Leading Vauxhall dealer Pomphrey of Sittingbourne had arranged to donate a fleet of cars to Kent Police in a community sponsorship arrangement worth £70,000.

This represented the company’s largest single community activity in 2005 and it was considered vital to secure local press coverage to mark the occasion.

The dealership employed Edwards Harvey to achieve publicity for the event, in which 10 Vauxhall Agilas would be handed over to the area’s Chief Superintendent.

We arranged a photocall and commissioned and briefed a photographer of our own.

The same day, a press release was circulated, which told the story of the sponsorship arrangement and also included key messages about the company’s major investment in its showroom.

The story and picture were featured in two local newspapers, occupying editorial space worth the equivalent of many hundreds of pounds.

In addition, editorial coverage was achieved in Kent Police’s staff magazine, on its intranet news section and within Vauxhall UK’s internal news media.

As a result of the promotional activity involving Kent Police, the dealership received a surge of inquiries from police staff.