Attract & Engage is a growth marketing and PR agency that helps ambitious clients drive social and environmental change.
Founder, Jill Willis first began supporting Estuary businesses in 2012, putting her experience as a communications director to use helping entrepreneurs and local businesses become relevant and gain traction in today’s demanding world.
By 2017 an experienced team of marketing and PR professionals had joined the ranks, led by husband Richard, who came fresh from fifteen years in top London ad agencies, and the business set up its office in Billericay, Essex.
Mission: turning green ambition into green action
Jill and Richard are now on a personal mission to help sustainable businesses move from wanting to make a difference, to action and results. The Attract & Engage team works with purpose driven brands across the Estuary, from start-up pioneers, to established market leaders, charities, and NGOs. Their work focuses on providing communications strategy, sustainability thought leadership and flagship marketing and PR campaigns. This helps clients to demonstrate how sustainability is core to business values and engages customers on the journey to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy.
The team supports many businesses demonstrating good green growth and over the past twelve months has collaborated with the Thames Estuary Growth Board to share a rich array of Estuary sustainability success stories, including:
- Ashwells Reclaimed Timber’s work to save the rain forest.
- Sentinel Contracting’s innovation to reduce construction waste sent to landfill.
- Ground Control’s ambition to reverse the decline of the natural environment.
- Gerald MacDonald’s action to reduce plastic use in the food supply chain.
Helping businesses communicate their green growth stories
Attract & Engage support socially and environmentally responsible SME businesses across the Thames Estuary region, helping their clients demonstrate depth of sustainability credentials through marketing campaigns, stakeholder engagement, campaigning, media relations, public relations, social media management, and digital communications. Their creative communications managers and expert content creators enable businesses to raise their share of voice on environmental issues and solutions, turning their green commitments and activities into compelling newsworthy stories which are used through both online and offline marketing channels.
Green starts at home
Attract & Engage is also taking steps to make its own office operation more sustainable. The team keeps things digital wherever possible to reduce paper usage, has a recycling program, a strict ‘everything off at night’ policy, and ensures office cleaning products are eco-friendly. Office air quality is kept clean by an array of indoor plants, and colleagues are encouraged to lower commuting emissions by walking, cycling, or using public transport wherever possible.
Jill Willis, Managing Partner, Attract & Engage said: “It is an absolute privilege to work with such an array of green businesses, all doing their utmost to be part of the solution to arrest the climate emergency. The Estuary firms demonstrating good green growth today are doing the heavy lifting, showing others that a sustainable approach is not only possible, but also good for business growth. For me, there is no question about this direction of travel, or what brands need to do to respond to it. It’s wonderful to see green growth and sustainable business featuring so prominently within the Thames Estuary growth plans. It is our absolute pleasure to support Kate Willard OBE and her team, and we encourage businesses across the region to share their sustainability stories and apply for Thames Estuary Visionary status.”
Kate Willard OBE said “I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Attract and Engage to the Estuary Visionary scheme. They work with some brilliant clients, helping them to articulate their sustainable vision and celebrate their green accomplishments. At a time when customers – corporate and individual – are increasingly seeking to do business with green organisations, commitment to being sustainable is key. I am delighted that agencies like Attract and Engage are supporting businesses to bring sustainability to the fore, and that they are doing what they can to keep their impact minimal.”
Find out more: www.attractandengage.co.uk