PR campaign generates global media coverage and football fans for language courser

Aim

Raise the profile of Transint and support Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club in its role with the community

Background

Transint, one of the Midlands’ leading suppliers of quality language training and language services, posed Metropolis 2 the question of how effective PR could benefit its profile and differentiate it from the myriad other companies in its industry.

Strategy

Metropolis 2 highlighted that the major foreign language event of the year was the World Cup 1998 in France. Metropolis 2 suggested that providing French courses for English football fans travelling to France might be a niche market that could attract both revenue and PR exposure.

Campaign

David Price worked with Transint to develop a syllabus which offered French which was useful for survival - booking into rooms, ordering food and so on. It also included football terms in French so fans could understand commentaries while watching the matches in bars and cafes.

Metropolis 2 wrote and issued press releases in French and two hours later in English. A launch event at Wolverhampton Wanderers FC took the form of a 90-minute live class with football fans ready to be interviewed

Results

The media exposure was phenomenal: four live interviews from various local radio stations & 5 taped interviews from major radio stations (including a Japanese station) all prior to the launch.

It received TV coverage on BBC1 twice on the 6.00 pm News and Midlands Today Live Link, Central TV at 6.30 pm and 10.30 pm, Sky News, Channel 4's Big Breakfast, French and German TV.

Articles appeared in all the national newspapers and regional press.