Early Bets, Big Wins & Even Bigger Communities: What PR Has Taught Me So Far

Over the last few days, I've been trying to reflect on some of the key learnings from my PR career so far - the result of which is the four key lessons below. The truth is that I’ve learned a lot more than what I've been able to distil in this blog, mostly things related to the profession but also things about myself (this may sound very cliché, but that doesn’t make it any less true!).

I don’t have a grand philosophy when it comes to PR, and I don’t want this list to come across as an attempt to write one. These lessons are just a snapshot of what is still a career very much in its infancy. That is to say, I do not claim to be yet a master of PR, or for these ideas to be necessarily that original, but simply the result of someone who has, and continues to have, a student’s mindset.

I’ve also been very grateful to have some fantastic teachers and mentors over these last 6 and a half years - from the likes of Joe Murgatroyd, Creative Director and Partner at Brandnation, Leigh Debbage, Founder of Electric Sheep Events and former Director of Stunts & Experiential at Premier, to countless other colleagues, client and agency side, who I’ve had the pleasure of working and learning alongside. These lessons are as much a result of their tutelage as they are my own learning.

So, with that said, from ‘The Power of Community’, ‘Adopt Early’, ‘The Power of Athlete Ambassadors’ to ‘When Foresight Meets Tenacity’ - here are the top four lessons I’ve learnt so far.

1. The Power of Community

Okay, I know you probably just sighed reading that headline but hear me out. You have likely heard the term ‘the power of community’ before and intrinsically recognise ‘community’ as something that is inherently good to aim for and foster as a brand. But can you truly say that you understand the power of community or how a brand can authentically build one?

I don't claim to have an easy answer to this, but the power of community with regards to PR and branding is something I witnessed first-hand when managing the Columbia Sportswear account at Brandnation.

This power was epitomised by The Hike Society activation. One that saw hundreds of hikers mobilsed across the UK and was then rolled out globally - sprouting Hike Societies from London to Finland to Seoul.

I attended a handful of Hike Society events whilst at Brandnation and one in particular stood out. It my first Hike Society event, and I went to get a feel for it, gather content for Brandnation’s own channels, and see how it all worked in practice. On paper, it was just a straightforward group hiking event in the Peak District but it ended up being so much more.

To cut a long story short, what was meant to be just a short hiking excursion to the Peaks ended up being a full weekend adventure that saw me hanging out with three of the other attendees, staying overnight at their house, and taking on the Harrogate 10K fun run the very next day in borrowed running kit. It was mad, but also one of the most fun weekends I’d had in a very long time.

The crew just before we took on the Harrogate 10K!

This might seem unrelated to hiking but this opportunity to connect with others and inspire adventure was exactly what the Hike Society was all about. Columbia were very happy to invest in the Hike Society, despite not being able to pinpoint exactly how many sales it was generating or the impact on the company's bottom line, because they recognised that encouraging these opportunities for connection around the outdoors, and building a community to facilitate it, was worth it.

I am living proof of this. I can’t emphasise enough how grateful I am for that experience and it’s the reason why I would still choose to buy Columbia over any other outdoor brand. Yes, it was the generosity and kindness of the fellow attendees that made it special, but it was Columbia’s ethos of ‘Outdoors for Everyone’ that was at the heart of The Hike Society campaign and the event would never have happened if it wasn’t for the brand investing in the campaign in the first place.

Creating these kinds of experiences for consumers through authentic community building is what can build life-long brand loyalty and ultimately act as a reminder that a product should never be an end in and of itself, but something that helps the consumer unlock more of life’s great pleasures and wonder.

2. Adopt Early

The second lesson I want to highlight is a bit more practical - the importance of channel selection and adopting early.

One client who I saw do this very well was Merrell. Long before the likes of Vogue and The Times hailed Strava as the new dating app, Merrell was using it as a way to engage with their customers and target audience.

Merrell were active on Strava early, finessing their communications and understanding how users were interacting with the platform (photo credit: Freepik.com)

They have primarily done this through the use of in-app challenges and virtual run clubs. Not only have these helped foster a sense of community that I highlighted the importance of at the start of this blog, but they also provided an opportunity for Merrell to run competitions and encourage customers to provide the brand with precious customer data such as email addresses.

It was very interesting to see these Strava clubs take on a life of their own and help drive the rise of ‘hobby’ apps as an exciting new space for connection and creative marketing. As of the writing of this blog, Merrell’s official Strava run club has over 10,700 members and an average engagement rate of 2.2% on its last five posts - not bad when you consider that the average rate of engagement on Instagram is just 1.9% according to latest figures from Sprout Social.

