Copywriting and marketing support for a superyacht events company

The client: Asaro

Founded in 2012, Asaro create extraordinary events for guests travelling on luxury yachts around the globe.

They work with captains and crew of superyachts and mega yachts to create and deliver unforgettable experiences – from Ancient Olympic-style games in Greece to epic pirate adventures – that show their clients the world in a whole new light.

The need

With a small but solid base of repeat clients, George and Kirsty Brooks, founders of Asaro, were ready to increase awareness of the unique services they provide.

Their aim was to attract a new and wider audience of forward-thinking superyacht captains looking to transform their events programmes and exceed the expectations of their guests.

With marketing to the superyacht industry holding its own set of distinctive challenges, due to the privacy and discretion of the clients involved, how could they go about this?

The solution

I was introduced to George and Kirsty by brand specialist Paul Barrett, who had already done some in-depth work with Asaro to establish where they were as a brand and where they wanted to be.

My brief was to write Asaro’s new website, brochure copy and case studies, after starting with some initial messaging work to establish their new tone of voice (TOV), and producing helpful guidelines for Instagram postings.

Messaging strategy and tone of voice guidelines

I began by creating comprehensive TOV guidelines that focus on using powerful and emotive language to show potential clients how it felt to be part of an Asaro experience, rather than telling them.

I also went into some depth to describe who Asaro are as a brand, the way language supports their brand pillars, a guide to using plain English, and examples of their new TOV in action.

TOV guidelines were supported by a detailed house style guide – which covers everything from using the active voice and contractions to the formatting of dates – so that anyone writing about Asaro can do so in a consistent manner.

Website and brochure copywriting

Once the guidelines were approved, Paul and I met with Asaro’s chosen design agency, Green Chameleon in Bristol, to discuss the design approach for both the website and brochure.

Writing copy based on the tone of voice guidelines I’d created, we worked closely with George and Kirsty to create a stunning website and high-end brochure, plus standalone case study cards that brought to life each of the four types of Asaro event.

Positive feedback

George and Kirsty were delighted with the end result, and showcasing their new brochure and case studies at the 2018 Monaco Yacht Show generated some very encouraging feedback from the superyacht industry.

The project was a perfect example of how a small team with big ambitions and a fabulous service offering can benefit from bringing in experienced consultants to support their marketing, instead of expanding their own team.

Just weeks after its launch, the new website was awarded both the CSS Design Awards and AWWW awards for website of the day.

In the client’s words…

“Sarah recently supported us on our brand evolution project, which included reworking and rewriting a healthy amount of web copy for our new website, our new brochure and also a very helpful set of tone of voice guidelines and Instagram tips for our team.

“It was our first time working with Sarah, but she quickly got to grips with our core services and turned this into brilliant copy and was then very patient and flexible when working with us and our appointed design agency to deal with changes.

“We felt confident leaving this project with Sarah as she exudes positivity and passion for her craft, and showed a real interest in what we do and how to best present us.

“We’ve already had brilliant feedback for our new website, which we know is down to a combination of brilliant design and compelling copy.”

Kirsty Brooks, Founder and Director, Asaro
asaro.co.uk