On 19^th April 2004, in the room above her mother’s garage, our CEO Lis Lewis-Jones founded Liquid.

Lis reflected earlier in the week about her teenager growing from an adolescent into a young, responsible adult and how it feels to reach this milestone in the current COVID-19 lockdown.

We’ve come a long way in the last 16 years so in celebration of our big birthday, we thought we’d take a look back at 16 of our favourite projects we’ve worked on in that time. In no particular order, here goes…

1. Maple Pancake Day 2020

Maple syrup and Pancake Day go hand in hand, so in February 2020, Liquid hosted a Pancake Day event for Maple from Canada at the Canadian Embassy in London. The event featured cooking demonstrations from Manon Lagrève and Georgina Hayden, tasters of Maple products and a selection of specially created Maple cocktails.

Manon also appeared on a variety of TV and radio programmes sharing her recipe for perfect pancakes, including pure Canadian Maple syrup, of course. Our Pancake Day activity achieved a reach of 144.8 million, with 51 pieces of coverage secured and more than 10,000 likes on social media. 

2. WM5G – 5PRING virtual launch

In March 2020, we had planned a huge event with West Midlands 5G to launch their Application Accelerator facility, 5PRING. 5PRING aims to help organisations of all sizes harness the power of 5G to deliver growth and innovation throughout the West Midlands and beyond.

Unfortunately, the global COVID-19 pandemic scuppered our original plans but not ones to be defeated, we held an online launch with key partners and stakeholders launching the facility over webinar. We secured 22 pieces of coverage with a reach of over 17.1 million and more than 13,000 social media impressions.

3. British Transplant Games 2018

Liquid was tasked with making the British Transplant Games 2018 the best ever and, crucially, raising awareness of organ donation. Our team promoted human-interest stories, pitching amazing competitor case studies to both national and regional titles, as well as national broadcast outlets, securing coverage on shows such as ITV’s Lorraine and ITV news.

Our work secured 100 pieces of media coverage, including broadcast and print/online, with a total reach of 589 million. Our social media strategy, informed by the message #ItTakes2, was instrumental in adding more than 76,000 people to the West Midlands’ register – 5,145 people more than the previous year. On the Games’ final day, the Government announced a change in policy to presumed consent, a key goal of the organisers.

4. Lloyds Pharmacy – Diabetes and blood pressure testing

Liquid was tasked with helping Lloyds Pharmacy to raise the profile of diabetes and blood pressure diagnostic tests available in-store in the West Midlands. In partnership with Birmingham City Football Club, we delivered a campaign that was carefully designed to resonate with the target audience.

The campaign included a blood pressure testing day at St Andrew’s, a press launch featuring Robbie Savage and Matthew Upson, and match day collateral. It generated coverage in the Birmingham Evening Mail, BBC Radio WM and Match of the Day, and resulted in a 30% increase in test volumes within local pharmacies.

5. Chiquita Bananas – CSR Campaign

Chiquita has been growing bananas in Latin America since 1899 and its fruit is enjoyed around the world. In 2013, Liquid was tasked with helping the brand to improve its reputation following accusations that its treatment of workers and the environment was less then desirable – an outdated and misinformed view.

Our ultimate goal was to change perceptions and encourage stakeholders and consumers to ‘like’ Chiquita. As part of the campaign, we created a CSR website, a film showcasing the brand’s values and a media relations toolkit.

6. West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) – Community Platform

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, West Midlands Combined Authority asked us to help with building an online platform to connect those wanting to help with those who need it.

The platform was built in a week and includes an ‘offers of support’ listings section, where generous offers of help from organisations are listed for businesses, citizens and front-line services to take advantage of.

7. Bord Bia – Christmas in July

To support The Irish Food Board, Bord Bia and promote quality Irish produce, Liquid turned the seasons on their head and hosted Christmas in July 2014. 18 suppliers showcased their produce to attendees including representatives from Saturday Kitchen, Sainsbury’s, BBC Good Food and The Caterer.

During the event, #BordBiaXmas began trending on Twitter as the 60 carefully selected industry guests enjoyed a summer Christmas party, featuring quality Irish imported ingredients.

8. Commonwealth Games 2020

Liquid was responsible for regional and national media liaison, staging press conferences, writing and issuing press releases, event management in the UK, and liaising with artists to generate copy and the filming of broadcast quality videos.

We secured comprehensive regional and national publicity via traditional channels and with online and social media platforms. The Birmingham activity was featured on BBC One’s “Blue Peter” with presenter Radzi Chinyanganya taking part in the spectacular mass dance to ELO’s iconic “Mr Blue Sky.” A photo-call to promote Birmingham’s programme of cultural engagement, linked to the Games’ homecoming party, secured national coverage including in The Times.

We’ll publish part two tomorrow as we continue to celebrate our 16th birthday long weekend.