V Festival 2008 x Cake

Role: PR account team
Duration: March 2008- March 2009

Overview:
As part of the Cake Group (Havas), I played a pivotal role in managing both on-site and off-site PR for the iconic V Festival 2008. A team of four was tasked with raising the profile of the festival, handling media relationships, and managing all PR efforts across a variety of platforms, from regional to national coverage. This year’s V Festival brought a unique challenge, as we worked to ensure seamless media management during the festival while promoting key announcements, band features, and exclusive content.

Key Responsibilities & Achievements:

On-Site PR Management: Led all PR operations during the festival weekend, ensuring media outlets were supported and that TV, radio, and press teams were effectively managed. From journalist and photographer liaison to crisis management, I was responsible for ensuring smooth media operations throughout the event.

Accreditation & Artist Liaison: Coordinated media accreditation and artist interviews, ensuring journalists had access to key content. Managed the press office, including artist meet and greets, pit runs, and responding to media requests, all while maintaining smooth operational flow and dealing with any emerging issues.

Media Outreach & Content Generation: Contributed to a series of press releases, regional media meet and greets, and exclusive announcements, driving awareness of the festival and expanding coverage into consumer media. Developed innovative content strategies to secure coverage, including artist Q&As, features, and merchandise giveaways.

Managing Partnerships & Agency Relations: Maintained strong relationships with partner agencies like Big Fish, Virgin Mobile, Borkowski, and Eulogy to ensure collaborative and aligned PR strategies. Worked alongside Virgin Radio for exclusive announcements, and collaborated with Channel 4 for TV programming launches, managing all pre-event communications.

Crisis Management & Negative Issue Control: Actively managed any crisis or negative media coverage that emerged, ensuring that potential challenges were mitigated with timely responses. Maintained control over the narrative during the event weekend to protect the festival’s image.

Promoting Future Ticket Sales: Used the momentum of festival coverage to promote the 2009 V Festival tickets, ensuring continued consumer interest and ticket sales post-event. Included strategic announcements and messaging around future ticket sales.

Key Achievements:

Extensive Media Coverage: Secured 105 pieces of national coverage, over 60 regional pieces, 294 pieces of online coverage, as well as numerous TV and radio segments. The media campaign generated a PR value of £676,842 and drove widespread awareness and engagement for the festival.

Website Launch & Digital Strategy: Helped launch and promote the festival’s new, user-friendly website, which received an overwhelmingly positive response. The website acted as a key platform for media relations, ticket sales, and festival updates.

Exclusive Media Relationships: Developed and nurtured exclusive media partnerships and press relationships to ensure V Festival received maximum exposure through targeted campaigns with Virgin Radio, Channel 4, and other key media outlets.

On-Site Success: Managed media requests efficiently on-site, including VIP access and interviews with headline artists, ensuring media coverage for all key festival moments. Ensured the on-site press office was fully operational and responsive.

Post-Festival PR: Coordinated post-event PR activities, including statements, press releases, and media summaries, which resulted in sustained interest and positive media coverage after the festival had ended.

Skills Developed:

Media Relations & Crisis Management: Enhanced my skills in managing complex media relationships, especially during large-scale events, and honing crisis management strategies to protect the festival’s brand integrity in real-time.

Event & Artist Management: Gained valuable experience managing key media moments on-site and liaising with artists to ensure all media opportunities were maximised, adding value for both the festival and its sponsors.

Digital PR & Content Strategy: Developed strategies to leverage digital platforms, securing key media features through innovative online campaigns and website management.