Pan Macmillan "is inviting online 'influencers' and 'brand advocates' to host hundreds of house parties simultaneously across the U.K. to help promote books," the Bookseller reported. Each "event" will be themed around a key Pan Macmillan title or imprint and consist of about 100 parties with 5-10 people, all united by social media. According to the publisher, the goal is to drive engagement with the Pan Macmillan brand through "powerful in-home experiences," with hopes to generate "authentic word of mouth, measurable awareness, shareable content, product reviews and consumer insight."
Pan Macmillan has partnered with marketing agency Come Round to cover four main events, along with the opportunity to participate in other Come Round campaigns as official book partner to its other clients across consumer electronics and entertainment sectors. Come Round founder Giles Harris said, "Insight tells us that consumers are far more likely to recommend and purchase books that have been recommended to them by someone they know and trust. Our mechanic brings those people together and gives them the most informal and conversation-starting environment possible--house parties with their friends."
Sara Lloyd, director of communications and digital at Pan Macmillan, added: "We met with Giles and his team and immediately loved their approach to engagement and their approach to peer-to-peer discussions. It matched our longstanding conversations about audience and engagement; we know that a novel finds its best and widest audience through personal recommendation. Working with Come Round will help us reach more readers and enable us to introduce them to great stories, but we will also have the opportunity to get to know our readers better."