Isles of Scilly Tourism

We were asked to generate media coverage to attract visitors to the Islands during the ‘shoulder periods’ and to promote some of the specialist activities and facilities.

Having identified the wide range of activities available on the Islands, we contacted feature writers from a range of specialist magazines and websites including diving, windsurfing and kite-surfing, bird-watching, walking, gardening and heritage. The work resulted in extensive feature coverage in the magazines and in their online counterparts.

Taking a broader look at what the Islands have to offer, general features were negotiated with a range of publications, including the Daily Mail and the Financial Times and numerous consumer magazines.

A particular highlight was the persuading of celebrated children’s author, Michael Morpurgo who has set many of his best-selling books on the Isles of Scilly, to write an article themed ‘Children’s Adventure Islands’ for the Saturday Telegraph, resulting in a three page cover feature.

In addition to coverage on the travel pages, the brief also required the agency to encourage fashion editors to consider the Islands as a location for fashion shoots. To date The Daily Telegraph have run four fashion features set on the Islands and the Observer have run three fashion spreads in their colour supplement.

“Hammond PR have been able to use our relatively tight budget to great effect and with imagination. We have been really pleased with the coverage they have generated for us, they really know how to pull in some of the big names!”
Aisling Hick, Economic Development Officer - Isles of Scilly Tourism

Isles of Scilly Scented Narcissi

The winter growing of narcissi on the Isles of Scilly plays an enormously important role in the economy of the Islands, providing valuable employment in the winter months.

However, sales were declining and the price falling in the face of strong competition from foreign imports and a developing taste amongst British consumers for more ‘exotic’ blooms.

We were appointed to devise a campaign to raise awareness of the industry generally and to develop a more contemporary image for the flower.

We developed an ongoing campaign to re-position Isles of Scilly Scented Narcissi as a ‘Classic, British, Heritage’ flower. A series of initiatives were undertaken to achieve this aim, including events for top florists, visits to the flower fields for journalists and the devising, launching and promoting of a web-based premium direct delivery service, allowing the growers to sell their flowers direct to consumers.

Latterly, new initiatives have been launched to build relationships, and sales with the independent florist sector.

The campaign has had a significant impact. Aside from unprecedented levels of media coverage in both consumer and trade publications, direct sales of Scented Narcissi to the consumer, via the new direct delivery service, are achieving a considerable price premium whilst sales to the multiple retail trade have steadily increased since the campaign started.

“Mainland Marketing and the growers on the Isles of Scilly have been impressed with the passion and commitment that Hammond PR have brought to the Scented Narcissi marketing campaign. They have been tireless in identifying opportunities, and relentless in exploiting them, in all areas of the media, and as a result, have stimulated the market for our unique product. They are highly professional in their relationship with us; however, I am sure I am not the first to say how much we enjoy working with them, and what a great rapport we have built up over the last three years.”
Andrew May, Managing Director - Mainland Marketing