Scribner unveils ‘sizzling’ campaign for Jestin’s Heatwave

Scribner is to launch a "major" marketing campaign to celebrate the paperback publication of Victor Jestin’s Heatwave, a Waterstones Fiction Book of the Month for August.

The Simon & Schuster imprint’s campaign kicked off with an ice-cream cart serving free Heatwave-branded ice creams to customers outside Waterstones’ flagship store in London Piccadilly last weekend. 

Point of sale (p.o.s.) advertising has been produced for more than 60 Waterstones stores nationwide. This includes window display packs consisting of bespoke Heatwave deckchairs, in addition to standees featuring the pink bunny character from the book’s cover. Additional in-store p.o.s. includes single-copy holders and decorative bunting.

The campaign will also be supported by paid social media activity across Facebook and Instagram, sharing a book trailer and graphics, targeting similar authors and titles.

Working in conjunction with Tandem Collective, a digital marketing agency, 30 Scribner ambassadors will also post activity on Instagram throughout August, reading the book and completing themed challenges.

Heatwave, which was translated into English by Sam Taylor, follows 17-year-old Leonard who is on a camping holiday with his family in the South of France. On the final Friday of the trip, unable to sleep, Leonard goes for a walk and sees ones of the boys from the campsite, Oscar, hanging from the rope of a playground swing. Unable to think straight, Leonard buries the body in the sand, and returns to his tent. "Disorientated by the oppressive heat, Leonard spends the ensuring hours trying not to unravel," the synopsis reads. "A literary sensation in France, Heatwave is an electrifying and utterly original novel that examines our darkest impulses."

Marketing manager Amy Fulwood, who is spearheading the campaign, said: "Everyone at Scribner has been so excited about Heatwave since we first read it on submission and I’m thrilled that it’s finding a new audience through the Book of the Month promotion. It’s been fantastic to work closely with Waterstones on this campaign and see how much they’ve got behind this brilliant book with window displays featuring our branded deckchairs and our free ice cream pop up at Piccadilly being a highlight.
"It’s also really exciting to see translated fiction reaching a broader audience."

Chris White, editorial director for Scribner UK, added: "Ice cream, deckchairs and pink bunny standees! What more could you ask for? It’s sizzling campaign for a ferociously hot book by an author who is well on his way to becoming a superstar. Victor couldn’t be happier with the incredible support from Waterstones and the unmissable marketing. I’m keeping some raspberry ripple in the freezer for the next time he’s over."