CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

Minor Hotels

Mark Thomson, Group Director Public Relations and Communications

We have worked with Barking Owl Communications for around 18 months. They won our business following a competitive RFP process in Australia but we already had many favourable reviews from journalists supporting their extensive level of understanding of how to work with media which put them head and shoulders above other agencies.

The team has excellent contacts in the travel and lifestyle media and has leveraged these to our benefit by initiating visits from high-profile journalists to our properties around the world as part of an in-depth famil program which sees them working closely with our team to organise both individual and group visits. As a result, we have had some excellent feature stories in high-profile publications. The media visit component is supported by a hard-working news bureau which consists of media release development and distribution, proactive pitching and responding to media requests.

They have also managed two highly successful roadshows for us in Sydney and Melbourne, taking on the end-to-end event management and ensuring we had excellent attendees at all our in- market meetings.

Barking Owl acts as an integral part of our team on the ground in Australia providing important local insights and advice to our Head Office in Bangkok. They are good partners, both strategic and creative in their approach and get results. I would be happy to recommend them to anyone looking for a highly experienced tourism PR agency in Australia.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Jodie Hart, PR & Partnerships Manager Asia Pacific

Managing the ANZ communications program for ultra-luxury cruise line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, since 2022, Barking Owl Communications also led our PR strategy for Oceania Cruises for many years, to great success. The team runs a highly efficient news bureau, leveraging existing contacts to deliver robust on-message coverage via print and online, plus identifying relevant broadcast and new media sectors to engage, which are aligned to our audience demographic.

The team’s expertise in developing strong content with unique story angles makes Barking Owl a trusted partner for Regent, efficiently storytelling our brand news to the media. The agency is efficient and responsive in organising interview opportunities, which includes drafting Q&As to deliver the company’s messaging.

Barking Owl manages a robust famil program for Regent, providing end-to-end support for group and individual press trips and regional ship visits. This has generated extensive press features to supplement our always-on media campaign.

Barking Owl is creative, innovative, and has supported on our local partnerships and events program; I can always rely on the agency for strategic thinking, strong account management and up-to-date communications reporting – a true extension of our team!

Jill Collins and the Barking Owl team have extensive travel and tourism PR experience and have built an incredible reputation with editors and freelancers in Australia and New Zealand.

I would recommend Barking Owl Communications to any client in the tourism industry and would be happy to provide a reference.

Turtle Island Fiji

Racheli Evanson, Marketing Director

Jill and her team at Barking Owl have an extensive network, deep understanding of our industry, and authentic appreciation of Fijian culture which has enabled us to generate significant awareness across a wide range of target media.

Their comprehensive knowledge of the communications landscape within the luxury travel and tourism industry provided us with valuable connections to media and key opinion leaders within the Australian and New Zealand markets. The team's expertise contributed greatly to successfully positioning Turtle Island Fiji in a competitive market. They are a pleasure to work with and throughout our years of working together have successfully spearheaded our PR program, news bureau, blog content, and organised multiple end-to-end media famils with top tier media targets. The team has generated a large amount of press coverage with key titles including Escape, Traveller, Delicious, New Zealand Herald, and more. I would highly recommend Barking Owl Communications team and look forward to continuing our work with them into the future.

MEDIA TESTIMONIALS

Kirstie Bedford

Editor, Karry On Luxury

As a busy travel writer and editor, I work by tight schedules to get my stories written and published so I am highly reliant on great news sources. I have always found Barking Owl to deliver professionally written, relevant materials knowing just what to pitch me for my readership. They are also understanding of my fast-paced world – highly responsive to my calls and emails and strong on meeting deadlines.

My colleague and I also produce a weekly travel podcast, The World Awaits. Barking Owl has tuned into the show from day one to get to know our program and recently worked on a collaboration with us and one of their global hotel clients. Together we organised an integrated program which included interviews, on air reads and a competition.

In my opinion, Barking Owl stands out as a professional, efficient and responsive team that really gets the travel industry, from the CEO down. They are hands-on and have a thorough understanding of their accounts and the way the media work. I would highly recommend them to any client.

Quentin Long

Managing Director, International Traveller Magazine

Jill Collins is a rare breed in PR. A great listener she intimately understands the editorial strategy and needs of all media. Most importantly she finds solutions to our needs as well as her clients.

She has she knack of finding exactly what we need from her clients and putting us in front of the right people. Her work with our staff is rewarding both professionally and personally. I regularly involve Jill in our editorial strategy development and planning because she knows the industry, trends and challenges and our objectives.

Her commitment to finding solutions to suit all parties is what we need more of in the industry.

Kendall Hill

Senior Freelance Writer, Escape, The Australian, QANTAS

I have worked with Jill and her team for many years.  From qualia to Lizard Island, Wild Bush Luxury to Turtle Island and Regent Seven Seas Cruises among others, the Barking Owl team have had extensive experience working across the luxury landscape.  I have always found that their pitches and invitations to me are perfectly targeted, and they are efficient, timely and thorough in their follow up.  I always enjoy working with them and know that they will help me get what I need to make my stories work.

Michael McHugh

CEO & Editor-In-Chief, MINDFOOD

Barking Owl is one of the hardest-working and most creative PR agencies we have had the pleasure to work with. They drove an exceptional communications program for us create maximum exposure for the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour’s positioning as the newest internationally-branded, five-star hotel in Sydney. This included pre-opening activities to help get us wins with the media before we even opened our doors. They then created a series of outstanding events to keep the momentum going, with excellent media outreach and great partners. Our “Claris the Mouse High Tea” with renowned illustrator Megan Hess was a huge success, generating exceptional coverage and sell-out bookings for months. Jill and her team have outstanding media relationships, excellent partnerships in the luxury space and are brilliant at creating content, delivering strategic communications plans and pitching angles for their clients. I would not hesitate to recommend Barking Owl to anyone looking for an agency to help them stand out from the crowd – they can be counted on to deliver beyond your expectations

Anna McCooe

Previous Deputy Editor/Travel Editor, Gourmet Traveller, Now Travel Editor at Australian Financial Review

At Gourmet Traveller our inboxes overflow vying for attention, but a Barking Owl email shines through as a must-read, and if it’s a Barking Owl client, then it will be on my radar. Jill and her team know luxury travel, and they know what we need to create great stories. I had the pleasure of joining Jill on a famil to the USA and Mexico in 2023 and couldn't have had a better host. As always, I'd jump at any chance to work together again.