The challenge

As part of The Works’ ambition to grow its books proposition, the team wanted to launch their very first Digital PR campaign. The aim was twofold: to build high-authority, relevant backlinks that would contribute to their wider SEO strategy, and to increase brand awareness by positioning The Works as a trusted authority in the books space.

With no previous campaigns to benchmark against, it was crucial that the project not only delivered strong results, but also clearly demonstrated the value of Digital PR to the business. The campaign needed to connect with their core audience — parents of young children aged 0–10 — while staying true to the brand’s identity.. Just as importantly, it had to be data-rich and versatile enough to generate multiple story angles, ensuring coverage could be driven over an extended period rather than relying on a single news hook.

The Broadplace approach

We developed “The First Books We Remember”, a nationwide survey exploring the most nostalgic childhood reads and comparing them with the first books parents are now reading with their own children.

The study delved deeper than just naming favourite titles. It revealed how old people were when they remembered reading their first book, and explored how this influenced the age they began reading to their own children. It also captured data on authors, titles, genres, and demographics, giving us a wealth of stories to tell.

This breadth of data was crucial. It meant we could align the campaign not only with evergreen parenting and lifestyle angles, but also tie it to the key days of the year like World Book Day, as well as book anniversaries and authors’ birthdays.. By doing so, we ensured the campaign wasn’t just a one-off spike in coverage but a resource that could be repurposed throughout the year.

The concept was also tightly aligned with The Works’ brand and audience, making it the perfect vehicle to highlight their expertise in books.

The results

The campaign exceeded expectations, securing widespread coverage and high-value links that firmly positioned The Works as a leading retailer of children’s books.

In total, the study achieved 30 pieces of coverage with a combined reach of 178 million, alongside 764 engagements across digital and social channels. The average Domain Authority of links secured was 45.

Crucially, coverage was not limited to niche titles. The Works earned placements in The Guardian, The Daily Mail, the i Newspaper, and The Bookseller, along with an interview on London Live’s flagship 6pm news show. The campaign even gained international recognition when the German Embassy shared the research to celebrate Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo.

By combining emotive storytelling with robust data, The Works’ very first Digital PR campaign delivered on all fronts: building links, driving brand awareness, and proving the lasting value of Digital PR as a driver of both SEO growth and authority in their space.