One of the reasons Merrell were able to jump on this trend is that they invested early. They were already very aware of Strava and were active on it before it became the trending app it is today. 

The lesson here is therefore to try and get ahead of the game as much as possible when it comes to marketing channels. Be where your customers are, even if it seems that there aren’t many of them on there, as you never know when that app will start to pick up steam and momentum. Then, you can capitalise on it rather than scrambling to try and understand and develop a presence on an app that you have never had experience of before.

3. The Power of Athlete Ambassadors

When I think of a brand nailing their ambassador programme, SunGod are always the first to spring to my mind (well, after Nike but you’ve heard the Air Jordan story a million times and can read about it in a thousand other blogs).

I’m proud to say that SunGod were a client I worked with during my time at Brandnation, meaning I got to see their flagship programme up close and personal.

Their programme stands out for two reasons. Firstly, they invested broadly and heavily. Rather than putting all their eggs in one basket, they partnered with several athletes across snow sports, sailing, ultra-running, and cycling. This inevitably meant that some faltered, but it also meant that some shone, and boy did they shine (more on this later)!

This brings me to my second point - they invested in athletes with potential and with a story to tell. Take, for example, Hari Budha Magar, the first ever double above-knee amputee to climb Everest, who did so supported by (and wearing) SunGod. Another example is Tom Evans, a former Army Captain who got into ultra running relatively late and then proceeded to podium at UTMB (a pinnacle race in the ultra-running calendar) and win the Western States Endurance Run in 2023.

As mentioned previously, SunGod’s athlete roster has had some standout stars in recent years, with SunGod showcasing a real knack for recognising rising talent within their sectors. One of the best examples of this is their partnership with Courtney Dauwalter. The brand partnered with Courtney in 2022 following her record-setting victory at Hardrock 100 in Colorado. Whilst many at this time recognised the fantastic talent she had, few could have predicted the heights she would go on to reach the following year. Regularly seen sporting a pair of SunGod’s signature Classics, Courtney smashed the 2023 circuit and became the first athlete to win the coveted triple crown - winning Hardrock 100, Western States Endurance Run, and the UTMB - in a single season.

Coutrney Dauwalter crossing the line in her SunGod Classics at UTMB 2023 (photo credit: Paul Brechu)

For brands seemingly looking to ditch athlete sponsorships in favour of shiny new influencer ambassadors, SunGod’s athlete programme stands as a strong reminder of the power of effective athlete partnerships when sourced correctly and, importantly, invested in. Not only did they choose the right athletes, but they also made sure to invest in them well and regularly looked for ways to integrate them into campaigns and press outreach. From a PR agency perspective, they were also very good at keeping us in the loop when they signed new ambassadors as well as giving us a heads up ahead of important milestones or races - something that made our job of getting coverage around them much easier.

4. When Foresight Meets Tenacity

This final lesson again comes from SunGod and is set in the intoxicating aftermath of Lionesses' win at the Euro’s in 2022. Naturally, following the team’s historic win over Germany in the final, the media went into a frenzy. One of the pictures that got notable pick-up was one of star Lucy Bronze rocking an eye-catching pair of SunGod’s wrap-around Ultras - a move she admitted was a “necessity” after particularly jubilant celebrations following the win.

Lucy Bronze rocking an eye-catching pair of SunGod's Ultras as the team address crowds at Trafalgar Square (photo credit: PA)

What many people might not know about this story is that it was the result of some clever foresight and tenacity on behalf of SunGod. Whilst not being an official sponsor of the team nor the competition, the brand was able to get pictures splashed across the national newspapers of Lucy Bronze donning an eye-catching pair of one of their key ranges.

How did they do this? In truth, I couldn’t tell you - the details were never shared with me or the Brandnation team, from what I understand. All I can presume is that someone at SunGod had the foresight that the Lionesses that year had something very special brewing and that they may well be in need of some sunglasses - they then (somehow) ensured that players had them on hand when they needed them.

That is often the trick when it comes to getting organic placements of your product with athletes or celebrities. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy pitch or to wax lyrical to them or their agents about your company’s sustainability goals or product’s key features. Often, it’s just as simple as ensuring your product is on hand when they need it most. That takes foresight, and it also takes tenacity. Something SunGod have repeatedly showcased in spades.