Edinburgh Mela
Not for profit/community
Pagoda PR has worked with the Mela since 2004, managing media relations for Scotland's largestmulti-cultural festival. The objective is to build interest and drive footfall; to position the Mela as a key fixture on the summer Festivals' calendar and to generate goodwill among residents, local businesses and other partner organisations.
Background
In 2009, the Mela Festival moved to the start of August and returned to familiar grounds at Pilrig Park, Leith. Increasing use of online communication combined with traditional methods were used to raise awareness and create social networking forums to target key audiences.
Pagoda PR was also commissioned by the sponsors of the Children’s Programme - The Forestry Commission Scotland - to raise awareness of its sponsorship and creative input.
What we did
- Managed all media liaison from the programme launch in June through to the festival in August
- Secured and managed a media partnership between The Mela and BBC Asian Network
- Liaised with the Scottish Government, The City of Edinburgh Council, Festivals Edinburgh and other partners to coordinate announcements
- Worked with BME local community groups to demonstrate Forestry Commission Scotland outreach work beyond The Mela. This included the creation of a vodcast and DVD.
- Arranged interviews for Mela Director Liam Sinclair with broadcasters including BBC Asian Network, BBC Scotland, BBC Persia, GMTV
- Distributed listings, programme details, briefings on key acts to long-leads, short-leads, international, local media, specialist media including ethnic and entertainment, arts/culture, relevant online news and specialist websites as well as mainstream print and broadcast.
- Contacted bloggers to inform them about the event and help compile guest blogs for several sites.
- Ran an on-site press office during the 3-day festival itself, managing all artist/media liaison and photocalls
What we achieved for the client
The 2009 Mela was an unqualified success with a media profile that saw it featured well beyond the Scottish media, with 1,974,226 ‘opportunities to see’ (OTS) in print coverage. Some 38 articles were published in print media with a PR value of £103,507. Nearly 60 pieces of online coverage and 16 broadcast items were also secured.
Mela Festival Director, Liam Sinclair said:
“Pagoda’s strong, proactive approach in managing relations across Scottish, UK and International media has proved a success yet again. Their dedication and commitment over the past five years has helped the Mela build its profile and create lasting relationships among relevant stakeholders. Pagoda is keen to see the Mela succeed and approaches their work for us with passion and creativity.”
