When David Cameron picked up the phone and ordered a shepherd’s hut in early 2017, he did an amazing thing. He enabled a PR story which has possibly surpassed Thomas Hardy’s success in building global desire for these charming homes-on-wheels.
On the day that the Cameron story broke, Haiku client Red Sky Shepherds Huts received web hits from all over the world. Only 14 countries did not click on the Oxfordshire hut maker’s website as traffic to the site climbed to 47,000 in one day. Orders for Red Sky’s premium, hand-built, bespoke huts have continued to flow and the company now has an enviable waiting list and ambitious plans. Farrow and Ball, impressed by the hut maker’s story and ethos, have made them a preferred partner. The company’s fortunes have been transformed.
David Cameron, enjoying the idyll of a Red Sky shepherd hut
Another artisan Haiku client, The Oxford Artisan Distillery, opened for business in July. On the day of launch, it appeared on prime-time TV news programmes on BBC South and ITV Meridian and enjoyed news and feature articles across Oxfordshire’s print and online media. Within weeks, the grain-to-glass distiller was featured on BBC Countryfile’s harvest special, speaking to a national audience of around 10 million people and being endorsed by that national treasure, John Craven. Then, ethical living writer Lucy Siegle hailed TOAD as a sustainability pioneer in The Observer and Guardian and described its gin as a “saviour of the planet”! Unsurprisingly, Oxford’s first craft distiller has smashed its early sales targets and is enjoying powerful brand awareness.
What links these two stories? In short, they both demonstrate the power of transformative PR. They both illustrate how, by wielding the power of “The Three Ps”, their stories have grabbed hearts, minds and major media attention.
The “Ps" stand for People, Pictures and Purpose – three core tenets of storytelling which, if you get them right, can power up your PR and transform a business.
People
The big difference between advertising and PR is about ‘who’ is doing the selling. Everyone knows that, when they see an ad on TV, it’s the brand that’s paid for it and, as compelling as the story might be, we know we’re being sold to. By contrast, an article from a journalist or recommendation from a trusted expert packs a powerful yet subtle punch. It is believable because it rests on the endorsement of others – not the brand – to do the selling. Not all products have the good fortune to gain the custom of a big public figure like David Cameron. They don’t have to. Every time a journalist covers your product positively, you are gaining their endorsement - and that is massive. When the Guardian called TOAD gin “saviour of the planet”, it was the kind of priceless praise which could simply never be bought through advertising. So, P stands for People. Know whose endorsement you need and nurture them well.
TOAD - champion of biodiversity in the English countryside
Pictures
Stories are not made of words alone – they also rely on pictures. Not just actual images like photography and film (both hugely important) – but the pictures created in the mind of a journalist or customer through powerful use of metaphor. Neurolinguistics research shows us that language which is rich in metaphor can bypass our logic and trigger visceral, emotional responses. We respond instinctively to pictures – and engage powerfully with the story as a result. So, when talking about an ex-Prime Minister enjoying the rural idyll of a shepherd hut while his successor was engaging in the battle of a snap election, it created an irresistible picture of contrast for journalists. When talking about TOAD’s fields of grain, bursting with life and biodiversity, like mini Amazon rainforests – who could fail to ‘get the picture’? P is for Picture. Make sure your stories paint them.
Purpose
The third and most important P is for Purpose, the central “Why” which guides everything. It’s the difference between a bricklayer who believes he is “laying bricks” and one who knows he is “building a cathedral”. It’s the steady hum of intention that steers the ship through choppy seas and towards a bright horizon. Red Sky delights and inspires its customers with uncompromising craftsmanship and products which transport us back to an age of innocence. In a fast moving, complicated world, a Red Sky shepherd hut can move us out of chaos and into charm and calm. It’s their purpose – and it’s working for Prime Ministers and Joe public alike. Oxford’s artisan distiller isn’t just making booze – it is helping to return farming to better, more sustainable methods. It is championing biodiversity. It has heart. And people love it.