Turn Key Blog. Things we've done and the things we love.

Last week the TK PR team left the office and took to the road to deliver Thai food to journalists and media contacts courtesy of our new client, authentic Thai restaurant chain, Chaophraya.

Day One

The first stop was Manchester where Account Manager, Samara and our PR Intern, Richard delivered delicious Thai treats to lots of happy media.

Visiting Capital FM, XFM, Real Radio XS, KEY 103 and Urban Life at lunchtime couldn’t have been more perfectly timed – the journalists, presenters and producers we met were like children in a sweet shop as we arrived with a selection of goodies.

The mouth watering dishes were chosen from Chaophraya’s brand new lunch menu and delivered in sample boxes designed by our very own Paul in the TK Studio.

The samples went down a treat and they were enjoyed by all, with tweets from Urban and Capital FM and XFM flowing in with praise for the eaterie. The day was a huge success and it was fantastic to meet the Manchester media.

Day Two

The second day of media drops was another overwhelming success, this time at Chaophraya Leeds, the chain’s flagship restaurant! Samara and Turn Key’s newest recruit, Senior Account Exec, Gina spent the day zooming around in Samara’s ever so stylish convertible Beatle. This time we spent the day delivering Thai treats our friends and contacts on the Leeds media circuit.

Armed with sample boxes filled with Pad Thai, Prawn Toast, Barbeque Spare Ribs and Papaya Salad, our first stop was Capital FM where Hirsty and the Breakfast team got stuck into three courses of oriental delights (as this Twitter image from them shows!)

Following on from this we paid visits to the Yorkshire Business Insider, TheBusinessDesk.com, the Yorkshire Evening Post, BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Aire and Magic FM. The reaction was fantastic as teams welcomed the deliveries and tweeted their delight at the delicious dishes. Many of our journalist friends are now eager to visit the restaurant itself to enjoy the full Chaophraya experience and we look forward to welcoming them!

We were even lucky enough to try the new lunch menu ourselves and definitely give it five out of five! Aroi Mak (very delicious!)

Team PR went above and beyond last week hand delivering custom made pint glasses including an invitation to ‘Beer with Blacks’ – a mini beer festival being held by our client, Leeds-based Blacks Solicitors to introduce its new legal licensing whizz Mark Beedel.

We were lucky enough to enjoy an hour of the glorious sunshine whilst touring the city as we popped in to see some of our favourite journo’s at the Business Desk, YBI, the YP and the YEP.  A welcome, refreshing and mouth-watering surprise for our favourite contacts. Can’t wait to see you there on the 19 ^th … make mine a pint!

Leeds Met student Emily Garner talks about her time with Turn Key PR…

As a PR student at Leeds Met we are always being encouraged to do as much work experience as possible throughout the year and I am very lucky to have been offered a one day a week placement here at the amazing Turn Key!

I spent most of my first week working on the launch of the fab new Branston snack product ‘Peanuts & Crackers’ and speaking to some lovely influential food bloggers and journalists. Since then, I have been busy preparing regional press lists, doing research and completing a media audit– the time has flown by!

Having done work experience in several PR agencies and a year’s work placement at a charity, it’s really great to have the opportunity to be part of an integrated agency and working with such a wide range of clients. One minute I could be on the phone to a top food magazine and the next I’m researching the latest changes in employment law. Every day is different.

Want to know the best thing about working with the Turn Key team? It’s such a close knit group that it feels like a big family and since I’ve been here my confidence has grown massively.  Previously, the idea of a media sell-in would send me into a tizzy but because I was briefed so well on the clients, I now feel relaxed and confident talking to journalists.

The TK PR team’s enthusiasm is infectious and I love my Wednesdays here. I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I am really looking forward to working hard and having my own little projects to continue each week. I’m sure the experience will be invaluable and hopefully this won’t be the last time you hear from me on the TK blog…watch this space!

It’s been a successful fortnight for TK PR with the team generating over 45 pieces of national and regional client coverage!

Highlights include: planning approval for Hammerson’s £600m Eastgate Quarter development in Leeds which appeared on TV, radio, online and in print; in-depth features in major print and signage titles for honeycomb substrate manufacturer, Dufaylite; news on Blacks Solicitors’ new mediation offering which can be found in all the Yorkshire business titles; numerous reviews in leading women’s magazines for new snack product Ambrosia Custard Coated Fruit Flakes; and finally, Dine Hospitality’s new ethical menu was featured in the region’s top business titles.

Check out a sample of these top stories below, with a lovely double page spread in the Yorkshire Evening Post and a half page in the Yorkshire Post’s Commercial Property section.