Brief: R&W Civil Engineering is a highway construction and traffic management specialist that’s successfully operated across the south of England for over 30 years. Seeking to raise its profile amongst peers, customers, local authorities, suppliers and potential employees that would subsequently enable it to tender for larger projects as the lead contractor, it retained BlackChilli to develop and deliver strategic PR, media, communications and brand protection programmes.

Solution:  A schedule of general media announcements was developed, in turn supported by a series of informative, in-depth case studies for media publication. Submissions into key industry award programmes were also identified as the perfect vehicle to gain third party recognition for the initiatives being delivered by R&W across a number of disciplines.  A range of business collateral, including a digital customer newsletter and themed brochures, are also being developed to reach segmented audiences with key messages. Finally a comprehensive step-by-step programme on how to protect the R&W brand in times of adverse attention, along with core messages and procedures is being developed.

Results: Media coverage in key local and strategic trade media has helped elevate the R&W brand and raise overall awareness. The Awards initiative has also been a real success with R&W being shortlisted in and has winning a number of prestigious industry awards in 2017.  Key submissions have included

Ray Ransom, founder and chairman of R&W being named by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (Southern) as the winner of its Outstanding Contribution/Lifetime Achievement Award category; and Christine Allen, a Director at R&W being named Business Leader of the Year in the annual Women in Construction Awards.

Other award successes in 2017 have included winning the People Development category in the Constructing Excellence (London & South East) Awards and being named a finalist in its ‘Health & Safety’ category; Being named finalists in the Highways Award in the sustainability category; finalist in the sustainability category for the CIHT Awards; finalist in the national CECA ‘Inspiring Change’ Awards in June; and highly commended for its work with the James Hopkins Trust in the community benefit award category in the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) London Civil Engineering Awards.

Concepts for the newsletters and other collateral have been presented these will be implemented as part of an ongoing programme.  Crisis communications guidelines are also being developed and the next phase is to run various scenarios with the management team to ensure robust brand protection plans can be implemented should the requirement ever arise.