During fall 2018 High Point Furniture Market, furniture manufacturer Theodore Alexander in collaboration with Charles, 9th Earl Spencer – the brother of Princess Diana – unveiled the newest masterpieces in the Althorp Living History furniture collection.
This collection encapsulates reproductions from the Althorp Estate, the Spencer family’s ancestral home of 19 generations of British nobility. After the unveiling, Theodore Alexander hosted a dinner and silent auction supporting Whole Child International (WCI),a nonprofit founded by Countess Karen Spencer, Lord Spencer’s wife, to increase quality childcare around the world. Clairemont Communications was selected to help plan and execute a successful furniture unveiling and fundraiser gala during Market.
STRATEGY
Clairemont established an event strategy targeting two main audiences: local and industry media, and market guests who would attend the ticketed fundraising dinner. Clairemont’s objective was to secure exposure for the Althorp Living History line as well as to raise support for WCI, with the goals of securing at least 10 news stories featuring the furniture collection and securing gala attendance to assist with raising at least $50,000 on-site at the event to support WCI.
Clairemont crafted a campaign with pillars including media relations, social media, email marketing and experiential marketing. Since email and social media offered targeting options, we utilized Instagram and Facebook to provide sneak previews of the collection to curated guest lists, High Point Market attendees and specific demographics likely to attend. Guests and media received a VIP on-site experience as well, one brimming with a high-end dinner, gifts, champagne toasts and photo opportunities – adding to the allure to attend and support the fundraiser.
EXECUTION
Hefty primary and secondary research guided our process, including market demographics, market challenges and successes, and product sales as well as the protocol for addressing Lord Spencer. Clairemont devised a timeline and managed on-site logistics.
Clairemont’s creativity added a “royal touch” to the evening, securing record coverage and top attendance by implementing these creative elements.
- A Royal Affair: Clairemont and Theodore Alexander created a “royal wing” of the showroom and offered reporters one-on-one interviews with Lord Spencer. Our tailored pitches invited media on a personal tour of the Althorp showroom as Lord Spencer shared tales of his and Diana’s memories of each piece.
- The Gallant Gala: The tour with Lord Spencer culminated in an evening dinner in the Theodore Alexander dining room, and Clairemont ensured that the Whole Child International story filled every nook and cranny. During the event, Lady Spencer issued a personal invitation for guests to donate, sharing her vision to reach orphanages across the globe with the funds.
- Social Media Sneak Peaks: Ahead of the event, Clairemont worked with Theodore Alexander’s social media team to create teasing tidbits about both the Althorp Furniture collection and the Whole Child International dinner. Stunning videos, for example, unveiled a small detail or design of the coming Althorp pieces. Stories of children benefiting from Whole Child International piqued the interest of followers on social media, and of course, targeted social ads invited Market-goers to purchase a ticket to the dinner.
- More at Market: Clairemont maximized reporters’ time at the Theodore Alexander showroom by curating the top picks from its other leading collections. Clear information and assets were neatly packaged for on-site reporters to collect after their appointment with Lord Spencer.
RESULTS
As its “crowning achievement,” Clairemont successfully implemented the unveiling and gala, exceeding all objectives. We secured 19 news stories and helped raise a total of $75,685 to support Whole Child International by the end of the evening’s event.
To read more about successful unveilings and events for other clients, visit the case study section of our blog.