Frost Group
Viral Ventures UK Ltd, known for operating the quirky dining experiences Karen’s Café and Broadway Events, found itself in financial distress, leading to a creditor’s petition for liquidation. The dining brands were well-known for their novelty concepts, with Karen’s Café famously offering a “rude” customer service experience as part of its appeal. The company appointed Frost Group as the official liquidators to oversee the voluntary liquidation. The situation affected multiple stakeholders, including 77 staff (most on zero-hour contracts) and 2,758 customers, resulting in claims totalling £308,000.
Frost Group approached Creative Pod to help manage the announcement of the liquidation through a comprehensive PR and social media strategy, with the aim of raising awareness of the liquidation process, directing affected customers to appropriate resources, and managing public perception.
Viral Ventures UK Ltd, known for operating the quirky dining experiences Karen’s Café and Broadway Events, found itself in financial distress, leading to a creditor’s petition for liquidation. The dining brands were well-known for their novelty concepts, with Karen’s Café famously offering a “rude” customer service experience as part of its appeal. The company appointed Frost Group as the official liquidators to oversee the voluntary liquidation. The situation affected multiple stakeholders, including 77 staff (most on zero-hour contracts) and 2,758 customers, resulting in claims totalling £308,000.
Frost Group approached Creative Pod to help manage the announcement of the liquidation through a comprehensive PR and social media strategy, with the aim of raising awareness of the liquidation process, directing affected customers to appropriate resources, and managing public perception.
Viral Ventures' liquidation was a sensitive and high-profile case, involving a diverse range of stakeholders, including customers, employees, creditors, and media outlets. With the public’s growing interest in the financial collapse of well-known brands, the challenge was to communicate the details professionally and empathetically, while providing clear guidance for those affected, particularly customers who had made bookings and needed to recover deposits.
Furthermore, Karen’s Café’s controversial nature (due to its "rude" service theme) attracted additional media scrutiny, making it critical to carefully manage the messaging and the brand’s reputation through effective PR and media strategies.
Our Solution
Press Release Distribution
Creative Pod crafted a clear and empathetic press release that announced the liquidation of Viral Ventures UK Ltd and provided essential information for customers, employees, and creditors. The press release included key details on how customers could recover deposits via their credit card providers and the steps being taken to assist affected staff and creditors.
We also developed a targeted distribution strategy to maximise reach, ensuring that the news would appear in both national and local outlets, as well as relevant industry publications.
Media Relations & Social Media Management
In addition to the press release, Creative Pod provided ongoing social media management to address customer queries and manage the fallout on platforms like LinkedIn. This was particularly crucial due to Viral Ventures’ younger audience, many of whom took to social media for updates and information.
We created a bespoke LinkedIn post for Frost Group, which was designed to inform the professional audience about the situation and provide guidance on further steps. Alongside managing comments and messages, our team ensured that any engagement was handled promptly and professionally
The Results
Outstanding Media Coverage
The press release was picked up by 23 online publications, ranging from national news to local outlets and industry-specific publications. This included major titles such as the Daily Mail, The Sun, and Yahoo News, as well as respected industry platforms like The Caterer and Restaurant Online. The total estimated reach across all platforms was 75 million readers.
Selected Media Outlets and Readership:
- Daily Star: 1.2 million readers
- Yahoo News: 40 million readers
- The Sun: 2.2 million readers
- Daily Mail: 2.8 million readers
- Manchester Evening News: 24 million readers
- Liverpool Echo: 900,000 readers
- Portsmouth News: 220,000 readers
- The Caterer: 200,000 readers
- SquareMeal: 2 million readers
- Islington Gazette: 160,000 readers
- Gloucestershire Live: 1.4 million readers
The press release successfully gained traction not only across high-profile national platforms but also in regional outlets such as the Liverpool Echo, Portsmouth News, and Plymouth Herald, ensuring the message reached local audiences in areas most affected by Karen’s Café’s closures.
Effective Social Media Engagement
On social media, the LinkedIn post received significant engagement from a range of stakeholders, including customers looking for updates and creditors seeking information. By effectively managing comments and addressing questions promptly, we were able to help Frost Group maintain a professional and transparent dialogue with the public.
Conclusion
Creative Pod’s strategic approach to PR and social media management enabled Frost Group to effectively communicate the liquidation of Viral Ventures UK Ltd, ensuring all affected stakeholders were well-informed and directed to appropriate resources.
Through targeted press release distribution, we were able to generate widespread media coverage, securing mentions across 23 publications with a total potential readership of over 75 million. Our social media strategy further supported Frost Group in managing public reactions and queries with professionalism and empathy.
This project demonstrates how Creative Pod’s comprehensive PR solutions can deliver outstanding results in managing high-profile announcements, protecting brand reputation, and ensuring clear communication across multiple platforms.
If your business needs help with press release strategies for managing public relations during challenging times, contact Creative Pod today at hello@creativepod.net or call 01293 908 100.
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