The Brief
Following hot on the heels of the pioneering Dorset-based jamboree in July, Camp Bestival Shropshire is the brand-new, stand-alone event in the heart of the Midlands. Carousel were brought on to ensure the biggest possible splash was created for the new festival and a huge buzz was generated across high-tier media and influencers.
Our Response
Carousel actioned a hard-working press office, alongside Camp Bestival Dorset announcements, to ensure the best possible coverage was secured across national, broadcast, consumer, and regional coverage. We pitched in interview opportunities with festival organisers Josie and Rob Da Bank and key headline acts including Becky Hill, Fatboy Slim and Sara Cox. We also generated ongoing angles to drive fresh coverage opportunities – from a focus on the new Slow Motion and Water & Flame Wild Spa area, local performers and vendors like Becky Hill and The Shropshire Lad, and much more. The team worked hard to secure partnerships with almost 70 target influencers, all sharing content live from site throughout the weekend, showcasing key festival highlights, as well as both pre and post event promotional content in exchange for tickets. Festival headliners included Becky Hill, Fatboy Slim & Rag’N’Bone Man.
"Josie and I are over the moon with the support we’ve received for our very first Camp Bestival Shropshire. We’d like to thank every single family for making the weekend so special from watching you jump in the lake, fall off a paddleboard, lounge in a hot tub, watch the circus in awe, learn a new skill, watch an act you’ve never heard of and been blown away or fall in love with Fatboy Slim all over again. We’ve received such a warm welcome from all the new faces we’ve met and have genuinely loved meeting each and every one of you. It’s been such a joy to watch families camping together and experiencing everything we’ve packed up in our magic trunk of delights in such a beautiful setting. We cannot wait to come back and see you again next summer!"
The Results
Launching Camp Bestival Shropshire was no mean feat, but the Carousel team were able to secure over 640 pieces of coverage since the initial festival announcement, reaching over 4.3bn+ and firmly securing a hugely successful first year for the festival, driving widespread awareness throughout the Midlands and beyond.
Carousel ensured only high-tier festival guide coverage was secured, with highlights including; Glamour, Closer, Heat, New!, Cosmopolitan, The Daily Telegraph, Metro, The Guardian, The Sun, The Daily Star and Daily Mirror, as well as many more. A flurry of broadcast, national and consumer coverage was also secured for on-site activity. Highlights included a live takeover from ITV 1’s This Morning, using Camp Bestival Shropshire as the location for the This Morning’s daily competition for a cash prize, with 4x live broadcast hits from locations around the festival, including 2x interviews with festival curator Rob Da Bank, showcasing circus performers Cirque Bijou and dancers Circus Raj, and finishing with presenter Josie Gibson trying her luck at an Ice Bath live on TV.
We also secured over 6 minutes of live broadcast from on-site on BBC Midlands TV, including presenting the weather live from the Slow Motion area. Widespread BBC coverage was also secured across national news online, BBC Midlands regional radio and broadcast. On top of this, The Times and the Daily Star reported on highlight imagery from the festival.
