Aubergine named in ‘top agencies’ to watch in the North

It’s been a challenging time for PR and creative agencies recently across the board. But Aubergine has managed to weather the storm - and even thrive in it. 

In September 2023 we were named as one of Prolific North’s top eight ‘Independent Agencies to Watch’ for this year.

Our sustainability-focused creative PR agency was recognised for the range of campaigns we delivered over the past year, across the food, health and tech sectors.

Prolific North also noted the fact that over the last 12 months we’ve achieved a 50% increase in turnover to land a six-figure profit - plus we’re on track to achieve a turnover of £1m by the end of the year.

The judges also mentioned our ‘modern’ approach to working as we have fully embraced the remote working model - with a top notch freelance team to help the two directors, both of whom are former journalists, deliver outstanding results for clients.

Director Emma Gardner brings her expertise as a broadcast journalist who has worked for several years as a producer and reporter for shows like BBC's The One Show, Channel 4 News, and ITV News. She focuses on delivering creative media campaigns and content creation. 

Director Verity Clarke has more than 15 years of experience in a boutique agency setting. Her role involves delivering client strategy and spearheading new business development.

Our international team of senior consultants provide their expertise on a contracted basis - many are leading experts in their sectors.

Here’s an overview of our highlights:

1. We secured 20 new clients within a year, including renowned organisations such as Filippo Berio, childhood nutrition charity Vitamin Angels UK and Round Our Way (a climate change focused not-for-profit organisation) leading to a 50% increase in turnover

2. We were invited to the British Medical Association to deliver training in PR and journalism at a sustainability event for the NHS attended by senior professionals, highlighting our expertise and thought leadership in the field

3. We successfully ran a virtual booth at Bread and Jam, the UK's first food founders festival and were invited to speak at Leeds Sustainability Week

4. We were hand-picked to participate in the Max 10 Growth Scheme, a program for high-growth businesses. This opportunity involved 12 weeks of valuable training and mentoring 

5. We achieved a prominent position on Google's search results, with our agency website ranking on the first page for the search term "sustainability pr agency." As a result, we have experienced a steady stream of new business inquiries

6. We were recognised and added to The Drum's Recommended Agency Register based on positive client reviews. This showcases our commitment to delivering exceptional services. Ratings out of 10 included value for money (9.5), creativity (9), and strategy (10). An impressive 90% of our clients intend to renew their partnerships with us.

These achievements reflect Aubergine's dedication to delivering top-notch PR services and our commitment to driving success for our clients.

Reclaimed waste mermaids make a splash for World Ocean Day

Our task: To generate news coverage for an exciting media stunt for not-for-profit Be The Future focusing on educating children about climate change, whilst also highlighting the sheer amount of plastic waste in the sea for World Ocean Day.

Our strategy: To develop the story further, we ensured it contained lots of strong news angles and statistics. We then created a media package containing a press release and images to catch the eye of the media, including some spectacular mermaid shots in time for World Ocean Day. The campaign made a real splash!

Our tactics: A survey of 2,000 people in the UK by Be The Future shows over a third of parents (37%) would love to teach their kids more about climate change if they had the right tools or ideas. We utilised the findings to identify a strong, relevant figure. World Ocean Day on 8 June also added to the story as it gave us a current news angle and headline - Reclaimed waste mermaids make a splash for World Ocean Day.

Results: The story achieved outstanding coverage both in the UK and overseas in Sydney. Our Yorkshire mermaid Helen Hill made waves on BBC Look North, Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Business Woman. Securing coverage in The Times was another big success- generating an estimated 37.3k views. And, to top it all off Sydney mermaid Sally Giblin made a special appearance on Channel 10 in Australia showing off her stunning tail.

Sydney Mermaid Sally Giblin (left) and Yorkshire Mermaid Helen Hill (right)

NHS underwater: Unprecedented coverage for a huge climate change issue

Our task: To generate news coverage around a report created by climate change not-for-profit Round Our Way focusing on flooding at NHS sites across the UK

Our strategy: To develop the report further to ensure it contained plenty of strong news angles and statistics, then create a media package containing a series of interviewees, press releases and images to catch the eye of the media. We were able to use our unparalleled knowledge as journalists ourselves to ensure the story we were presenting was as powerful as possible

Our tactics: We worked with the UKHACC (UK Health Alliance on Climate Change) to identify a strong senior health figure to give us a head-turning news angle and headline - then also a case study of someone on the ground at Yorkshire Ambulance Service. She in turn gave us some brilliant insights into how flooding was affecting the NHS, including flood waters coming right up to the door of 999 call centres, as well as a series of strong photographs which depicted the story effectively

