When the municipality of Kristinehamn decided to sell parts of the Gustafsvik Manor Park, it was not just a real estate transaction. It was also a matter of history, pride, and the future of a place that many Kristinehamn residents feel strongly about. Four PR was commissioned to develop a cost-effective PR campaign that would generate significant attention around the sale—and help find the right buyer.

Background

The municipality of Kristinehamn had decided to sell parts of Gustafsvik Manor Park, an area with a long history and great local significance. The goal was to create a sales process that would both preserve the site’s historical values and attract buyers with a vision for the future. At the same time, the municipality wanted to maximize the sale price and ensure that the sale attracted attention beyond the local market. The challenge was to stand out among the multitude of real estate listings—and reach potential buyers who might never before have considered purchasing a manor house in Kristinehamn.

Strategy

The strategy was based on framing the manor park within a narrative that made the sale unique and newsworthy. The property was personified in the campaign concept “Gustaf S. Vik” —a character who was looking for a new life partner who could take care of the place and develop it further. By using personal ads as a metaphor for the real estate listing, a creative narrative was created that both attracted attention and highlighted the property’s history. A key element of the campaign was having Gustaf S. Vik search for love on Tinder.

Implementation

The campaign combined creative PR strategies with traditional press relations.

The most important initiatives were:

a personal ad in which Gustaf S. Vik was looking for a new life partner with a vision for the area
advertising on Tinder that directed users to the real estate listing
Ongoing media outreach regarding key milestones in the sales process
targeted media outreach at the local and national levels
content on the municipality’s own channels, including via an Instagram account for Gustaf S. Vik
Internal information and Q&A for staff and political leadership ahead of the campaign launch

Transparency was a key principle throughout the entire process, both in communications regarding the sale and in the dialogue with residents and the media.

Results

The campaign generated a lot of attention and helped achieve the sales goals.

The results included:

51 articles in local and national media
estimated reach of approximately 5 million people
60,000 views of the Tinder ad
more than 8,000 clicks on the real estate listing

The asking price for the property was 3,000,000 kronor. The winning bid came in at 3,995,000 kronor, after several interested parties participated in the bidding process.

The sale also resulted in a buyer with the ambition to further develop the area, while preserving the site’s identity and park environment. The Gustaf S. Vik campaign served as a clear example of how creative communication can help both generate attention and strengthen the public benefit in a municipal process.

The campaign also won the 2025 Värmland Communications Award. Read more here>