Following our recent feature City Brand Leaders – Manchester, we interviewed a select group of leaders from Manchester’s top agencies to help focus on the Manchester brand and consider their own agency vision.

Creativebrief Founder & Chairman Tom Holmes talks to Sandy Lindsay, Group MD of Tangerine PR.

TH: Sandy, what does the Manchester brand stand for?

SL: Lots of very talented people have tried to define what it is about Manchester that makes it so special. Peter Saville’s concept of Original Modern is a powerful idea and it rings true to me, but I’m not sure everyone in the city gets it – or has even heard of the phrase. The charity Forever Manchester has borrowed a quote from Tony Wilson that I think hits the nail on the head. “This is Manchester; we do things differently round here. We sort out our own problems, find our own solutions, do it our way.”

TH: Are the city’s brand values reflected in your own agency culture?

SL: Yes, but that’s not deliberate. We are hardworking, we get things done and we  try to be different. We believe that putting together groups of people with different backgrounds and cultural interests and providing a creative environment for them to work in leads to really exciting ideas and results. All of this is in the Tangerine DNA. It just so happens that you could say the same about Manchester too.

TH: Does being based in Manchester influence your creative output? If so, how?

SL: It must do, of course. Our office is in the centre of the city and is decorated with illustrations from Si Scott, inspired by lyrics written by Manchester’s most famous musicians. We are active supporters of the city’s business, educational and charitable institutions and our people mix professionally and socially with the brightest minds in Manchester’s creative communities every day. Their influence is bound to rub off on us.

But we’re first and foremost a national agency, with national clients.

TH: What makes your agency offer different?

SL: Tangerine was set up to prove that it is possible to operate a profitable AND ethical PR business. By ethical we mean that the agency adheres to a code of honesty, courtesy and respect in everything we do and especially in the way we treat people.

We also have a unique evaluation system which works with clients to agree what success looks like, and then guarantees meaningful results

TH: Why should clients consider sourcing work from Manchester agencies?

SL: To me that’s a moot point. Being based in Manchester is no guarantee of quality. But yes, I’d say, across all the marketing disciplines, there are excellent national agencies who happen to be based in the city, which makes Manchester a good starting point for clients because ultimately they should be looking for the best agencies, where the quality of work speaks for itself.

TH: What sort of clients do you particularly want to attract?

SL: Clients who are as passionate about PR as we are. At Tangerine we have a strict rule that we only take on clients for whom we KNOW we can do a top notch job. Marketing teams which believe that PR can make a difference to their brand and so who back us to deliver great campaigns will always be the ones who benefit most.

TH: What work have you done recently makes you really proud?

SL: Another impossible question. If I could pick out certain campaigns for tribute, it would mean the others weren’t working as hard for clients.

At Tangerine, we work closely with clients to agree what success looks like, strategically, in support of business goals, and then we work tirelessly to deliver PR campaigns that deliver these business results. This is not rhetoric – ask our clients! 

TH: What local brands do you most admire and why? 

SL: The North West is home to many companies which nurture many well-known brands. Look at Kellogg’s, the N Brown group, Manchester United, not to mention Manchester City FC! – we are surrounded by success stories.

One example from our own portfolio is Soreen. One of Tangerine’s longest-standing clients, we’ve seen and helped the brand completely reinvent itself over the years. It has made itself relevant to modern consumers without losing any of the heritage that made people love Soreen in the first place, which is a great achievement.

TH: What business would you most like to win?

SL: Another impossible question to answer. At Tangerine we love retail, food, automotive, the built environment, professional services… the list goes on. How would I choose one business from among all those lovely sectors?

It’s more about the type of business, and the people within those businesses, that we like to work with – people who will work hand in hand with us to deliver jointly-owned superb campaigns. Oh – and have a bit of a laugh along the way!

TH: Thanks Sandy!

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