Shout! spent last week by the sea in Southampton as we helped to secure coverage for Princess Cruises as they launched their new ship Royal Princess. All cruise ships have a Godmother, and Royal Princess was officially named by the Duchess of Cambridge, who cut the rope to break the traditional bottle of champagne on the ship’s hull on Thursday. It was the Duchess’ last solo engagement before the birth of her baby and as one of the world’s most watched women we knew that the naming ceremony was a golden opportunity to get Royal Princess and Princess Cruises in front of broadcast media from across the globe.
Shout! were there to capture both the event itself and the build-up, and we worked to secure broadcast coverage by liaising with broadcasters who were coming down to the event, and providing content to those who couldn’t make it.
The production team were on hand to film everything that happened – including being part of the royal rota and seeing the Duchess as she toured the ship. We also set up a dockside radio studio and facilitated streaming of the entire event live so that thousands of people could watch it online.
Coverage of the event excelled our expectations, with Royal Princess gaining exposure on television and radio stations across the UK and the world. And it wasn’t just traditional news sites that reported on the launch. Our edited online video package has been published by magazine sites including Hello, OK and Marie Claire.
Distribution of our b-roll from the event was simple and quick thanks to our digitalnewshub site which allows broadcasters to download broadcast quality footage speedily, and offers a preview option so they know exactly which pictures they’ll be getting before the download process begins.
This week we’re back on dry land at Shout! Towers in Covent Garden and we’re feeling proud of what we’ve achieved, but we also think there might be a lesson to be learnt from last week’s ship launch… It was a masterclass in the benefits of having a celebrity or third-party spokesperson involved on a campaign. Not every campaign can count on royal support, but every brand can benefit from having the right third-party spokesperson to help interest broadcasters and secure coverage. It’s something we keep banging on about – you can check out our how-to guides for more tips on spokespeople – or if it’s something you would like to chat through, give one of the team at Shout! a call on 0207 240 7373 and find out how much coverage we can help you to secure.
