The Challenge
The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) is a UK trade body representing both physical and digital retailers and wholesalers across the music, video, and video games industries.
Its mission is to foster a fair, competitive, and innovative entertainment retail environment while balancing the interests of consumers, creators, and retailers through transparency, fair remuneration, and the protection of intellectual property.
To strengthen its influence and better serve its members, ERA sought to enhance its reputation and visibility within Parliament.
With key legislation on the horizon, the association aimed to ensure that the voices of independent record stores and online retailers were effectively heard and represented.
To achieve this, ERA wanted to use ‘Record Store Day’ as a platform to engage parliamentarians – celebrating the revival of vinyl as a valuable revenue stream for local businesses and a vital way to promote artists.
The Strategy
Whitehouse developed a targeted engagement strategy designed to introduce ERA to new parliamentarians, establish long-term relationships, and build political support for ‘Record Store Day’ while laying the groundwork for future legislative influence.
We secured meetings with many MPs from across the political spectrum, highlighting the importance of record stores to local high streets, community life, and emerging artists. In parallel, we engaged with key civil servants, sharing data and insight to shape upcoming legislation relevant to the sector.
The initial response was highly positive, resulting in tabled parliamentary and written questions and broad political support for ERA’s members.
In the lead-up to ‘Record Store Day’ (12 April), we re-engaged supportive MPs and reached out to a wider group of parliamentarians who visited local record stores as part of the celebrations.
Social media was also leveraged to amplify visibility, and an MP-authored op-ed highlighted the cultural and economic value of record stores for communities and small businesses.
The Outcome
More than 7 MPs participated in local ‘Record Store Day’ visits – including the Chairs of the Science, Innovation and Technology, and Culture, Media and Sport Select Committees, as well as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Culture (who had the amazing experience of going to the brewery that was sponsoring Record Store Day). The campaign generated significant social media momentum – reinforcing the message that record stores are still the beating heart of local communities.
Perhaps the most significant achievement – from a policy standpoint – was securing an unprecedented, cross-departmental roundtable involving multiple government departments.
This created a major platform for direct discussions and collaboration on key policy issues, allowing ERA to shape decision-making across three government departments in a single meeting.
Experts in delivering impact
At Whitehouse Communications, we are experts at designing and delivering events that bring the right people into the room and speak directly to government priorities.
If you’d like to discuss how we can help your business or organisation shape the government agenda, please contact us at info@whitehousecomms.com.
