Friends & Co is a strategic, London-based PR and marketing agency that promotes global brands with design at their core. We fuse creative concepts, collaborations and product development with many years of media relations experience to ensure our clients’ stories are told and heard.

A unique approach

Volume of clients has never been our goal – we only work with companies for whom we can add value in some way. Our select portfolio ranges from craft-driven products and exceptional design and architecture practices to world-class materials and high-profile events, which means we can devise creative, relevant collaborations that will benefit the client, and be of interest to journalists.

Furniture & Craftmanship
Another Country, Carl Hansen, Louis Poulsen

Designers & Architects
Nulty, Run for the Hills, Sarah Wigglesworth, Waugh Thistleton

Industry Products & Materials
AHEC, Aritco, Ultrafabrics

Design Fairs
ARCHITECT@WORK

At the start of every client relationship we establish key objectives, markets and audiences. Drawing on our backgrounds in journalism and marketing, we then work out a strategic communications plan that fits in with the company’s business strategy.

We see ourselves as an extension of our clients’ team – by working with Friends & Co you have direct, daily access to two senior practitioners. We also have a network of freelancers that we can call on when particular expertise is required.

PR & Creative Collaboration

If we didn’t count some of the most influential design and interiors journalists as friends, we wouldn’t get the results we do. Our global press database includes writers, editors and influencers and an international network of people who we call on to activate particular regions.

Friends & Co is adept at generating responsive press coverage with almost no notice, or developing broad, strategic global campaigns to promote installations or collections that have been planned for months.

The PR campaign for Habitat's Graphic Africa exhibition during London Design Festival generated coverage in all key target titles, drummed up footfall. The commercial collection sold out.

Our client American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) collaborated with Waugh Thistleton Architects, another client, on MultiPly, the landmark project of the London Design Festival 2018

Business Development & Retail Strategy

Friends & Co offer expertise in the design marketplace beyond public relations to reach consumers, B2B audiences and the design and architecture community.

We work with companies to strengthen their brands through thought leadership, refreshed collateral, networking opportunities or the right retail partnership.

Homeware collection Makers for Selfridges curated by Friends and Co PR and Marketing agency — Friends & Co commissioned a selection of eight designers and makers to create a homeware collection for iconic department store Selfridges.

PR Marketing Dubai Design Week 2016 — B2B magazine for Dubai Design Week 2016 produced by Friends & Co

Events & Social Media

Events supported and promoted via social media are a critical way to animate any design or architecture brand to the press and the public. We also offer broader advice on social media strategy.

ARCHITECT@WORK 2017, Olympia, London — By commissioning articles by a top architectural journalist and curating a programme of compelling, topical lectures and panel discussions promoted via Twitter, Friends&Co helped to increase footfall to ARCHITECT@WORK in London by 30%.

Dezeen panel discussion Artico stockholm — Swedish residential lift brand Aritco sponsored a panel discussion during Stockholm Design Festival which was live-streamed on dezeen.com and promoted on social media, driving 50,000 unique visits to its website.