WORLD DESIGN CAPITAL 2014

THE OBJECTIVE

For its commitment to using design as a social, cultural and economic development tool, the City of Cape Town was awarded the prestigious title of World Design Capital 2014 (WDC 2014) and was the first African city to have been given the honour. Eclipse PR, in a stringent pitch process, was awarded the role of Press Office for the programme.

When accepting this designation on behalf of the city, South Africa and the African continent, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Patricia de Lille expressed a desire for every citizen to feel the impact of WDC 2014.
Our main objective was to communicate all WDC messages to the public as well as create awareness of all the projects through media channels. Challenges included limited budget and resources available to widely promote WDC 2014, coupled with an overwhelming number of projects involved (over 460 recognised projects) requiring exposure.

THE STRATEGY

Our strategy relied on our strong media relationships, built up over the years to carry WDC2014 messages to the public. We focused on a few projects that fit into one overarching campaign pillar (sustainability, education, design, etc.) each month to avoid bombarding media with too many messages all at once.

THE PR CAMPAIGN & RESULTS

We hosted a monthly media briefing session to discuss projects and WDC messages. Our team drafted all content and seeded press releases and visuals to media monthly.

Total AVE: R1,5 Billion 
Total Reach: 1,2 Billion opportunities to see 
Average of 10 media in attendance at each media briefing session
Average of 302 pieces of coverage on WDC 2014 in general per month (target 30)
Average of 180 pieces of coverage on WDC 2014 projects per month (target 30)
Average of 16 pieces of coverage in community media per month (target 10)
Average of 163 pieces of coverage in Western Cape regional media per month (target 20)
Average of 34 pieces of coverage in regional media in other areas of South Africa per month (target 10)
Average of 154 pieces of coverage in national media per month (target 5)
Average of 9 pieces of coverage in African media per month (target 5)
Average of 77 pieces of coverage in international media per month (target 5)
Average of 29 pieces of coverage in niche media per month (target 5)