Ding Dong! It’s October 2024

Ding dong! It’s that time again – the latest edition of the Front Door Comms monthly update is here. What an October it has been for the team. From Halloween to Christmas, we are SLEIGHing (do you like what we did there?).

Let’s start with Halloween, where our fang-tastic client Lottoland secured lots of lovely coverage for its campaign with its chosen charity, the Blue Cross, on how black pets are the last to be adopted due to superstitions – I know, we’re crying too! The campaign surveyed Brits about superstitions that they fear will bring them bad luck – walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror and opening an umbrella indoors were some of the most popular superstitions Brits have. You can catch the campaign in The Sun, The Mirror, and The Express where you’ll also get to see some photos of the gorgeous Pablo, who was rescued from the Blue Cross.

In consumer coverage, MyVoucherCodes got some great pickup, featuring in The Independent with its campaign on the cost of spooky celebrations at Halloween and how you can cut the costs this year. It was a fantastic month overall for MyVoucherCodes, who also featured in The Sun for its money expert comment, warning shoppers not to be sucked in by menopause skincare and clothing and that everyone’s needs are different depending on the person. The coverage didn’t stop there – its shopping expert also spoke to Ideal Home to discuss the rise of Christmas bath towels in the shops and how functionality is the key to help save money whilst still adding festive cheer to your home. We recommend you have a read if you’re looking for some top tips on not spending a fortune in your home this Christmas.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Halloween in the FD Comms office without our annual fancy dress! This year, the team decided to dress up as the characters of the film Inside Out 2, dressing up as all the emotions from joy to sadness. We know how much our director Kath absolutely loves this time of year, so it only felt right for her to be anger – it was picked randomly we promise Kath!

It’s always go, go, go with our wonderful client Go.Compare… where to begin! Let’s start with Go.Compare’s Excess Refund Reward scheme which allows any customer to opt in and receive money back if they purchase a car policy through the price comparison website. This secured a whopping  300 pieces of coverage across regional titles and nationals in October including The Sun and The Mirror.

Of course, we have been cheering on the wonderful Wynne Evans, a long-time friend of Front Door, who has been hot-stepping through each week of Strictly Come Dancing! He is doing a fantastic job on the show and we are cheering him on all the way.

Another client we’re cheering for is IE Hub, whose data on mortgage holders’ worries was featured in The Intermediary, Mortgage Solutions, Your Mortgage as well as across regional outlets. The data revealed that 31% of mortgage holders still have worries about interest rates racing despite the base rate dropping in the Bank of England.

We are already feeling some Christmas cheer as our work with our wonderful client, Christmas at Bute Park, is in full swing and we are all ready, set, glow! The award-winning trail returns to Cardiff from 22^nd November with a completely reimagined route. So far it’s been featured in the Radio Times, Independent, Express, Mirror, Cosmopolitan as well as a brilliant double page spread in the Western Mail showing what you can expect to see at Cardiff’s premier light trail. It has really got us in the festive spirit!

The FD Comms team has been busy inside and outside of the office this month.  Rubie and Lynsey enjoyed a breakfast meeting with a view with our wonderful asset finance insurance client, Acquis, down Cardiff Bay with a coffee and a croissant overlooking the waterfront to discuss forthcoming projects…watch this space!

Rubie and Francesca ventured to Dragon Park in Newport for the FinTech Wales networking breakfast which was hosted by the Football Association of Wales (as a football fan, Francesca was in her element). They enjoyed a talk from the Chief Commercial and Engagement Officer, Sharon Tuff, to discuss the huge increase the FAW has seen in girls and women participating in football and how they plan to continue to see this grow. The team had fun mingling and chatting to the wider FinTech community that morning whilst enjoying a coffee and delicious pain au chocolat to munch on.

Well, that’s it for another month, and we’re already looking forward to seeing what the next month will bring!