Marketing and PR for Butcher Bird Studios

The client

Butcher Bird Studios is a creative content company that leverages cutting-edge technology to tell the stories of the future. It offers a unique blend of artistry and innovation, bridging the gap between brands, non-traditional talent, and media to engage new audiences.

The studio’s client portfolio includes forward-thinking companies such as Netflix, Twitch, and BuzzFeed, among many others. They also create award-winning original content, such as the interactive live series Orbital Redux.

“Grammatik Agency has not only helped us refine our brand positioning and messaging, but also raised our profile through public relations, social media and SEO content. Working as an extension of our team, they have been instrumental in defining and delivering a communications strategy that has made a real impact.”

Steven Calcote, Director at Butcher Bird Studios

The brief

Butcher Bird Studios reached out to Grammatik Agency for PR support on their original project Orbital Redux, following our successful publicity campaign for a Butcher Bird Director’s short film – In a Foreign Town.

After landing some high-profile features for the directors’ cut release of Orbital Redux, including Variety, we shifted our focus towards a multifaceted comms approach to promote the studio.  

After starting with immersion sessions to better understand Butcher Bird’s value proposition and messaging goals, over the following year Grammatik acted as an integrated communications and marketing team for the studio, defining brand strategy and implementing a messaging plan to elevate voice and positioning in the industry. Key objectives included bringing individual team members to the forefront; positioning Butcher Bird as thought leaders in front of potential clients; and showcasing their work across multiple channels.

By segmenting the company’s branded and original content strands, Grammatik was able to create opportunities for Butcher Bird to showcase its expertise across the industry. Our primary targets for messaging were events and speaking engagements to network with potential clients; press opportunities and features; and owned media to talk directly to its audience.

The Strategy

Messaging Strategy

By looking at the business aspirations, competitors, and themes, we created a value proposition to accurately represent Butcher Bird Studios. We also created thematic messaging strands covering the team’s individual and collective expertise that we then used for pitching speaking engagements and press bylines. These included key messages on audience engagement; live interactivity; and online communities. From this, we landed several features in key industry press including ProductionHUB and Post Magazine.

Butcher Bird also wanted to emphasize its forward-thinking approach to cutting-edge production technology, including virtual production, interactive streaming, and AR/VR. So we brought this technological creativity to the forefront of owned media messaging – such as a monthly tech feature in their newsletter, press releases on tech collaborations, and blogs and case studies that showcased the teams’ innovative thinking in branded productions.

Social Media and Newsletter

Alongside website content and newsletters, organic social media was another focus to promote Butcher Bird through owned channels. Based on the messaging discussions and value proposition, Grammatik defined a tone of voice and content strategy for the studio accounts. Our goal was to promote its branded and original work to new and existing audiences, while positioning the studio as thought leaders in their field.

To do so, we drafted weekly unique content for multiple platforms to reach different audiences. This included look-backs at past content, showcasing current projects and recent case studies, and sharing insights into industry events and news. We also tied social media into other owned media, linking back to longer-form content on blogs or newsletters.

Each month, we supported on drafting and sharing a newsletter to a list of Butcher Bird’s audience with the aim of elevating their profile and drawing attention from potential clients. This newsletter featured a main project or event of the month; plus segments on recent press features, speaking engagements, team profiles, and a tech spotlight.

The Results – Highlights, 2021-22

30 pieces of press coverage secured, with a combined total readership of over 1,320,000,000

A 23% increase in Twitter followers and 57% increase in LinkedIn followers, with a combined total of over 73,000 impressions and over 3,500 engagements across all platforms in the first half of 2022

19 case studies and blogs published in 2021 and 2022