Jaguar Celebrates Sponsorship of Grand Designs New Zealand

Special PR has launched a new integrated campaign for Jaguar to amplify its sponsorship of Grand Designs New Zealand – premiering on TVNZ 1 tonight.

For the first time in its history, producers of the hit television show Grand Designs New Zealand will throw open the doors of their favourite architectural gems for an exclusive public event featuring state-of-the-art Jaguar vehicles.

Coinciding with the seventh season of Grand Designs New Zealand, Jaguar is launching a series of guided luxury drives across the country to showcase Aotearoa’s most magnificent homes. The ‘Jaguar Design Drives’ will take guests behind the scenes to experience the innovation in design and architecture, guided by Grand Designs New Zealand’s new host, Tom Webster. 

The British-born architect – known locally for his involvement in the design of The Hotel Britomart – will take intimate groups on guided tours of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch in all-electric Jaguar I-PACE and PHEV F-PACE, visiting houses hand-selected by Grand Designs New Zealand’s show producers. 

Special PR has been responsible for concept development, content production, media relations and experiential and activation; and is leveraging a strategic sponsorship property secured by Jaguar Land Rover media agency Together.

Stepping into the role as the new show host, and guide of the ‘Jaguar Design Drives’, Tom said: “Grand Designs New Zealand is known for capturing remarkable builds and the extensive design journey involved with these diverse projects. I’m excited to welcome guests to experience these impressive homes first hand – something that has never been done in the show's history.”

Kelly Grindle, head of PR and influence at Special PR, commented, “We try and deploy PR in the calendar moments when it makes sense – in this case, we knew Together had a cracking media sponsorship, and design is a core brand pillar, so our recommendation has been to double down on the property and make some real noise through an experiential activation that engages customer and the public alike, whilst also generating headlines.”

Luke Meurant, marketing manager at Jaguar, added, “This is where sponsorship works best – when it is integrated across media relations, content development, social channels, and live experience.  This is a clever example of all marketing disciplines working together, and it’s been great fun working with Special PR, Together and TVNZ to make it a reality.”

Event Details

Location: Auckland

Dates: Saturday 29th October and Sunday 30th October

Time: From 9am

Location: Wellington

Date: Saturday 5th November

Time: From 9am

Location: Christchurch

Date: Saturday 12th November

Time: From 9am

Tickets cost $1,500 for two people, including a full-day Jaguar loan, light refreshments on arrival and lunch at one of the featured homes. To purchase tickets, visit iTICKET.