Overview
Harbour Grounds is a privately owned café tucked in the scenic town of Grimsby, just outside Toronto. With an opulent Art Deco–inspired aesthetic and a serene hideaway energy, it offers discerning guests exquisitely crafted beverages and refined treats. Prospekt helped bring this sanctuary to life through immersive pre-launch influencer campaigns, high-concept content, and a memorable grand opening event.
The Challenge
Launching a premium café in a smaller regional market meant building buzz without traditional media muscle. Harbour Grounds had to feel elevated, inviting, and exclusive from early influencer touchpoints through to launch day all while embodying its artful décor and refined culinary experience.
Key Challenges
No pre-existing brand awareness in a market dominated by established coffee shops
Needed to convey luxury, ambiance, and craftsmanship through early narratives
Local influencers had to align with both lifestyle and premium hospitality audiences
Content had to capture sensory details; design, beverages and ambiance, very authentically
All elements from VIP gifting to live events/experiences had to reflect the Art Deco identity
Our Approach
We created a multi-phase launch strategy, starting with targeted VIP influencer outreach and building to a captivating grand opening event enriched with social content, PR, and immersive experiences.
01
Pre-Launch: Curated Influencer Program
Invited lifestyle and food creators in Grimsby and Hamilton to experience Harbour Grounds ahead of time—seeding anticipation and early visual storytelling
02
Elevated VIP Seeding Kits
Delivered premium packages with branded treats to top-tier influencers, designed to evoke the café’s luxury aesthetic and sensory detail
03
Content & Social Storytelling
Collaborated with creators on visually rich posts and behind-the-scenes narratives that highlighted the Art Deco design and menu craftsmanship
04
Launch-Day PR & Immersive Design
Executed an experiential grand opening—live music, signature drink pours, and décor activations, amplified through PR, content, and social coverage
05
Immersive Station-to-Station Journey
Designed an interactive launch flow with art-inspired stations, inviting guests to explore, engage, and co-create within the café space
The Solution
Prospekt delivered a debut campaign for Harbour Grounds that balanced exclusivity with local allure. Every touch, from satin ribbon to latte art was designed to evoke the café’s sophisticated ambiance and invite followership and community engagement.
Influencer Invite & Experience
Hosted previews where creators could capture the aesthetic, sample signature offerings, and share authentic stories
VIP Seeding Kits
Created seeding kits as objets d’art—complete with curated packaging, artisanal sweets, and brand-forward design cues
Visual Content Rollout
Created seeding kits as objets d’art complete with curated packaging, artisanal sweets, and brand-forward design cues
Experiential Event Design
Styled launch day with immersive, Instagram-ready moments (e.g., mirrored beverage stations, deco sculpture photo wall) that encouraged attendance and shareable UGC
The Results
92%
Influencer Attendance Rate
Nearly all invited influencers and creators from lifestyle, food, and locals attended the pre-launch or launch day, for authenticity and credibility.
142%
Organic Growth in Social Followers
The café’s Instagram followings more than doubled in the weeks between campaign kickoff and post-launch, establishing a strong base.
+800K
Social Impressions
Our refined visual storytelling and influencer content yielded over 1.8 million impressions across platforms during the pre-launch and launch.
+78%
Brand Recall from Seeding Kits
Surveys and feedback revealed recipients remembered visual identity, design details, and café ethos at a rate of 78% for long‑term recall.
