Property & Real Estate PR, Strategic Consulting, Corporate Communications & Crisis Management in London
Blackstock helps property firms communicate clearly. We help them better understand the property market and clarify their strategic thinking.
We’re a public relations agency focused on the property industry. Our expert property PR helps firms navigate the market. In other words, it allows them to grow whilst protecting brands and communicating clearly.
We’re independent and proud. We translate policy and create hard-hitting property PR campaigns. We specialise in crisis management and excel at market analysis. Above all, our clients like our direct approach, our passion and our attention to detail.
Watch and listen
We create regular market analysis on politics, economics, the property sector, retail and technology. Watch our TV interviews or subscribe to our podcasts.
We tailor our PR services to meet property companies’ needs.
Our services cover all the areas listed below. In addition, we also provide a lot of discrete work that we’re happy to discuss in confidence.
- Property PR & Media Relations
- Personal PR for CEOs
- Public Affairs & Policy Advice
- Digital Strategy & Social Media
- Media Training
- White Papers
- Influence Campaigns
- Data-Focused Research
- Thought Leadership
- Content Marketing
- Crisis Planning
- Issue Management
- Business Development
- Finance Raising
- Discrete Advice
Beating the drum for construction modernisation
In January 2016, we helped former Arcadis directors Mark Farmer, Joe Thornton and Neil Brearly launch Cast, gaining widespread media coverage. Working closely with the business ever since, we’ve supported its growth by shaping Cast’s voice across the residential, investment and construction sectors while sculpting the profile of its chief executive into one of the industry’s best recognised and most regularly cited experts.
Working closely with Mark to finalise, launch and continually promote the milestone Farmer Review report, Blackstock’s relentless works fixing speaking and national media opportunities has seen Mark – and his challenge that the construction sector needs to “modernise or die” covered in depth everywhere from the Economist, Financial Times, Guardian and Telegraph to prime time slots across the BBC and Sky News.
Combined with discrete public affairs work, liaising closely with interested parties across central and local government, we have driven key issues around skills, offsite construction and modernisation up the media and political agenda in a way that they never have been before.
The outputs have ranged from regular columns in Property Week, Building and Construction News to high-profile interviews with broadsheets and broadcasters, ensuring that Cast have been seen as true leaders of their industry.
Learn more about our Market Insight & Policy Advisory service
Blackstock has worked tirelessly with us since the launch of Cast back in 2016. They have provided a 360 degree strategic communications consultancy that touches all sides of our business – from PR, social media, business development and events support. The team’s commitment, passion and proactivity have all contributed to the strength of our media profile, including national press, radio and TV coverage. Blackstock has helped Cast provide intelligent commentary and analysis to the market that we hope has encouraged debate and helped to start move things forward in our industry.
Creating, implementing and driving a holistic business strategy for a renowned architecture practice
Assael Architecture is an award-winning architecture practice based in London, with international offices in Bahrain. Having designed and delivered major schemes in the UK and beyond for some of the world’s biggest developers, Assael wanted to expand the reach and scope of their business, pushing into new markets and sub-sectors within the built environment.
Blackstock were brought on board to help create a business strategy for Assael, identifying key sub-sectors, implementing director-level responsibility for each new area, and building a comprehensive communication and business development strategy around each new sector.
The results have already made a significant impact on Assael’s trajectory, not only reinforcing their position in the industry, establishing specific directors as specialist market commentators providing insight in national newspapers on the Build to Rent sector, modular construction, intergenerational living and government policy.
In addition, bylined columns created in collaboration with the Blackstock team have positioned Assael as leaders of industry debate in areas including the mental health implications of design, social value within the built environment and using Building Information Modelling (BIM) to operate and manage buildings.
Learn more about our Property PR & Corporate Communication service.
Blackstock have taken a hands-on approach to working with us, both in terms of public relations and wider business development. By embedding themselves in the day-to-day fabric of the practice and getting their teeth into the specialist aspects, they have provided a service that goes above and beyond any other agency we have worked with in the past.
Consumerism - Is Gen Z really ‘leading the way?’
