The Challenge Presented:
To introduce Château Merveilles to Melbourne and establish its debut as the first event of its kind to be held outside France, celebrating French culture and cuisine whilst strengthening cultural ties between France and Australia.

Build awareness and anticipation for the event through earned media and social content, generating excitement and ultimately driving ticket sales.

The Strategy Created:
To build excitement and drive ticket sales for Château Merveilles, Bastion leveraged existing talent and secured additional high-profile talent to generate interest across earned media and social channels. By tapping into the expertise of celebrated French culinary talent, including Guillaume Brahimi, Pierrick Boyer and Quentin Zerr, Bastion secured pre-event broadcast and print coverage with outlets including 9News and The Morning Show, spotlighting the event’s exclusive four-course menu.

Melbourne talent Susie McLean was also engaged as the face of key media opportunities, including a champagne tower photo opportunity with the Herald Sun, helping communicate the event’s elevated offering to local audiences.

Social talent Jacqui Felgate and Lana Wilkinson, both known for their love of France, further amplified awareness through authentic content in the lead-up to the event.

Together, the earned PR and influencer opportunities showcased Château Merveilles’ unique blend of French gastronomy, culture and art, positioning it as a must-attend, one-night-only experience in Melbourne.

The Strength Achieved:
Bastion secured 23 earned media hits across broadcast, online, print, radio and podcasts in the lead-up to Château Merveilles, alongside 26 pieces of social coverage published before and after the event.

A total of 23 media and talent attended on the night, with Bastion on-site to facilitate media opportunities, capture guest photography and vox pops, and ensure the event ran smoothly. The evening was exceptionally well received, with the Château Merveilles team expressing strong interest in returning to Melbourne and describing Bastion as the best agency they had worked with.