Lancashire-based public relations agency, Catapult PR, has performed a David versus Goliath feat, having created what has been judged to be the best travel, leisure and tourism PR campaign in the country.
Against all odds, Catapult PR swept to victory at the national CIPR Excellence Awards, considered the most prestigious awards in the PR industry, thanks to a campaign on behalf of one of its Northumberland-based clients, Langley Castle Hotel.
The small but perfectly formed PR consultancy, run by managing director, Jane Hunt, saw off campaigns from the five London agencies who were also shortlisted in the category. Their campaigns were for EasyJet, Virgin Holidays, Legoland, Holidays.com and the National Trust.
Having been shortlisted, Jane Hunt attended an interview at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ headquarters in London, to be quizzed about the campaign. At the glittering gala dinner, held last night (June 6), at the Royal Artillery Gardens in Chiswell Street, London, one of the judges said they loved her interview and campaign, because it reminded them why they originally got into PR and was so refreshing.
Catapult PR’s campaign was one conducted in 2017, which led to the first ever Northumberland Day taking place, after Catapult had put out a call for a county day, staged a county-wide roadshow and done high impact things such as creating the World’s Largest Stottie and creating quirky ‘Northumbie’ Awards to reward participants. This saw people, schools and individuals across the county celebrating all that is great about Northumberland.
Catapult PR’s national win comes as the agency celebrates its 20th anniversary. The new award now takes the tally in the trophy cabinet to 30, plus numerous runners-up awards.
The consultancy is experiencing the highest demand for its services during its 20 years and already has clients from locations as far-flung as London and Northumberland. It scooped five awards in November 2017, across three different award schemes, and also had a further 10 nominations.
It has also just made it as a finalist in Lancashire’s BIBA awards, for which it is shortlisted for the Creative Business of the Year accolade.
The CIPR Excellence Award is the second to grace the office, with Jane Hunt having won the national ‘Best Freelance Practitioner’ award in 2012.
Keeping the freelance model alive, Jane Hunt is now looking to work with other PR professionals who want to play a part in exciting campaigns for vibrant brands. Jane herself is now providing specialist consultancy on key accounts for a Manchester-based agency, as well as handling copywriting services for a Harrogate-based agency.
Jane Hunt says: “We are passionate about our clients’ campaigns, something the CIPR Excellence judges also noted. Our David v Goliath feat underlines how far passion can take you and underlines the power of our highly creative campaigns, which generate fantastic results, on relatively small budgets.”
