“Our objective was to raise awareness of Wildstone and thanks to PR Superstar, we have been featured in tonnes of major titles. To say we are absolutely thrilled with the coverage doesn’t seem to give it justice. Jill Kent is an absolute pleasure to work with – committed, professional, well-connected and I love her honesty. If we could give a score, it would be a TEN!”
Jill Hebden, Chief Delivery Officer, Wildstone
Advertising entrepreneurs Damian Cox and Patrick Fisher are on a £1 billion mission to buy up the most billboards in the world. Millions of motorists and passers-by will already be familiar with their work – super-sized, digital advertising hoardings in some of the UK’s most iconic and popular landmarks. Their business, Wildstone, helps property owners – including landlords, real estate businesses and local authorities – to unlock opportunities for generating long-term income from outdoor advertising and add value to their property assets. The Hammersmith-based firm specialises in designing and building large-format, digital billboards in super-premium places, such as at airports, shopping malls and roadside on major routes. Following a joint venture with a US asset management company, Wildstone is on a £1 billion acquisition trail to buy up thousands of billboard sites – and potential sites – across the UK and Europe, becoming a billboard owner in its own right.
PR Superstar was also brought on board to PR another of Fisher’s business ventures, a network of smart street furniture known as Pulse Smart Hubs, which were set to launch in Leicester and Belfast.
Taking inspiration from the hit American TV drama about life in a slick 1960s advertising agency, I billed Cox and Fisher as Britain’s very own ‘Mad Men’. I talked about how it was Cox’s third outdoor advertising business and his most successful to date, having sold his two previous media businesses including the first to US-based Clear Channel, one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising corporations. In the press release I explained that the pair were behind some of the most striking, visionary and influential outdoor advertising sites across Britain and included many impressive visuals of their work. Offering up face-to-face meetings with the entrepreneurs, I attracted interest from the likes of The FT, The Sunday Times and BBC TV, as well as trade titles across the property and media sectors.
Impressed with my achievements, I was then hired to launch Fisher’s Pulse Smart Hubs in the UK. The next-generation telecommunication hubs help people to stay connected and can even save lives, with around 35 of the intelligent kiosks installed in Northern Ireland’s capital, with plans for a further 25 in Leicester city centre. I was tasked with promoting the hubs among local and regional media to raise awareness and highlight their benefits to the public, which includes free wifi, free local and national calls, a defibrillator, a 999 button, and a free-to-use touch screen interface to access maps, travel information, facilities, and visitor information. For the Northern Ireland press launch, Fisher flew to Belfast and carried out on-the-spot interviews with BBC TV and radio, and had photocalls with regional newspapers.
