Corporate communications is a wide-ranging subject - and its scope is often not fully appreciated.

Delivered effectively, corporate communications helps organisations navigate modern information landscapes.

It underpins the building of strong relationships and drives organisations forward towards strategic business objectives.

Yet misconceptions remain common. In broad summary, corporate comms is:

• Not just press releases. PR and media campaigns are particular tactical components of overarching comms strategy. Corporate comms covers all aspects of internal and external activity.
• Not just crisis management. Crisis comms is a specialist function which is prepared in readiness and actioned in response to situation.  Corporate comms looks to proactively build and maintain organisational reputation.
• Not ‘spin’. Corporate comms is about presenting truthful, clear, and consistent messages that are deeply intertwined with your business strategy. It’s also about listening and engaging with your various stakeholders.

So what does 1284 do? And what does its corporate comms achieve?

Below are answers to 11 questions we often get asked about how we help organisations like yours.

What services does 1284 offer?

We offer a wide range of strategic services. 

They are broadly grouped under stakeholder engagement, corporate identity, and reputation management. 

In practical terms, this means we and our associates provide:

• internal comms (including annual reports, impact reports, brochures, and strategy plans)
• written PR campaigns (such as event comms, press releases, and copywriting)
• media relations
• media training
• SEO writing (typically using keyword analysis to optimise website copy and development)
• thought leadership, speeches, and columns (to position clients in industries or markets)
• award nominations
• B2B digital marketing (largely through website builds, newsletter, and LinkedIn)
• bid writing.

Which industries does 1284 specialise in? 

We work across public, private, and higher education. 

1284 specialises in organisations operating in and around East Midlands small business innovation. For example, we promote individual entrepreneurs and SMEs through B2B comms campaigns.

We also work on increasing public engagement with public-private economic development programmes. For example, we communicate with small businesses and residents in G2B campaigns on behalf of Government growth programmes.

Finally, 1284 works in ‘political’ comms environments. For example, we use our experience of reporting on local government around the UK to provide stakeholder engagement campaigns for councils, housing associations, and local enterprise partnerships.

What organisations does 1284 work with? 

All types of organisations. Our clients range from charities and social entrepreneurs, to startups, SMEs, and local government.

What they have in common is that they have interesting stories to tell about leading change through innovation, development, and enterprise in the East Midlands.

How does 1284 measure campaigns?

We believe strongly in transparency around communications outcomes. We like to explain to our clients the meaning behind audience numbers. 

1284 is constantly working to develop new ways of measuring campaign outputs.

We use industry-leading analytics tools - including Signal AI and SEMrush - to give clients the best data about their campaigns and competitive environment.

Using these tools means we can analyse everything from social media engagement to sentiment analysis, referral traffic and stakeholder feedback.

What sets 1284 apart from competitors?

We pride ourselves on providing bespoke communication solutions tailored to our clients' specific needs.

1284 looks beyond simply making noise. Instead, we are interested in targeted interventions that sway audience and influencer decision-making.

It is an approach which saw us recognised by the CIPR with its Mark of Excellence in 2023. 

1284 are Chartered practitioners, leveraging our industry knowledge, strategic insight, and East Midlands networks to deliver impactful communication strategies that drive results.

Does 1284 handle crisis communication? 

Yes - but we only offer crisis support to existing clients. As experienced media executives we are trained to manage fast-moving crisis situations. 

However, we provide crisis comms solely to organisations with which we are familiar. This means we are able to provide fast, tailored advice.

If we are not familiar with your organisation, we will signpost to alternative specialist crisis communicators.

How does 1284 provide ROI?

We start every client relationship with an in-depth discovery phase. This allows us to understand your brand, values, and identity. 

We also work to understand the objectives of your Business Plan. We then incorporate this understanding into a tailored communication strategy, using the Government Communication Service’s OASIS planning framework.

The OASIS framework includes a section for scoring - which we aim to set KPIs that feed in to your Business Plan objectives.

What is the 1284 approach to media relations? 

We believe in building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with the media. 

1284 works to understand the needs of individual journalists and to provide them with timely, relevant, and quality news packages about your organisation.

We always aim to understand your audience’s audience.

What is 1284’s experience with digital media? 

George led digital transformation programmes at two of the country’s largest online regional news titles. This involved extensive management training and implementation of SEO, social media, UX, newsletters, and more for large news audiences. As Editor of the Leicester Mercury he led the launch of LeicestershireLive.

Can 1284 provide references or case studies? 

Yes - our ebook features case studies, ratings, and reviews from clients. 

If you are interested in feedback relating specifically to your sector, we can arrange a short 1-1 call with an SLT-level 1284 client in a similar situation.

How much do 1284 services cost?

It varies. Project work is popular with local authorities and universities, with typical projects including targeted PR campaigns, staff training, brochures, copywriting, and consultancy. Prices start from £749+VAT.

Our most in-demand service for small businesses is retained communications. We help you develop a strategic communications plan and then execute it, reporting back monthly on outcomes. Prices vary depending upon what's required, please contact for an estimate.

For certain East Midlands startups and charities, our 1284START project offers reduced rates for media support and small PR campaigns from £395+VAT.