Bluestripe Group: Building a new model for media and communications

The founders of Bluestripe Group discuss how the business was formed, why the unique model works, and what it means for readers, clients and partners.

How did the business come about?

LYDIA: When Andy left The Drum, having enjoyed helping take the business as far as he felt he could, we looked at setting up a business together. And that’s how we founded Bluestripe.

We saw a gap in the market. With Andy’s background in the marketing and advertising, media, and publishing spaces, and with my background in PR and marketing, we had the potential to create a really good business. We had it in mind that Justin would join us, which gave us a compelling trio of skillsets. We bring different backgrounds, different approaches, different opinions, and different ways of doing things. And it means we’ve managed to bring together a really strong team of people across the company, and enabled us to create this unique structure and unique offer.

How does the model work?

LYDIA: We offer PR, we offer content, and we have our own media. That’s quite unique. There are some agencies that will have the content side, but they don’t have the means of distribution. New Digital Age and Ecommerce Age aren’t the only outlets for our clients, but offer an additional media opportunity.

We have a really strong B2B-focused PR team from a variety of backgrounds. We have writers from journalistic backgrounds, who write with that journalistic approach. And the media side enables us to have a voice in the market and be on top of trends and what’s really going on. But that’s independent from the other two parts of the business.

How is friction managed between the different pillars of the business? 

JUSTIN: We always run our media titles as independent operations. We said from day one that we would write about the things we find interesting, that we believe our audience will find valuable. We’ve always been transparent that we will write about our clients.

 Our clients are some of the biggest and best companies in the business, so why wouldn’t we! At the same time, we will write about our clients’ competitors.

 When I started in journalism 20 years ago, there was no way a publisher could have launched a PR agency. Or a PR agency launch a credible media title. Today, the world is very different and as long as you have respect for your audience and focus on delivering value, a new model like ours works incredibly well.

Why does it work so well? 

ANDY: It works because all those things knit together quite nicely. I don’t see any problem at all with having an agency and a media arm in the same business. In B2B trade press and communications, it’s a perfectly logical next step. It means we probably won’t win a publishing award or a PR award, because no one quite knows where we fit, but I’m happy with that.

How do clients and partners benefit?

JUSTIN: By creating a strong independent media brand like NDA, which has a large senior, influential audience, it’s a place where our clients will want to be.

Our PR arm makes sure our clients are present in all the other great publications in the market. But, at the same time, we’ve created our own media, which is of equal or sometimes higher value than the other media outlets.

How is the company growing?

ANDY: We recently launched a second media title, Ecommerce Age. It’s an exciting and fast-moving area of technology that is impacting everyone’s lives and there is space in the market for a new dedicated title.

We’re also launching Bluestripe Connect. We can do the media outreach for clients, we can create their content, we can put it in our own media. The last part is helping our brilliant clients and partners make true business connections. Bluestripe Connect, a lead generation business that will launch this month, will do exactly that.

What are the company’s biggest achievements so far?

ANDY: The size of the clients we’ve attracted. These are industry-leading and shaping companies that trust us to do a good job and aren’t afraid of a company using a new model.

LYDIA: Doubling in size last year, despite the difficult environment, and the way we’ve developed ‘Practice Makes Unperfect’ with Amy Kean. With the course, we’re developing the speakers of the future.

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