Blog

Objective

Tom Kennedy had recently taken over a 30-year-old Cambridge bike business but was struggling with slow footfall — especially during the winter months. His goal was to attract a wider customer base, particularly business professionals working in the city, and build awareness around the brand’s anniversary.

Process

With just three weeks to create a splash around The Bikeman’s first anniversary, we developed a hyper-local, high-impact PR strategy. We secured an interview with Cambridge 105 FM Radio, turning that into a press release and pitching it to local and regional media. Coverage followed in Cambridgeshire Live, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, ITV Anglia, and Velvet Magazine. We tied the story to Cambridge’s cycling culture, introduced branded street stencils for visibility, and even brokered a mutual promotion deal with Decathlon — all on a tight budget. Cambridge BID (Business Improvement District) – which consists of 1,200 city centre businesses working to promote the city to visitors, residents and local businesses posted on their Love Cambridge socials (to 10,000+ local followers) on the 1st Anniversary – see image below.

Outcome

The campaign achieved widespread media attention across print, radio, and TV. Highlights included being described by Cambridgeshire Live as a “Cambridge icon” — alongside Fitzbillies and King’s College — as well as a live BBC radio broadcast from the market stall, a TV feature by ITV Anglia, a full-page spread in Velvet Magazine’s July issue, and another full-page featured in the CamCycle’s summer issue. Local brand awareness increased, and The Bikeman became part of the wider conversation around Cambridge’s cycling identity.

Testimonial

“Geremy brought real creativity and energy to the campaign. I’d never have imagined getting that kind of press — or thinking up street stencils! The response has been brilliant, and the coverage put us on the map in a way I couldn’t have done on my own.” — Tom Kennedy, The Bikeman