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D&I client

INvolve is a global network and consultancy championing diversity and inclusion in business. Under the leadership of their charismatic CEO, Suki Sandhu OBE, INvolve works with global brands to help steer them along their D&I journey.

Client: INvolve
Services provided:
Key results:
  • 35 pieces of national and international media coverage, including SKY News, Financial Times, and The Guardian.
  • 400 million people reached with the campaign.
  • 80+ signatories from the CEOs of some of the largest employers in the UK, including John Lewis Partnership, KPMG, Deloitte, and ITV.
Why did they appoint Clearly?

Clearly PR has specialised in the Recruitment and HR sector since 2014. During this time, we had worked with Audeliss – an executive search firm and sister company of INvolve – for two years. When INvolve were seeking a new PR partner after several years with their previous PR agency, Clearly PR was given the opportunity to pitch for the business. We won.

Objective
  • Increase awareness of INvolve’s mission to increase diversity at Boardroom level.
  • Raise the profile of INvolve as a consultancy able to help organisational leaders to challenge their own biases in the workplace, breakdown barriers at work, and empower them by providing the solutions to overcome them.
  • Educate and inform opinion and encourage positive change in attitudes and executive hiring practices.
  • Build INvolve’s brand and their CEO’s executive profile to attract supporters who can help advance their cause.
What would success look like to the client
  • Secure media coverage for INvolve’s newly-launched role model lists, recognising and celebrating the people in business who are breaking down barriers at work and inspiring the next generation of diverse talent.
  • Spark the conversation within the media calling for positive Black and Ethnic Minority change within Boardrooms across the UK.
  • Encourage top business leaders in the UK to sign a pledge to take action for Black inclusion – an open letter.
How we delivered value to the client

Achieving the objectives and success metrics above saw the Clearly team undertake the following actions:

Story development:

Developed human interest stories by interviewing senior Black and Ethnic minority senior executives who appeared in the list and represented some of the biggest companies in the UK. They included Mastercard, BUPA, American Express, and Deloitte.

Research:

Undertook extensive research to identify the journalists, editors, and producers within national media (newspapers, TV and radio) who have covered stories relating to equality, diversity and inclusion, business, workplace issues, employment, HR, and leadership. We conducted a media ‘outreach’ to them to ‘sell’ INvolve’s stories.

Tapped into trends:

Created a series of press releases. Some were focused on the latest announcements relating to the list, others piggybacked onto related and trending stories in the media. This provided us with more opportunities to get our client talking about the issues they cared about and promote the open letter (to pique interest from other potential signatories) in a wider range of media outlets and contexts, too.

Thought leadership content creation:

This was supported by a series of interviews and thought leadership articles with and featuring several role models which were then shared with the media, posted on both the INvolve and Audeliss websites, and distributed across Twitter and LinkedIn.

Created brand ambassadors:

Being featured in the list carried a lot of kudos. It became clear that those who featured on it would not only benefit from the PR that we were doing but that which their employing organisation was also doing. They in turn effectively acted as brand ambassadors for INvolve.

Results we’re proud of

The PR campaign generated 35 pieces of national media coverage, reaching a combined audience of 400 million people. The average domain authority (DA) score – a metric used to determine the relevance and quality of a media outlet (anything above 45 is classed as ‘strong’) – was 75, whilst the campaign was shared over 1,200 times on social media.

Media outlets that covered the campaign include:

  • The Guardian
  • SKY News
  • CNN
  • The Times
  • Evening Standard
  • The Observer
  • Business Insider
  • Financial Times

The open letter was published in The Times with 28 signatories. Within a few months, more than 80 leaders from several of the largest employers in the UK were on board including:

Carolyn McCall, CEO ITV

Kanya King, Founder & CEO MOBO

Penny James, CEO Direct Line

Richard Houston, CEO Deloitte

Simon Roberts, CEO Sainsbury’s

David Duffy, CEO Virgin Money

Mark Read, CEO WPP

Nathan Bostock, CEO Santander

Kevin Ellis, Chairman PwC

Mark Evans, CEO O2 Telefonica

Clare Barclay, CEO Microsoft (UK)

Steve Rowe, CEO Marks and Spencer

Bill Michael, Chair KPMG (UK)

Sharon White, Chair John Lewis Partnership

Accolades for this campaign

Clearly PR won two major awards for the success of this campaign:

  • PRCA Best Diversity & Inclusion Campaign of the Year 2021 – Winner.
  • Best PR & Marketing Campaign of the Year 2021 – Winner.
Could your next PR campaign be an award-winning one? Speak to us to make it happen. Get in touch today.