Introducing… The Play Group
Playtime PR unveils The Play Group – an expanded new global collective of PR agencies
13 September 2021
Playtime PR has expanded its global alliance of partner agencies, rebranding this collective as The Play Group. Teaming up with other brilliant, values-driven agencies around the world, this new evolution of their global network – which was first established in 2018 – sees even more expert agencies collaborating on client brands with global PR and comms needs.
The strategic move ensures Playtime’s clients have access to expert PR solutions in even more territories, as the agency has identified and partnered with playful specialists in the USA, Germany, Italy and Spain. The Play Group’s founding members are:
Playtime PR – covering the UK and headed up by CEO, Lesley Singleton, and Director of Strategy & Creative, Ceriann Smith
PlayWise Partners – covering the USA and led by Co-Founders Sheena Stephens and Rachel Griffin
blattertPR – covering Germany and Austria, and led by twin-sister Managing Partners Sabine Blattert and Miriam Blattert
Be Now Comunicacion – covering Spain and headed by sibling Founders Begoña Gonzalez and Pablo Gonzalez
Pragmatika – covering Italy, led by President & CEO Rossella Lucangelo
Enabling each agency’s teams and clients to tap into insights from other territories to help sensitively localise strategies and deliver campaigns in a more authentic and culturally-relevant way, The Play Group is a flexible solution for existing clients seeking a similar agency approach in other countries, as well as for new brands seeking a one-agency-style approach but with truly localised solutions.
Commenting on the thinking behind the launch of The Play Group, Playtime PR’s Lesley Singleton says, “Increasingly, we found that our global clients would say ‘We want Playtime, but in all our key territories please, not just the UK’ – which is a massive kudos to our UK team and work, but a bit of a challenge, even with our 100% flexible working model! So, we set about identifying the right agencies to build this Group with – it couldn’t be just anyone, it had to be those that shared our playfully brilliant work ethic, our values and passion, our no-nonsense results-driven style… The agencies you see here as we launch The Play Group are exactly the right fit. Some have a similar model to ours, some were born just before or during the pandemic – what they all have in common is a desire to create excellent work for their clients, always.”
Rachel Griffin, Co-Founder, PlayWise Partners, adds “We are honored to join The Play Group and our esteemed colleagues across the globe. Having this strategic alliance will allow us to service our clients on a global scale.”
Miriam Blattert, Founder & Managing Partner of blattertPR, comments, “We‘ve been working successfully with Playtime PR for more than three years. Our first common client was Rollplay in 2018. With the new global alliance, we’re looking forward to building up the international network and synergies together. We’ll connect with other agencies focussing on the toys and nursery sector – that’s a big benefit for all of us. Our goal? To provide our clients with professional communication at eye-level – from all over the world.”
Begona Gonzalez, Founder, Be Now Comunicacion, says, “We are pleased to join The Play Group, a great group of international professionals, that lets us offer our clients an international service in core countries such as UK, USA, Italy and Germany. This is an important milestone for Be Now, thus consolidating our position in the Spanish market and taking an important step towards internationalisation.”
Rossella Lucangelo, President & CEO, Pragmatika, comments, “In addition to specific technical skills, communication implies the activation of the right synergies. We are very demanding, often much more than our customers, which is why we pay close attention to what is happening around internationally. For the same reason, and with the specific aim of maintaining a high-level professional standard, we are pleased to offer our collaboration to an ambitious network such as The Play Group.”
