Inside this law firm’s flourishing sponsorship of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Winning The Drum Awards for B2B Gold in the Sponsorship category was Addleshaw Goddard & Mike McMahon Studio. Here’s the award-winning case study.
Inside this law firm's flourishing sponsorship of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
Here is the award-winning case study. London-headquartered, international law firm Addleshaw Goddard is dedicated to helping people and companies flourish and grow in the city. The concept of 'flourishing' is embedded in the DNA of the business, having for example delivered a 'How to Flourish' development program for over a decade that has supported 350 brilliant internal and external businesswomen to reach their full potential. And to help share that core belief in flourishing, in a market utterly focused on digital content and AI, Addleshaw Goddard went in an altogether different – and far greener - brand direction.
Striking a wonderful relationship with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) - the UK's leading gardening charity – Addleshaw Goddard sponsored the uber-talented architects and design practice, Mike McMahon Studio, to present a balcony garden at the 2024 RHS Chelsea Flower show. Televised on BBC TV and attracting over 150,000 visitors, the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show is ranked one of the world’s top 5 ‘must see’ events by influential travel brand, Kuoni. And alongside the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament, it is one of the most sought out events in the London calendar. Combining both the opportunity to work with a green charity, the core alignment with AG’s core themes of flourishing and growth, and the ability to participate in one of London’s most iconic events, made the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Mike McMahon Studio literally perfect (and truly, truly lovely) brand partners for Addleshaw Goddard.
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The result was the Gold-medal winning 'The Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden,' with Mike McMahon Studio offering city residents a vision of how they might bring horticulture, serenity, and biodiversity to even the smallest urban spaces. Their stunning creation showcased our shared vision to help urban areas flourish, and the response was astounding.
That sponsorship equipped Addleshaw Goddard to earn precious time with 170 clients, prospective clients, journalists, and other VIPs – leading to immediate new opportunities for the firm. Furthermore, with zero advertising or PR spend, the 'Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden' was featured on BBC TV multiple times and received over 150 other print and online media mentions. Together those publications boasted a combined media reach of over 2 billion people, with an independent media analyst calculating the media exposure to be the equivalent to £2million in advertising spend. The sponsorship punched far beyond its weight in terms of brand visibility and return on investment. And if that wasn’t enough, the firm and Mike McMahon Studio were honored that the garden was visited by multiple TV celebrities and members of the British Royal Family, including their majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
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This purpose-rich, environmentally friendly, feel-good brand sponsorship achieved all it set out to do and then some. And while Addleshaw Goddard continues to showcase how it can help clients to flourish and grow in the city, the Addleshaw Goddard Junglette Garden's journey didn't end at Chelsea. When the flower show ended, Addleshaw Goddard donated and relocated the garden to one of the firm's other adopted charities, the Rock Trust – an inspiring youth homeless charity. The Gold-medal winning garden is now providing a small space of sanctuary and serenity for young homeless people at one of the charity's centres, with the wonderful Mike McMahon Studio volunteering with young people at the garden.
In the words of Addleshaw Goddard’s guests:
"Truly wonderful ... incredible." Business leader, major global brand.
"I really admire what you’ve done." Senior lawyer, major global brand.
"A fantastic day, the company was perfect, the venue was great … couldn’t ask for much more!!," senior lawyer, major corporate.
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