PR

In today’s competitive media world, it’s increasingly hard to find ways to stand out from the crowd. Our creative approach and strong relationships with the media ensure our clients’ voice is heard loud and clear.

Media Targeting

We carefully target the media to the message to maximise take up and return on investment (ROI). We have strong media relations – from broadcast, print and online journalists working on national, lifestyle, specialist and trade titles, to influential freelancers working on a variety of publications.

Hume Whitehead Press Office

At the core of our PR support is a proactive press office service. From writing and distribution of press materials, proactive media relations and pitching to managing media interviews and profiles, writing opinion pieces and speeches and arranging competitions and promotions, these are the key elements of effective PR support. Our success with identifying topical story ideas and communicating key messages is part of the reason many of our clients have been with us for many years. Our enthusiasm ensures we proactively sell in stories and our attentive nature guarantees strong follow up as well as thoroughly prepared materials and briefing notes.

Press Trips

We have extensive experience in proactively managing visiting journalist programmes for both groups and individuals. With the media increasingly looking for quirky angles, personalities, lifestyle angles or simply a good tale to tell, we work hard to plan inspirational itineraries. And faultless organisation and execution go without saying.

Celebrity PR

Celebrity visits and celebrity-written features are a prime way of generating coverage and creating a buzz about a destination, hotel or campaign. Hume Whitehead has worked with a wide range of celebrities from sports personalities to actors, TV presenters and more.

Events

From a press conference to major media launch, events of all kinds play their part in generating the coverage our clients expect. Ask us about the annual general meeting we organised for the British Guild of Travel Writers, or the time we hosted a floating breakfast for the President of Tenerife. It’s all in a day’s work.

Luxury Travel and Tourism

We are proud to have worked with many luxury brands, understanding the specific requirements of the luxury sector and how to communicate with its discerning clients. Luxury brands require slightly different thinking and approach and we’d be delighted if you would trust us with your high-end product or service.

Representation

We represent tour operator, hospitality and tourist board clients in the UK market, drawing on our PR, marketing and trade relations skills and experience as required. We work as a genuine extension of your team, representing your brand and your values as well as your destination, product or service.

Our client side experience and unique approach have earned us our strong reputation in the travel industry and help us deliver excellent results for our representation clients. Hume Whitehead has won numerous awards for their Tourist Board work including:

Best Tourist Board in the UK – Travel Bulletin Star Awards  – 2016, 2018
Best Winter Sun Destination – Travel Bulletin Star Awards
Nominations for Best Tourist Office in the UK – TTG Awards – 2015, 2016, 2017
Best Spa and Wellness Destination – Selling Travel Agents’ Choice Awards – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018
Best Asia Pacific Tourist Board – British travel Awards 2007

Favourite Overseas City – Guardian Travel Awards 2007
Nomination for Best Representation and PR Company – Selling Travel Agents’ Choice Awards – 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018.

What Sets Us Apart?

Highly Skilled Team

We are a small business with a highly skilled account team with many years’ experience in both agencies and client side giving us a broad perspective on our clients’ needs. So whether it’s increasing distribution of your product, organising familiarisation trips and events, creating effective promotional campaigns or generating high profile coverage, we take it all in our stride.

Strong Travel Industry Contacts

Our strong reputation and broad experience within the travel industry means our contacts are second to none. We use our high profile to network actively with opinion formers and regularly attend travel industry and media events. Our strong contacts mean we can create effective partnership marketing campaigns, bringing together tour operators, hoteliers and tourist boards to create exciting trade and consumer propositions.

Results-driven Campaigns

We are focused on results rather than activity for the sake of it. Whilst we are highly responsive, we won’t dive into a project without careful research and strategic planning. Travel industry partners and journalists recognise that we run effective campaigns, have an eye for a good story or opportunity and won’t waste their time. We guard this reputation fiercely to ensure we continue to supply measurable outcomes for all our clients.

Government and VIP Events

Hume Whitehead provides support you can rely on when senior Government officials, Royalty or VIP guests visit the UK. We are able to stage highly impactful events and promotions to enable them to interact with the industry and consumers in the UK, using our creativity, contacts and tricks of the trade to plan events that will impress. And whatever the event, Hume Whitehead knows how to ensure it is attended by the most influential guests.

Marketing

Single-mindedly strategic in everything we do, we offer a wide range of marketing services, from research to partnership marketing and everything in between, using our award-winning creative and communications expertise.

Strategy and Planning

It’s important to us that our campaigns are strategically aligned with your long term goals, as well as short term targets. We look at the big picture, rather than one segment or activity in isolation, using market research and analysis to provide a solid base for our plans and careful targeting to reflect the market and your business needs. We’re quick to spot opportunities and to brief you on issues which might affect your business. And once your strategy is translated into an action plan, we regularly review results against targets. We’re your eyes, ears and brains in the UK market, not just your mouthpiece.

Advertising

From media planning to execution, we deliver targeted, creative and cost effective advertising campaigns for our clients, both on and offline.

Direct Marketing

From traditional mailings to e-shots and e-newsletters, Hume Whitehead conducts highly targeted communications for both trade and consumers.

Competitions and Promotions

Hume Whitehead regularly develops impactful promotions from concept to launch and follow up – whether you are keen to raise awareness or improve sales conversion, talk to us about our promotional ideas

Partnerships

Well-connected throughout the travel industry, we are able to pull in support from third parties to strengthen a campaign and make your budget stretch further. We have extensive experience in multi-stakeholder campaigns, collaborating with public and private sector partners, including airlines, tour operators and hotels. Not only do we have excellent relationships with the travel trade, but also in-depth experience in sourcing non-industry partners such as credit card companies, FMCG products, films, books, restaurants – even shopping centres!

Digital and Social Media

The digital world is increasingly important to the travel industry with a high proportion of travel now researched and booked online. Consumers and industry personnel form opinions on destinations and hotels from sites such as Trip Advisor, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – as well as influential travel blogs. Mobile technology presents both challenges and opportunities – and video is now prominent as a decision-making medium. Hume Whitehead has experience in devising and implementing digital campaigns and managing your presence on social networking sites.

Meetings and Events

The meetings and events market is an important source of revenue for hotels and destinations alike. Hume Whitehead has strong expertise in this area and leads the UK MICE and sales activity for a range of destination and private sector clients. If you are looking to attract meetings and conventions to your hotel or destination, you’re in the right place.

Hume Whitehead offers a full range of meetings and events services, including:

  • Strategic planning
  • Targeted marketing campaigns, both on and offline
  • Familiarisation trips
  • Events and workshops
  • Face to face meetings with UK event planners
  • Representation at industry events
  • Public relations