Horse Racing was not the only bet on at Royal Ascot Ladies Day, when the traditional battle of the hats became a tongue in cheek contest between Taylor Herring and Frank PR who went ‘head to head’ (literally) on behalf of their respective clients, Fredericks Ice Cream and Quality Street.
Taylor Herring on behalf of Frederick’s ice cream commissioned the hat from expert milliner, Judy Bentinck, who took over six weeks to create a headpiece to mark the 10th anniversary of the ‘99 Flake’. Meanwhile, Frank PR’s Quality Street ladies were adorned with the three most popular sweets; the Purple Hazelnut, Toffee Penny and Green Triangle. PA Photocall provided photography for both agencies, so we had front row seat for the battle of the bonnets.
Our photographers, Geoff Caddick and Matt Faber, captured stunning images of the Quality Street and Fredericks models as they paraded their imaginative headwear around the enclosure. Both sets of images were sent directly back to PA Photocall and were issued on the main Press Association Picture Wire within minutes of each other. Each campaign achieved exceptional coverage with PA Photocall’s pictures appearing on; The Daily Mirror, The Telegraph Online, Sky News Online, The Mirror Online, BBC Online, The Sun Online, Marie Claire Online and Virgin Media.
The success of both photocalls was largely due to the ‘talk-ability’ and fun each team helped to generate, not only at the event itself and across traditional media but also within the social media network as the publicity contest was picked up on Twitter by members of the PR community. The simplicity of combining a prestigious event like Royal Ascot with a light hearted but well placed publicity stunt was a perfect example of PR at its best and made for two sets of striking images which achieved excellent exposure for both brands. For your next campaign you may want to consider the power of photography within the press… sometimes the image can actually be the story.
Post by Penny Joyner (PA Photocall)
