The Hope Classic Rally 2021

We thrive on working to a deadline here at BrightWord which is why we relished the challenge of successfully supporting the final marketing push for the 2021 Hope Classic Rally.

The Hope Classic Rally is a prestigious charity event that celebrates some of the most beautiful classic cars from the past 100 years, inviting them to travel in convoy along a spectacularly scenic route through the Surrey Hills that finishes in the stunning South Downs.  All the proceeds from the event go to the WeSeeHope Foundation, a charity that supports vulnerable people and children living in Southern and Northern Africa. 

Public Relations 

With short lead times for an event taking place in just 6 weeks, our main Public Relations focus was targeting online and short-lead press media. We identified not only classic car titles but also luxury lifestyle press, philanthropy outlets, and the regional press and media in and around the vicinity of the Rally. Coverage included an extensive feature in Surrey Life magazine with a moving interview with Phil Wall, Founder of WeSeeHope and the Hope Classic Rally, to fantastic coverage in IM Magazine and Classic & Sports Car.

Social Media 

Complementing our Public Relations activity, we revved up HCR’s online social media presence (reach increased by almost 1000%), reenergised its existing online community (engagement increased by 1.2k) and accelerated its growth and engagement to raise greater awareness of and interest in the event as well as the associated online auctions and fundraising activity (website taps increased by 292%).  There was a lot to communicate in a very short time frame. 

We immediately tapped into Classic Car and Classic Car enthusiast Facebook groups, created Facebook events and executed an engaging series of social media posts, stories and reels. We left no stone unturned, initiating a Hope Classic Rally LinkedIn page and engagement strategy on the platform as well as undertaking a targeted Facebook advertising campaign. The results speak for themselves and the buzz and interest generated and money raised at the inaugural Hope Classic Rally Magnificent Seven online auction was impressive. 

On the Day and Post Event Follow-Up

We were thrilled to see our hard work and efforts help the event to bloom into a successful and memorable day. The Rally was attended by two members of the BrightWord team in order to facilitate creating on-the-day social media content and secure content for post-event PR and social media too. 

It truly was a special and satisfying day which began at the stunning Oatlands Park Hotel and ended at the beautiful Wiston Park where guests could enjoy a quintessential garden party amongst some of the world’s most sought-after classic cars.  If you’re a classic car enthusiast we highly recommend getting involved in Hope Classic Rally 2022.