TWO established Ipswich businesses have joined together in a new alliance to give clients access to a broader range of services. Catapult Design is working side by side with Stratton PR, which will now be known as Catapult PR and Marketing, to provide a one-stop shop for clients looking to raise or maintain their profile and make the most of marketing opportunities through print and digital media.

TWO established Ipswich businesses have joined together in a new alliance to give clients access to a broader range of services.

Catapult Design is working side by side with Stratton PR, which will now be known as Catapult PR and Marketing, to provide a one-stop shop for clients looking to raise or maintain their profile and make the most of marketing opportunities through print and digital media.

Founders of Catapult Design, creative director Peter Jenkins and account director Emma Dow, will be joined at senior level by Sue Wilcock who founded Stratton PR in 2001.

All three are experts in their field and both companies have experienced staff who will now be part of the bigger family based in the heart of the waterfront regeneration area at Neptune Marina.

“Marketing is the foundation for what we do,” said Peter, “and being able to offer strategic pr and marketing advice in-house makes us much stronger. We can help clients raise their profile not just through designing leaflets and websites or helping them rebrand but by really understanding what they want to achieve and using our combined skills to get them to where they want to be.

“The reception has been excellent and we believe this will have a very positive impact on existing clients and will help attract new ones.”

Emma Dow agrees. “Before now we have used someone externally if our clients needed pr and marketing alongside our services but now we can offer that function right from the start of the process and all under one roof,” she said. “We are very protective of our reputation and never wanted to grow really quickly, rather making sure the growth we achieved was sustainable and this is an exciting next step for us.”

For Sue Wilcock the new alliance is a new chapter in what has been a highly successful and varied career in her sector. Originally working in-house for big names such as the Co-operative Society, Eastern Electricity and ISG Jackson, she decided to set up her own PR business eight years ago. She is vice chair (and former chair) of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in the East of England and also teaches PR at diploma level at Nottingham University.

“My philosophy is that the quality of your reputation is a bi-product of each client's success; that's the measure,” she said.

Peter, Emma and Sue first started working together a couple of years ago when they delivered a joint project for common client the Haven Gateway Partnership. The brief was to produce a brochure, “Careers in Construction - Get the Bigger Picture”, which was recognised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations at its East Anglia Pride Awards.

It took top honours, a gold award, in the category Best Use of Photography or Design. It was also shortlisted as a finalist for the Best Publication category.

“That got us talking,” said Emma, “and we realised that both businesses were at a similar stage in their development and we were both thinking of ways to grow and improve. We all felt strongly that there was a market for a combined agency that can offer a complete service with every aspect of pr, marketing and design.”

“There's isn't one leader; we are all experienced people in our own fields and there are obvious bits of the business for each of us to take care of,” added Sue. “Having said that we often get together to talk about things, have a brainstorm session, which all helps to stimulate the brain and is an important part of the creative process.

“It makes for a very enjoyable working relationship and helps create a dynamic working environment which clients pick up on and also enjoy. It's very much a people business which works for a whole range of clients whose businesses range from tummy tucks to nuclear engineering and everything in between.”