• Thu. Mar 28th, 2024

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Narrative stirs up support for tea company

CaptureNARRATIVE Integrated Communications, the North East’s only true full service marketing and communications agency, has announced its commitment to supporting dynamic new businesses by offering £50k worth of pro-bono marketing provision this year.

As part of its 2016 corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative, Narrative will be looking to offer gratis marketing and communications support to two ambitious start-ups and young entrepreneurs.  Each will benefit from strategic marketing, PR, digital marketing and branding support to the tune of £25k each.

The first recipient of this high value package of marketing and business support is Easy Teasy, a Newcastle based purveyor of fine loose leaf tea founded in 2014 by Tom Webb, 23, and Luci Cowie, 21.  Originally formed as part of a university module designed to give students a real world experience of running a company, Easy Teasy triumphed in local and regional heats in the Young Enterprise Start-up programme, before going on to win Best Investment Proposal and Best Trade Stand awards at the national final.

Since becoming a limited company in July, the luxury brew specialist have shown incredible business acumen and drive by diversifying into new markets, including tea infused chocolate thanks to a partnership with local chocolatiers The Chocolate Smiths.  The young entrepreneurs have other exciting plans for 2016, which will see them introduce exclusive glassware to their range, and move into new markets including leisure and hospitality.

Esme Flounders, marketing and communications director at Narrative, said: “Narrative prides itself on offering a range of high quality, high value marketing services.  We know that marketing can take a good business to great places, but realise that new companies often struggle to find the money to invest in such an essential area.  So many of the region’s businesses could amplify their success if they just had this level of marketing investment.

“I know how hard the first few years of business can be and I’m delighted that Narrative is going to be supporting some of the most exciting new businesses in the North East and beyond, helping them to achieve their business goals faster.

“Easy Teasy is a fantastic company with huge potential in the marketplace and we’re really looking forward to working with them to supercharge their success using the full range of marketing communications tools.”

Tom Webb, director of Easy Teasy, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have been offered such an exciting opportunity by Narrative.  I really believe that their input could be the big break we need to expand Easy Teasy from a regional brand.  Being a start-up company with limited resources, support with PR and communications is exactly what we need at the moment, so we are very excited to start working with the team.”

The CSR initiative follows a successful 2015 for Narrative. In addition to growing staff numbers to 16, the company also recently moved to bigger premises at the North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC) in Sunderland.  Narrative will identify a second company to benefit from their CSR initiative in the summer.

By admin