Photo of top restaurateur  still hit the headlines almost two years after Food and Drink PR photoshoot

RESTAURANT boss Dean Gassabi has enjoyed a blast from the past – after a PR photo taken 21 months ago featured in the media all over again.

And to make the success even more enjoyable, the original image was taken during a ‘Back to the Future’ themed PR photoshoot, complete with a classic DeLorean car like the one used in the time travelling movie.

The image of Dean – standing outside his restaurant, Maison Bleue – has just appeared on STV Edinburgh’s website. It was to mark the fact the talented chef was appeared on the new channel’s Fountainbridge Show to demonstrate his culinary skills.

However, the image was originally taken as part of a ‘Back to the Future’ themed photocall in March 2013, after Dean decided to celebrate the restaurant’s 15th anniversary by charging customers the same prices he charged in 1998, when lunch was just a fiver.

At our Edinburgh public relations agency, we constantly advise clients that carefully planned and well shot photography will deliver fantastic value – because it can be reused over and over across the media, newsletters, websites and brochures.

Seeing Dean’s image being reused and this case perfectly illustrates our point. Even though we were on hand to capture pictures of Dean and his team with a DeLorean gullwing car, we made sure we delivered maximum value by also taking the opportunity to get this versatile shot of the restaurateur.

It shows him standing outside the renowned blue frontage of his Old Town restaurant on Victoria Street, beneath a literary quote which proclaims: “First comes food … then morals!”

Find out more about how PR photography can help turbo charge your business, check out Picture Perfect, our essential PR photography guide for businesses.

We’re delighted to see the original image being used again. When Maison Bleue celebrated 15 years in business by turning back the clock to 1998 prices. We sourced a DeLorean car just like the time machine used in the ‘Back to the Future’ movies and arranged a photoshoot with Dean, his daughter, Layla, who also takes a key role in running the restaurant, joined some of the restaurant’s 30 strong staff.

Be sure to check out the full gallery of images from that PR photo shoot.  Thanks to the creative use of PR photography this story was picked up by The Scotsman Magazine, Edinburgh Evening News, The Edinburgh Reporter Online and Deadline News.

 But the value of the images stretches much further. Just like STV Edinburgh, other publications have used the pictures of Dean on a range of other stories about him and his successful restaurant, see left.

If you’ve not already arranged PR photography like this for your business, then it’s time to ask yourself why – and its’ time to contact Holyrood PR in Edinburgh to find out how our photography and picture planning skills could help you.

If you have a launch event, you’re celebrating a new appointment, marking a business milestone or enjoying praise from satisfied clients or customers, the effects will always be more powerful with accompanying images.

If you like the ‘Back to the Future’ and DeLorean photocall idea we dreamt up for Maison Bleue then

Check out our tips on delivering creative PR success for your business

Find out how can our Scottish Food and Drink PR help your business

At Holyrood PR we specialise in working with businesses to deliver affordable photography.

The kind of photography that can be used in multiple ways – by helping you get media coverage while also enlivening your websites, brightening your brochures, powering up your newsletters and enriching your social media presence.

We don’t want your pictures gathering virtual dust on a server – we want them being used, viewed and shared as widely as possible. And we enthusiastically practice what we preach – so we know it works.

There are many hassle-free ways to contact us, including by phoning 0131 561 2244 or by filling in the simple form, below and we’ll get straight back to you: