In The Arena.
We find, create and tell your story.
Hello.
We’re Andrea Ross and Nick Agarwal, co-founders of Arena PR.
Our name might be new, but we’ve got decades of experience in retail consumer PR in the UK, Europe and US.
We set up Arena because we were tired of big promises (and even bigger bills) from more established agencies.
And because we’re proud to be retailers as well as consumer PR experts, we believe we offer something distinctive.
We know the best consumer PR is built on high quality content but has to deliver to the top and bottom line.
So we don’t just turn up at the office for status meetings - we embed ourselves in the businesses we work with, so we’re a seamless part of the team.
That’s our secret to finding (and often creating) the best stories.
And because we understand the power of a tweet or post, we never propose spending squillions on anything. In fact, we love nothing more than to hit the headlines, on the smallest of budgets.
About Us.
Nick Agarwal.
The Words Guy.
Nick has worked on reputation programmes for high profile brands in the UK, Europe, US and Japan.
During a 15-plus year retail career, Nick was Strategic Communications Director at Asda and Vice President in corporate affairs and marketing for Walmart in the US, where he established its first consumer public relations team.
Since 2012, Nick has worked with retail brands Missguided, PEP&CO, Poundland and Dealz on consumer and corporate PR programmes.
Nick has held communications roles at various big British brands from aerospace to telecoms, financial services to tourism. He’s also worked in radio journalism for the BBC.
Nick lives near Haworth in West Yorkshire and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Oh, and he really loves writing.
Andrea Ross.
The Pictures Gal.
Andrea has been the consumer Public Relations and Brand lead at disruptive UK retailer Poundland for 11 years.
During that time she’s also led the retailer’s CSR and charity fundraising programmes, raising over £6m for a wide range of good causes.
In 2017 she was the architect of a three year partnership with three medium-sized charities, Whizz-Kids, Make-A-Wish and Tommy’s - that has so far raised £2.6m in just two years.
Andrea, named in the 2014 PR Week Power Book, has also looked after Poundland’s expansion into Europe with the launch of its Dealz operation in the Republic of Ireland.
Andrea began her retail and communications career with Oliver Sweeney and lives in the Midlands. She graduated in Art & Design at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, now part of the University for the Creative Arts.
Oh, and she really loves photography and design.
Peter Cunliffe.
The News Hound.
Peter has spent his career in the media, on both sides of the communications fence.
He has worked as a writer and editorial consultant for organisations in retail, financial services, technology, energy and professional services.
During nearly two decades on Fleet Street, he was City Editor of the Daily Express and Business Editor of the Press Association. He has also worked for the Daily Mail and the Yorkshire Post and started his career in weekly newspapers.
Originally from up north, he now lives down south.
Oh, and he still loves newsprint.
Our expertise.
We’re proud to call ourselves a consumer PR agency, but don’t pigeon-hole us.
Broadsheet or tabloid, influencer or editor, we have broad relationships that deliver results.
Frankly we’re not big on boundaries because we believe a safe pair of PR hands has to handle everything - Corporate, Consumer, Crises - that comes their way.
So that’s precisely what we do.
We shape and tell your story by being effective right across what we call our Five Cs.
Consumer
We work with businesses that don’t pay lip service to the customer. They’re always at the heart of our plans.
Counsel
We’re at our best with a direct link to the CEO, MD and the leadership team. That’s how we build and execute PR plans at pace.
Conversation
We know how to spark social conversations that get brands noticed. We also know the importance of that conversation being rooted in a brand’s tone of voice.
CSR
We put in place reputation programmes that do good and help brands to do well.
Crisis & Issues
We know how to handle issues, quickly, effectively and without drama. That’s because we’ve faced most things before.
Our Work.
Primetime TV.
We only believe in stuff that actually makes a difference.
We’ve managed, from concept to transmission, network primetime TV documentaries that have made a real splash. And when we say managed, we don’t just mean the filming.
We know how to set up contracts that protect the brand, build storylines that work for both the brand and TV company, and brief and advise those taking part.
Bargain Shop Wars, covered the launch of the PEP&CO fashion chain and aired on ITV1 in a primetime slot.
Trouble in Poundland, was a one-hour special at 9pm on ITV1. The three items featured, Twin Peaks Chocolate, Quantum toilet roll and reading glasses are all now store top sellers.
Inside Missguided – will be a four-part series on internet fashion phenomenon Missguided. Airing on Channel 4 in early 2020, it will lift the lid on the world of fashion influencers.
Bling Ring.
How would you feel if your partner popped the ‘big question’ by proposing to you with a £1 engagement ring?
That’s the question we asked that inspired Poundland’s 2019 ‘Bling Ring’ campaign.
Armed with zero PR budget, and only the speed at which we could move, it was the centrepiece of Poundland’s most successful ever Valentines Day event.
And because we’re retailers, we rolled up our sleeves and worked with buyers to help design, source and name the product.
The results were off-the-charts, taking over twitter, generating headlines from Newcastle to New York and all points between, and ending with Piers Morgan “proposing” to Susanna Reid on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
In fact, so amazing was the impact, Bling Ring won us our first PR Week award in the 2019 FMCG category, beating more established brands and agencies.
Social Done Right.
We know how to use the power of a single tweet to change reputation.
When train company Thameslink compared its rail services to ‘Poundland cooking chocolate’ we sprang into action.
Through a new tone of voice and an emboldened social team, we’ve built the capability for the business to defend itself publicly and generate significant headlines.
On Twitter, our creative reply - posted within minutes - went viral. A #5 Twitter trending hashtag with 7,000 retweets and almost 18,000 likes and the number 1 item on the BBC News website.
Thameslink publicly apologised and deleted their tweet.
This is part of a strategic, planned campaign to drive talkability for Poundland at low or no cost, using social media as it should be used.
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“The credit belongs to those who are actually in the Arena”
President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
Roosevelt’s speech on citizenship, delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris in the year after he left office, still resonates today.
In it, he talked about the importance of being present - being in the Arena - and of hard work and commitment.
It’s these principles we bring to the brands we work with, making three promises.
1. We’ll be in the Arena.
We’ve spent our careers embedded in businesses and know the power of being by your side.
In attack or defence, we know there’s no substitute for being part of your team and to have direct contact with those in charge. It’s the only way to surface the content you need, at the speed that will make a difference.
And we also know when something goes awry that needs careful positioning or a speedy response, that’s best addressed by being close by.
2. We’ll keep our promises.
We know that many agencies talk a good game. We’ve heard it time and time again ourselves.
We believe actions speak louder than words.
If we say we’ll deliver something, we will.
That’s because we know PR’s no different to any other business function - the quality of what’s delivered is always proportional to the amount of effort that’s made.
And we think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone that works harder and has the media relationships to deliver.
3. We won’t waste money.
We’ve grown up in discount and value retail, where every penny and pound counts.
What’s more we believe, in a world where the right tweet or post now delivers serious media traction, the days of spending big on PR stunts is over.
We can do as much with £100 as big agencies can with £10,000.
We’ll never suggest spending more than £500 on anything, and we have a track record of delivering coverage to toast, for the price of a pint.
We’re working with…
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We’ve worked for...
Contact us.
Email
mail@arena-pr.com
Registered Office
The Studio, Dixon Hill Cottage, Oldfield, West Yorkshire, BD22 0HY, United Kingdom.
Companies House Registration
12090161
VAT Registration
GB 327 0939 93
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