Macmillan Children’s Books unveils blockbuster communications campaign for Gruffalo Granny
With one month to go, Macmillan Children’s Books has announced a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing and PR campaign for the highly anticipated publication of Gruffalo Granny by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
The campaign is designed to secure the book’s status as a landmark publishing event when it is released on 10 September.
The yearlong campaign kicked off in January this year with a series of teaser assets and has continued to drive anticipation and excitement since. The Gruffalo Granny title announcement and character artwork reveal in February reached an estimated 84 million people worldwide through primetime broadcast media, targeted advertising, retailer engagement and character projections onto libraries around the world, and resulted in a number 1 chart position on Amazon, where Gruffalo Granny remained for two weeks.
Gruffalo Grany
by Julia Donaldson
The brand new Gruffalo picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
The Gruffalo said to his daughter one day,
“Your Gruffalo Granny is coming to stay.”
Return to the deep dark wood with the first new Gruffalo story in over 20 years, and meet Gruffalo Granny as she visits the Gruffalo family. This fresh and exciting new Gruffalo adventure features the return of much-loved characters and is destined to become a classic.
Get your claws on this brand new Gruffalo story first – pre-order now!
Building on this momentum, the next phase runs from the summer through to Christmas, reaching children and families via a range of mass market consumer channels, including broadcast media, events, above-the-line advertising and strategic brand partnerships to reach non-traditional book buying audiences.
Campaign highlights include:
- Events and Media: Publication week will be marked by a packed press day, with a range of broadcast media anticipated, alongside a launch party at a major London venue, and a live-streamed school event. A national costume tour and authorless event will bring the character to booksellers and festivals across the country.
- Advertising: A fun and engaging creative advertising campaign will kick-off in the lead up to publication, and will include a full month of out-of-home placements across 167 National Rail sites throughout the country. This will be enhanced by a range of digital campaigns spanning Meta, TikTok, Google search and influencer marketing.
- Partnerships: The campaign will reach non-traditional book-buying audiences via major family travel and hospitality brand partnerships. This includes Jet2 Holidays, which has been running marketing activations over the school summer holidays, including a major presence at 14 UK airports, audio book downloads, competitions, children’s activity packs and in-flight magazine features. Additional partnerships include family events at Twycross Zoo, hospitality activations with Vintage Inns, half-term storytelling sessions with Forestry England, and major Christmas display activity (to be announced).
- Trade: Retailers are heavily supported by point-of-sale (POS) materials, ranging from lifesize Gruffalo Granny cardboard standees and FSDUs to shelf wobblers and bespoke activity packs. Strong pre-order and on-sale activity is being driven by targeted campaigns with major high street retailers, independent bookshops and supermarket chains.
- Audio: The audiobook, voiced by Imelda Staunton, will launch simultaneously on September 10, with extensive support across digital platforms, Yoto, and libraries. Spotify will offer listeners an exclusive audio edition read by Julia Donaldson and will host a special Gruffalo Granny event with Julia, for families and media to celebrate the power of storytelling in audio later this year.
- Charities: Partnerships with nine literacy and disability charities will ensure that all children can access Gruffalo Granny when it publishes on 10 September.
Jamie Forrest, Communications Director, Macmillan Children’s Books said: 'We couldn’t be more excited about the next phase of our campaign for Gruffalo Granny. The announcement this spring generated an unprecedented level of enthusiasm, and since then our campaign has grown to meet the moment, bringing more children and families along on the journey. To kick off this next phase, we have cast the net as wide as possible to ensure every potential reader can be a part of this.
'From creative brand partnerships, immersive retailer engagement, primetime media and cutting-edge digital marketing, our campaign will be unmissable, and alongside our groundbreaking charity partnerships will ensure that Gruffalo Granny will not just be the biggest book this year, but one that will live in the homes, libraries and imaginations of children for generations to come.'
Gruffalo Granny is available to pre-order at www.gruffalo.com.
