Winning new business when times are tough

Category: Agency News

By: Rich Leigh

It’s no secret that it’s been a tough time over the last couple of months, and continues to be in many ways. For us, and many others.

I spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on us as an agency in episode 10 of PR in a Car* (here, if you would like to listen/watch) – but that was at the end of March, and it’s an obvious thing to say, but the world has changed massively since then.

*Some have asked (believe it or not!), so I’ll mention it here – I’m not sure if I’ll do more PR in a Car episodes, or if I’ll leave that at a nice round 10 episodes. I might a) go to an easier to-put-together option (straight audio podcast, perhaps – more easily recorded and quicker to upload), b) stick with the format or c) can the idea of me banging on about agency life entirely.

As much as it’s been wearying throughout this – we have lost clients, we have furloughed members of the team and we are as unsure as to what comes next as everybody else – it’s great to have some positive news to share.

We’ve won four new clients in the last few weeks, and new business is beginning to look slightly healthier as people have found ways to work and grow their companies again.

The new clients are:

  • Just Capital, a growth funding firm that offers startups, entrepreneurs, and SMEs access to funding for ‘growth’ activities like marketing and inventory without having to give up equity
  • London Boys Ballet School, a prestigious boys-only ballet school that has recently attracted students from all over the world as a result of its unique remote class offering, providing high quality global tuition throughout and beyond the pandemic
  • Lyvit, a sports supplement brand advocated by world champion athletes, and formulated by leading nutritionists
  • Toyboy Warehouse, the UK’s first and biggest cougar and toyboy dating site. Founded in 2006, the site matches older women and younger men who are looking for love, lust and romance.

A mix of creative link building, product PR, paid and organic social, influencer work and good old brand/profile PR is on the cards across the four.

As I said in the release we sent out to a few industry sites, I’m always one to celebrate client wins, but given the current circumstances, these new briefs mean even more to us than usual.

I’m really proud of the way the team has responded to a situation and economy we could never have prepared for, both those furloughed and those working hard to maintain and grow as well as we can. We’re doing all we can to steady the ship – and we’ve put together an optional learning/development structure for those that are furloughed and want to stay sharp, so this is a nice boost.

Marketing is often, rightly or wrongly, one of the first things that gets dropped in times of uncertainty, but it’s also one of the taps that gets switched back on quickest. For me, it’s about maintaining what we have and doing the best job we can, adding where we can and seeing us through until that time comes for more businesses.

PR industry mentions of the wins!

So, thanks to Richard at Bulldog Reporter (now Agility PR) for this piece:

Thanks to the ever-lovely and supportive Maja Pawinska Sims at PRovoke Media (formerly The Holmes Report) for this mention in their EMEA round-up this week:

best pr agency

And thank you to the team at Response Source for this update about it, too!

List PR agency wins