The Tonic Communications was commissioned by Northumbria University with a brief to drive a strategy focused on:
- showcasing student work from Northumbria’s arts, design, fashion and architecture courses, exhibited through the end-of-year shows
- Northumbria University’s Health and Life Sciences offering
- University profile raising in the run up to Confirmation and Clearing period.
Communicating the key areas of Northumbria University’s excellence was the aim of the University’s PR strategy, aligning seamlessly with the work of the in-house team.
Activity included identifying stories that would pique national attention, targeting of relevant stories, seeking national TV ‘sofa’ opportunities and inviting media to visit the University during the first day of Confirmation and Clearing.
The Results
Within a three month campaign a total of around 50 pieces of positive coverage reached more than 14 million consumers.
Standout coverage included a studio interview with a fashion student on Sky News Sunrise, live coverage on BBC News Online and the Daily Mirror, advice and opinion editorial in The Guardian, Metro, the Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio One and Talk Radio, while ITV Tyne Tees and Metro Radio carried out broadcast interviews at the Clearing Centre.
Coverage results contributed to a successful recruitment round, despite national media reports that it was the most competitive student recruitment year to date. Northumbria’s Clearing hotline saw a significant increase in calls year-on-year, with the phone lines between 8am and 10am the busiest on record in the University’s history.
“We commissioned Tonic as we needed additional support to deliver activities at a very busy time of year. They provided a bespoke, highly flexible service and responded to emerging opportunities and changing requirements with ease. Tonic integrated well with our in-house team, working on-site as required, which was especially important for us. The results of this positive relationship were evident in both the coverage they generated and through the new opportunities they identified for us. We could clearly see our messaging getting through to our target audiences – thanks in no small part to the efforts of the team at Tonic.” Andrea Slowey, PR & Media Manager, Northumbria University
The Tonic has worked as a University PR partner to Northumbria for three years, and has extensive experience in marketing for higher education institutions and academies. For further details, please get in touch with our team.
