We created the Tribe Focus initiative to support our Members and Partners. Each issue will focus on a different Member agency or business Partner. 

For our second issue we interviewed Sam Gregory at Tangerine, our creative communications Member agency located in Manchester, UK. 

Find out more about Tangerine, the latest news from England and what they are doing to support their clients during the Corona virus crisis.

Hello Sam, tell me a little bit about Tangerine, how do you describe your agency to clients and potential clients?

Tangerine has evolved its offer enormously over the past 10 years, in particular. We have built on a strong PR heritage to become a leading digitally focussed creative communications agency that works with clients across the globe. 

We specialise in applying our storytelling and communications expertise across all digital and social media, combing strategic thinking with creative content to change the way people think and behave on and offline. Essentially, we exist to help brands solve problems, think differently, be more influential and connect with people. 

We also launched our sister company, The Juice Academy, in 2013 to help create the next generation of social media professionals. This was the UK’s first industry-led social media apprenticeship. By bringing together young people and industry, the Juice Academy has trained and created jobs for more than 300 graduates and school leavers. Something we’re very proud of.

How long has Tangerine been in business?

The agency was established by our Chair, Sandy Lindsay MBE, 18 years ago to prove that it is possible to run an ethical and profitable business. Today we employ 65 people and that ethos is still at the heart of how we operate. 

Our people are our biggest asset, so our culture is very important to us. We invest a lot in wellbeing and professional development, and creating an environment that helps people and ideas flourish. In 2017 we also became employee owned, which means that everyone has a stake in the business and has a say in how we run it. 

You are based in Manchester - tell me a bit about your city.

It’s no surprise that Manchester is known globally as a forward-thinking city that is leading the way in digital and tech. It has always been a melting pot of innovation and creativity underpinned by a tenacious and entrepreneurial approach to doing business and getting things done.

It’s also a fantastic place to live and work. It’s very inspirational and is home to some brilliant events on a local and international scale, so there’s always something going on. The buzz of the place is contagious and one of the best things about the city is its diversity – in terms of its culture, community and architecture. 

Going back to business, who are your key clients?

Our clients do business in the UK and across the world. We work with them in many different ways, covering the UK market as well as multiple territories globally. We work across many sectors with both consumer and B2B brands, including Specsavers, PPG, Topcon, Pizza Hut and Ideal Standard. 

What is it that clients like about Tangerine? What do you do that is special?

We are seen as business consultants by the brands we work with and we’re very proud of the strong relationships we’ve built with every one of them. We believe this is driven by our ethos of only working with brands when we know we can make a real difference. We know what we’re good at and we stick to it. 

We are completely focussed on achieving real business results and we invest a lot of time in getting to know our clients and their challenges. We listen to their needs, learn about their audiences and analyse their markets. When we know where the brand will really come alive, we develop creative strategies and campaigns that make them shine.

We are in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic, what is the latest news from England?

It has been an incredibly uncertain time adjusting to a new normal, but people have risen to the challenge. Obviously our main concerns have been around the health of our friends, families and colleagues, and doing what we can to limit the spread of the virus and keep people safe. It feels like we are now entering the recovery stage and while we remain hopeful, we’re also realistic, as this is such an unpredictable situation.

Are you doing anything new or different to support your clients through the Corona Virus crisis?

Thanks to digital connectivity, our people have moved seamlessly into a new way of remote working. But pre-Covid19, we didn’t necessarily work a conventional 9am-5pm day, so we’ve always had an agile approach to how, where and when we work in order to achieve the best result for our clients.

Now more than ever, digital communication has become a personal and professional lifeline in terms of connecting, educating, informing and entertaining, and we have helped our clients make the most of the opportunity in ways that are right for their brand and their audiences. For example, for some that has meant switching to a completely social strategy and for others it’s been about creating online platforms to launch products in completely new ways.

What can you offer other Tribe Members and Partners?

We work with partners typically in one of two ways. Firstly, we obviously know the UK market very well and can develop and implement communication strategies that help brands strengthen their position here. Secondly, we also work globally or in key markets with brands and their agency partners providing insights, strategies, activation and training, specifically around using digital and social channels. We love working with like-minded agencies who are ambitious on behalf of their clients and strive to do things differently.

What have you done recently that you are most proud of?

As we’ve said, our people are most important to us and making them feel looked after and supported during the chaos of the pandemic has been paramount. We have put a lot of thought into getting this right and developed an approach that focussed on three things; providing practical support, encouraging wellbeing and ensuring regular communication.

The feedback from the team has been brilliant. Everyone has stepped up and we are incredibly proud of their resilience, dedication, positivity and support for each other and our clients.

Who is your favourite football team?

Of course, I’d have to say the greatest team in the world, Manchester United.

View the agency's work  here . 

E-mail: sam.gregory@tangerinecomms.com