Campaigns: Literature - Online book grabs worldwide attention

Campaign: The 4th Annual Stratford Literary Festival
Client: Stratford Literary Festival
PR team: Quicksilver Public Relations
Timescale: February-June 2011
Budget: Under £5,000

Stratford Literary Festival asked Quick-silver to raise awareness of its fourth annual festival.

Objectives

- To raise general awareness of the event through digital and traditional media

- To increase ticket sales.

Strategy and plan

Quicksilver worked with Stratford Literary Festival to launch grabaline.co.uk, an online initiative that saw celebrated author Ian Rankin pen the first line of a collaborative novel. Visitors to the website added lines to the story, with authors from across the world helping to develop the book. It was concluded at the festival by novelist David Nicholls. Quicksilver promoted the festival's author line-up vigorously through local and national PR.

Measurement and evaluation

Grab A Line attracted more than 200 authors from 14 different countries. The campaign generated more than 100 items of media coverage, including in The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, Birmingham Post, specialist titles such as The Bookseller and regional What's On guides, and on BBC Radio 2's Arts Show.

Results

Grab A Line's success prompted actress and author Dame Harriet Walter to perform an add-itional slot in the 2011 line-up. The festival had its best ticket sales ever.