Fourth award recognition for Freshfield and Lancashire County Council’s #AskForHelp campaign

Freshfield has reached the final three entries in the Best B2B Campaign category at the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)’s Just.Marketing Awards for our work with Lancashire County Council’s £6m Business Growth Hub, Boost.

Freshfield devised and ran #AskForHelp campaign which transformed the Growth Hub into a support service dedicated to helping worried business owners impacted by coronavirus.

The shortlist announcement is the latest marketing awards recognition for #AskForHelp.

The campaign won Best B2B Campaign at last year’s Northern Marketing Awards and was Highly Commended at the Prolific North Awards 2020. It was also shortlisted at the Creative Moments Award 2020.

Simon Turner, chief executive, Freshfield said: “The overall purpose of our marketing role for the Growth Hub is to encourage Lancashire business owners and leaders to engage with funded support and also to provide insights which can improve the decision making of Lancashire businesses.

“#AskForHelp delivered this in uniquely challenging circumstances. We worked closely with Lancashire County Council and more than 300 public and private sector partners to pivot Boost’s business support from growth to resilience and spread this message across the county.

“As a collective, we have provided a crucial support service to people in business going through difficult times and we take great pride in that.”

The fully integrated campaign included repositioning Boost’s website to include a business advice hub and a multi-channel marketing campaign to encourage people to ring Boost’s support helpline and ask for help on issues surrounding finance, continuity and health and safety.

The #AskForHelp campaign was launched in just four days and has helped over 7,000 people through the Boost website and via Boost’s helpline.

Andrew Leeming, programme manager, Boost, said: “#AskForHelp showed the true extent of how the Growth Hub can support Lancashire’s business community at a time it was needed most. It was a huge challenge to deliver this project given the timescales and Freshfield delivered exceptional results.

“The advice to business throughout the campaign was simple and this offer remains for all business owners and managers affects by the pandemic: ask for help. Ring our helpline. Let us help and support your business through the unique challenges it is currently facing.”

Winners for this year’s Just.Marketing awards will be announced online on January 21 on the Just.Marketing twitter page.