Change Needed

Few family businesses reach their 100th year, and the Seymour family wanted to mark this huge milestone properly. The family wanted more people to know about the milestone, to uncover and share a century of history, and to recognise the people who had helped make their sustained success possible. The celebration had to feel personal and true to the family, while reaching guests, staff, the community, media and travel industry partners.

Our Solution

We researched a hundred years of Seymour history, from their archives to interviews with the Seymour family. Our campaign was built around their archive treasures and incredible family stories, with one thread running through everything: #seymour100. A centenary marque and visual language was created that gave the year its own identity and would run through all the campaign deliverables. We told the Seymour story in film, creating a powerful video narrated by three generations of the Seymour family. A centenary microsite hosted an interactive timeline and archive pieces. And a centenary magazine packed with Seymour stories, loyal staff and customer profiles and fascinating insights to 100 years of hospitality launched at the start of the season. In hotel, branded door hangers, centenary wines, lapel badges and commemorative teddies were created. And a full PR campaign rolled out across national, regional and trade media.

The Results

We delivered every element of the campaign just before COVID-19 closed the borders and the hotels with them. The celebrations were cut short, but the story wasn’t. The film, microsite and archive now hold a century of Seymour history in one place. It’s a lasting record for the family, their staff and their guests, and a foundation for the next hundred years.