Stockport-based Unhooked Communications has won backing from Innovate UK to build an AI-powered platform set to shake up how PR professionals prove the value of their work.
The agency secured funding through the Create Growth Programme Competition 4: Small Projects, run in partnership with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
The project will see Unhooked create a digital tool that helps organisations plan, evaluate and demonstrate PR’s impact — moving beyond traditional measures like media reach to track outcomes linked to reputation, behaviour and commercial performance.
Unhooked is teaming up with Big Echo, the Manchester innovation consultancy founded by Tom Parson, who will lead the UX, prototyping and build. Parson brings more than 20 years’ experience designing and developing digital products for purpose-led organisations, with Big Echo focused on helping SMEs innovate for real business impact.
The Create Growth Programme was set up to accelerate innovation across the UK’s creative industries, which contribute over £115.9bn annually and are growing at twice the rate of the wider economy. Only 6.5% of applicants were successful in this funding round, which saw up to £8m awarded to SMEs, with projects judged on their innovation, growth potential, commercialisation and benefit to their regional creative clusters.
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Claire Gamble, Managing Director of Unhooked Communications, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be selected for this national programme, particularly as it was so competitive. As a business rooted in the creative economy of Greater Manchester, it’s an important step for us to start developing our own digital tools.
“My goal with this new PR impact platform is to transform how campaigns are designed and evaluated, making it easier for PR professionals, marketing teams and business leaders to prove the value of PR and refine strategies for the most effective results.”
She added: “Manchester has such a strong business and innovation ecosystem. Over the last year, I’ve had great support from the Turing Innovation Catalyst, Innovate UK, GM Business Growth Hub and Oxford Innovation’s Merseyway Innovation Centre, which has been invaluable in giving me the skills, knowledge and confidence to take this idea forward and achieve this milestone.”
