Strathcona Business Improvement Association Dine Railtown

MEDIA RELATIONS | MEDIA TOUR | INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY | PHOTOGRAPHY | VIDEO SERVICES

THE STORY

Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood is a place of rich history and long-standing independent businesses. The Strathcona Business Improvement Association (SBIA) has a goal to support the local economy through advocacy, innovative programming and community-focused initiatives.

In an effort to increase foot traffic in Strathcona’s Railtown district and shift public perception of the area, SBIA came up with Dine Railtown, a neighbourhood culinary festival and charitable fundraiser that would see nine local restaurants highlight special menu items for a one-month period. Restaurants would donate proceeds from the sale of a featured dish to Powell Street Getaway, a local peer-led resource centre in Strathcona operated by the Lookout Housing and Health Society.

SBIA enlisted SMC Communications to further develop the Dine Railtown concept and execute a wide-spread awareness campaign to ensure the event’s success. Our team developed an integrated promotional plan to launch the culinary festival and utilized a number of strategies position Railtown as a foodie destination while building brand awareness for the neighbourhood and its businesses.

MEDIA RELATIONS

To increase awareness for the Dine Railtown campaign and encourage public support for small businesses in the community, SMC leveraged our longstanding media relationships and completed the following tactics:

  • We wrote a press release on behalf of SBIA and distributed it to our local media database of journalists and editors from top-tier print, digital, radio and television outlets.

  • In order to equip media with essential Dine Railtown campaign information and supporting visual assets, we created a customized media kit containing logos, promotional photos, a campaign video as well as a local artist-designed illustrative neighbourhood map commissioned by SBIA to highlight the Dine Railtown partners.

  • We conducted one-on-one pitches and follow-up communications with food, beverage and lifestyle media in Vancouver to increase exposure for Dine Railtown ahead of the launch and during the campaign.

DINE RAILTOWN MEDIA TOUR

Drawing on our expertise in event planning and management, SMC designed and executed a one-night-only Dine Railtown Media Tour on October 29.

  • Twenty-one media guests and influencers took part in a guided walking tour of Railtown with stops at participating restaurants and cafes.

  • At each location, media guests interacted with restaurant staff and got an exclusive preview of Dine Railtown feature dishes.

  • SMC team members acted as brand ambassadors for SBIA throughout the evening, leading the walking tours and educating media about the neighbourhood along the route while answering questions about the Dine Railtown initiative.

SBIA INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY

SMC’s social media team developed a month-long Instagram contest designed to amplify consumer awareness for the Dine Railtown campaign, while also driving online engagement for SBIA and participating restaurants.

  • Throughout the month of November, seven restaurant partners hosted $50 gift card giveaways on their individual Instagram accounts. For each contest, entrants were required to follow the restaurant and the SBIA Instagram account in order to be eligible to win.

  • SBIA then hosted a grand-prize $350 gift card giveaway on its own Instagram account, offering entrants a chance to win $50 individual gift cards to seven Railtown neighbourhood restaurants.

PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO SERVICES

  • SMC’s in-house photographer conducted on-site photoshoots at Dine Railtown restaurant partners to capture professional images to be used for all marketing materials, on social media and as part of our custom media kit.

  • We collaborated with one of our trusted video production partners to produce a one-minute Dine Railtown promotional video showcasing the neighbourhood landscape and the local businesses participating in the campaign.

THE RESULTS 

SMC’s Dine Railtown promotional campaign was an overwhelming success. We introduced the established neighbourhood to a new consumer audience and positioned Railtown as a go-to destination for foodies, while also fostering a positive impact within the larger community.

  • We secured 36 earned feature stories in big-name outlets such as Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Magazine, Daily Hive and VITA.

  • Acclaimed Vancouver food journalist and radio personality Nathan Fong interviewed Dine Railtown spokesperson Johanna Lauyanto on his weekly ‘Fong on Food’ radio program.

  • We secured a highly-coveted TV cooking segment on Global News with Dine Railtown partner Chef Rueben Major of Belgard Kitchen.

  • Our Dine Railtown Media Event was attended by 21 influencers and media guests. Coverage from the event was shared widely on social platforms, resulting in close to 100 Instagram stories and 20 static Instagram posts.

  • SBIA’s Instagram contest garnered 692 unique entries and resulted in 711 new followers for the @madeinstrathcona account, an increase of 78% in just 30 days.

MEDIA COVERAGE