'A first-class
media relations, communications and publicity specialist.’ Vanessa Lawrence

‘The best press release
I have seen in many
a year.’
Allen Jewhurst 

‘It was wonderful to be able to hand over a half-baked idea and have it turned into a very effective piece of print.’ Karen Brazier

‘Great insights – I appreciate your valuable skills and experience.’ Brook Pearce

‘(I) have really appreciated your thorough, intelligent and balanced approach.’
Leigh Carter

 

 

 

 

‘Thank your for your phenomenal contribution to our success.’
Prof. David Rhind

Philip and Judith Round of round2it have a great portfolio of successful projects to their names, having completed commissions for businesses and organizations ranging from home-based enterprises to giant national corporations and government departments.

Simply click on any of the highlighted topics to go straight to examples of work they have undertaken, or scroll down the page to get a fuller overview of their output.  There are many more examples of successful commissions in the Past Projects section of this website.

Their work includes preparing press releases with impact; crafting promotional leaflets and brochures; campaign planning and implementation; drawing up strategic plans and reviews; preparing web content; editing or writing magazines, newsletters and publications; assisting with speech writing and briefings and organizing training sessions.

Press releases with impact

We have a great track record of securing media coverage through writing effective press stories and pitching creative ideas to journalists.  Here are just three examples:

• Literally hundreds of separate news and feature articles have appeared to date in newspapers in Courtenay, Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Ottawa – with many others in UK publications.
  
  
• Several company profiles highlighting business success stories on Vancouver Island have been prepared and published in the press, including articles about Woodland Flooring, Natural Pastures Cheese Company, Original Restorations, Middle Mountain Mead and Hazelmere Farms.
  
  
• Media publicity kits have been created for easy adaptation by managers of 60 franchised digital data stores across the country offering appealing local angles to routine national announcements.

Promotional leaflets and brochures

We have been involved in the preparation of many effective leaflets, flyers and brochures for organizations large and small. Three examples:

• The Best of the West: a promotional brochure bringing together a series of public and private sector visitor attractions to boost attendances through cooperative marketing.
  
  
• Transforming the Riversides: a before-and-after look at how urban regeneration projects have changed two major industrialized valleys for the better.
  
  
• Keeping you posted: an eight-page public information brochure aimed at simplifying the essential but complex work of a national postal service.

Integrated campaign planning and implementation

Sometimes people need more than a good press release or individual leaflet.  A detailed, integrated and creative campaign plan may be required, with actual implementation carried out either by external suppliers or the client’s own staff.  Here are three examples:

• A comprehensive communications strategy for Ordnance Survey – a government trading agency – was devised and implemented, resulting in a quadrupling of positive media coverage.

• Media releases, case studies and marketing proposals were prepared to support a proposed ‘gourmet tourism’ promotion by Comox Valley Tourism.

• Detailed communications or marketing strategies were drawn up for the Comox Valley Labour Futures Project and for Community Futures Strathcona on Vancouver Island.

Strategic plans and reviews

We have been involved in researching, writing or editing a number of major strategic plans and reviews.  While the actual content of these is almost always confidential to the commissioning client, the following examples give a flavour of our work:

• Two in-depth reviews examining Further Education Colleges in Hampshire and UK Online Centres in south-east England were prepared by Judith for UK government agencies.  She has also written an action plan for CALLS: The Comox Valley Community Adult Learning and Literacy Society.

• Philip worked on the successful bid to the UK National Lottery securing the equivalent of $80 million (Canadian) towards the Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour Millennium Project to boost economic development and tourism. The entire project is now complete.

• The Tyne and Wear Action Plan – a detailed report setting out development opportunities that could be pursued by an urban regeneration agency to breathe new life in to a declining industrial area – was drafted by Philip. 

Web content

In addition to this site, here are three examples of our other web work to demonstrate a variety of copywriting styles: 

• The editorial framework and comprehensive initial content for the online National Media Centre for map publisher Ordnance Survey was prepared by Philip. (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/media)

• We edited the messages on the principal pages of the Community Futures Strathcona website to encourage greater understanding and take-up of the corporation’s services to entrepreneurs. (www.communityfutures-strathcona.com).

• We wrote a series of ‘fun’ editorial web pages to foster longer visits to the Pet Treat Bakery site, where readers are apparently addressed by the business owners’ dogs and cats. (www.pettreatbakery.ca)

Magazines, newsletters and publications

Philip has a portfolio of projects to his name ranging from straightforward newsletters and monthly magazines through to prestigious glossy reports and bookstore publications. Here are three examples:

• Edited Flagship, an award-winning municipal magazine with a circulation of 83,000 copies designed to inform Portsmouth citizens about new services and community activities.

• Researched and wrote three high profile Annual Reports to Parliament for Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency.

• For three years wrote and laid out Seen and Heard, a monthly 20-page newsletter for BBC television and radio staff.

 Speeches and briefings

• Briefings and speech notes for specific events have been prepared for several high-profile figures in business, politics and education, including the then UK Prime Minister John Major and the then Governor of the Bank of England, Edward George.

Training initiatives  

• Presentations or workshops focusing on securing positive media coverage have been given to a variety of Vancouver Island groups, including Community Futures, the Chamber of Commerce, Business Network International, the Home-Based Business Association, Rotary Clubs and the Women’s Business Network.

• Training courses on creating effective press releases have also been organized for high-profile national organizations such as the BBC and Civic Trust.

• Judith has worked as a facilitator with a number of Boards and senior management teams to help them develop new strategic aims and action plans.