“We worked with Chalk + Ward to develop Lympstone Manor’s brand and the strategic positioning – since then, they’ve delivered a fantastic website that really captures what we’re trying to achieve here.”
In early 2016, acclaimed chef Michael Caines MBE put an exciting new project out to pitch, supporting the marketing and launch of his revolutionary new country house hotel and restaurant, Lympstone Manor. Set to reinvigorate the South West hospitality industry, this was a brief that everyone wanted to be involved with, but it was our strategic approach to the brief that caught Michael’s attention and would really add value to his highly anticipated launch.
Initially, this was purely a web design brief for Michael’s three websites: Michael Caines Collection, Michael Caines Consultancy and Lympstone Manor. However, we challenged this, identifying Lympstone Manor as more than just a website. Lympstone Manor needed its own brand values and sales proposition, which was yet to be defined. So, we worked with Michael and his team to create that brand and understand its strategic positioning through our proprietary Core Values workshop.
Once this was defined, we could then work towards implementing the brand through the website design. We produced an elegant and mobile friendly design that got everyone excited for what Michael had in store.
We then worked with Michael’s in-house team to populate this over the opening months, creating a buzz and establishing Lympstone Manor as the premier hotel launch in the UK. What began solely as a logo emerged into a living, breathing website that showcased Lympstone Manor in all its glory.
With Michael juggling the demands of launching a new hotel, we were able to offer support as his outsourced marketing department during the initial months after launch.
Together, we produced direct mail pieces, developed email marketing campaigns, launched and managed social media accounts and created a suite of branded collateral, including vouchers and membership cards.
Our email marketing strategy created an immediate buzz, with an ongoing strategy of generating newsletter sign-ups via the website. We then segmented this database and sent targeted email communications, supported by an automated campaign.
This strategy had a massive impact, with an email open rate of 76% and a fantastic click through rate of 50% from our first newsletter. This was a highly effective lead generation campaign, getting people engaged and directing them through to the website to convert into bookings.
This was a much needed support for his team, enabling them to focus on the important task of running the UK’s most eagerly anticipated hotel of 2017. As you would expect, Lympstone Manor has been nothing short of a phenomenal success.
We have now handed over the website CMS and social media accounts back to Michael’s in-house team, providing training and ongoing support where required.
Moving forward, the account continues to grow with strategic marketing and branding consultation, with various new opportunities emerging from a partnership we are incredibly proud of.