Agency round-up: Contract to amplify business voice of the North; Agency scoops £200,000 worth of business; Appointment to market mortar products; and more

Communications agency Social has been appointed to support the NP11 (Northern Powerhouse 11) with strategic communications activity including PR, stakeholder engagement, public affairs and digital channel development.

Formed in 2018, the NP11 is the business-led voice for the North, made up of the North’s 11 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs). They play a leading role in realising the vision for an economically and socially thriving Northern Powerhouse. The organisation works with and advises Government on priority issues for the North such as increasing productivity, overcoming regional inequalities in economic growth, and challenging the north/south divide.

Social, a £2m turnover agency, is drawing upon its integrated expertise in PR, public affairs, stakeholder communications and digital, to deliver two distinct briefs. Beating competition from 12 other agencies, Social is delivering the NP11’s strategic communications activity, as well as its digital presence by developing and launching a new website and social media channels.

The work is being led by the agency’s Leeds office, working alongside specialists in PR and digital from its head office in Manchester. Pete Wrathmell, group director at Social and senior lead for the account, said: “We are thrilled to be appointed by the NP11, a hugely significant organisation for the North of England, impacting National Government policy and supporting a thriving Northern economy.

“As a national agency firmly rooted in the North, we are committed to the success of the NP11 and the Northern Powerhouse agenda. Our skills and expertise will add real value to the NP11 as we work to help build its profile and increase its share of voice nationally and across the North.”

Roger Marsh, chair of the NP11, said: “We are delighted to have Social on board to help us deliver our communications strategy. The NP11 is realising the vision for an economically thriving Northern Powerhouse that drives economic prosperity, international competitiveness, and inclusive growth for the benefit of everyone across our great towns, cities and rural communities.

“With two thriving northern offices and experience of working from Merseyside across to the Yorkshire coast, Social is an ideal partner for the NP11 and clearly shares our ambitions for the people, towns and cities of the North.”

The NP11 co-hosted the Convention of the North event on 13 September at the Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham.

The event brought together influential bodies such as the Northern Power Women, N8 research partnership, the People’s Powerhouse and leading think-tanks such as IPPR North and the Northern Powerhouse Partnership as well as key note speech from Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Additionally, young people from across the North set out their vision for the North’s future, and how current leaders need to work together to achieve it. The legacy from the event will be a “Manifesto for the North” which will bring together the key policy findings from the event discussion.

:::

Leeds-based creative marketing agency Brass, is celebrating £200,000 worth of business following a trio of new account wins all hailing from Yorkshire.

In the past few months, the agency has added First Bus York, Dowsing & Reynolds, a high-end homeware brand and Tunstall Healthcare, a provider of connected care and health technology solutions to enable independent living, to its growing client base.

Lucy Baird, head of PR, said: “We’re delighted with the latest spate of account wins at Brass and best of all, they’re all based in Yorkshire, highlighting our unrivalled reputation in the region for creative, integrated PR campaigns.”

First Bus and Brass have had a working relationship that has spanned over 10 years. The most recent brief to land is for York Park & Ride, engaging Brass to launch its highly anticipated fleet of 21 new electric buses in the city following a competitive pitching process.

The project will see Brass deliver a targeted regional communications plan that aims to drive awareness and excite new and current users of York Park & Ride.

Online design-led interiors brand Dowsing & Reynolds, is opening its first store in Leeds Victoria Quarter this month. Brass will be managing the launch strategy which includes PR, event management and paid media.

Whitely Bridge based Tunstall Healthcare has pioneered the use of technology for over 60 years to support those requiring care and health intervention, to live independently in their chosen home setting. As the newly appointed retained PR agency, Brass will help raise awareness of Tunstall across a diverse audience and help educate on the organisation’s products and services.

Kevin Anderson, marketing director at Tunstall Healthcare, said: “The pitch presented by Brass really excited us, they delivered exceptionally against the brief and the team’s expertise really shone through. We’ve been impressed from the word go as the PR team tirelessly deliver results that are transforming our overall marketing approach.”

:::

Sheffield-based creative agency Front has been appointed by Everbuild – a UK sealant, adhesives and building chemicals manufacturer – to create and develop a new suite of marketing materials for an extensive range of mortar products.

Everbuild is part of Sika AG – the global chemical company based in Switzerland that specialises in the manufacture and supply of chemical based products for construction and the industry.

Sika has subsidiaries in 101 countries around the world, manufactures in over 300 factories, has more than 24,000 employees, and had an annual sales turnover of 7.085 billion Swiss francs in 2018.

The project will see Front comprehensively redesign the range’s packaging, creating a new look aligned with the Everbuild brand. In addition, the team will create digital and press advertising campaigns as well as merchandising collateral and event materials.

The target markets for the mortars range include both builders’ merchants and end users; including key national trade merchants, independents and buying groups.

Joe Chetcuti – director at Front – said: “Everbuild is a leader in its field but the mortars market is highly competitive, so our aim is to create real standout whilst showcasing the quality and specialist products that are available.”

Jennie Lumley – marketing manager at Everbuild – added: “We want to work with an agency that is both strategic and creative but that also understands our sector. The team at Front has showed real insight along with some unique thinking so we are excited about the launch.”

Front has also been appointed to the Leeds Beckett University as part of its design and creative agencies framework.

:::

David Kerfoot

Aberfield Communications, is working with the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding (YNYER) Local Enterprise Partnership to support the development and promotion of its Local Industrial Strategy.

The strategy, which will be submitted to the UK Government later this year, will determine the next 20 years of productivity and growth in the region.

After a competitive tender process, YNYER LEP appointed the Leeds-based PR, social media and brand communications agency to develop and promote its Local Industrial Strategy.

Aberfield will support the LEP through media relations, social media, stakeholder engagement and event promotion in order to ensure the LEP receives maximum support from key audiences to develop its industrial strategy.

The LEP is calling on local businesses and the public to give their views and help shape its strategy, which is based on recognising the region’s distinctive places, thereby propelling growth that is good for people, good for the planet and good for business.

Over the summer, the LEP has gathered insight from across the region to develop a series of ‘place stories’ which are being used to recognise the distinctive challenges and opportunities across the region, in turn helping identify priorities that will influence good growth for all.

Aberfield will support the LEP in its second phase of engagement, which sees it promote ‘Good Growth in Distinctive Places’. By recognising the potential in the diversity of the region, which comprises coastal, rural, tourist, manufacturing and urban environments, the LEP hopes to build a strategy that will deliver good growth for all.

In addition, Aberfield will continue to support the LEP on ‘Grow Yorkshire’, an initiative centred upon promoting the positive economic opportunities for Yorkshire’s farmers in a post-Brexit world.

David Kerfoot, chairman of the YNYER LEP, said: “We want our Local Industrial Strategy to be built by the region through a ground up, partnership-led approach, building regional priorities that every local place can engage with and benefit from.

“We’ve already had some really valuable conversations with local stakeholder groups and are excited to be working with Aberfield to take our engagement to the next level and generate maximum impact by ensuring that our strategy is beneficial for all.”

Ian Briggs, senior consultant at Aberfield Communications, added: “It is a pleasure to continue our work with the YNYER LEP. Our commitment to positive influence means we are the perfect partner to help the YNYER LEP to promote real change in the region.

“Our focus has always been to put audiences first, to ensure all of our activity hits the mark. It’s great to see that the LEP continues to recognise this.”