Barques puts itself in the frame with new photography client

BIRMINGHAM PR agency Barques has secured a 12-month PR contract with GRAIN Photography Hub, which is based at the Library of Birmingham.

Supported by Arts Council England, GRAIN works in collaboration with local, national and international partners in developing a range of new, ambitious and high quality research and development projects including commissions, exhibitions, events, courses, publications and professional development opportunities.

Jewellery Quarter-based Barques has been tasked with raising awareness of GRAIN and its various exhibitions and events throughout regional, national and international press.

Paul Skipp, director of Barques PR said: “Being one of the first agencies to work with the Library of Birmingham is a fantastic coup for Barques PR. Having experienced some of GRAIN’s previous exhibitions including FINDINGS which was exhibited in the Jewellery Quarter last year, we’re delighted to be working with the team.”

Pete James, curator of photography at Library of Birmingham said: “The Library of Birmingham is home to one of the UK’s largest national collections of photography, which comprises of more than 3.5million items ranging from daguerreotypes made at the dawn of the photographic era to digital works made by leading contemporary photographers.

“With so many new exhibitions on the horizon it’s vital that we raise awareness of GRAIN and make content as accessible as possible, not just for those interested in photography but also to those who may not normally engage. We have appointed Barques PR in a bid to reach communities who may not know about GRAIN or who may have not thought to visit a photography exhibition. We have high hopes for the partnership and are looking forward to seeing the results.”
 

Environmental industry success for Reflection Marketing

SUTTON Coldfield agency Reflection Marketing is winning a name for itself in environmental investment after securing new business with three specialists.

The agency has capitalised on its sector expertise to pick up additional work with longstanding client Climate Change Capital (CCC), an environmental asset management business that advises and invests in companies committed to developing a sustainable economy.

It has also been appointed by Oxford University’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC).

Claire Nicholls, managing director, said: “We’re committed to delivering quality, cost-effective solutions for our clients and I’m delighted that our policy of immersing ourselves in their businesses and the industries in which they operate, so that we fully understand the challenges they face, is helping us to grow our business.”

Strengthening the branding for CCC’s new website has resulted in a significant increase in people registering to receive the organisation’s newsletter.  Now, CCC has turned to Reflection Marketing to help it raise its profile still further.

Daniel Cremin, head of marketing at CCC said: “Reflection Marketing understands us and our sector and is therefore able to translate our brand and messaging objectives into well-designed marketing collateral which we can use to engage with our target audiences.”

Pukka client proves marketing magic for McCann and ABS

COMMUNICATIONS agency McCann Birmingham enlisted the support of one of its newest clients, Pukka Pies, to help future marketers from Aston Business School put their creativity to the test.
 
Now in its fourth year of sponsoring Aston Business School’s Strategic Brand Management module, McCann Birmingham is working with Pukka Pies to challenge students with a real-life marketing brief, which will count towards their degree and help boost their CVs before they graduate.
 
The brief challenges undergraduates to apply their theoretical understanding of the industry and express their creativity to support Pukka Pies’ range of chilled pies. The project requires the students to explore target audience, brand strategy and the creative story to develop a three year communications plan, which they will present in April.

Wayne Greensmith, Pukka’s Marketing Manager, said: “We are really pleased to be working with McCann and Aston Business School to help the next generation of marketing professionals develop their skills.  We are very excited to see what the students come up with.”
 
Jon Marchant, Managing Partner at McCann Birmingham, added: “Aston Business School is one of the UK’s leading business schools with a prestigious reputation both nationally and internationally and we’re delighted to continue working with this great institution.”