ROSE OF AUSTRALIA

Hotel PR, Social Media Marketing & Campaign, Function Marketing, Graphic Design, Website Development

The late Howard Leach, an old greenskeeper, was the eclectic and beloved publican behind the Rose of Australia Hotel. An ode to his memory, son Scott and wife Elissa created the sophisticated, new restaurant Howard’s Cantina and Cocktail Bar on the upper level of the pub. With an entirely new demographic, launched in the middle of winter and no social media presence to speak of, the Papaya team were tasked with creating hype around Howard’s Cantina with a dynamic PR campaign that consisted of securing lead publications and media, comprehensive social media marketing strategy and social media management.

RESULTS

Coverage

Coverage with Broadsheet, Urban List, Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Telegraph and Concrete Playground

Bookings

131 functions booked in the month following the launch, a marked increase from the year prior.

Awards

Winner for social media in the AHA Awards 2017 and best marketed hotel in 2018

ROI

Based on revenue figures, an ROI of 7,500% on marketing spend

HOW WE GOT THERE

PR Venue Launch

Papaya embarked on a comprehensive PR strategy which included a media pitching program to strong contacts at Good Food, Broadsheet, Urban List and more. We also undertook an influencer launch event with over 40 influencers and bloggers, securing a reach across Instagram in excess of 500,000.

Social Media Marketing & Campaign

Approaching the launch, we developed a strategic phased social media program across both Facebook and Instagram which would enable us to engage with the local Erskineville demographic. We were also tasked with launching an entirely new Instagram account that generated 1K followers in less than 6 months through Papaya’s local audience growth strategies.

Promotional Video

Papaya has created multiple videos for The Rose of Australia including the first same sex wedding at the venue, which spoke to one of our key target audiences, LGBTQI+ community. These videos have generated a significant spike in function bookings.

Website Design & Development

Papaya re-designed and developed a user optimised website which featured the new Howards Cantina, menu,various function spaces and packages and upcoming social events at the venue. As part of the development of the website, using our SEO specialist we optimised the website to perform well in Google search.

The marketing campaign Papaya ran for the Rose of Australia’s new restaurant, Howard’s, was so successful it won the NSW 2017 Australian Hotels Association Award for Best Social Media Activity. More than that, Papaya’s approach generates real business results with hundreds of function enquiries and a sharp increase in revenue resulting from our partnership with the team. Papaya secured us coverage in Good Food, Daily telegraph, Broadsheet, Concrete Playground, Urban List and much more. They built a beautiful functional website that’s fully mobile compatible and continue to design posters and artwork that reflect the personality of our venue. With no other proactive marketing, we can only put down the significant increase in revenue over this time to their hard work and expertise.

– Scott Leach, Owner Rose of Australia Hotel.