Who we are
Citizen Brando is the UK office of the international PR group Citizen Relations. We are a team of deeply digital folk and traditional PRs who help clients understand the chaos of communication in the networked world. Based in central London, we provide campaign insight and execution for some of Europe’s biggest brands both locally and globally.
Collectively, we have more than 200 staff in 8 cities and partners in 30 more around the globe which means we can deliver campaigns on both a global and local level. But it is not our reach that sets us apart, but our approach to PR which is based around the fundamental truth that people-powered conversations have set the communications agenda of the 21st century.
Citizen Relations is the amalgamation of Band & Brown and Brando in the UK; Paine PR in the USA and Optimum in Canada – all wholly-owned by the communications group EDC. In domestic markets, we operate as Citizen Brando, Citizen Paine and Citizen Optimum.
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Our story
We are a child of the digital revolution. Born at a time when ordinary people, not politicians and press barons, are setting the social agenda.
It’s all being fuelled by technology which is enabling people-powered conversations to triumph over traditional top-down communication.
We recognise people are no longer mere consumers of content – they create it as well. They are the citizen journalists and broadcasters who author and share stuff with each other. The art of connecting with people who both consume and create is known here as Citizen Relations™. It is the art of connecting with people who both create and consume media. Unlike traditional public relations, Citizen Relations™ is not merely about communicating a message to a group of people. It’s about ensuring that the message is passed on through their intricate web of social networks.
For this to happen, the idea has to be good enough – and easy enough- to share. It’s like jokes: people rarely pass on bad jokes, but a great joke which you can adapt and personalize, spreads like wildfire.
Our unique technique of crafting stories, or content, which travels freely between traditional and citizen channels is known as Cascading Content™.
Cascading content™ is a term we use to describe stories which have been crafted to travel freely between communication platforms. We bring in creative and technical brains to programme our content so that it will achieve maximum exposure across all channels.
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Our structure
Everything we do at Citizen Brando is driven by insight – a deep understanding of how our audiences think and behave.
In addition to our in-house planning team, we have access to some of the UK’s top strategic brains through our sister agencies Dare and Elvis who live in the same building as us.
Once we have arrived at a strategic approach, creative folk from our live, digital and media teams collaborate to build campaigns which are executed by our client account teams.
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Our services
We operate in the world where traditional media and social media collides and have built experts teams social media and conventional media relations, influencer marketing and live event production.
Digital
We have a large team of social media and digital specialists offering a full suite of services designed to engage consumers and build advocacy.
They include:
- Strategy and planning
- Emerging platforms & m-commerce
- Content planning, creative and build
- Platform management
- Creative campaign concepts
- Blogger outreach
- Moderation
- Evaluation and analytics
- SEO
"
Reaching out to the online community is no longer an optional extra – it's a central part of any communications strategy.
"
Jono Marcus, Director, Digital Innovation
Live
Our experiential team has won many awards for its work in creating brand experiences that have a big impact on awareness, affinity and sales.
Our services include:
- Experiential
- Stunts
- Product/Press launches
- Ambassador programmes
- Content creation and management
- Sales promotion and sampling
- Conferences
"
Nothing creates greater affinity with a brand than live interaction
"
Gary Berman, Director of Brand Experience
Media Management
Our team of former journalists, publicists and media analysts understand what makes a good story and how to get it published.
Specific services include:
- Media training
- Press release writing
- Feature placement
- Media sell-ins
- Photocall management
- Market research management
- Journalist relations
"
Traditional media still plays a crucial role in communication process because it sets the agenda for social media.
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Mel Garfield, Head of Media
Once we have arrived at a strategic approach, creative folk from our live, digital and media teams collaborate to build campaigns which are executed by our client account teams.
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Our expertise
Our industry expertise spans almost all consumer and B2B markets.
We have built a particularly strong reputation in consumer electronics, entertainment, personal finance, travel, FMCG and not for profit.
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Our network
Citizen Relations has offices in 8 cities and plans for many more: New York, Los Angeles, Irvine, London, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Quebec City.
We round out our global capabilities through strategic partners – dual citizens, if you will – The Jeffrey Group in Latin America , the Brando network across Western Europe, Eastern Europe and the Middle East and SPRG in China.
