Team Forces

Background

Zara Lachlan is a 21-year-old physics student at Loughborough University who is joining the army in May 2025 as a technical officer.

She has competed internationally in cycling and started rowing at 16 at the Army’s 6th Form College. Zara is a highly determined, tenacious and motivated young woman, and is comfortable pushing her mental and physical boundaries.

She firmly believes that life’s most rewarding moments lie in the challenges we embrace.

Team Forces has asked Sway PR to support Zara in maximizing the awareness and media reach of her challenge through a targeted media relations campaign.

Brief

Sway PR were asked to manage the PR for Zara’s expedition to:

Raise awareness of Zara and her expedition
Position Zara as a credible voice in endurance expeditions
Drive additional value for sponsors

Strategy

The campaign was split into three areas of activity: before she left, during the row, and on completion of the challenge.

In order to maximise media coverage for her expedition, the strategy also leaned on the points of difference for her row over others that had been completed – namely her age, experience and the records she was aiming to break.

Outcome

The campaign has so far focussed on the pre-expedition phase – but has already surpassed all expectations.

Since announcing her challenge, Zara has been featured in national print and online publications including The Independent, Daily Mail, The Telegraph, and Evening Standard; in regional titles across the UK, on national TV including BBC Breakfast, Sky News; regional BBC and ITV television and radio programmes – and prominent podcasts including on run by The Telegraph.

The campaign has already generated 80 pieces of quality media coverage.

A word from the client

Major General Lamont Kirkland CBE, Chief Executive Officer of Team Forces, said :

“The amount of media coverage the team at Sway have generated is simply remarkable and beyond our wildest expectations.

“People like Zara deserve all of the recognition they get, yet to see her across national TV channels and in newspapers across the country is testament to skills and hard work of the whole team at Sway PR.

“We hope to work with them on many expeditions we support in the future to share these incredible stories with the world.”