Blackpool Agency demos Tourism PR Skills to win gold

Blackpool-based PR and content agency, Catapult PR, has demonstrated why being based in a tourism hotspot like the Fylde Coast might be beneficial to its business.  

The agency has recently added award 68 to its trophy cabinet, having won the coveted PR Moment Award (North) for the Culture, Media, Sport and Travel Communications Campaign of the Year.

 The award is the 38th award out of its 68 in total that Catapult PR has won for a travel and tourism PR campaign.  

Jane Hunt, managing director, says travel PR is in her blood, having spent her younger years growing up in one of the resort’s biggest hotels at the time.

 Catapult PR channelled all of its travel and tourism PR expertise, when competing against campaigns from across the northern region, including Wales and Scotland.  

It also had to battle against fierce competition, which included a campaign for theme park Alton Towers.

 Despite the strength of the other contenders, and only a modest budget for its initiatives, the Blackpool agency emerged with the award.  The judges’ notes read: “This campaign highlights what can be done with a small budget, massive creativity and determination to meet client objectives. Up there with the big hitters.”

 The winning campaign was conducted for one of Catapult PR’s Cumbria-based clients, Levens Hall and Gardens, for whom it has handled award-winning campaigns for five years.  

However, due to its reputation, Catapult PR has not only worked extensively for tourism clients in the Lake District but also in counties such as Northumberland, County Durham and Yorkshire.  It has also delivered travel PR consultancy in Italy.

 The latest award followed notification that Catapult PR’s tourism, travel and leisure podcast, Poodling Around, made it into Spotify’s top 10 rankings, worldwide, for the term ‘visitor attractions’.  

Podcast episodes, in the last year, have featured everyone from a leader of the Battlements Tour at Langley Castle hotel, in Northumberland, to a representative from tour company, L’altra Venezia, in Venice and a tour guide in the German city of Bremen.

 Appearing on the podcast is just another perk for Catapult PR’s clients, although the agency is increasingly getting pitches from interviewees wanting to appear on the show.  

Jane Hunt has this month recorded a podcast with one such interviewee from St Louis, USA, who has a pet product that can help keep pets exercised, entertained and less stressed.

 Jane Hunt said: “We are thrilled with everything going on with our travel and tourism PR portfolio right now, along with the continued growth and popularity of the Poodling Around podcast.

The PR Moment Awards judges’ comments sum things up. We can work almost miracles with very modest budgets and largely thanks to the creative ideas and passion for which we are renowned.  All we need is a client willing to think differently and one who will take on board our advice and creative concepts.”

 To talk to Catapult PR about such a results-focused travel or tourism PR campaign, call 0333 2424062.