The Brief
RMCC was appointed in 2018 to work with Whitehead Railway Museum (WRM), a popular tourist attraction and railway enthusiast location.
RMCC was required to; generate talkability around the Lottery Heritage Funded Museum; raise profile of WRM and its offerings for both train enthusiasts and families; place WRM as a destination location for visitors to Northern Ireland; generate social media growth, manage and create content whilst increasing followers and engagement; and provide ongoing PR support.
These objectives were to generate footfall, increase profit, enhance awareness for locals and tourists plus position it as a desirable visitor destination, elevating it beyond train enthusiasts. The initial contact period was May – August 2018 and due to the valuable input by RMCC and positive results achieved in a short space of time, within budget, the contract was extended for an additional 14 months. As a charity, WRM relies heavily on its volunteers. It also had a limited budget, meaning our ideas and implementation of activity needed to achieve the best return on investment.
The Approach
We took a creative approach to attract a wide-ranging audience. An example of this was a campaign theme we that would run through all communications and social media in order to spark imagination across all age groups – #ChooChooseWhitehead was used to emphasise the key unique selling points for the Museum and why all age groups should embark on an adventure for a fun-filled day out.
RMCC worked with WRM to develop and manage various unique events as well as promote them, including: Steam ‘n’ Tea, where guests dine in an atmospheric steam train, and the 100th birthday celebration of the recently restored Guinness Steam engine and school trips. We also introduced the WRM team to key tourism organisations and identified key partners for the museum. We produced and delivered presentations on the attraction to these partners plus provided creative support in the creation of artwork for advertising, promotional flyers, and internal/external branding.
The Outcomes
The outcomes of our work with WRM include: 110 pieces of editorial across print, online, and broadcast; visitor figures increased by 50% from 2017 – 2018; Facebook growth increased by 48%; each Afternoon ‘Steam n Tea’ event sold out since its introduction in Sept 2018; and WRM achieved NI Museums Council Accredited status.