They say you should feed your creativity. Well, this month we’ve take that to heart with a few BBQ’s on our office roof terrace, in between watching Wimbledon during our now much-anticipated annual Pimms and scones afternoon tea event. We also enjoyed a spot of fancy dress to try and help spur Andy Murray on, not that it did much good.

 

 

Don’t worry too much, though, there has also been plenty of handwork afoot.
Take our evidencing the point that some people can successfully work with children and animals. A recent blogger and child event for Persil’s Cook With the Kids campaign saw us make food art to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland. Meanwhile, our Pet PR team has been securing national hit after national hit via stories of smiling horses, Hitch- the runaway guinea pig who was recovered 150miles away from home- and Pops, the oldest unhomed rescue Cat.

 

Thanks to our amazing national coverage across diverse title such as the Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Sunday People, London Evening Standard, Time Out and Chat magazine, aided in no small part by a visit to a cat’s protection centre by Carlie Stenos of Hollyoaks fame (pictured), we’ve helped rehome Pops, safely returned Hitch to his owners, and raised £500k for SAFP.
All hail the power of Pet PR!
Elsewhere, and some of the team took time out from media duties in the build up to the annual Red Bull Harbour Reach international wakeboarding competition to try their hand. We found it’s a surprisingly easy sport to pick up in a short space of time, although we didn’t manage any of the mind-blowing tricks we saw at the competition itself. Take a look at the results here.

There’s no better way to kick off a major new client win than with a spot of #BrightStorming, followed by an inter-agency and client game of table tennis. Or so the phrase should go. And that’s exactly how our forward thinking new tech start up client, HROnline, decided to break the proverbial ice between ourselves and fellow new recruits Parker Design and e3 UX.
Watch this space for news of how we’re going to collectively rip up the rule book for marketing cloud-based HR solutions. Admittedly, we don’t quite know where this journey’s going to end, but thanks to a client with big ambitions and a truly creative approach, we know it’s going to be epic!

We’re also feeling chuffed thanks to a swathe of new award nominations, with another five gongs up for grabs at this year’s CIPR PRide North West ceremony. Even better, these include coveted titles such as Best Use of Social Media (Magnet Trade- Talking To The Trade), Best Use of Digital (Silentnight: The UK’s leading sleep expert- A Digital Approach), and Best Integrated Campaign (Magnet Trade Community Champions).  Not forgetting Best Arts & Culture campaign for Tudors on Tour.

As the industry’s most respected body, we’re delighted to be in a position to add yet more accolades from these particular judges to our already-sizable collection, and wish everyone up for a trophy the best of look ahead of the event itself, which takes place in November. Cross everything, then.
It’s also been a busy month for sharing knowledge and inspiring the future of the industry. Smoking Gun PR’s MD, Rick Guttridge, gave a talk at the recent PRCA North West NextGen event in Manchester, as part of a panel comprising some of the most experienced professionals in the region. Designed to help those already in PR roles think about how to turbo charge their future progression in the industry, the event’s high level of attendance is indicative of just how important dates like this are.
So all in all, another monumentally busy and productive month for the team. Something we are eternally grateful to our wonderful team for, who, as ever, continue to shine and go above and beyond.
Now, bring on Silly Season.