Dymocks

Launching SA’s biggest bookstore

Sector: Arts and Entertainment, Retail
  • Branding and Design
  • Content Creation
  • Public Relations
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The Opportunity

Australia’s leading bookseller Dymocks created South Australia’s largest bookstore in 2022 with a $1.5 million refurbishment of the iconic Regent Theatre in Rundle Mall. The store had previously operated on Rundle Mall for 30 years, moving to a considerably smaller, temporary space when the store franchisee retired in early 2021.

Dymocks partnered with communikate et al to build excitement and widespread awareness of the flagship store’s grand opening, highlighting its restoration of a South Australian icon and positioning it as the bookstore of choice for South Australians.

Our Approach

communikate et al designed a far-reaching launch program that sought to:

  • Build intrigue and pent-up demand in the lead up to the store’s grand opening
  • Ensure a queue of customers outside the store on opening day
  • Celebrate the building’s iconic history and unique architecture
  • Position the store as a must-visit destination for all city visitors and shoppers, not just booklovers
  • Reinforce the increased demand for physical books and bookstores spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • Create a foundation for ongoing activity beyond the store’s opening

Our tactics included publicity, influencer marketing, engagement with local and state government dignitaries, speech writing and extending the store onto Rundle Mall with an installation in the lead up to and following the grand opening to highlight its new location.

The Outcome

Our PR program delivered the following outcomes:

  • More than 210 stories across national and state print, online, radio and TV media outlets with a PR value of approximately $1.4 million
  • Reaching the Instagram and Facebook newsfeeds of 800,000 South Australians by partnering with 15 influencers to promote the Dymocks store’s location and grand opening
  • An estimated 300+ shoppers queued outside the store from 5am on opening day, with the day’s trading far exceeding expectations
  • Participation and endorsement from South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor who officially opened the store alongside Dymocks chairman John Forsyth
  • Partnering with Rundle Mall to deliver an on-Mall installation featuring two novelty-sized Dymocks-branded books – seen by hundreds of thousands of Rundle Mall shoppers and visitors.

Since opening, the Dymocks Adelaide flagship’s sales continue to be strong, trading as one of the company’s best performing stores nationally.

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What our clients have to say

I have worked with communikate et al for many years in a number of roles. They form an integral part of our team at Walara, having taken the time to understand our community and the two businesses that merged to develop a brand name and identity that reflects our shared values and vision for future growth in the lower mid-north region. communikate has created an extensive range of content and communication assets to establish us as a leading provider of aged care services in the region. We’ve received nothing short of positive feedback from our residents, their families and our staff.

Nino Di Sisto
CEO, Walara

The South Australian Museum worked with communikate on a SA Tourism Award submission. The submission is a huge task with many moving parts and communikate helped bring it all together seamlessly. Always a pleasure working with CK!

Ashleigh Glynn
Communications Lead, SA Museum

The communikate team really took the time to understand our business. They very quickly came up to speed on our products and the nuances of our very technical and specialised industry. They’ve written accurate and engaging content to be used in industry publications, our electronic newsletter, and on LinkedIn, which has performed really well.

Matthew Stead
Co-Founder and CEO, Ping Services

The visual impact of the creative was exactly what the Local Government Association was looking for to engage audiences and drive an increase in nominations from traditionally underrepresented groups on council.

As a result of the advertising we saw a particularly strong increase in candidates identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and many more candidates from culturally diverse backgrounds.

Local Government Association
Director, Media & Communications, LGA

communikate et al’s design work is visually impactful, and they partnered with us to help bring our vision to life. Our tagline ‘flourish’, is an excellent reflection of our core values, beautiful botanic campus and our genuine aspirations for every young person in our care.

communikate’e professionalism, relatability and ability to give life to our vision is commendable.

Andrew Balkwill
Principal, Mercedes Collge

We have really enjoyed partnering with communikate on some key projects and appreciate their responsiveness and the quality of service they provide. communikate’s ability to be agile and quickly act on changes to strategy has been impressive and has resulted in us being confident in the fact that they keep the best interests of our campaign front of mind. The level of detail they provide in their reports has ensured we’re able to learn from our hits and misses and adapt our future strategies accordingly.

Daniel Stevens
Marketing & Communications Team Leader, City of Adelaide

Bec, Henry and the team understood our brand from the get go and it showed from concept to delivery. During an intensely busy time for our team, they worked seamlessly with us to develop and manage an integrated campaign... The results were outstanding and put the hotel in an excellent position to launch into a competitive market, with strong occupancy experienced. We really value our partnership.

Chris Curran
Director of Hotel Openings & Operations, Pro-invest Hotels Group

We have been hugely impressed with the way communikate et al have immersed themselves in learning our brand and respecting our approach. It felt like they just ‘got us’ from the start! It has been such a pleasure working with their professional, smart and dynamic team.

Jocelyn Marsland
Manager – Communications and Marketing, Emerging Minds: National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health

We love the Daily Moves branding that communikate et al created. It is friendly, flexible for different applications, and our marketing collateral stands out from the rest. We have received a lot of compliments from participants and stakeholders who love it just as much as we do.

Alyssa Hill
Daily Moves Program Coordinator, City of Unley

communikate et al were an integral part of the King William Road upgrade team from the initial community consultation right through to completion. The brand they created fit the project perfectly. They took the time to understand the complexities and always delivered with strategic oversight, ensuring things were done with purpose and meaning. Having them on board was invaluable.

Akarra Klingberg
Former Coordinator Business and Economic Development, City of Unley