Driving Visibility for Girl Pop! at Gilded Balloon
The brief
Girl Pop!, a musical theatre show capturing the reunion of the biggest (fictional) girl group of the noughties, unfolded in a spectacle filled with iconic pop hits.
For this full Fringe run at the largest venue in Gilded Balloon’s Patter House, the creative team wanted us to raise awareness early and to secure reviews. Another key goal was to get included in show roundup coverage to boost visibility, and to draw audiences to this celebration of girl power.
Our role
We focused on securing preview pieces in theatre Substacks, women’s magazines, and putting the show forward in lists of must-see performances. Outreach included theatre influencers, reviewers, musical theatre publications, and national theatre outlets. We developed a VIP ‘bubble gum’ postal invite, inspired by one of the show’s songs, alongside an email invitation targeted at UK artistic directors and award judges. The show was also promoted at an Edinburgh industry event for contacts in sound and music. To boost attendance, we organised ticket giveaways in partnership with five organisations, including those involved with health, women’s personal training, and a dance company
The results
Girl Pop! secured 19 pieces of coverage, including a preview on the Exeunt Substack and a viral TikTok video by Ash Sees All Theatre (5,000 views). The show was featured prominently in Quine Magazine, with reviews and coverage in What the Fringe, Musical Theatre Review, The Scotsman (including a tweet), Edinburgh Guide, and Theatre Weekly. It was also included in The Edinburgh Reporter’s roundup of shows to see and featured in a Scotsman article discussing the challenges and costs of performing at the Fringe. The Derek Awards also sent judges to see the production.
Testimonial
James was a brilliant PR partner during our Edinburgh Fringe run. He secured us reviews, a two-page spread in a major newspaper and several features in local publications. He was very professional and communicative throughout, always available for a phone call and open to talking through ideas. I would highly recommend James and the team’s services.
Sophie Cairns