Rove Concepts, a Canadian luxury home furnishings brand, launched The Journeys Collection in collaboration with EGOT-winning artist John Legend. Coldwater Communications executed a high-impact earned media campaign to generate extensive Canadian media coverage for the collection’s launch. Despite working under tight timelines, Coldwater’s efforts resulted in significant coverage across major Canadian outlets, leveraging the star power of John Legend while navigating certain challenges related to his availability for interviews.
Approach
Coldwater Communications implemented a strategic media relations approach to maximize exposure for the Rove x John Legend collection across key Canadian markets. The approach included:
- Pre-Launch Outreach: Coldwater sent tailored media pitches to over 100 Canadian contacts in advance of the official launch, allowing outlets to prepare coverage timed with the release.
- Press Release Distribution: On the morning of the launch, a press release was distributed to media contacts, providing details about the collection’s design inspiration, collaboration with John Legend, and information on where the pieces could be purchased.
- Targeted Media Outlets: The campaign focused on securing placements in high-visibility outlets, both within Vancouver and across Canada. Special attention was given to lifestyle, design, and entertainment publications to ensure a broad audience reach.
Key Campaign Tactics
- Rapid Fire Pitching: Coldwater engaged over 100 media outlets across Canada with customized pitches, including the National Post, Vancouver Sun, The Province, and VITA Daily.
- Interview Facilitation: Despite John Legend’s unavailability for interviews, Coldwater arranged interviews with key Rove Concepts figures, including CEO Art Lee, Director Sharon Dinh, and VP Idris A. Gonzalez.
- Exclusive Content Placement: Coldwater secured an exclusive with House & Home for their November issue, which will feature the collection with high-end imagery and in-depth coverage of the collaboration.
- Crisis Management: The campaign overcame challenges such as the unavailability of John Legend for interviews and the rejection of Living Luxe Magazine’s request for a cover feature with John Legend.
Results
Coldwater Communications successfully secured 8 pieces of online media coverage for the Rove Concepts x John Legend collaboration. The results demonstrated significant reach across both print and online platforms, helping to solidify Rove’s position in the Canadian luxury home furnishings market:
- Major Media Placements: The collaboration was featured in prominent outlets including National Post, Vancouver Sun, The Province, and Ottawa Sun. Additionally, digital placements appeared in Gent’s Post, Strategy Online, and Campaign Canada.
- Exclusive Feature: Coldwater negotiated an exclusive feature with House & Home magazine, slated for the November issue, which is expected to drive further consumer interest in the collection.
- Media Reach and Engagement:some text
- 83.6k total online coverage views
- 81.4k views from online outlets
- 2.2k views through social media channels
- 17.7M total monthly website visits across media placements
- 6.1M unique monthly website visitors from covered outlets
- Learning Opportunities: While the campaign was highly successful, some reporters requested interviews with John Legend, which could not be facilitated. However, Coldwater mitigated this by offering interviews with Rove Concepts executives, ensuring continued media interest.
Impact
The campaign reinforced Rove Concepts’ brand positioning as a leader in luxury home furnishings while leveraging John Legend’s reputation as an influential tastemaker. Coldwater Communications’ swift and strategic media outreach led to widespread coverage in major Canadian media, strengthening Rove Concepts’ visibility and boosting consumer awareness of The Journeys Collection. With an exclusive feature secured for House & Home, the campaign will continue to generate buzz and drive interest in the months to come.
