Top 150 2011 PR Consultancies
PRWeek

90Ten Healthcare

Spectacular growth in fee income followed a raft of new signings and hirings in 2010

90Ten Healthcare

90Ten director Carole North describes 2010 as a ‘spectacular’ year for the healthcare shop. With growth of 144 per cent, few could disagree.

As well as almost doubling its staff from eight to 14, the agency added 19 new accounts to its roster, including work with Merck Serono, Warner Chilcott and Pfizer. The most significant new business was a three-year contract – with a client that cannot be named – to deliver the world’s largest patient support programme across 23 countries.

90Ten’s stellar year did not go unnoticed. The agency received industry recognition including being highly commended at Communiqué 2010 for Best Public Health Initiative. This year, 90Ten celebrates its tenth anniversary and will mark the milestone with a move to a larger office.

AT A GLANCE

Key clients Merck Serono, SSL International (now part of Reckitt Benckiser) and Pfizer

Significant hires Matthew Kent joined as associate director after a six-year career with Tonic Life Communications

Plans for the year ahead After almost reaching full capacity, 90Ten is investing in new offices in Wandsworth and will triple its office space

Predicted fee income 2011 £1.7m

Ones to watch

Bellenden

Work with the Scottish Parliament has helped fuel ambitious expansion plans

Bellenden

Growth in planning comms doubled Bellenden’s fee income in 2010 – it has attracted clients such as Ben Bailey Homes, Serco and Tribal.

CEO Mark Glover says: ‘We are broadly split into three arms: public affairs, planning comms and corporate comms. We have seen good growth across all three disciplines and run some great campaigns.’ These include developing engagement programmes with the Scottish Parliament and its client the Electrical Safety Council.

Bellenden’s headcount is also growing. Full-time staff rose from 13 to 18 in 2010, and it has taken a second floor in its building at London Bridge to aid further expansion.

Glover wants to expand the Scottish office and develop a presence in Brussels. ‘We have set the ambitious target of £2m fee income for 2011,’ he says.

AT A GLANCE

Key clients Ben Bailey Homes, Serco, Tribal, Electrical Safety Council, RES and East7

Significant hires Nikki da Costa, director of public affairs, from Serco; Ben Jeffreys, account director, former Tory parliamentary candidate

Plans for the year ahead Expand London premises, grow Scottish office and create a Brussels presence, grow fee income

Predicted fee income 2011 £2m

Ones to watch

Platform PR

Turning a good reputation into strong growth has been key to Platform PR’s 2010 successes

Platform PR

Platform PR’s CEO Gay Bell says that in 2010 her four-year plan for the digital, TV and video agency really came into its own.

‘We had a great reputation but I had never had a big vision for growth,’ she says. ‘But then I felt that good enough wasn’t good enough any more.’

The change of approach can be seen in the agency’s growth figures, the result of organic growth and Platform’s strategy of entering Asian markets. Bell says she has had particular success in Israel. Through engaging with a startup in internet video, the agency attended an industry event in Tel Aviv that proved incredibly fruitful.

Bell says a particular highlight of 2010 was a party in December that brought home the agency’s ability to plug into its experience and connections for its clients.

AT A GLANCE

Key clients TVInci, an OTT TV platform for companies; Access, a mobile internet pioneer in Japan; Ericsson

Significant hires Internal promotions for David Bramley, to senior account director; Ian Westover, to account director; Tracy Milham, hired as account director from in-house role at GlobeCast

Plans for the year ahead Focus on building up the team with strong hires

Predicted fee income 2011 £1.25m

Ones to watch

We Are Social

Hiring the brightest and best pushed the social media specialist through the £2m barrier

We Are Social

Social media specialist We Are Social posted by far the most impressive growth in 2010, cranking fee income up to a whopping £2m. When asked to describe the low point of 2010, MD Robin Grant says: ‘There wasn’t one.’

He continues: ‘We made sure as we grew the team we only hired the brightest and best of Europe’s social media talent.’

As well as scooping clients including Orange, Tesco and Heinz, We Are Social set up offices in Clerkenwell in 2010. Other offices opened in Paris, Milan and Sydney.

The agency’s growth is the result of new wins and organic growth. In 2010 We Are Social continued its relationships with clients including Coca-Cola, Eurostar and Unilever. Looking ahead, Grant predicts: ‘We will be focusing more on global and pan-European social media accounts.’

AT A GLANCE

Key clients Orange, Hotels.com, Tesco, The Open University, Department of Health

Significant hires Jim Coleman, hired as client services director from Soup; Catherine Flynn, hired as account director from Rothco

Plans for the year ahead Win more global and pan-European social media accounts, grow fee income

Predicted fee income 2011 £3m

Ones to watch
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