Link-up to promote UK education

By Simon Donohue

March 01, 2002

TWO of Manchester’s biggest media consultancies have joined forces to win a prestigious £1m account with the British Council.   Public relations specialists Staniforth Communications and advertising agency BDH/TBWA have been appointed to provide wide-ranging marketing and communications support to the Manchester offices responsible for the organisation’s Prime Minister’s Initiative (PMI).   The agencies, based in Manchester city centre and Didsbury respectively, beat off competition from across the UK to win the account.   The aim of the initiative is significantly to boost the number of international students studying in the UK and to build long-term, sustainable relations between the UK and other countries through education and training.   The account will involve running a £1m PR and marketing campaign to raise the profile of UK education, and the UK as a host country overseas and to raise awareness and boost the impact of the “Education UK” brand at home and  abroad.   The PMI was launched in June 1999 and the British Council is responsible for managing international marketing activity to help deliver the initiative’s objectives.   Selection   Support for the PMI is co-ordinated by the Department for Education Skills and involves a number of government departments and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.   The Staniforth/BDH partnership won the account following a three-stage selection process involving more than 20 agencies.   As the lead agency, Staniforth will project-manage the marketing and communications campaign and co-ordinate all PR activity.   BDH will develop and implement a range of global marketing campaigns. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>   Phil Staniforth, chairman of Staniforth Communications, said: “This will be a many-faceted campaign which will need a mix of expertise.   “Although we have worked with BDH on many previous occasions, this is the first time we have been involved in a formal strategic partnership to see a campaign through from pitch process to execution.”   Martin Anderson, chairman of BDH\TBWA, said: “We are excited to be taking on this challenging brief for the Prime Minister’s Initiative and look forward to working with the British Council both in the UK and overseas.” <o:p></o:p>   ‘Impressed’   Piera Gerrard, Deputy Director of Promotions, Education and Training Group for the British Council, said: “As leading agencies in their fields, Staniforth and BDH were able to offer us a unique mix of PR and marketing skills to answer what was a complex and wide-ranging brief.   “We were impressed with their strategic and creative credentials, and the obvious enthusiasm they brought to the project.   “Their proposals combined a thorough, well-researched approach, with some very strong creative ideas for a sustained marketing campaign which we are confident will make a significant impact in raising the profile of UK education in the global marketplace.”   Staniforth Communications is a top 50 UK PR consultancy and ranked number five in the UK for public sector work (source: 2001 PR League Tables, Marketing magazine).<o:p></o:p> BDH\TBWA is the largest advertising agency outside London and achieved a top 20 ranking in Marketing Week’s 2001 client satisfaction survey. <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p>  <o:p></o:p>