Blackbird brings more than 80 years of
combined PR and marketing experience
to client partnerships. We deliver.

Established in 2009, Blackbird Communications was launched by St Albans-based PR consultant, Stuart Brooks, with a mission to help clients leverage the value of B2B PR and content marketing.

Focused on delivering a robust return on investment, Blackbird employs a virtual PR agency business model to maximise cost efficiency for our clients. Blackbird’s team of PR, marketing and design associates, based in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, all have vast experience in promoting and supporting businesses regionally, nationally and internationally. It’s our aim to achieve client brand and business development objectives through creativity, tenacity, planning and teamwork, with an ethos of delivering value, accountability and professionalism.

Blackbird has expert knowledge and contacts across a select number of complementary industries and their respective B2B media channels. We specialise in supporting businesses in a number of sectors, including: automotive and aftermarket; aviation MRO and aerospace; engineering; manufacturing and remanufacturing; logistics and transport technology; renewables distribution.

Blackbird’s senior PR and design associates have a proven track record in achieving a tangible difference to clients through the planning and execution of cost-effective, engaging and targeted brand development, PR and content marketing.

Meet team Blackbird

Stuart Brooks

Managing Director

With over 30 years of experience across the whole communications mix, Stuart brings strategic counsel, writing expertise and creative flair to client partnerships with an eye for detail and a fierce determination to exceed expectations. He is a triple winner of the CIPR Best Freelance Practitioner Award and qualified as a private pilot in 1996 and paraglider pilot in 2014.

Simon Wade

Associate Director

Simon has an Honours degree in Industrial Design and over 25 years of PR and communications experience, gained in senior roles within consultancy and in-house. He possesses in-depth knowledge and technical appreciation across virtually every aspect of the motor industry, as well as other sectors such as engineering, construction, education and technology.

Michelle Wiles

Aviation Associate

Formerly Marketing Executive at Monarch Aircraft Engineering, Michelle brings 25 years of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul experience, knowledge and industry contacts to the Blackbird team with more than 10 years served in a PR and marketing capacity.

Andy Williams

Design Associate

A highly experienced and talented designer, Andy Williams looks after Blackbird’s design requirements for clients. Whether it’s a new brand, brochures, exhibition stand, presentations, email templates or website, Andy’s creative flair is second to none.

Business benefits of outsourcing PR

Blackbird is a virtual consultancy that brings more than 80 years of combined PR, marketing, design and communications experience to client partnerships. Our cost-efficient, transparent, outsourced business model enables Blackbird’s team of associates to work collaboratively, without the overheads of a traditional office-based PR consultancy. Our clients invest in our expertise and strategic counsel, not bricks and mortar.

MASSIVE PR EXPERTISE

Outsourcing allows us to explore fresh tactics, angles and opportunities that will put your business in the spotlight. Having access to highly experienced PR professionals with a range of skills means your communication requirements are fully covered.

Engaging a PR specialist like Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire PR agency, Blackbird, that focuses on specific sectors, is a major benefit as we already have the industry insight and technical understanding. We’re also skilled in communicating complex messages, which is particularly valuable in markets involving highly technical subject matter and sophisticated technology.

CONTACTS NETWORK

Despite having over 80 years of combined PR experience under our belts, Blackbird is constantly creating new contacts as part of our own marketing. Journalists are under pressure to publish content, so media channels have come to depend on their relations with the PR industry.

When a client engages Blackbird, it gains access to the hard-earned connections and relationships that our associates have built up. This is a huge advantage for increasing brand awareness, as journalists welcome newsworthy content from trusted PR contacts.

CHEAPER THAN EMPLOYING

Appointing a PR agency like Blackbird is more cost-effective than employing someone full-time. As well as saving on employment costs, outsourcing enables flexibility to fit in with your budget and workload. Blackbird’s clients typically achieve a saving of at least 50%, as well as tapping decades of PR and business experience.

EXTRA RESOURCES

Outsourcing places an expert team at your disposal quickly, helping a business to plug any gaps and complete heavy workloads. St Albans PR consultancy, Blackbird, has been doing this successfully for over 17 years with a proven track record in delivering tangible results and value for money.

FREES UP TIME

‘Time is money’. Being able to offload time consuming tasks such as research, writing or updating the company website and social media networks frees up valuable time for our clients to concentrate on other areas of the business.

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See how we can add value to your brand

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What’s in a name?

Whilst most of us relate to the Blackbird as the reassuring feathered friend of English gardens, you may not know that it was also the call sign for the fastest aircraft ever built, the Lockheed SR-71. Although it first flew in the 1960s, this iconic plane still holds the official Air Speed Record for a manned, air breathing jet engine aircraft with a speed of 2,193 mph (Mach 2.9), set on 28 July 1976.

In all its forms, the ‘Blackbird’ encapsulates our values. We’re fast, alert, driven, inquisitive and responsive. Our professionalism and attention to detail are second to none and we’re masters of our purpose.

What clients can expect

We listen, ask questions, challenge and discuss, so that our service is as targeted and cost-effective as possible. All potential clients receive a bespoke credentials deck and a pre-meeting checklist, which considers the following criteria:

Has your business got a marketing strategy?
How’s your profile within your target market?
Are you getting messages out via the right channels?
Is your website up to date and performing well in search?
Are you generating regular content that adds value to your audience?

Is your business proposition clearly articulated?
Are you securing media coverage and industry share of voice?
Do you understand your reputation within our industry?
Are your communication objectives aligned to the commercial objectives?

A retainer agreement with Hertfordshire PR agency, Blackbird, is the best value option for clients. This instils a partnership approach, which enables us to plan ongoing activity effectively, monitor progress and identify and leverage media and commercial opportunities.