With 40% more entries this year than in 2013, it’s safe to say competition was fierce at the Golden Hedgehog Awards 2014, which were held in Manchester last Thursday evening. Nerves jangling, our team made the short journey up Peter Street to the Radisson Edwardian Hotel for the ceremony, and were delighted to walk away with another trophy for the office mantelpiece by retaining one of the most coveted prizes of the night.
Smoking Gun PR was again among the Golden Hedgehog Award winners 2014, being awarded Small Agency of the Year, with the title bestowed on our family of public relations professionals for the second year running. This is thanks in no small part to our ongoing success over the last 12 months, during which time both our staff numbers and client roster have grown exponentially.
Key brands such as Silentnight, HEXBUG, Oven Pride, Paint By Conran, Support Adoption for Pets and Calypso joined the fold, all proving how our reputation as one of the UK’s most ingenious, innovative and evidence-based PR agencies proceeds us. At the same time, our biggest investment in staff training and recruitment to date ensures these firms are all exceptionally well serviced. Needless to say then, plenty of celebrating was done once our time on the podium passed, but now the champagne-heads have cleared it’s back to business as usual, albeit with a little more bounce in the step.
The award judges said of our efforts here on Quay Street: “An excellent entry submitted by Smoking Gun PR, who have an impressive pitch success rate, proving just how solid, strong and vibrant this growing company is.??? Amen to that.
Meanwhile, our very own MD, Rick Guttridge, had this to say: “Retaining the Small Agency title means an awful lot to the whole team. 2013 was another monumental year for the business with significant growth across all our key metrics. When adding fourteen new clients to your books and doubling staff headcount, there’s always a worry that the standards you’ve set in your early years as an entrepreneurial boutique agency may slip. The management team strives to put in place the systems and support to ensure all new staff and clients continue to experience the same ingenious approach to PR, which sets us apart.
“An award such as this ratifies the belief in our philosophy and acts as a great motivation to us all to keep working hard and look to continue improving our offering. We thank all our staff for their continued hard work and dedication and, just as importantly, the wonderful businesses who put their faith in us to drive their marcomms. We look forward to seeing what 2014 brings for us all!???
Read more about the accolades this award winning PR agency has bagged or call Rick Guttridge to find out how we would apply our award winning talents to your business on 0161 839 1986.