If the headlines are to be believed, Generation Z (Gen Z) are progressive environmental activists who place sustainability above consumerism.
This can be seen in surveys: according to CNBC, more than half of Gen Z – or ‘Zoomers’ – were said to be looking for environmentally sustainable products. Meanwhile new Drapers research revealed more than three-quarters of Gen Z (and millennial) shoppers say that sustainability is important to them.
Given these are the customers of the future, businesses are taking steps to show that their brands closely align with these green values.
Last year, young fashionista favourite ASOS announced a 30% reduction in their carbon footprint while iconic jeans brand Levi Strauss pledged a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.
Given Oxfam research found that the carbon footprint of new clothes bought each month in the UK was greater than flying around the world 900 times, carbon-cutting initiatives like these should be welcomed with open arms.
The fast fashion industry – which goes out of its way to target younger shoppers – is estimated to produce 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2, a figure exceeding that of international flights and shipping combined.
But are Zoomers quite as progressive as they make out? The same CNBC survey that showed more than half of Gen Z customers were said to be looking for environmentally sustainable products, only 38% were willing to pay more for them.
There seems to be a disconnect between what consumers say they want, and what they are actually willing to buy. This isn’t just limited to demand for sustainable products either.
Following the Boohoo factory scandal in July last year – where warehouses were revealed to have poor health and safety records and workers were being paid below minimum wage – the company’s share price deservedly fell by over a third in the two days following the news.
Yet the backlash seemed short lived. Just a few months later, Boohoo reported a sales surge, with half-year revenue growth of almost 50% at the end of August. Clearly customers had no long-term hesitations about continuing to shop there. A Vogue Business report found that of 105 Gen Z participants surveyed, over half were said to buy ”most of their clothes” from Boohoo and other fast-fashion retailers.
While there may be an argument that younger consumers are out-priced by expensive sustainable fashion brands, this is not a strong one as the resources and technology are out there to help Gen Z in making informed decisions over choosing to shop at ethical brands over unethical ones.
The continued success of brands like Boohoo and Primark, which are known not to prioritise ethics or sustainability standards, shows that in reality many consumers are relatively apathetic when it comes to choosing to shop at more conscience-driven brands, and remain attracted to cheap and convenient fast fashion.
Primark has long remained a brand shrouded in controversy, claims in 2013 revealed they had Bangladeshi factory workers paid less than £24 a month – this came to light around the time a Primark factory was in such bad condition it collapsed, taking the lives of 1000 people.
Consumers are quick to call out corporations for their ethical and climate change policies (or lack of), claiming that they are not doing enough to help. Yet major businesses from Unilever to BlackRock are at least beginning to take strong stances on sustainability and ethics.
While this is undoubtedly motivated in part by what they believe will be best received by their customers, meaningful change is made harder by ‘woke’ consumers who demand one thing and do another. Time for Gen Z to put its money where its mouth is.
Our PR agency is constantly growing. As a result, we’re looking for smart, ambitious people with great ideas, first rate marketing communications skills and the ability to work hard. So please get in touch and let’s talk.
Blackstock's work navigated seamlessly between offering corporate and creative advice, unlocking opportunities and relationships at the highest level. And the results they generated were outstanding – ranging from major pieces on Radio 4, in the FT and Mail through to a front-page campaign with The Sun.
Blackstock demonstrated a genuine technical understanding of our business and investor requirements, with a clear ability to translate this for a wider audience of investors and stakeholders. This helped us articulate our strategy effectively with very well received media collateral combining insight, research and market commentary. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Blackstock has proven to be adept at both research and media, connecting Colliers with high class publications and broadcast opportunities such as the FT and BBC Radio 4 and working across all areas of our business. I can't rate them highly enough and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.
Blackstock deliver first class copy and events and have helped us squeeze more media coverage from our news stories. They’ve contributed a wealth of ideas to support NOMA’s profile and are genuinely passionate about the brand. Blackstock’s team works closely with our many consultants and has constantly been on hand to support us with energy, enthusiasm and a high level of integrity.