3x1 Public Relations

How would you sum up 2009 for your agency?

2009 demonstrated the importance of working as a team to help clients overcome some turbulent periods. PR remained a value-for-money option for clients often being retained at the expense of other marketing disciplines underlining its strong return on investment.

What was the high point of 2009 for your agency?

Having the belief and conviction that opening our new Edinburgh office in the midst of a recession was the right thing to do – it was.

What was the low point of 2009 for your agency?

Realising some competitor consultancies were prepared to work for nothing or next to nothing to win business doing untold damage to the credibility of the PR industry.

Please give an overview of your staffing through 2009, including significant hires and internal promotions.

Our staffing level increased especially through the opening of our new Edinburgh office. Audrey Cassels was appointed to head up Edinburgh and was a breath of fresh air to the team. We did make some key internal promotions and were pleased that we were able to award pay increases and bonuses to everyone.

What was your best client/account win of 2009 and why?

Every win is significant and important on its own merit – but Barclays Wealth and Camelot were two brand names that every consultancy would be proud to add to their portfolio.

What were your three best campaigns of 2009?

Too close to call but Highland Spring, Barclays Wealth and Camelot were all great campaigns for different audiences.

How did the recession affect your performance in 2009 and what trends did you notice throughout the year – e.g. clients taking longer to sign off budgets etc?

The market conditions made it impossible to achieve certain goals within our five year plan but by achieving growth even although it was minimal, we outperformed many of our competitors. Some clients invoked longer payment terms but always consulted us first. As a result we are proud of the fact that 3x1 has had no bad debts throughout our history (I hope that’s not tempting fate). There was an increase in project work over retainer.

Of which achievement in 2009 are you most proud?

Providing valued PR advice and implementing campaigns to support our clients achieve their goals through a difficult 12 months. By investing in them we were rewarded by maintaining our income levels.

Describe your agency in five words

Our core values:

• Commercial
• Creative
• Caring
• Trustworthy
• Quality

How have you embraced social media in 2009?

We embraced social media long before 2009 as a norm and have integrated it into many of our client campaigns. Social media is not a panacea on its own but can be a useful tool to reach certain audiences.

What are your plans for 2010?

To build on the success of Edinburgh and assess other geographic opportunities to develop, changing our growth strategy from its current organic status to a more expansionary one. Most importantly continuing to place our five core values at the centre of all client interaction.

If your agency were an animal, what animal would it be and why?

Ah the old question from the 80s. I guess in 2009 3x1 could be best equated to (Lagopus mutus) the ptarmigan. An ability to change and adapt to survive in the hardest of conditions and proud to be Scottish.