Northern Insight talks to Philippa Clothier about the past 25 years...
How has the PR landscape changed since your company’s inception 25 years ago?
In 1998/9, I vividly remember sending out stories to the media with photos attached and delivering them by hand to the Red Star Parcels office. The fax machine was still in regular use, journalists had pages of editorial to fill each day and it was all very labour intensive! Digital and its immediacy, have totally transformed the landscape within the PR world.
What have been the most significant milestones or achievements for your company over the past 25 years?
After the collapse of Northern Rock and the ensuing turmoil in the global financial markets we lost a significant amount of annual fee income in just one month, so I decided anything that did not contribute to profitability had to go. The water cooler has yet to find its way back! Surviving the recession was a major milestone.
Can you share some memorable campaigns or projects that highlight your company’s evolution and success?
I always say ‘there are no mistakes in life’. So the month after our fee income took a massive hit, we won Work Wise North East – a threeyear national campaign to promote smarter working practices. We continue to attract many successful businesses as clients, mostly through referral, such as Swinburne Maddison, Summers-Inman, TGA and Howarth Litchfield. Within the education sector, we launched Northern Education Trust in 2012, which grew to twenty academies under our watch. This provided unparalleled experience and led to us working with several other multi-academy-trusts – latterly Northern Leaders Trust.
How has your company adapted to the digital transformation?
Totally – or we would not have survived. Our service spans every aspect of digital marketing which is fundamental to our future success and we are currently expanding the digital team.
What are some challenges your company faced over the years, and how did you overcome them?
When there is a recession and companies are trying to reduce costs, mostly it is the PR/marketing/advertising or training budgets that are the first to attract the accountant’s pen – very shortsighted but often the case. Always knowing exactly where we stood financially with monthly management accounts was, and is, essential.
How has your company culture evolved over the past 25 years?
After WFH during the pandemic the workplace changed for good, so I decided to introduce remote working for all staff on Mondays and Fridays. We have an open plan office so there is not much we don’t discuss! We’re committed to providing the best service for our clients, so having a good laugh together and being able to discuss absolutely anything makes for a good team spirit.
What is your fondest memory?
I was delighted when my daughter, Zoe, decided to leave her role as land and new homes manager at Zoopla and formally establish a land and new homes division at Clothier Lacey in March 2022. So, alongside construction and the built environment, our residential and commercial property clients now play an increasingly important role in the business and we work for developers and their supply chains up and down the country.
How do you plan to celebrate this 25th anniversary, and what message do you want to share?
We are supporting Veterans Launchpad, an amazing charity that provides accommodation and support to help veterans transition to civilian life together with Wellspring, a charity which promotes good mental health in the workplace. It’s always good to give something back.
Looking ahead, we will continue to train graduates, invest in the team and build our reputation and client base. We are continually evolving but ensuring long term job security for the team and providing effectively delivered, high quality marketing, digital and PR support for all our clients – these are equally important drivers – as well as enjoying what we do and having fun!
Thanks to all our clients, past, present and potentially future for trusting us to represent your companies and for accompanying us on our journey.
www.clothierlacey.co.uk