Skip to main content

For the hospitality industry, creativity and fun are essential ingredients in any marketing cocktail – a mix Polymedia captured to create a huge buzz around the launch of a unique new bar in the clouds.

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth, is an iconic landmark of the south, attracting thousands of visitors each year who enjoy stunning 23-mile views of the harbour and beyond.

The team there are committed to constantly innovating to create memorable reasons to visit, and 2023 saw significant investment in a completely new experience – Sky Bar at Spinnaker Tower. As retained PR consultants for Spinnaker Tower, the Polymedia team were asked to create an eye-catching campaign to support the launch.

The product

Sky Bar is positioned on the floor above the tower’s main viewing deck, in an area used for pre-booked high teas during the day. A significant investment was ploughed into a new fit-out in a retro black and gold style, designed to create a memorable experience for visitors and an additional reason to go to Spinnaker Tower in the evenings, generating revenue and supporting Portsmouth’s night-time economy.

The bar is pitched as a premium but accessible experience – ideal for special occasions or as a venue to start a night out with friends in style. Polymedia’s campaign needed to tap into this feeling while creating widespread awareness about the launch.

The Polymedia campaign

Polymedia’s design team were inspired by the black and gold décor when creating the brand logo for Sky Bar – using the iconic silhouette outline of the tower at its heart and a retro type to evoke the theme of the bar.

After developing the tagline “Drink in the View”, the Polymedia design team developed a range of creative concepts to generate pre-opening buzz, with the tower team choosing a “Golden Ticket’ treasure hunt as their preferred option.

100 individually coded tickets printed on gold stock were hidden within the tower’s 23-mile view radius. A website portal enabled people who found the tickets to activate their prize.

Polymedia announced the launch via traditional regional media and social media, encouraging residents and visitors to track the tickets down.

From the Wightlink ferry to the Royal Marines Museum to parks, viewpoints and businesses, the hidden tickets invited their finders to book at the bar to enjoy free VIP entry and a free cocktail on the house.

Finders were encouraged to post their discovery on Spinnaker Sky Bar’s new Facebook and Instagram accounts with the hashtag #TicketToTheTop.

Meanwhile golden invitations were produced for launch nights for VIPs and city leaders, media and influencers, and the public. Polymedia ran Sky Bar’s social accounts for the duration of the launch campaign, keeping audiences hooked with lively posts and engaging updates and interactions.

Evocative photography and video are essential for the launch of any lifestyle brand, and it was vital to capture the look, feel and fun aspect of Sky Bar for the launch.

Polymedia co-ordinated a pre-launch shoot with specialist lifestyle and food photographer Adam Lynk, whose images were used across social media in the run-up to launch and adapted into short and attention-grabbing video galleries.

Results

The launch was a huge success by any measure – including media coverage, social media reach and bookings.

On social media, Sky Bars new Facebook account achieved a reach of 126,000 during launch month, with 17,500 page and profile visits. An additional 30,000 reach and 5,000 profile visits came via Instagram.

Media coverage was achieved in key targets including The News, Hampshire Live and Wave 105 with an estimated 69,100 views.

Coverage was also generated from local influencers through social media stories, reels and posts. Influencers included Sophie Apps, Our Hampshire, and The Southampton Girl, who have a combined follower reach of 310,000.

Crucially, the results translated into bookings, with Spinnaker Tower reporting 500 in the first two weeks of the teaser campaign and 1,500 within the first four weeks.

A ‘brilliantly synchronised approach’

“It’s been a pleasure working with Polymedia on this project. The team’s creative and innovative approach has created a real buzz around the new Sky Bar launch, combining brilliantly synchronised campaigns generating lot of coverage and attention.

“Even with a very successful launch, Polymedia’s drive is still strong and their commitment to success is a testament to their passion for delivering PR with impact. They work proactively, always pushing forward to achieve the best possible results, and feel like a vital part of our team.”

Rayne Caven, Marketing Manager, Spinnaker Tower.