Category: News

Banter Marketing Appoints First PR Director

Chris Mitchell appointed to grow PR division as part of company’s integrated marketing strategy

Banter Marketing, a new London based marketing agency, has appointed Chris Mitchell to the role of PR Director.

Chris, who joins Banter Marketing from The Media Foundry, will be responsible for growing Banter’s PR division, as well as developing and implementing PR strategies for the company’s current clients.

Commenting on the appointment, Banter Marketing’s Managing Director, Richard Dean said: “Chris is an experienced PR practitioner, having worked for leading agencies in both London and Leeds. He has valuable experience of both B2B and B2C PR for some of the country’s biggest companies such as E.ON and I am delighted to welcome him to our growing team.

“In addition, Chris also has an MSc in Management and Marketing from Nottingham Business School and is a former broadcast journalist with great industry contacts. As such, I am sure he will be instrumental in helping the company as a whole grow further in 2012.”

The new appointment is part of Banter Marketing’s strategic approach to marketing and communications that will set it apart from its industry competitors. The approach will include PR as an essential part of the marketing mix, something the company considers to be currently overlooked by many marketing agencies.

Richard adds: “I have been surprised by the lack of a fully integrated approach between marketing and PR activity. PR can sometimes be considered an add on to marketing campaigns rather than being considered an essential part of marketing.

“Often, this results in companies employing a marketing agency and a PR agency which costs both time and money, something many companies can ill afford in today’s economic environment. Our aim is that our fully integrated approach to all aspects of marketing communications will enable to provide excellent marketing support for our clients and help us stand out from our competitors.”

Richard Dean, Founder of Banter Marketing recently met up with David Heard, to discuss “starting a new business” for Abintegro’s Online Careers Service. Some of the transcript is below. We’ll save you from the really boring parts, but hopefully it will give a good insight into the ethos and thinking behind Banter. Enjoy.

What made you want to start a marketing company?

“Firstly, I have always known I wanted to set-up and run my own business. Why? It’s got to be the ultimate test, one of the most difficult things you can do. It’s a challenge, but such an exciting one because you are changing businesses/consumers lives. You can make your own future.

“I have also always had a keen appetite for marketing. I remember being young and amazed how adverts could change peoples buying decisions. I was lucky enough to work in a vibrant marketing department during my school holidays and loved it. I mean how can you not love marketing? It’s the most important aspect of any business. Everything your company does can be improved by marketing. Being skilled in marketing can change fortunes and have the biggest impact of any business function.”

(You can catch up on the naming of Banter here)

Top 3 tips for someone considering starting up

“Am I only allowed 3…? Ok then, here we go: Understand your market, prospects and competitors. Find out who you are up against and what challenges you face. Gain as much insight as possible, you can never do too much research. Mmmm… secondly, treat your customers like kings, go the extra mile, at the start your reputation is worth everything. And lastly, don’t lose faith, it’ll be an emotional rollercoaster at points, but stay focused and keep believing.”

Has anything else helped you set up your business outside of the usual?

“Strangely, being an only child. I find it incredibly hard to get bored, so the long and lonely nights working on clients projects pose no problem!”

We’ll post a link to the final interview when they manage to edit out the bags under Richard’s eyes, a process that would take even the most skilled Photoshop surgeon a while.

For information on Abintegro and the great work they do click here.

And you can email Richard, here. Go on, I dare you.

Welcome to the new website of Banter Marketing! Have a look around and tell us what you think.

We are a new, London based, B2B marketing agency and consultancy. We are passionate about great marketing and communications. We specialise in providing innovative, results driven, multi-channel marketing, enabling our clients to meet their business objectives.

We utilise the full marketing mix to produce creative and effective marketing solutions which provide high ROI results for our clients. Specialists in lead-generation and communications, we will ensure your messages are heard by the right audience, at the right time, to maximise your exposure and cut through the clutter.

Whether you need to increase your brands reach, generate new business, develop your social media presence or engage with the media Banter has a great solution we can deliver quickly, effectively and within budget.

To stay updated on our activity, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Linkedin and through our blog, Marketing Banter.