Shaws Bay Hotel
Relaunching a Northern Rivers icon into one of regional Australia’s leading hospitality destinations
CONTENT CREATION
MARKETING STRATEGY
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
EMAIL MARKETING CAMPAIGNS
Set on the waterfront in Ballina’s stunning Northern Rivers region, Shaws Bay Hotel has long been a much-loved local institution. A venue rich in history, deeply connected to its community, and perfectly positioned to attract both locals and visitors alike.
Following a multi-million dollar redevelopment, Shaws Bay Hotel was reintroduced to market as a completely transformed hospitality destination, premium yet approachable, community-led, and built around exceptional food, live entertainment, waterfront dining and memorable guest experiences.
Pink Pickle Marketing was engaged to lead the venue’s digital relaunch, reposition the brand, and build the awareness, demand and long-term marketing foundations needed to support one of regional New South Wales’ most exciting hospitality transformations.
The Challenge
The opportunity was significant, but so was the challenge.
Shaws Bay Hotel was moving from an ageing coastal pub into a premium multi-offering hospitality destination, featuring elevated dining, multiple guest spaces, live music, sport, private functions, tourism appeal and a stronger premium food and beverage focus.
The venue needed more than launch attention.
It needed a full repositioning strategy that honoured its local legacy while introducing a fresh, elevated identity capable of driving repeat visitation, destination appeal, bookings and strong year-round demand.
Our Approach
Pink Pickle delivered a full digital relaunch strategy built around brand positioning, performance marketing and long-term venue growth.
This included a complete refresh of the venue’s digital voice, social direction and creative execution, aligning content with the quality of the redevelopment and repositioning Shaws Bay Hotel as a premium coastal destination worth travelling for.
A structured content strategy was rolled out across social media, showcasing the venue’s distinct spaces, live music offering, waterfront location, premium food, family-friendly atmosphere and strong community connection, helping bring the new Shawsy to life online.
Alongside this, Pink Pickle implemented a strong SEO strategy focused on high-intent hospitality search terms across Ballina and the Northern Rivers, helping Shaws Bay Hotel dominate discovery across pub, dining, events, entertainment and waterfront venue searches.
Paid media, EDM strategy and conversion-focused digital campaigns were also introduced to build launch momentum, support ongoing visitation, and turn the venue’s reopening into sustained long-term growth.
The Results
National recognition, including being featured among delicious. Australia’s Best Dishes for its iconic prawn roll
751,000+
social views generated in the first 90 days following relaunch
+846%
increase in social reach through launch content and campaign activity
+2,669
new followers acquired during launch period
1.28m +
Facebook impressions generated in the first three months
+427%
uplift in audience interactions
#1 ranked
for "Ballina Pub" and "Ballina Beer Garden", with dominant rankings across live music, functions and waterfront hospitality searches
Outcome
Today, Shaws Bay Hotel is not simply a reopened pub, it is one of regional Australia’s standout hospitality venues.
A genuine community hub, a destination for travellers, and a venue known for great food, live entertainment, premium hospitality and unforgettable waterfront experiences.
This project showcases Pink Pickle’s ability to take a legacy venue, reposition it with confidence, and build the digital ecosystem needed to turn a major redevelopment into long-term commercial success.