduce health risks.

Arch developed a complete marketing strategy – re-branding the company as Food Freedom (freedom of choice, freedom from risk, freedom from stigma) and shaping its narrative. The strategy also set out the tactics for reaching the business’s two key markets – food outlets and schools. We sourced web developers and wrote the content, prepared pitch presentations for Nicky and coached her on using social media to build awareness and generate sales.

Things really got interesting when Nicky asked us to deliver a PR launch for Food Freedom. My immediate question to her was: “Are you willing to use your own role as a mother of children with food intolerance to promote your new venture? When she said she was, I knew we had a good chance of success.

Why so? Because half the battle in PR is spotting the potential in a story and using it to best effect. The link between Nicky’s business and her experiences as a parent provided a powerful human interest element to the overall narrative. Big tick.

However, we also wanted to add some gravitas to maximise the story’s impact. For this, the timing was helpful. New EU legislation was about to be introduced, requiring any catering outlets to display details of key allergens potentially in their food.

On top of that, in assessing the market for Food Freedom Nicky had surveyed local restaurants about the new rules. Perhaps not surprisingly, awareness was low. Many local businesses were at risk of unwittingly breaking the law. Now we had all the ingredients we needed (no pun intended)...

As a PR launch event, Nicky staged a food intolerance training session at a well-known Nottingham restaurant for 20 chefs from across the city. This provided nice pictures for regional TV and a whole host of food professionals willing to be interviewed about the issue.

The result was blanket local coverage – online, on TV and radio, and a major double page feature in the Nottingham Post. The launch event created a buzz within the local catering industry, delivering a steady stream of training requests to Food Freedom. 

Our PR efforts also helped to position Nicky Gray as a food intolerance expert, leading to appearances on BBC Radio 4, BBC Breakfast News and follow-up stories by local media.

This worked as a good news story, because the various different elements and angles made it strong enough to be taken seriously. It was topical, relevant to the wider public and it had the human touch.

As Nicky Gray said: “Arch Communications are true experts in PR and marketing. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have insight into such knowledge and experience.”

Thanks Nicky!