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Falkirk Council Leisure and Culture
The Campaign Brief
From the world-famous Kelpies and historic Callendar House to Scotland’s oldest purpose-built cinema, the Hippodrome in Bo’ness, Falkirk Council has an impressive array of cultural attractions and visitor experiences to look after.
Cunningly Good Group was appointed by Falkirk Council’s leisure and culture team to deliver a strategic PR campaign to raise the profile of its attractions, reach new audiences and drive visitor numbers and ticket sales.
Our challenge was to showcase the diversity of Falkirk’s cultural experiences, generate positive media coverage and position the area as a compelling destination for culture, heritage, and days out.
Cunningly Good Group’s Approach
We knew Falkirk Council’s leisure and services team had no shortage of great stories. Our job was to uncover them and get them in front of the right audiences. We developed a proactive eight-month PR programme combining creative storytelling, targeted media relations, broadcast opportunities, journalist visits and influencer engagement.
At Callendar House, we brought heritage to life through engaging human-interest stories, from behind-the-scenes insights with Falkirk Council’s archivist, Carly Manson, to the house’s favourite furry visitor, Barney, while promoting its exhibitions and afternoon tea experience.
For The Hippodrome, we capitalised on its unique cinematic heritage, connection to the BAFTA-winning film I Swear, innovative Taste Along screenings and quirky murder mystery event, Solve-Along Murder She Wrote. We also encouraged public support for its BIFA Cinema of the Year bid.
At The Kelpies and The Helix, we secured influencer visits and promoted family-friendly events, while supporting the wider cultural programme, including Falkirk Science Festival and Folk’ness. We also organised a bespoke destination visit for travel writer Robin McKelvie, generating substantial features in The Sunday National and The Herald.
The Cunningly Good Results
The campaign delivered extensive positive coverage across national and regional media, broadcast outlets, consumer publications, and digital channels, including:
- 120 pieces of media coverage across print, online, broadcast, and social media.
- 220 million combined potential audience reach and 2.47 million estimated coverage views.
- 99% positive sentiment across coverage.
- 220,000 television audience and 576,000 radio listenership across broadcast coverage.
- More than 1,670 social media engagements.
Coverage included The Falkirk Herald, The Herald, The Scotsman, The Sunday Post, Condé Nast Traveller, Best Magazine, and Scottish Field, alongside appearances on STV and BBC Radio Scotland.
Crucially, the impact went beyond headlines, helping build momentum around events and experiences. At The Hippodrome, both Solve-Along Murder She Wrote and the Amélie Taste Along events were complete sell-outs. The latter achieved record-breaking Taste Along sales, selling all 220 cinema tickets and 140 chocolate tasting kits, with additional kits ordered to meet demand. The cinema was also longlisted for BIFA Cinema of the Year due to the number of public votes received.
At Callendar House, afternoon tea bookings gathered pace, with later dates almost selling out. Meanwhile, Falkirk Science Festival attracted an estimated 600–700 visitors, significantly exceeding the previous year’s attendance. One visitor even attended specifically after hearing about the festival on BBC Radio Scotland.
From sell-out screenings to increased attendance and record sales, the campaign demonstrated how creative, targeted PR does more than just generate coverage. It turns awareness into action and gets people through the door.
Stephanie McMillan, Marketing Officer at Falkirk Council commented:
“I can safely say that two of the events that you worked on at The Hippodrome were complete sell outs!
“We have never sold out a Taste Along before – the entire auditorium of 220 cinema tickets were sold and 140 chocolate tasting kits. The best-ever sales for a Taste Along!
“We even had to add more kits to the original chocolate order and could have sold ever more if we had more to sell. The Hippodrome has been longlisted for BIFA cinema of the year!
The Afternoon Teas were off to a slow start but then picked up a pace and the later dates more or less sold out. So a great outcome there too.”
Cat Buck, Marketing Officer at Falkirk Council, added:
“Falkirk Science Festival attendance was around 600/700 which beats previous year’s attendance by a large chunk. An elderly man turned up specifically because he heard the mention on BBC Radio Scotland!”
