Collaboration with the National Trust, new festive publishing, plus special Peter Rabbit Christmas grotto all planned.
Penguin Random House UK has revealed a raft of new brand activations for Peter Rabbit – offering families’ opportunities to come together this winter as lockdown restrictions lift in the UK.
A dedicated partnership with the National Trust will see a series of Peter Rabbit Winter Activity Trails launch in 90 National Trust places across the UK this December.
The trails will offer families nature-themed activities in beautiful outdoor settings, while a range of Peter Rabbit gifts will be stocked at all National Trust gift shops and available online. The ambitious partnership will bring Peter Rabbit to the Trust’s impressive family audience with an expected 1.7m visitors accessing the trails this winter. Dates and locations are all available on the National Trust website.
A series of digital activities will be available at a dedicated Peter Rabbit area on the National Trust website, including festive storytelling and audio clips from the recently released Beatrix Potter: The Complete Tales, while activity sheets, to support partners across the Peter Rabbit brand, will be promoted to the Trust’s combined social media following of 2.7m followers.
“Penguin Random House UK has worked in partnership with the National Trust for many years to protect Beatrix Potter’s legacy in the Lake District,” said Izzy Richardson, global brand director, PRH children’s owned brands. “We are so excited that our partnership can now bring the adventures of Peter Rabbit and friends to National Trust supporters and their families in an entirely new and immersive way.
“The trails will place Peter in some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the UK and offer families the opportunity to create memorable experiences together this winter.”
The trails and digital campaign use the festive illustrations from new book, Peter Rabbit: Christmas is Coming which provides a story and an activity to share, every day throughout December.
An influencer campaign to promote the book is currently underway with seven influencers showcasing family-friendly, festive activities and stories, as well as a range of Peter Rabbit licensed gifts.
With new content posted every week, the ‘Festive Fridays’ campaign will reach a combined following of approximately 480K Instagram users during the crucial Q4 period.
In addition, Penguin Ventures has worked with Eskimo Jo for the third year running to launch an official Peter Rabbit Christmas Grotto. The immersive experience will launch at Centre MK this December with Peter Rabbit and friends, welcoming back families as the shopping centre reopens this month.
Thomas Merrington, creative director at Penguin Ventures, said: “This is the third year into our partnership with Eskimo Jo & Vibration Music following two sell-out Peter Rabbit grottos at intu Trafford Centre.
“Together we have created an incredibly atmospheric and theatrical, interactive grotto. The cosy rabbits’ burrow and opportunity for children to get involved with crafting, is the perfect way to evolve Peter Rabbit for Christmas family audiences.”
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