National Sickie Day - taylor herring

Case Study: National Sickie Day
Client: Sky Travel

The Client
Sky Travel comprises four individual channels including the core channel, Sky Travel Shop and two multiplex channels - Sky Travel Extra and Sky Travel + 1. The channels have a combined reach of over 10 million viewers and holiday sales have increased 400% since 2002. Sky Travel is available on Sky digital channel 139, NTL channel 931 and Freeview channel 11. Sky Travel is the fastest-growing TV travel service in the UK.

Background
• To create a news story to provide a talking point in the key new year holiday sales period

• Achieve brand amplification for Sky Travel by creating a big noise across a wide range of media

The Idea
• To establish which day is ‘National Sickie Day’ – the day most office workers would take a cheeky day off and ring in sick.

• To use this hook to enable Sky Travel spokespeople to discuss the underlying causes behind ‘sickies’ – very often because people are stressed and need to take a holiday

Execution
• Conducted a research survey to find newsworthy statistics – 4,000 respondents filled out the online questionnaire

• Results analysis and press release drafted – “Monday 6 February is National Sickie Day”

• Contacted HR gurus/ occupational psychologists who could act as spokespersons.

• We engaged Professor Cary Cooper, a well-known and media friendly expert in workplace issues

• We also drafted in Laurence Collins, an HR consultant who specialises in organisational stress and absenteeism

• A news release leads with ‘National Sickie Day’ but also includes lots of other sickie-related statistics, such as how many days off respondents thought they could get away with and what they do while off ‘sick’

• Inclusion of quotes from Professor Cary Cooper and Barbara Gibbon from Sky Travel on the reasons why people take a ‘sickie’

• News release sold in to tabloids, broadsheets and broadcast media.

Results
• All national newspapers covered the story including front page of the Daily Telegraph and sizeable pieces in Daily Mail, The Guardian and Daily Record

• As well as news stories, National Sickie Day also featured in later comment pieces in The Guardian, Daily Record, Daily Express and Evening Standard

• The story ran on GMTV, This Morning, Tonight with Trevor MacDonald, BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme and BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat

• Spokepersons were also interviewed on Sky News and ITV News

• 23 radio interviews including BBC Radio 2, Capital Gold, BBC Asian Network and BBC Radio Scotland

• Pick up across the globe including France, South Africa and India

• A conservative estimate of at least £600,000 worth of advertising equivalent value.

• R.O.I. = £120 for every £1 spent

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