Member Article

Refresh PR Reappointed By The Food Porn Awards

Food and drink specialist agency, Refresh PR, has been reappointed for the second year as the lead communications agency for contemporary new food and drink awards, the Food Porn Awards. In its pursuit to find the best looking food from the North West, the Food Porn Awards’ first year saw over 250 bars and restaurants enter to showcase their most tantalising dishes, and this time round the campaign is introducing a public voting element, as well as being extended to Yorkshire.

Last year, Refresh launched an all-encompassing communications campaign that swept the region and drove the North West’s best chefs to enter the Food Porn Awards. As well as developing relationships with key food influencers, Refresh devised and implemented a successful media relations strategy, arranged for food industry experts to sit on the judging panel and organised the ‘cook-off’ event at Manchester Metropolitan University. As well as managing third party agencies throughout the process, the team also built a relationship with the 2016 Northern Restaurant and Bar Show, securing prime exhibitor space and ensuring that the winner was announced at the show’s peak visitor time for maximum awareness. This integrated approach to communications helped to develop an awards brand with real longevity.

Entries to the awards included TV chef Simon Rimmer’s restaurant, Earle by Simon Rimmer, Manchester House and restaurants from well-known restaurant groups, including the New Moon Company and Burger and Lobster.

This year, Refresh PR has again been tasked with developing a strategy to take the awards to the whole of the North West and Yorkshire. As well as handling all media relations, sourcing sponsors and recruiting a judging panel, for the second year Refresh will be working alongside partners STM Photography, STM Social and White Noise Media on each element of the Food Porn Awards.

Phil Marshall, STM managing director and curator of the Food Porn Awards, said, “The launch of the Food Porn Awards last year was a real success and much attributed to the relentless activity of the team at Refresh PR. They worked seamlessly with the Awards’ photography, video and social partners, and were the ‘glue’ in the management of the various events. Refresh was a natural choice for year 2 and we are looking forward to working with them as the awards reach further afield into Yorkshire”.

Laura Mashiter, managing director at Refresh, added: “With the thriving food and drink scene in the North West, we knew the Food Porn Awards was going to be a triumph as soon as the concept was born. The awards offer recognition to restaurants that constantly strive to break the mould with the dishes they create, while at the same time involving them in a fun and novel awards programme with a difference. Expanding to new regions, announcing a public element of the campaign and spreading the word about utterly mouth-watering cuisine are just three of the things we can’t wait to get our teeth into.”

For more information about Refresh PR, visit www.refreshpr.co.uk or call 0161 871 1188. Follow Refresh PR on Twitter @RefreshPR.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Erin Heywood, Refresh PR .