Securing broadcast coverage for Bullring’s immersive art experience
£962.2K
AVE
26
pieces of coverage
51.5M
impressions
16
broadcast mentions
Meet Danni Bozward…
Danni is the Marketing Manager at Bullring & Grand Central – the leading retail destination in West Midlands, offering Birmingham the ultimate shopping and dining experience all in one place. Known for its high street retailers, its flagship Selfridges store, and – of course – the iconic Bull statue, there are few who have never heard of the Bullring. Therefore, when EV. was asked to support the Bullring throughout 2024, delivering impact-led, footfall-driving PR, we were sold.
The brief wasn’t to get more people to know that the Bullring existed. Instead, it was to reintroduce people to the retail destination at a time when the digital age has made High Streets suffer and reignite the region’s pride in the place that is synonymous with the city.
One of the projects we were instructed on in Q1 of 2024 – a notoriously difficult quarter for retail, when the post-Christmas spending has made pockets feel tight – was to raise awareness for and drive footfall to an immersive art installation: Borealis by Dan Acher.
Bringing the magic of the Northern Lights to the Midlands for February Half Term, the Bullring played host to the magical masterpiece that fused together creativity and technology. The installation – which had toured over 40 cities on four continents – was an immersive light and sound experience with a custom score by French composer Guillaume Desbois, created by shining beams of light through particle clouds to recreate the Aurora Borealis.
Our PR objectives were to:
- Drive footfall to the centre by getting the city talking and emphasising that ‘you have to see it to believe it’
- Capturing the magic of the spectacle for those further afield, by creating regional broadcast opportunities and influencer engagement
- Positioning the Bullring as so much more than your average shopping centre, and instead a space of cultural importance to the city
THE RESULTS
In our very first meeting about the project, Danni was clear about what her North Star was: “Broadcast is the holy grail – get me TV and radio, and I’ll be happy.”
With that, TeamEV. knew that our key focus was to package up the immersive art piece in a way that would translate for audiences listening and watching their local stations; without forgetting the ‘bread and butter’ of online listicles and print coverage.
We managed to secure interviews with Bullring’s spokespeople and artist, Dan, on BBC WM and Greatest Hits Radio and Free Radio – now Hits Radio – as well as live broadcasts from on site with ITV Central and even a live weather report with Beccy Wood of BBC Midlands Today.
What’s more, we also landed coverage on all major regional consumer titles, including Birmingham Live, Secret Birmingham, What’s On, Birmingham World, and Express & Star.
Added to this, we hosted a family bloggers dinner where influencers and their children could experience the magic of Half Term at Bullring, taking in Borealis from a prime viewing spot in Bill’s, with five families in attendance.
THE IMPACT
Working with EAST VILLAGE. has been fantastic: I really couldn’t have asked for more from the team. Not only have they showed creativity, professionalism, and expertise throughout; but they have been tremendously easy – and fun! – to work with. They understood our brief perfectly and have executed it to the letter every single time. I can’t recommend them enough and I look forward to continuing to create more PR magic with them in the future.”
Danni Bozward, Marketing Manager, Bullring & Grand Central
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