Submitted by Goho PR, Marketing & Events

The Knox

Goho PR, Marketing & Events ran a two-month press and influencer launch campaign for The Knox, a Chelsea speakeasy bar, generating 1.12 million estimated views.

In total, our campaign generated 1.12 million estimated views and 56.7k engagements.engagements
By the end of the 2-month campaign, we had secured a total of 7 placements at various reputable media outlets!media placements
We also secured 45 pieces of social media coverage from various influencers at the event, including Instagram posts, reels and stories.pieces of influencer social media coverage

Case in 60 seconds

The venue had traded as a nightclub before being refurbished into a laid-back cocktail lounge, so the launch had to establish a changed proposition for hotel guests and Kensington and Chelsea residents at the same time.

The campaign appears to turn on the venue being hidden rather than visible, because a speakeasy behind a secret entrance under a historic hotel cannot be discovered by passing trade and depends on press and creators to carry its existence outward.

Treat the opening as a story about place and period rather than a bar listing, building outreach around the secret entrance, the hotel's history and the 1970s and 1980s design references that gave journalists something specific to write about.

Goho distributed a tailored press release to targeted journalists and lifestyle and local Kensington and Chelsea publications ahead of opening, monitored journalist requests for responsive opportunities such as London nightlife culture, and curated a nightlife, London culture and entertainment guest list for the client's Media Day, staffing check-in on the day and liaising with attendees afterwards to secure coverage.

The agency reports 7 placements at reputable media outlets by the end of the 2-month campaign, including the BBC and The Caterer, plus 45 pieces of social media coverage, 1.12 million estimated views and 56.7k engagements.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Hotel guests at Sloane Square Hotel and local Kensington and Chelsea residents looking for a versatile space to socialise over relaxed drinks and music, described more broadly as London's nightlife lovers.
The venue asked London drinkers to accept a nightclub site as somewhere to sit and talk, which suggests the campaign had to work against an existing expectation of the address rather than introduce an unknown one.
Bar openings in Chelsea compete for the same lifestyle desks, so the agency built its release around the secret entrance, the hotel's history and the Scarface and Studio 54 references, which gave the venue features other openings could not claim.
Treat the opening as a story about place and period rather than a bar listing, building outreach around the secret entrance, the hotel's history and the 1970s and 1980s design references that gave journalists something specific to write about.
Based on the available evidence, the Media Day was designed around what creators need rather than what a launch usually looks like, since influencers were selected for content covering nightlife, London culture and entertainment and produced posts, reels and stories from the visit.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram

Partners

  • Goho PR, Marketing & Events (lead_agency)

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult type
engagementsIn total, our campaign generated 1.12 million estimated views and 56.7k engagements.video_views
media placementsBy the end of the 2-month campaign, we had secured a total of 7 placements at various reputable media outlets!performance
pieces of influencer social media coverageWe also secured 45 pieces of social media coverage from various influencers at the event, including Instagram posts, reels and stories.content_pieces

Why Goho PR, Marketing & Events's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Media Day attendance converts into coverage where somebody follows up afterwards, because the agency reports liaising with attendees post-event to secure timely coverage rather than treating the guest list as the deliverable.

  2. 2

    Pairing prominent lifestyle outlets with local Kensington and Chelsea publications reads as a way of serving two audiences from one release, since hotel guests and residents were both named targets and each reachable through different titles.

  3. 3

    Responsive PR gives a small venue a route into stories it could not originate, because monitoring journalist requests on subjects such as London nightlife culture places the brand inside coverage that was already commissioned.

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