Category: Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy Company: Working Word Number of employees - including executive / support staff - and annual fee income: Incorporated 1999 16PRs, 1 designer, 1 videographer, 1 editor, 1 accounts. Business objectives and analysis of performance against budget over the past three years: Become Wales’ happiest agency (the one everyone wants to work with and for): Employee survey shows 96% of team feel supported and happy in their work and 93% are happy with the creative environment Currently 8 staff have been with WW more than 3 years Make strategic partnerships with companies offering integrated services to win more business and develop team digital skills Acquisition of video company to widen in-house provision Strategic partnerships with digital and creative agencies to win new business Work with clients and causes that mean something to us e.g. Homeless World Cup Strategic hires to reflect client demands e.g. paid for, earned, shared and owned media. Brief to upskill rest of team. Create a culture of diversity, promote best practice and develop a team that reflects PR in Wales in 2019: Part of Cardiff University Santander Internship programme (paid) and committed to 2 interns every summer Both owners guest lecture and help judge PR course at Welsh universities Part of S4SNextGen programme to give work experience to students from state schools Adverts targeted at BME students with help of universities Work experience placements – 27 week 1/2 week placements in 2018 Five of current team recruited following work experience/internships Two of current team on Jobs Growth Wales placements supporting 18-24 year olds find employment (both receiving full PR/editing training) Strong focus on involvement of team in business direction – clients and projects they want to work on. A brief overview of business / team strategy: With PR regularly cited as one of the most stressful professions with high attrition rates of staff, we believe that by being a happy agency, we’ll also be the most successful. Following an MBO in 2016, WW has grown to become the biggest PR team in Wales with record revenue. We’re the happiest team in Wales (our staff survey proves it) with clients that we care about. We get coverage everywhere from BBC Breakfast to the New York Post and community forums in Pembrokeshire. Our outcomes have made more people want to learn Welsh, helped people love where they live, recruited more foster carers and shouted about neurodivergent actors. There’s also a real desire to play an active role in the local community and, in-line with CIPR’s vision to increase diversity and representation in the industry, widen opportunities for young people to achieve a career in PR. That doesn’t happen without a strong strategy – happiness –supported by strong revenue, client growth and retention. The agency celebrates 20 years in business in 2019 and our purpose, developed with input from the whole team is: strategic storytelling that changes your world for the better. A summary of commitment to CPD and professionalism: Replaced annual performance reviews with ongoing monitoring / appraisals for ongoing continuous feedback and development 75% of CIPR or CIM membership paid with training including crisis communications, evaluation, podcasting, stakeholder relations Involvement on CIPR committee Weekly planning meetings led by ADs to manage workloads Flexible working and childcare voucher system Staff empowered to create personal training plans including #LunchtimeHacks - employee-driven training sessions on topics including new Instagram tools and social ads More than 70% of staff working towards CPD 1 new chartered practitioner Paid for CIPR, PRCA and CIM training courses 4 employee promotions within 12 months 50% subsidised gym membership, spin club, fussball league, monthly massages, birthday lie-in, cycle to work, car share scheme Financial incentives – new business bonus, pension Bi-monthly team socials & twice yearly away days inc team trip to Krakow for 20th anniversary Team members ‘buddy’ work experience placements and interns Founders of Fiftyone3, a networking organisation. A summary of recent outstanding achievements, including client list growth / retention: Exceeded performance and profitability targets in last 3years, best commercial performance ever in 2018/19 Strong revenue growth year-on-year. Turnover increased by 43% from £908,750 in 2016 to projected £1.3m in 2019. Year-end August 2019 Solid cash reserves to protect business Office relocation to city centre bigger, better more sociable space 3 clients been with WW for 10+ years, 13 clients for 5+ years New clients include Homeless World Cup 2019, Visit Wales, Visit Cardiff/UEFA Champions League, BAFTA Cymru, UK Government’s Great British Food campaign, Sport Wales, BBC Horizons, Burns Pet Nutrition all with an element of target growth areas like digital, social, search and video Re-appointed by: Five Rivers Foster Care, Cymraeg, Principality Building Society, Business Wales Acquisition of film company, Ernest in 2016 to integrate film services Pro bono work for Homeless World Cup 2019, Kidney Wales, Cardiff Book Festival 8 PRide / Excellence / CIM Awards in last 2 years. A summary of a campaign you are particularly proud of, including details of the brief, objectives, strategy, tactics, outputs, outcomes and budget: Dydd Miwsig Cymru – Welsh Language Music Day. Brief and objectives: Deliver a fully bilingual, integrated campaign that raises awareness of Dydd Miwsig Cymru (DMC) with non-Welsh and Welsh speakers, linked to the policy of reaching 1m Welsh speakers by 2050. Output: Target over 20,000 individuals to actively participate in and attend DMC events Reach of 10,000,000. Outtake: 4 national and 10 local businesses playing Welsh language music 4 opportunities to promote Welsh music and Dydd Miwsig Cymru at key events during the build up to DMC. Outcome: 75% of people engaged want to learn more Welsh. Strategy, tactics, creativity and innovation: Highlights included: Journalist/influencer desk drops including Top Trumps, a best of CD and branded Welsh Brew tea Ambassadors including Huw Stephens and Michael Sheen Take the music to communities in Wales through gigs and events inc. taking over the Senedd (Welsh parliament), an event at a dementia care home, gigs in Bangor, Aberystwyth, Caernarfon, Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Llanrwst Involved businesses including Brains, HSBC, Lush, Waitrose, John Lewis and Cardiff Airport Created videos inc. Huw Stephens recommending three songs from the compilation playlist; video with individuals listening to and reacting to Welsh language music for first time; same premise but with Premier League footballers from Cardiff City FC. Measurement and evaluation: Output: 65 pieces of print and online coverage, 20 broadcast opportunities Coverage reached 129,260,838 #dyddmiwsigcymru #welshlanguagemusicday reached 9,657,339 We got influencers and the media talking on social media including tweets by BBC Sesh, Michael Sheen, S4C, Green Man, Welsh Water, RSPB, WWF, Cardiff Airport and Brains Videos reached 208,951 on Twitter 37,000 Welsh language comics were sent to over 1,500 primary schools. Outtake: A boombox visited 10 schools and gigs were attended by 1,500 pupils DMC promoted at 7 key events 5 national businesses playing Welsh language music DMC gig was streamed to an audience in NYC. Outcome: 94% people said it’s important to host DMC annually 96% people said they wanted to learn Welsh because of DMC. .