As the recession continues to take its toll on businesses across Kent, the county’s leading PR and marketing agency says the ability to adapt to change is vital if companies want to survive.

Edwards Harvey PR & Marketing is celebrating its 30^th anniversary and, despite the current downturn, there is good reason for optimism – not least because, for the fourth year running, it has achieved internationally recognised quality management and customer service standards.

According to Edwards Harvey’s managing director, Pip Clarkson, keeping up with the challenges of such a demanding and fast-moving industry has been key to the agency’s success.

“It’s at times like this, when you’re confronted with economic uncertainty, that you face your toughest tests,” says Pip, who joined Edwards Harvey as a consultant in 2001 and took over the company four years later.

“The world of information sharing has altered dramatically over the last few years. Not so long ago email was the new technology; now, advances in digital communications and social media have opened up a whole range of distribution channels for PR.

“We’ve evolved to embrace the rapidly changing face of the media, promoting clients through the most up-to-date communication streams, from viral campaigns and the internet to more traditional methods of PR and marketing.”

That said, Pip believes the ‘old’ skills of making and sustaining good media contacts are still fundamental to the PR industry’s success: “Many of our people are experienced former journalists so we have the advantage of knowing what makes a good story and what news editors are looking for,” she says.

“With the current slump sadly forcing so many media groups across the UK to cut their editorial departments, that experience and understanding is making us more valuable to the media than ever.”

The consultancy has enjoyed a consistently solid reputation since it was founded in 1979 by Richard Harvey, who stepped down as chairman in 2005, and Peter Edwards.

Over three decades it has implemented many highly successful PR campaigns, both nationally and regionally, and today provides public relations, marketing, publishing and event management services to a wide cross-section of clients. The agency’s portfolio ranges from multi-national and blue-chip companies to regional and local businesses and public and private sector organisations.

“The longevity of Edwards Harvey is a credit to the individuals who have worked here over the years,” says Pip. “We enjoy working with all our clients and are particularly proud of our long relationship with Shepherd Neame, Britain’s oldest brewer, who has retained our services from day one.”

That strong relationship with Shepherd Neame proved to have a profound effect on the consultancy, shaping the development of a food and drink team with an exceptional pedigree. As well as Shepherd Neame, clients now include Asahi, Japan’s number one beer; Bordeaux Index, one of Europe’s largest fine wine traders; quality food manufacturer Bennett Opie; and a film location catering company.

Thanks to an outstanding heritage of experience among its staff, Edwards Harvey has also developed strong teams specialising in the travel and tourism sectors.

“One of our first accounts was Leeds Castle, which we managed for many years,” says Pip. “Our travel and tourism portfolio has expanded considerably since then and now includes hotels, restaurants, historical attractions, tourism organisations and transport operators.”

Equally strong is the consultancy’s experience in the retail, corporate and public sectors, with a portfolio that encompasses legal firms, shopping centres, charities, local government, estate agents and technology companies.

Edwards Harvey’s success has meant it often finds itself listed in PR Week magazine’s best-performing 150 consultancies in the UK. It also remains the only one to be retained by the National Council for the Training of Journalists, providing short courses in PR for the media industry.

The agency has enjoyed some notable achievements over the years. In 1987, it conceived and designed the Kent Journalist of the Year Awards, recruiting high-profile judges such as Lord Deedes and Bob Holness. Working in partnership with sponsor Shepherd Neame, the event has gone from strength to strength, with last year’s awards attracting a record 120 entries.

In 2006, the agency conceived, designed and managed the UK’s first Sudoku championship to promote Asahi Super Dry Beer. The Asahi Pure Logic Sudoku Championship, held in Covent Garden, went on to become the most successful competition of its kind in the UK, attracting more than 400 entries.

“Perhaps one of the most memorable highlights for the consultancy was our involvement with the Northern Ireland peace talks, chaired by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern at Leeds Castle in 2004,” says Pip. “As well as handling press enquiries and filming requests from national and regional media, we also acted as the conduit between Downing Street, the Northern Ireland Office and Kent Police.”

Some of Edwards Harvey’s PR campaigns have involved a host of celebrities – including BBC Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson and James May, chefs Gary Rhodes and Phil Vickery, historian David Starkey, the Royal Ballet’s Carl Davis and Alina Cojocaru, Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall, and TV news reader Huw Edwards, along with top garden designers at the Chelsea Flower Show.

Most recently, Pip found herself lunching with Masterchef judge Gregg Wallace after a chance meeting on the set of TV drama Ashes to Ashes, where she was spending the day with another client.

“Gregg happened to be filming Masterchef at the same studio,” says Pip, “so I invited him to lunch to see if we could work together in partnership with some of our clients. It turned out to be a very fruitful meeting.”

As for the future? “You can never afford to be complacent or take things for granted, especially during a recession,” says Pip. “But we have a fantastic team, a landmark anniversary and several exciting PR projects in the pipeline to keep us busy.”