Text 100: Who We Are

What is Text 100 to a client?

Text 100 is the world’s only global boutique PR consultancy--what we sometimes call big agency 2.0. Every second of every day we combine deep industry insight with analyst, social media and traditional media reach and a best-in-class service ethic. And we do this in all the major cities around the world. This approach has won us many awards, but more importantly, it has won us the trust of clients that include some of the most powerful brands in the world, such as American Express, Cisco, eBay, Xerox and Philips. We apply the same passion and professionalism to every client, large or small. After all, we are a global boutique, not a classic big agency.

Public relations, like every industry, evolves. We want our clients to have access to the latest thinking on, and approaches to, communications. For that reason, we invest considerable time and effort on innovation (yes, it’s an overused phrase). This means we are constantly looking for new ways to communicate with and influence people, whether it is through a series of podcasts, YouTube videos, virtual worlds or on Twitter. We do this not just to have fun but because we believe great communications are directly linked to the business goals of an organization AND are constantly being optimized to meet those goals. This means if there is a more effective way to get a company’s message across, we will explore it without you having to ask.

What is Text 100 to ambitious, creative, intelligent Public Relations people?

A great place to have a career. We have exacting standards that last beyond the interview. But with the commitment that comes with a role at Text 100 comes our commitment to offer a career that could take you around the world and will most certainly challenge you to learn continuously. The evolving challenge of managing reputations for businesses and individuals, deep immersion into industries and, of course, professional service isn’t a zero sum game.

For clients, we aim to be the world’s only global boutique; for you, we aim to provide a career with similar reach and feel. While working with some of the greatest clients and people spanning the world, you’ll learn more than you’ve ever dreamed. And while your colleagues live in far-flung corners of the world, it won’t take very long before you know their names. More than anything, you will be surrounded by people you respect and learn from but also whom you trust and have a laugh with--what a concept.

What is Text 100 to a journalist, an analyst or a blogger?

We will help you, challenge you and always share our perspective. We are hired by clients large and small to manage their reputations. To do this effectively, we need to marry their goals with the conversations you are starting and the insight you are providing. We can’t do this without really understanding what your magazine, report, blog or broadcast outlet is trying to achieve. For this reason, our people are huge consumers of the work you are producing. We believe in respecting your goals and your time.

What is Text 100 to the PR industry?

We believe the industry is at an inflection point thanks to the impact of Web 2.0. Right now the different iterations of marketing are fighting for the opportunity to own outright the way communications are handled in this new world. It is our belief that this isn’t a case of public relations versus advertising or versus any other discipline. We believe public relations and all the other key disciplines are in the midst of a huge transformation that will continue to play out during the next few years. This will be good for our industry, but only if all the key players take part in the debate and contribute to the changes that will arise. We are not spectators now, nor will we be in the future. We are an agency working side by side with competitors, with corporate communications leaders and with industry partners who share this vision.

What is Text 100 to all of its stakeholders?

As a socially responsible global business we aim to contribute positively to the cultures and communities within which we operate. Our goal is to be a good corporate citizen and we hope that all of our stakeholders are proud to work alongside us. We strive to be successful from a commercial perspective for our shareholders, whilst operating in a way that is sustainable and honors ethical values and respects people, communities, and the natural environment.

Since its inception, Text 100 has valued and fostered a culture of entrepreneurialism and has always tried to create a respectful and equal global working environment where people have the freedom and scope to realize their potential. Where everyone has a voice and is encouraged to try new things. Where ideas can be turned quickly into reality and people feel energized by what is possible.

Because of our culture and our values, we decided in 2008 that the NGO TechnoServe would be an ideal and like-minded strategic partner for Text 100. TechnoServe’s mission is to help entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their countries. We now run an employee volunteering program with TechnoServe, and our first two employees set-off at the end of 2008 to work on local TechnoServe projects in Tanzania and Latin America. We also act as TechnoServe’s global PR advisor, donating thousands of dollars in pro-bono PR support each year.

In addition to our partnership with TechnoServe, we undertake many other CSR activities, including:

• An ethics policy for all of our global staff and regular training to support employee thinking and commitment in this area
• Work-life balance for all employees, for example, offering flexible and part-time working hours, home office policies and duvet days
• Extensive pro-bono work delivered by Text 100 CSR consultants in major world markets to the value of approx. $500,000 annually. Pro-bono clients include One Water in the UK and Australia, the White Ribbon Campaign in Australia and Pop!Tech and TechnoServe in North America
• Support of many local charitable initiatives across the globe that our staff care deeply about. For example, for the last three years our London team has supported Action for Children. This includes a summer fundraising event with staff and clients and a sponsored sleep-out on the streets of London. Almost £20k has been raised to date by this activity alone
• Green office commitments in as many of our markets as possible. For example, our teams in Shanghai and Beijing, China, are kicking-off 2009 with an eco-office audit in conjunction with Roots & Shoots
• Alignment with all corporate governance commitments of our parent company Next Fifteen Communications Group