Case study · Blue Monday 2025

Riviera Travel

Relations Group ran a broadcast PR campaign for Riviera Travel around Blue Monday 2025. A radio day of interviews put their spokesperson on air, securing 10 items of radio coverage with a combined audience of 1.6 million. Highlights included BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

Part of Blue Monday on air →
10Items of coverage
1.6 millionCombined reach
1h 06mTime on air

Coverage highlights

Listen
BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester · 12m 41s
0:00 / 12m 41s
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire · 4m 35s
0:00 / 4m 35s

The story

Riviera Travel, Blue Monday 2025

The aim
Riviera Travel wanted to inspire winter wellness with a holiday to look forward to, highlighting its river cruises, escorted tours and solo holidays.
The message
Blue spaces such as rivers and waterways promote physical, mental and social wellbeing, and Riviera Travel's award-winning river cruises let travellers enjoy those benefits. Having travel plans to look forward to helps beat the January blues.
The angle
January is often the hardest month, with 27% of adults feeling lonely around Blue Monday. Research shows time by water lowers stress and improves mood, and solo travel by water is rising as a way to reset, with women making up 78% of solo travellers in 2024.
On air
A water travel expert from Riviera Travel
The result
10 items of coverage reaching 1.6 million, including BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
Budget £4,000Delivered £5,650Above budget 41%On air 1h 06mServices interviews, social media kit

What the budget bought

£4,000
£5,650
£26,738
£80,214
20:1return on investment: PR value is 20 times the campaign budget

Coverage delivered is the value of the items at the Relations Group rate card. AVE is what the same airtime would cost as advertising. PR value is three times the AVE. ROI is PR value divided by the campaign budget.

About Blue Monday

Blue Monday is the name given to the third Monday in January, promoted as the most depressing day of the year. It began in 2005 as a press release for the travel company Sky Travel and has no scientific basis, but charities now use it to start conversations about mental health. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.

Planning Blue Monday for 2027?

Blue Monday next falls on Monday 18 January 2027. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.

Book a call with the team