We know how to tell a great story….
UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA
From understanding evolution to getting a grip on how cities contribute to pollution, University of East Anglia research ranges far and wide – it’s just the sort of place where we like to work!
THE BRIEF
UEA were looking for some additional communications support, to plug some temporary gaps in the team. They wanted access to experienced communicators, who could work as an extension of their team, whether that was acting as a sounding board to assess a potential research story, or putting in place all the necessary materials for a media campaign.
OUR RESPONSE
We maintained regular contact with the UEA Comms Team, working particularly closely with the media relations managers covering health and science topics. We pride ourselves on our ability to work flexibly with clients, responding rapidly to faster moving stories and keeping in touch when we’re needed less. That way we can ensure our time is put to the best possible use for our clients. Where necessary we worked with journal editors, partners at other institutions and funders to ensure key messages were on point and all materials, including press releases, images and social media clips were assembled in line with the research publication schedule.
THE RESULTS
Over an 18 month period, we worked on more than 20 stories for UEA. Around half of these achieved national media coverage and many also attracted extensive international and specialist coverage as well. Our story on the evolution of the great tit’s beak was covered by the Daily Mail, the Guardian, the Times and the Telegraph, as well as pieces in Scientific American and The Washington Post. Elsewhere, our press release describing a city-level approach to tackling climate change was covered by Reuters, while a story about how the giardia parasite makes us poorly was covered by the BBC…..And finally…our story about same-sex mating in flour beetles was picked up by outlets including the Daily Mail and the Telegraph.