In an uncertain world, many firms are reluctant to tie themselves into restrictive - and expensive - contracts.
However, Charlotte Nichols, of PR firm Harvey & Hugo, has come up with an innovative solution to meet everyone’s needs – an online shop for pay-as-you-go marketing services.
Charlotte, recently named as one of Business Insider’s 10 top women to follow on social media, has always had a passion for flexibility; setting up Harvey & Hugo 12 years ago, one of her key aims was to make PR and marketing available to everyone. Now, however, she has taken it to the next level, launching an e-commerce platform on a standalone website to digitise the entire process. We caught up with Charlotte to find out more…
Where did the idea of Pay-as-Hugo come from?
Essentially, the whole idea of Pay-as-Hugo is to provide PR and marketing snacks for your brand; contract-free, fixed-fee brandbuilding options. When I launched the business in 2009, our USP was the Pay-asHugo offering to make PR services accessible to all, which was quite disruptive at the time, as the industry was largely focused on contracts and retainers. The idea of flexible, fixed-fee PR services struck a chord with customers during a recession. At Harvey & Hugo, we still offer retained services, which I always believe work better for building brands in the long term, but Payas-Hugo is a good stepping stone for start-ups and smaller firms to get the same level of expertise.
Why now?
I felt the time was right for Pay-as-Hugo to go it alone and so we’ve relaunched it as a separate ‘little brother brand’. With the pandemic, the timing was perfect; many brands are looking for a more flexible, affordable approach, without paying for services they don’t need. Without a daily commute and regular travelling to meetings, I had a lot more time to dedicate to developing the site – it’s very much my lockdown baby! Because while I hope it seems simple to the outside observer, breaking down each individual service into its components was incredibly challenging.
What added value does the new service bring?
Pay-as-Hugo gives SMEs the power to decide how much they spend and when, with all the convenience of online shopping – no pressure and available 24/7. I really believe e-commerce is the future, and not just for goods. When Amazon started, people thought it wouldn’t catch on, and look at it now.
How does the website work?
It’s broken down into four categories – Create, Share, Report and Care – which is broadly how I see the PR and marketing world. Firstly, you need to create high quality written or visual content. Secondly, you need to share it through whichever medium you choose. Thirdly, you need to measure results, which is where the report aspect comes in. And finally, it’s no accident that Create, Share, Report spells CSR; the care element is very important to me, as I believe we must give back where we can, even as small businesses. All the elements are based on our experience creating effective PR, social media and content marketing campaigns for clients.
How does Pay-as-Hugo fit in with the wider Harvey & Hugo brand?
It means we now have three core offerings: retained monthly services, Pay-as-Hugo and our training academy Hugoversity. I see it very much as a holistic brand for a business’s full journey: they may start off as a start-up needing Pay-as-Hugo services; as they grow, they need a Harvey & Hugo retainer; and later they may recruit and train their own marketing team, which Hugoversity can help with. How do you maintain a creative approach to your brand? My brain constantly challenges the standard way of doing things, and I also make sure I listen to what businesses are looking for and study their behaviours. It’s important to be aware of trends in other industries too; the worst thing we can do as PR professionals is become too myopic.
Why should brands (big and small) use Pay As Hugo?
Basically, it offers a quick, flexible and affordable approach that’s also fun and effective. It’s perfect for start-ups and SMEs, as well as larger marketing teams looking to outsource specialist services such as animation. Above all, it will make one small scruffy border terrier (Hugo) very happy!
