Sector spotlight: PR and comms

Fact…

• Bristol Media has over 1,700 members across the animation, TV, film, digital, design, marketing, publishing, PR and music sectors making it one of the biggest creative communities in the UK.
• JBP is ranked in the UK’s top 10 PR agencies for public affairs

Bristol’s PR and comms industry is small but well formed, ranging from large agencies like Grayling, Plaster, JBP and Purplefish to smaller, specialised players such as Konichiwa, Spirit PR, Octane, Infectious and Fresh Communications.

As a whole, the sector is jittery about the impacts of Brexit, many citing it as their biggest challenge for the year ahead.

Tobacco Factory-based Plaster work with a range of food, technology and entertainment clients across the city. “We got to work on Massive Attack at The Downs Festival this year which was a highlight,” says account director Dani Andres who works closely with co-director Kellie Hasbury and their team of 12. Jitters aside, they’re bullish about the year ahead: “Bristol plays to its own tune. The people are collaborative and working for the greater good. We’ve also got the highest GDP outside of London but sadly no money floating about in the arts and culture sector like in many of the Northern Powerhouses. That does however create people who are inventive, smart and able to create magic from nothing.

“We’ve got a wealth of talent in this city and the ability to give any major metropolis a run for its money. Thank goodness the digital infrastructure and transport is finally catching up.”

Ambitious PR and its flexible team of 10 promotes companies in professional services, financial services and creative tech, areas it has identified in its three years of operations as ripe for growth. “Our busiest project at the moment is Social Media Week Bristol for Bristol Media,” says director Lis Anderson. “We’re project managing: pulling together speaker programme, host venues, partners & content. 

“As our sector grows at pace we’re in danger of not being able to support it with access to talent, decent space and investment. There seems [to be] a disconnect between employers and education.  We’re a sector that doesn’t always invest in grass roots education, yet we get frustrated when we can’t recruit the talent. It would be good to see that change.” 

Shooting Star established a satellite office in Bristol this year from its Lincoln HQ, choosing it as founders Jez Ashberry and Kate Strawson wanted to expand their national reach but avoid London, seeing it as “expensive and very competitive”. Focusing on the key sectors of professional services and tech, the company plans a recruitment drive at the start of 2017. “This might become an uphill struggle in the wake of Brexit and the economic uncertainty it might bring,” says account director Sarah-Jane Freni; “but we are fairly optimistic. Bristol is a city on the up. The tech sector is booming and large professional services companies are shying away from London.

“As social media and digital platforms continue to re-define our sector, there is a real opportunity for agencies promoting a more integrated approach. The divide between marketing and PR is increasingly getting blurred and a more joined up strategy is paramount.”

Working from offices on a Dutch Barge moored in Welsh Back, Purplefish works with regional and Bristol businesses including Clevedon Hall, Loch Fyne, Turley and Six. It’s seven-strong team turned over £300k last year and has growth ambitions for the year ahead, hoping to double the size of the business. “The PR and media industry is going through a major shift at the moment and staying ahead of the curve to make sure we are at the cutting edge of our industry is very important to us,” says managing director Joanna Randall. “There’s a proliferation of information. Press releases have limited value these days and our focus is on being as creative as possible to generate commercially tangible impact for our clients. Strong, relevant and regional contact will become more important.”

JBP was earlier this year ranked the top PR consultancy in the South West by industry magazine PR Week, and in the UK’s top 10 for public affairs, with offices also in Cardiff, Manchester, Warwick and Westminster. Its local outpost has been involved in the delivery of high profile campaigns, including the £45 million transformation of Colston Hall, and the launch of Slide Bristol, the new shared ride to work service.

Managing director Chris Lawrance predicts that technology will continue to play a critical role in the evolution of the communications landscape, providing “insights, delivery channels, interactive communications and campaign outcome data”.

Empica has been working in Bristol’s PR scene since 1989. Founder Martin Powell said: “Our focus in the last year or so has been on meeting the demands of the public to see stories on screen. On screen they want to watch something rather than read so we have invested in equipment and people so we can produce video and social media content in-house. Because we are an agency with a strong background in journalism and story-telling we are confident that our services will be valid.” 

Meanwhile Infectious PR are specialist music promoters. “Most of our clients are international,” says owner Jeryl Wilton. From a base in Temple Studios, the three-strong team “work with some of the biggest names in dance/electronic music including Major Lazer, Skrillex, Knife Party, and Chase & Status”.

“The obvious choice for a UK-based music PR company is to work in London, but we love working in Bristol. There is so much happening here, the music scene is really healthy and, let’s be honest, it’s a much more friendly place to be.”

The city is, however, an obvious choice for green-minded companies. Though ten years old, Greenhouse PR set up headquarters here late last year and has gone on to grow 40 per cent in 2016, working with clients such as NGOs, clean-tech start-ups and low-carbon businesses. Practising what they preach, all staff cycle to work, sit at recycled desks, use green energy and snack on sustainably sourced goods in the kitchen.

“We are driven by a shared mission to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy,” says senior consultant Faye Holst. “This year we have delivered more than 20 integrated campaigns, working exclusively with clients addressing major sustainability challenges. Our clients often have big ideas but limited budgets, so we pride ourselves on creative solutions.

“Next year we’ll be looking to expand further, plus potentially invest in a vibrant and interesting workspace that could welcome and support our growing network of green pioneers and entrepreneurs. Our vision is one day to have a ‘Green House’ – a warehouse workspace that we could share with other like-minded businesses.” 

Konichiwa PR was established in 2015 to support and “empower small businesses, start-ups, social enterprise and prospective entrepreneurs” and has worked with well-known, ‘indie’ clients such as Bambalan, Bristol Eats and Harbourside Market as well as on creative projects including a crowdfunded campaign to capture Bristol’s diverse music scene on vinyl and a project to fund an affordable mastering studio for aspiring musicians.

“Innovation” is the biggest gap in the market, says founder and creative director, Ursula Hutchinson: “We have challenged established business models and feel it gives us a good positioning to other agencies. Because we operate as a diverse family of specialist freelancers rather than through the traditional agency model, we can offer each of our clients exactly the services they need, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”

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