A new report from Manchester PR firm Brazen suggests a huge disconnect between the 43% of UK PR pros who live and work in London, and the 87% of the population who don’t (according to 2022 data from Wadds Inc.)
Inspired by the statistic, Brazen commissioned a report to explore the impact this geographic dominance has on both brand marketers and industry talent.
Brazen’s Mind The Gap report, which surveyed PR professionals in London and brand marketers from across the UK, looks to determine whether existing inside the London ‘bubble’ comes at a cost for the capital’s marketers and PR professionals who don’t look to experience life outside the capital.
The report revealed some shocking stats in relation to the London-centric nature of brand agencies, the disconnection of London PRs to the rest of the country and the possible nepotism associated with the industry in the capital.
More than 40% of younger PR pros (aged 18-24) in the capital, and 16% of all PR agency staff in London, admit they’ve rarely or never travelled north of Birmingham for work or social reasons.
Perhaps more worryingly still for the national brands they represent, one in ten (10 per cent) London-based PR pros can only name key media that operate within the capital.
The report also discovered that one in five (20%) PR professionals in London got their first job in PR through a friend or family member – and they “just ran with it.” This means, in theory, that as many as 8,000 of the 40,000 PR professionals in London would classify as ‘nepo workers.’
Sasha Makel, Brazen MD, said: “We’ve always said creativity wasn’t born in London and while many of our northern counterparts have succumbed to opening a base in the capital over the years, we’ve never seen the need as it’s never held us back. We believe people buy people, not postcodes.
“Being named PR Week’s Best Agency Outside London was a lightbulb moment for us and got us thinking: is it time to burst the London bubble?
“If you’ve rarely spent time beyond the Watford Gap, can you really understand and represent the views of the consumers of the brands you represent – most of which will live outside the capital?”
When it comes to Britain’s brand marketers, the Mind The Gap report found that 70% believe that PR agencies based outside of London will offer brands a far more representative view of the opinions of their customers than a London agency.
However, when asked what they deem to be the most important factor when choosing a PR agency, “being based in London” beat “the agency having a diverse staff roster” by 11% (22% vs. 11%).
This despite 86% believing they pay a premium for agencies with a London postcode, and more than three quarters (76%) of the brand marketers surveyed saying that, based on experience, PR agencies based outside of Greater London work harder to win and retain business and deliver on KPIs.
Makel continued: “Consumers are tuned into brand marketing more than ever and according to research by Spark Foundry, 57% of UK adults have stopped engaging with media and ads if they felt they were unrepresentative or, worse still, they can be quickly blown up and torn apart on socials. Take the Magnum OOH campaign, for example, that encouraged Mancunians to enjoy one of its luxurious ice-creams in Piccadilly Gardens (more spice than nice).
“This report reinforces our belief that the industry must move beyond stereotypes in order to reach audiences on their own terms – and in ways that look beyond the constraints of the capital’s current dominance.”
Further findings included:
- A third of London PR pros (33%) don’t know where in the UK The Bullring is (Birmingham).
- 54% don’t know that Co-op Live (pictured) is the UK’s biggest indoor arena, due to open in Manchester in the next few months – 23% thought it was an online grocery store
- 44% of London PR pros don’t know what a ginnel is (an alleyway)
- Only 7.5% of PR professionals working in London were “in the right ballpark” when asked how much a pint of lager costs in the UK
- Only 28% of London-based PR pros came close when asked how much the average loaf of sliced white bread costs in the UK
The Mind The Gap survey, commissioned by Brazen and actioned by Censuswide, questioned 251 PR professionals and 251 senior brand marketeers across the UK. Check out the full report here.
