From October 2009, the Royal Mail Group Communications team and our agency executed a national PR campaign for Special Stamps celebrating Classic Album Covers.

The album sleeve has been the canvas for some of the most imaginative graphic artists in the world. This stamp issue saluted this unique art form and some of the greatest UK examples.

Goal: Generate interest in Classic Album Covers stamps through a mixture of features and news stories across print, broadcast and online media; raise awareness rather than sales.

Strategy: The four-stage campaign maximised access to artists and designers of the album covers. The team generated quality feature-led pieces across national, broadcast, print and online.

Execution: Deliver fresh, creative executions to stimulate media interest and capture the imagination of the public. Tactical delivery was inventive and interactive, designed to reach new audiences.

Results: Royal Mail’s Head of Commercial PR, Patrick O’Neill: “This stamp launch had great potential so we set ourselves high targets. We managed to exceed these both in the UK and overseas. Online activity delivered tangible results and truly supported our international ambitions. Perhaps the most pleasing aspect was that results were delivered using PR as the only marketing initiative.”

Autumn announcement ‘10 Classic Album Covers Special Stamps to be issued early 2010’Mid-November interestEngaged national music journalists to generate informed articlesTeaser releaseDistributed between Christmas and New Year with stamps images and new information Eve-of-issue activityDesigners and artists contacted for media involvement and stamps signings. Secured at no cost: Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin Peter Hook - New Order Peter Saville - New Order album cover designerPennie Smith - Clash photographerMajor successes:• Jimmy Page - free photoshoot at London’s iconic Rough Trade record store (no charge)• Unique signed memorabilia collections created for bespoke media coverage, e.g. NME and Rolling Stone – new titles for Special Stamps.• Collateral sent to all major broadcasters to provoke coverage and interviews• Rob O’Connor, Parklife album cover designer, interview disseminated to bloggers including: Northcliffe Media, AOL UK, PA, MSN, Daily Record, Evening Standard; SEO press releases• Channel 4 made “rocknrollstamps” hash tag; 200 tweets recorded in first 24 hours

• Target: 100 pieces of coverage• 255 pieces of coverage across print, broadcast and online • Target: increase website traffic by 200% • Site hits increased by 785% in the first week of the launch• Target: reach a national and international audience• The launch went worldwide, achieving coverage in key countries for sales opportunities, such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan• Dominate Google search returns for the term “Classic Album Covers”On 7th January, the top 5 natural search results in Google linked to articles about the stamps• The campaign came in under the £24,000 budget