BIG Partnership’s Aberdeen office has secured new client wins worth over £350,000 in a strong first half to the year, despite challenges in the regional economy.

The office has also secured its first contract with a company in the Middle East. BIG Partnership will be delivering four weeks of intensive PR and communications training to senior executives of The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO).

Elevator, the social enterprise which supports enterprise and entrepreneurs in Aberdeen and Dundee, has awarded BIG a 12-month PR contract, while intelligent health solutions business, Iqarus, has engaged the agency to provide a wide range of services, including media relations, digital marketing, stakeholder engagement and events support.

To complete the recent hat-trick in Aberdeen, BIG has secured the contract to handle PR for SPE Offshore Europe 2017 in the run-up to, and during, the major oil and gas conference and exhibition.

A raft of small oil and gas businesses have also joined BIG Partnership’s growing client portfolio since the beginning of the year, even though a sustained low oil price is taking its toll on the North East. These include subsea production optimisation business, Enpro and remote inspection specialists, AISUS Offshore.

Zoe Ogilvie, BIG Partnership director and head of the Aberdeen office, said: “We’ve had a strong start to the year, putting us in a robust position despite the challenges. Our decision to invest in digital is paying dividends, as more oil and gas clients embrace new ways of communicating. Improving the measurement and evaluation of our services to demonstrate the return on investment has also helped put us at the forefront of the market.

We are particularly proud of winning the BAPCO work, as we were up against international agencies. We have been delivering services in the Middle East for our Aberdeen-based clients for several years, but this is the first time we have secured a contract with an indigenous business in the region.

“Times are tough in Aberdeen, but we remain quietly optimistic about our prospects for the year ahead. More than ever, energy companies need to tell their stories about the people and innovation that will get them through the next few years. It’s easy to panic when the oil price hits new lows, but our job is to provide sensible communications strategies which deliver results and add value in a cost-effective way.”

While maintaining its position in the Granite City, BIG has also been making progress in Dundee, where it secured several contracts including the Dundee Repertory Theatre.

The Aberdeen team has been supplemented by the arrivals of account executives Lindsay Ackers, who joined from Hill + Knowlton in London, and Caitlin Boag, from Lettuce Up North. Kirsty Kirkhope joined the office as digital account manager in 2015, as BIG targets offering an expanded digital marketing service to the oil and gas market.

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