Tribe PR | Corporate PR :: Client case studies

We work with the senior management teams for a number of large UK companies. We help to develop group-wide communications strategies, both internal and external, providing advice, counsel and practical media relations at times of crisis, and handling local community and stakeholder issues.

Click on the logos below to read our client case studies.

Present and past clients include:

Jeyes

Client and background:
Jeyes manufactures, markets, sells and distributes household cleaning and hygiene products in more than 60 countries, generating sales of more than £200m.

Challenge:

To ensure the company secures ongoing positive corporate and product coverage of its business growth and product innovation.

Solution:

We provide corporate and product PR and crisis communications consultancy for the Group across the world. Working with regional, trade, consumer and online media. We have negotiated partner deals with celebrity beauty writer Lauren Luke.

Results:

Projects including disposals and acquisitions, corporate profiling, crisis management, publicising Toilet City and the occasional Purple Poodle has ensured that Jeyes has appeared regularly in the local and regional media and that the trade media are kept informed of corporate issues as well.

“We have a very close working relationship with Tribe and value their advice and support. PR has come to mean more to us since we started working with Patrick and his team.”

Nicholas Goodwin, Finance Director, Jeyes Group Ltd

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Greene King

Client and background:

Greene King is one of the country’s leading pub companies and brewers with thousands of pubs across the UK and leading ale brands such as Greene King IPA, Abbot and Old Speckled Hen.

Challenge:

To provide a 24/7 press office service and creative PR support across three divisions of the company, including corporate, its destination retail outlets such as Hungry Horse and its local pub network.

Solution:

We set up and manage a press office which uses remote switchboard services and secure internet tools to ensure we are never out of the office for our client, and we provide a daily summary of client, competitor and industry news. A Tribe account director takes responsibility for each Greene King division, liaising with our client contacts to develop and deliver PR campaigns for both consumer and internal audiences of pub managers and licensees.

Results:

Journalist enquiries are handled quickly by our team – even out of hours – helping maintain our client’s reputation, and our daily news summary allows us to quickly spot opportunities and issues. Over 100 female landladies benefited from our social media workshop which showed them how to attract more women into pubs using networking tools. Working closely with our client’s financial PR and advertising agencies, we are able to ensure joined up communications and to maximise the impact of campaigns and corporate announcements.

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Unilever

About the client:
Unilever UK & Ireland is one of the country’s leading FMCG players, with a turnover of £2.5 billion. The company owns 28 brands, including the Colman’s Mustard brand which has a heritage shop based in the centre of Norwich.

Challenge:
The Norwich Evening News revealed Unilever’s plans to undertake a review of the Mustard Shop with the suggestion that the company planned to close it. The paper launched a campaign to save the shop which was gaining support from residents and the heritage and tourism sectors.

Solution:
We facilitated Unilever meeting with important and influential people in Norwich to discuss the shop's future and briefed the editor of Evening News to explain Unilever’s position and plans. We built a relationship with the journalist following the story and ensured she received updates and statements before other media.

Outcome:
The Evening News suspended the campaign to save the shop while negotiations about its future continued. A successful transfer of the shop to a local heritage organisation was concluded and resulting media coverage about Unilever was factual and balanced.

"Tribe helped us ensure we were talking to the right people throughout the process. Their local knowledge, insights and relationships with the local stakeholders were invaluable. I found Tribe extremely professional and would certainly use their expertise again regarding any Norwich based activity."

Helen Fenwick, External Affairs Manager, Unilever UK

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May Gurney

Client and background:
National infrastructure services company May Gurney delivers essential front-line services to the public and regulated sectors. It works in highways, rail, environmental services and utilities.

Challenge:

Tribe was appointed to help the company shake off the misconception that it was simply a Norfolk based construction firm.

As a rapidly growing business, managing multi-million pound contracts in high-risk sectors, May Gurney also needed additional support to respond to an increasing amount of media enquiries and to ensure its reputation remained in safe hands.

Solution:

Tribe was retained for seven years operating as an extension to the in-house team and worked alongside May Gurney’s head of communications and divisional MDs to develop the corporate communications strategy. PR plans were also delivered for each business division, giving senior managers their own dedicated PR resource and a greater share of voice as industry experts.

May Gurney’s corporate key messages were cascaded through all activity and communicated via regional, national, trade media and at industry events, positioning the organisation as a growing company, working in long-term partnerships with its customers, offering a great place to work and having environmental and safety concerns at its heart.

To reduce pressure on the in-house team, Tribe provided a 24/7 press office, providing senior counsel for crisis situations, issues management and responding to journalist enquiries. And to ensure directors were prepared for media interest in difficult times, scenario planning and media training were also arranged, equipping spokespeople with the skills and confidence to protect May Gurney’s reputation.

Results:

Tribe generated regular ongoing media coverage in key trade and regional media, resulting in media exposure worth £1,172,970.76in 2009 alone, giving a ROI ratio of 17:1. Non financial returns included building beneficial relationships with the media such as the MJ, Surveyor, Construction News, MRW, New Civil Engineer and letsrecycle.com as well as news and business media throughout the UK via contribution to features, providing expert opinion, arranging site visits, journalist meetings and offering a professional press office service.

“Tribe is always ready for a challenge no matter how big or small and everything is always done in a professional yet friendly way. They have provided excellent reactive press office support to our in-house team, as well as delivering proactive PR plans. And importantly, help us prove the value of PR to our senior management team.”

Andrew Slater, head of marketing communications, May Gurney

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Bernard Matthews

Client and background:
Bernard Matthews is Europe’s largest turkey producer. We provided crisis counsel and corporate public relations during 2005/6.

Challenge:
We were appointed just before avian flu hit the headlines in 2005 and were responsible for preparing the company’s responses for a range of scenarios and for managing the Bernard Matthews press office during this time.

One particular crisis involved a case of mistreatment of birds by third party contractors at one of the company’s farms which was caught on film by an undercover reporter.

Solution:
This crisis activity utilised our unique offering of a team drawn from the London and Norwich offices, blending local contact, knowledge and support with extensive resource and expertise.

Results:
This attracted national media attention and we were praised by several journalists for our sensible and prompt handling of the situation.

“Tribe provided invaluable counsel and support that helped us through a very difficult time for the business.”

David Reger, Company Secretary, Bernard Matthews

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