On the PRmoment Podcast, we interview UK public relations leaders, and today, we’re chatting with Alec Samways, CEO and founder of Splendid.

Splendid is an independent consumer PR firm based in London. Its fee income is over £6 m. Splendid was launched in 2004 and so celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Here's a summary of what we talked about:

2 mins Alec reflects on the consumer PR market in London at the moment.

“We’re seeing way more opportunities at the moment.”

“The process has become really, really protracted. We’re waiting on ten decisions at the moment.”

6 mins Alec tells us when the UK consumer PR market started coming back.

7 mins Splendid is one of a handful of independent PR firms in the UK that has made multiple acquisitions in the last couple of years. Alec tells us why Spendid decided to start buying other businesses.

“We won 3 big pitches in one year, all in one year…So I said to my head of finance: ‘Is there a better way?’”

“It was a reaction. It was about controlling growth.”

15 mins Splendid has bought Riot, Kingdom Collective, and DIY. Alec talks us through how those deals come about.

“Intuitively, PR has to be the authentic channel because we are the ones that earn it. We don't buy it. Do (outside) people see us that way? No.”

“I’ve always felt the answer is strategy and measurement.”

28 mins Alec talks us through the life cycle of Splendid. Where did it start, what have been the ups and downs and where are you now?

“The last five years (for Splendid): Rock & roll with a plan.”

29 mins Splendid has had a good couple of years. It has outgrown the consumer PR market over the past five years.

30 mins Was the COVID period a necessary step to allow Alec to simplify his business?

37 mins Alec describes himself as an inverted snob. What did you mean by that?

41 mins How does Alec look back on 20 years in business?

44 mins How many people has Spendid employed in the 20 years?

47 mins “Praise in public, constructive criticism in private.”

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in June 2024.

Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.

Andrew launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.

Before we start,a reminder that the final entry deadline for the Creative Moment Awards is coming up on Friday, June 28th. So you need to get a wriggle on if you’ve got good creative work that you want to enter this year.

Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Here’s a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment podcast founder Ben Smith discussed:

“It feels like confidence is building and returning, especially in the consumer sector.”

5 mins Andrew updates us on Jumnes biggest PR pitch wins:

The Academy wins Fullers London Pride

Alfred wins Perfect Draft

Here Be Dragons wins Koppaberg

Premier win Wireless Festival - (Live Nation)

Tin Man win Blue Light Card

Stakked and Munch win Netflix Buying London Cast and separarelty Kabuto

W win Extreme E

Hatch win British Cycling

Tin Man/Lucky Generals win EDF

“This was an integrated pitch where the client wanted the PR agency and the ad agency to come together at the outset to create a campaign that had earned at its heart.”

The Earnies win The Royal Academy of Engineering

Brand Nation win reebok

Wild Card win Ask Italian -

TrunkBBI win Moonpig

Unlimited Group win National Highways

Coolr win Britvic

Pitch win global brief for les Mills

Mischief MHP win Pringles

Shook win Soare

The Heard - Monster Energy

Golin win Unilever

36 mins This month’s M&A run down:

Pagefield sells to PPHC

Candid (a Netherlands-based marketing and comms group) acquires Houston PR

Lewis acquires Tayburn

Welcome to the PRmoment June 2024 iteration of the Global Creativity Review collection. In this series, founder of PRmoment Ben Smith joins a host of PR industry creatives to discuss, and sometimes dissect, the standout creative moments of the month.

This is the audio version of the Global Creativity Review: you can watch the video version, with all the campaign/work films on PRmoment's YouTube Channel.

The Global Creativity Review is produced In partnership with our sister title Creative Moment.

The only catch? Guests are not allowed to choose their own work.

Speaking on this review:

• Kat Thomas, founder and chief creative officer at One Green Bean
• Lora Martyr, executive creative director at Taylor Herring
• Olivia Mushigo, senior creative at Good Relations
  

Not got time for a whole podcast? Don’t worry, here is the TL/DR discussion points for time-pressed listeners:

1 mins: Sweethearts - Situationships by Tombras

5 mins: Heineken - Pub Museums (Ireland)

13 mins: NUFC x Sela - Unsilence The Crowd

21 mins: Red Bull - Flying Through London’s Tower Bridge

29 mins: Burger King - 70th Anniversary, Old Flames

32 mins: Heinz - Reviews For Naturalisation in Brazil

39 mins: Just Eat - More Beef Than Kendrick and Kanye

40 mins: Dove - Mom Experience Translator Tool

This is part of our regular series of creativity reviews, so if you like what you hear, look back at the PRmoment Podcast archive on iTunes or Spotify to listen to more creative ideas.

You can watch previous episode of The Global Creativity Review on PRmoment’s YouTube channel.