Camellia’s Gather ‘Round influencer dinner with Chef Alon Shaya

Written By Alicia Vial

Situation

Camellia Brand, a legendary Louisiana food brand owned by  L.H. Hayward & Company, was established in New Orleans in 1923. A regional favorite, the Camellia identity runs deep—from the farms to the field to supermarket shelves. Camellia is the preferred provider of Louisiana’s quintessential soul food—red beans—but also packages 18 other varieties of high quality beans, peas and lentils.  

Camellia Brand turned to Gambel Communications for a proactive media relations and community outreach campaign that highlights and reinforces Camellia’s commitment to quality, as well as its family heritage and tradition.  

Strategy

As part of its recommendations, Gambel worked hand-in-hand with Camellia to plan and execute an intimate dinner that highlighted the brand and showcased the wide variety and versatility of its beans, peas and lentils. The dinner was planned as a part of Camellia’s Gather ‘Round campaign, created to reinforce the concept of food bringing people together around the dining table. 

Gambel capitalized on an existing partnership between Camellia Brand and nationally renowned chef Alon Shaya. The three-course, plated dinner held at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum brought together local media and culinary influencers over a menu curated and prepared by Chef Shaya. In preparation for the event, Gambel compiled a targeted list of influencers and sent invitations on behalf of Camellia. The final list of attendees was narrowed down to 26 guests and included traditional media representatives, social media influencers and members of Camellia’s team.  

Gambel also worked with Chef Shaya’s team to coordinate food and staffing services, set table décor, designed invitations and name cards and assemble swag bags as gifts to the attendees for their participation. 

Results

 By all accounts, the Gather ‘Round influencer dinner was a complete success. Camellia received extensive social media coverage and generated local awareness in its target market, plus reinforced a key partnership between the brand and Chef Alon Shaya. A total of 14 influencers reached 215,205 people and generated 581,102 total impressions from static posts alone.  

 Other highlights include: 

  • More than 50 posts about the campaign 

  • More than 100 Instagram stories 

  • 13,520 total likes across all social media platforms 

  • 446 total comments 

  • Camellia’s Instagram following increased by 761 accounts 

  • Chef Alon Shaya’s following increased by 1,039 accounts 

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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