HarperCollins launches 'industry leading' publicity campaign for Archer

HarperCollins is launching "an industry leading" publicity and marketing campaign to mark Jeffrey Archer's return to the publisher after 18 years, including a brand new cultural podcast.

Over My Dead Body is Archer's first book with HarperCollins in the William Warwick series and sees the titular detective in a race against time to stop four killers from getting away with murder.

The "Unputdownable" podcast will be hosted by Archer, who will interview high-profile guests about the books and cultural experiences that have left them wanting more. HarperCollins said the podcast will "examine content that ignites in the consumer an unquenchable thirst for more" and will be a "key element of the bold PR campaign". Guests will include authors Anthony Horowitz and Lucy Foley, journalist and political commentator Ayesha Hazarika, actor, artist and satirist Barry Humphries and Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri.

The publicity campaign will aim to "stop consumers in their tracks" and involves seven media buys and a reach of more than 20 million consumers. It launched on 11th October across London, the south-east and north-west and is designed "to hit readers whether they are online, listening to the radio or travelling". The publisher is working with Mediacom, Waterstones and design agency One Darnley Road.

There will also be a "show-stopping industry first" advert at Euston station that "appears to break the boundaries of the creative space" alongside a "striking" dual panel advert on National Rail four-sheets with the message: "Double the cliffhangers. Double the twists. Only one Jeffrey Archer." There will also be two seasonal radio adverts featuring Archer. 

This will be complemented by a series of curated events exploring Archer, pairing him with industry leading names including Bernard Cornwell, John Sutherland and Gyles Brandreth. The events will explore Archer’s four-decade career, "and the man behind the unputdownable books" the publisher said. He will also feature on "Good Morning Britain", Sky News, BBC Radio 2 and Times Radio and in the Sunday Times Magazine and the Telegraph Magazine.

The publisher said: "All elements of the campaign have been shared globally and are regionally targeted according to consumer insight."

Hannah O’Brien, senior marketing director at HarperFiction said: "Jeffrey Archer is a one-of-a-kind author and we wanted to deliver a one-of-a-kind campaign – creating an urgency and memorability and shocking consumers into action. Working in partnership with Waterstones and using design agency One Darnley Road, we feel our campaign delivers just that."

Elizabeth Dawson, PR director for HarperFiction added: "This is a PR campaign that’s as big as Jeffrey! We wanted to deliver ambitious activity that reflected his publishing: big, bold and unmissable. The podcast is a new avenue for this renaissance man and will put him front and centre of the campaign."