Results: The story was syndicated by the Press Association which helped us achieve an incredible 176 pieces of coverage in less than two weeks, including five national pieces and 171 regional. This included hits in the Independent online, Evening Standard, Yahoo! News and MSN generating 1.3million estimated coverage views

As a result of the outstanding coverage, and work with the UKHACC, former BBC and Channel 4 News journalist and Aubergine co-founder Emma Gardner was invited to deliver a talk and training session to senior health professionals at the British Medical Association on how PR works and how to best prepare for broadcast media interviews

Floodwaters outside 999 call centre at Fairfields, Doncaster - Yorkshire Nov 2019

A day in the life of an Aubergine intern

Junior PR Account Executive Isabelle Ellerington-Holden joined us in May 2023. Join us as Isabelle shares her experience at Aubergine so far…

Well, where to start? Aubergine- what a wonderful team to be a part of.

I started my placement here last month- and I can already tell that the summer ahead is going to be very bright! My time at Aubergine up until now has been a whirlwind- a challenging yet highly rewarding journey.

Aubergine PR Intern- Isabelle Ellerington-Holden

So, what does a day as a Junior PR Account Executive at Aubergine look like? 

Getting straight to the grind, I begin each morning searching for potential stories for our lovely clients. Recently the focus has been all things heat-related, and I’m sure you can understand why! For those overseas and perhaps unaware of what I’m referring to, we’ve been in the midst of a heatwave here in the UK. And, gosh, hasn’t it been hot!

After carefully selecting any relevant press calls, I send these to Verity and Emma- awaiting their approval. While the geniuses work their PR magic, I log any coverage for our fabulous clients. And recently, we’ve enjoyed some huge successes. 

Diving deep under the sea for World Ocean Day on 8 June, our mermaid campaign for our lovely client- Be The Future- made a huge splash both in the UK and overseas in Sydney. In the run-up to the awareness day, I assisted in contacting journalists up and down the country- pitching our unique story. And as you can imagine, there was lots of interest! Who wouldn’t want a visit from a totally-mermazing spectacle?

Securing coverage in The Times, BBC Look North and Channel Ten in Australia (just to name a few) - the ocean campaign certainly made waves and truly marked Team Aubergine as experts in sustainability PR.

For me, seeing Yorkshire mermaid Helen Hill from Be The Future appearing on BBC Look North was a real highlight. Taking over 300 hours to create, made from hundreds of plastic bottles and other waste products, it’s no surprise that her spectacular tail wowed viewers.

Another key part of my role at Aubergine is managing our social media. With interactions online at an all-time high, maintaining engagement on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook is hugely important. 

And, of course, keeping our content current is vital. 

Last month, the first-ever Organic Textile Week took place in the UK- seven days dedicated to shining a light on certified organic textiles in the UK whilst also fighting greenwashing.

So, to mark the occasion I created an Instagram reel sharing the contents of the gorgeous organic goodie boxes, created by our awesome client Organic UK. 

The video featured the unboxing of a series of organic textile products and food goodness, accompanied by the classic hit by Sam Cooke- (What A) Wonderful World. And if we all strive to become more organic, it certainly can be a wonderful world!

In the world of PR, every day is different. And this is what I love most. There’s a real sense of mystery. With endless possibilities- as a Junior PR Account Executive at Aubergine, you never know what tomorrow may bring.

Aubergine shortlisted for PRMoment Award 2023

We are delighted to be shortlisted for an award at this year’s PRmoment Awards.

We are up for Media Relations Campaign of the Year for our work with eco pregnancy test Hoopsy.

After winning the PRMoment’s New Agency of the Year in 2019 and the Media Relations 2020 award, we’re going for the hattrick!

We have carved a niche within sustainability and have created head-turning campaigns which consistently beat KPI’s and contribute to the growth of its global clients. 

We were tasked with launching Hoopsy’s eco 99% paper pregnancy test to the UK market, creating a launch product release which was followed up with a series of emotive founder interviews, profiles and newsjacking.

The campaign achieved coverage with a circulation of 378 million in 77 titles including Women’s Health, Mail Online, the Mirror and Marie Claire. The coverage and media attention has opened doors for national retail listings such as Superdrug and Whitworths Chemists, and funding for the startup.

Aubergine’s co-director, Verity Clarke, commented: “We’re so proud that Aubergine has once again been shortlisted in the PRmoment Awards. We pride ourselves in our unique virtual team of experts, many of whom are former journalists, and our ability to meet so many different client briefs across numerous sectors. 

“Femtech and sustainability really are in our wheelhouse, so we’re thrilled our media relations campaign for Hoopsy has also been recognised. We’re now appointed on an ongoing retainer basis by the brand thanks to our success with this media push.”