Higginson’s co-founders John and Clodagh were featured in this week’s X+Why Meet the Member series. Check it out to find out why Higginson was founded, what it takes to run a successful campaign and much more!
Could you give us a brief introduction to Higginson and what you are about?
We are a communications agency for purpose-driven organisations; We are three years old now with offices in London, Manchester and soon to be the US.
Share a little more about your background and role within Higginson
I am one of two founders with my wife Clodagh. We were both political journalists working in Parliament for national newspapers.I headed the media teams at two different public affairs agencies before launching Higginson Strategy.
Why is purpose becoming such a central focus?
Consumers are becoming much more aware of their power. While social media means they can speak directly and publicly to corporations. It’s a good thing because it means that organisations that try to bullshit their customers with greenwash get called out pretty quickly.
Even 10 years ago firms might have been able to focus their communications on a very small portion of their business to magnify that. Oil companies did this for a while, where their entire communications and PR operation was all about 2% of their renewable output whilst the 98% fossil fuel business carried on as normal. This isn’t really possible any more.
Organisations turn to us to help them change from the inside not stick a veneer on. We have a mix of clients: NGOs, charities and the public sector come to us because of our KPI driven business mindset. Corporations and businesses come to us because we genuinely act and think like an NGO.
We have the heart of an NGO and the head of a corporation, we are always thinking about the triple bottom line but not forgetting profit which sometimes those looking to do good can do. Even NGOs are funded by someone – these funders want to clearly see the impact they are having by investing their money in one place as opposed to another, that’s where we come in.
Read the rest of the interview here