Agency roundup: The Lucre Group; ilk; Principles; and more

CHARLOTTE RHYS, a luxury bath, body and lifestyle brand, has appointed The Lucre Group to handle its PR and digital content.

The win strengthens the agency’s Home & Lifestyle division, which will look after all of CHARLOTTE RHYS’ owned and earned communications across the UK.

Founded in South Africa, the company is looking to make its mark in the UK.

Leeds-based Lucre will be launching its full range to the UK’s health and wellbeing market through an ongoing PR and influencer programme.

RICH, Lucre’s content division, will also be tasked to deliver an integrated digital strategy, creating content that resonates with the brand’s audience and making it work hard across a number of platforms.

From SEO and social strategies to website development, the RICH team will build on the brand’s online presence.

Co-founder and managing partner Janet Rhys at CHARLOTTE RHYS, said: “It’s a very exciting time for our business as the brand expands into the UK market.

“Innovation is at the heart of what we do, and the Lucre team perfectly understood our ambitious vision.

“We’re confident they’ll be able to increase the profile of the brand through an integrated communications strategy.”

Sophie Spyropoulos, owner director at The Lucre Group, added: “The CHARLOTTE RHYS proposition fits perfectly with the current consumer market, as people seek ways in which they can be kinder to the planet.

“We’re delighted to have been appointed and are excited to support them in bringing luxury and ethical bath and skincare products to the UK market.”

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Leeds-based integrated agency, ilk, has been appointed by Visit Leeds to handle its PR and content following a competitive tender process.

Leeds City Council’s official Destination Management Organisation (DMO), has turned to ilk to deliver an integrated content and digital PR strategy aimed at enhancing its digital footprint and attracting local, national and international tourists to the city following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

As part of its bid to lead the city’s tourism recovery, the partnership with ilk will see Visit Leeds launch a series of campaigns to showcase its breadth of heritage and cultural attractions,  innovative food & drink destinations and extensive shopping facilities on offer in Leeds and its surrounding areas.

This activity will contribute towards Leeds City Council’s ambition to secure the city’s status as the best city in the UK and one of Europe’s best cities to visit, live, work and study.

The PR and content brief will see ilk build on its ongoing website development and SEO work for Visit Leeds, which has already seen organic traffic to the organisation’s website increase by over 200%.

Rob Jones, senior PR and social director at ilk Agency, said: “We’re always so pleased to win a new client, but to be appointed as the chosen agency by our city’s DMO is truly something special, and a real testament to our work here in Leeds.

“Nobody knows the city better than those that work within it, and we’re really excited to be shouting about everything that Leeds has to offer, especially at a time when encouraging footfall to the city will be more crucial than ever.”

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Leeds-based full-service marketing agency, Principles, has added two fast-growing start-up businesses, launched during the pandemic, to its growing portfolio of food and drink clients.

Happy Inside Drinks and PEP Kitchen have appointed Principles Agency to deliver  strategic social and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns.

Principles will work with both businesses over the next 12 months to increase brand awareness, boost website traffic and support sales online.

London-based sustainable and street-food-inspired vegan meal delivery service, PEP Kitchen was founded with the aim of revolutionising ready meals.

It turned to Principles Agency to strengthen its digital positioning, using a combination of PPC and paid-for social media strategies.

Established during lockdown, fruit-based, soft-drinks brand, Happy Inside Drinks uses Japanese knotweed, to promote healthy gut bacteria.

Founder, Charlie Knockton, who suffers with ulcerative colitis, began experimenting with natural ingredients during lockdown, in a bid to self medicate and create a tasty and nutritious drink using only water and botanicals.

Tom Wycks, digital strategy director at Principles, said: “We’re incredibly excited to add to our growing roster of food and drink clients.

“Working with Happy Inside Drinks and PEP Kitchen to strengthen their online presence will unlock new opportunities for the businesses and support their ambitious growth plans.

“It’s reassuring to see two new businesses born out of lockdown investing in digital marketing and recognising the value of boosting their online presence to reach potential customers and build their brand following.”

Knockton added: “We’re thrilled to be working with Principles Agency which has made it feel like we’re a growing business that they really care about.

“We’ve been hugely impressed by their professionalism, depth of knowledge, all round positive energy and creative approach.

“We can’t wait to embark on our digital marketing journey with the agency, who we are positive will make a marked difference to the brand.”

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Train operator Northern Trains has appointed AMS Media Group as its media agency, following a competitive tendering process.

The Leeds agency team will work with Northern to build awareness and understanding of the brand and promote services across the north.

Its £4m brief covers a broad mix of media from outdoor to broadcast and paid social media.

Claire Rowland, head of sales and marketing at Northern, said: “As we hopefully return to some normality, it is important we have a partner that can be flexible, that can be adapt quickly to the changing needs of our customers.

“We hired AMS Media Group because of their data-led approach and strong audience insight, allied with really strong regional media relationships that set them apart.”

Northern recently announced the introduction of its 100th brand new train, which is part of the most extensive modernisation programme in a generation that is transforming travel in the north of England.

Steve Empson, director of AMS Group Leeds, said: “It’s now more important than ever to bring a deep understanding of the client’s business, audience and media landscape as things are changing so quickly, flexibility and agility are key to delivering impactful and relevant campaigns.

“We have a fantastic, experienced client-focused team at AMS that gets this totally.”

AMS Media Group launched its first office outside London in Leeds in 2019. It partnered with two senior ex-Mediacom Leeds directors, Steve Empson and James Whitehead.