Case Study / Appointment of PR Supplier
| Client | Gradwell | www.gradwell.com |
|---|---|
| Objective | Appoint and mentor management of PR supplier |
| Quick facts |
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Having undertaken detailed customer research, brand refresh and website re-development, Gradwell was in a position to start generating increased demand from the UK small business market. We identified public relations as a key awareness-driving technique, within a wider set of small business marketing tools configured to move people through to a sale.
The revised business strategy centred on targeting a less tech-savvy audience than had previously been the case. This meant taking the public relations push beyond the technology trade press, where Gradwell had already achieved some success. This meant looking for a supplier who could get the messages into the mainstream business, small business and national press. To this end, Clear Thought prepared a comprehensive public relations requirement document and ‘invitation to tender’ information pack.
As with any business, and particularly with small business marketing, we were looking for serious value for money, but without compromising on quality. Clear Thought devised a performance-related pay proposal that would be put into place after a three month induction / probation period.
Drawing up a short-list:
To ensure that we had a full range of suppliers to make an informed choice as to the type of provider that would fit the precise needs, we:
- researched and spoke to large London agencies, local freelancers and many in between.
- posted a notice of invitation to tender in relevant LinkedIn groups and other online networks.
- developed a long list who were asked to submit a written response to the requirements.
Through a combination of scoring, internal review and chemistry meetings, the long-list of seven was reduced to three, who were invited to present their proposals in person, and provide some outline campaign ideas.
Making the final selection:
The final presentations were reviewed by an agreed panel from around the business using a weight and score method to ensure that the selection was as objective as possible. The appointed agency was Grayling PR in Bristol, having impressed us with their balance between a small agency attitude, in a large agency set-up already configured to tap into local and national press.
Making the relationship work:
Measuring the value of PR is notoriously difficult. To help Gradwell really understand where PR fits in their marketing toolkit, and how it adds tangible value to the sales funnel – we set a series of realistic targets within a sophisticated scorecard technique to track and measure what was achieved. This categorises types of coverage and gives weighting aligned with the marketing strategy. We’ve also set web traffic generation targets, which will be measured through keyword tracking, referral links and through baseline assumptions of traffic generated by word of mouth. We’re also looking to track regional sales enquiries against regional coverage received to determine a correlation.
As part of the Clear Thought project, we have overseen a three month relationship ‘bedding-in’ process, which has included:
- Agreeing final contract and service level agreements.
- Getting an online project centre set-up and running.
- Agreeing a monthly scorecard approach linked to a performance bonus.
- Mentoring the Gradwell team in working with the agency to get the best value for money.
This project was undertaken as part of a 12-month marketing transformation programme for Gradwell. Hear Peter Gradwell, MD, talk about his experiences in this 3-minute video »
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