Welcome to
Grayling Birmingham

Putting our passion for the Midlands into purpose in everything we do

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Welcome to Grayling, Birmingham

Not many other PR agencies in the Midlands are as central to the action.

We’re local in spirit and global in influence.

We’re knee-deep in Birmingham’s rich and diverse culture, while connected to the largest PR network in the UK – and 30 other Grayling teams all over the globe.

We’re hooked up with media and politicians, creators and influencers.

We’re fast-moving and ever-evolving, connected and creative. It’s the Brummie way.

And it’s how we’ve been creating advantage for our clients, activating impactful local and national campaigns no matter the size.

We combine our expert skills in corporate and consumer communications with our specialist knowledge in retail, sport, health, FMCG and food and drink.

We do everything from media relations to influencer identification and engagement, events and experiential to thought leadership and crisis management.

We support local suppliers, yet never stop expanding our reach further afield.

We’ve been at it for over four decades now, with names like Visa, M&S, HSBC and ITG under our belt.

We’re here to prove that the Midlands is never middle of the road.

We’re Grayling, Birmingham.

Our Work

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games: The Queen’s Baton Relay

Ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, Grayling Birmingham was tasked with leading a three-part communications campaign for the Queen’s Baton Relay. The epic journey began in October 2021 when we unveiled the Baton and launched the relay in a unique ceremony at Buckingham Palace with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ahead of the Baton’s visit to 72 Commonwealth nations and territories, which secured both national and international interest.

Next we delivered a series of purpose-led creative tactics allowing us to engage with local communities from across the country to drive Batonbearer nominations for the English leg of the Relay. The campaign began with a research piece investigating societal attitudes, which reflected local values and highlighted why the Queen’s Baton Relay was a journey that mattered. A team of Baton Ambassadors, whose stories we leveraged for their local hero status, were also recruited to inspire others. We then launched the Queen’s Baton Relay recruitment campaign with Kadeena Cox in a national media moment that couldn’t be ignored – the unveiling of an attention-grabbing mural in the heart of Birmingham.

Upon the Baton’s arrival in England, the team provided a strategic assessment of the full 24-day relay route to identify key media moments, secure media attendance, and manage media presence throughout.

Sharing the inspiring stories of the Batonbearers, we worked to ensure the relay remained front of mind for the public by building momentum, generating excitement, and successfully capturing the attention of the nation.

2,888 pieces of coverage in target media

9 billion+ reach

Bullring & Grand Central: Under Wraps

On the back of genuine consumer insights on the demand for wrapping guidance ahead of Christmas, coupled with the increasing need to have a sustainable Christmas, we launched Bullring & Grand Central ‘Under Wraps, a two day free pop-up wrapping boutique which ‘disguised’ gifts in innovative ways to avoid guessing, partnering with the UK’s most prestigious gift wrapping expert, Jane Means.

The ‘Under Wraps’ boutique also offered fully-recyclable wrapping options to all shoppers. To create excitement and drive footfall in advance, we polled the nation to reveal the extents they go to guess presents, and shared top tips and video content from Jane on how to have a sustainable Christmas, securing significant cut through across broadcast, national and regional media, as well as working with influencers to support via social media.

30 Positive pieces of coverage in target media

500 Visitors to Under wraps

1,500 Presents wrapped over two days

M&S Sheldon opening

M&S asked Grayling Birmingham to plan and activate a strategic PR campaign for the opening of a new M&S Foodhall in Sheldon to drive maximum impact on a local level, embedding the store within the community and encouraging locals to shop there.

Using our team’s expert local insight, we devised a campaign to showcase the new store in the run-up to and during the launch period. This included a blended programme of announcement releases and proactive engagement with local media and influencers. Mayor of West Midlands Andy Street attended the opening and took part in interviews discussing the wider retail narrative and investment in the Midlands. Additionally, representatives for M&S Sheldon’s chosen local charities of the year cut the ribbon to mark the opening, alongside Penny Pig.

Coverage highlights included an exclusive sneak peek with Birmingham Live, Free Radio, a partnership with two local influencers and a local Facebook competition which received over 600 entries.

43 Positive pieces of coverage in target media

43m Reach via traditional and social coverage

Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships 2020

We brought badminton to Birmingham, in an exciting consumer event which gave people the chance to reignite their love with the world’s fastest racquet sport. For one day, shoppers could take part in a skills wall challenge to win prizes for points scored. We even challenged people to complete a tricky through-the-legs ‘hot dog shot’, and winners received an actual hot dog! Badminton icon Gail Emms MBE was on hand to encourage and challenge people and take part in a series of media interviews.

Our wider campaign to create excitement and drive ticket sales also included press office support and more creatively, we put badminton challenges to top football influencers to showcase badminton’s incredible skills, and partnered with Legoland Discovery Centre to create Lego versions of some of England’s top badminton players.

60 Positive pieces of coverage in target media

200 People took on the skills wall challenge

Aston Villa Football Club: Launching a new Technical Kit Partnership 2018/19

Aston Villa Football Club became the first English club in history to diversify its technical kit partnership away from traditional sporting brands by working with a leading UK fashion brand and an global manufacturer of technical garments.

Our objectives for the new kit sponsorship between AVFC, Fanatics and Luke 1977, were to deliver clear communication of the unique partnership to fans, raise the profile of Luke 1977 with AVFC supporters and manage fan sentiment.

WIthin 24-hours since launch, fan sentiment was recorded at 90% positive. Luke 1977’s website received a 2,188% uplift in traffic, with revenue generated increasing by 193%. Fan sentiment was recorded at 90% positive. and finally on social media, it saw a 48% increase in followers within a week of the announcement.

2188 Uplift in web traffic

193 Revenue increase

What Our Clients Say

Grayling’s response to our brief stood out as they truly understood what Pukka all is about. Their proposal was creative and ambitious and will help us elevate the brand’s presence this year. We were really impressed with how Grayling organised our immersive PR event at Frameless. The team ensured everything was kept on time and on budget, communication with us has been fantastic, and we know we can really trust them to do a great job and ensure no details are missed. They really have been a pleasure to work with - and we look forward to working with them on our plans for the rest of the year.

Laure de Chaisemartin, Pukka Marketing Lead UK & Ireland

We set Grayling a big challenge – to find a way of cutting through all the noise at the busiest time of year in retail and deliver a stand-out campaign. They delivered! Grayling gave us a standalone activation in real life, which resonated with our customers due to proven research and insight, and delivered a wealth of quality press coverage.

Emma Roberts, Public Relations Manager, Bullring

The Grayling team were brilliant from start to finish. A creative pitch was followed by superb execution, which in turn was supported by incredible press & media generation. I cannot stress how integral they were in the success of the event, going above and beyond time and again to help us grow the tournament’s profile in Birmingham. The main thing that impressed me about them was simply – they listened. In my first conversation with the team, I stressed I wanted a ticket driving campaign, focusing on the Midlands. At every stage that remained at the forefront of their minds. It was an absolute pleasure working with Grayling and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to make an impact.

Rob Short, Senior Marketing Manager, YONEX All England Badminton Championships

Grayling provides us with truly integrated communications support – from corporate communications and public affairs counsel to digital outreach. They are passionate about the rail and infrastructure sector, and their knowledge and commitment to deliver sets them apart.

Susanne Davies, Head of Communications and Marketing, National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure.

Grayling are a real extension of our team; offering great counsel, creative ideas and have a can-do approach. Their local contacts are great, both in terms of media and influencers, and also within our own network as they really get the business.

Alice Clarke, PR Manager, M&S Food