From zero to hero in a pandemic
Razor PR bucked the trend during a year defined by cutbacks and closures. By Georgina Crouth
It takes some chutzpah to kick off the new year by forming a company in a depressed economy. Two months later, it’s put through the test of a global pandemic, staff are dispatched to a work-from-home setup and established competitors are falling by the wayside. And yet, you’re bucking the trend by hiring new senior staff and securing some of SA’s biggest names as clients. To boot, you are shortlisted by Adfocus for the PR Agency of the Year Award.
Launching on 2 January, Razor PR has shown the importance of keeping a cool head and a sharp focus on the end game.
As the PR and reputation management arm of M&C Saatchi, Razor went from hot-desking in the group’s Johannesburg office to earning its own space.
With no clients to begin with and the odds stacked against it, Razor has defied the odds by becoming M&C Saatchi Plc’s fastest-growing “start-up” ever to launch globally.
Seasoned reputation manager Dustin Chick – Razor’s managing partner – says they did it all by working remotely in one of the most punishing environments in living memory.
“Any analyst will tell you launching an agency in a depressed economy is a bad idea. We launched on 2 January and by March we were in hard lockdown,” Chick says.
Faced with either giving up or staying on track, their persistence paid off. That’s because they had no reason not to succeed.
“We believed in what we were trying to do and it’s yielded unbelievable results. We went from no clients to 16. It’s the fastest growth in the history of the company.”
Chick says their growth is an indication that they are doing the right kind of work, which is at the heart of why they were shortlisted by AdFocus for the PR agency award.
“We’re focusing on doing better PR, which is proving successful for our clients and our retention. We’re a closeknit group of smart people who do the great work.”
At a time when most messaging is around Covid-19, Razor has not been distracted from “normal” work because, Covid or no Covid, companies have rather typical strategic communication needs.
It’s been a humbling experience,
Chick admits, in a year when many agencies were forced to close or cut staff numbers or salaries.
Razor has not only retained staff but also recruited more – and landed clients such as BDO, Investec Life, Didata, Discovery Network channels, Takealot, Tiger Brands and Newzroom Afrika, and taken on pro bono work for Sanef.
“Most importantly, it has been about our people. We have recruited and created opportunities at a time when agencies (and their clients) are reducing headcount... The focus [is] on crafting and delivering powerful conversations.”
In July, Razor launched the Clarity Charter pledge for accounting firm BDO, positioning it as an ethical leader among global auditing peers, tainted in recent years by corruption and greed.
In August, Razor bucked the sugar-coating trend of “Women’s Month” with the #ChangeforHer campaign, calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to amend the SA coat of arms to represent women and to spark conversations around change in an environment rife with gender-based violence.
Within days of its launch, the conversation had already reached more than 500, 000 people, including backing from the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
Tiger Brands, which is blamed for the worst listeriosis outbreak in history, has credited its partnership with Razor for helping to move its reputation from “crisis mode” to positive sentiment for the first time in years.
And for Sanef, Razor helped to produce a documentary about the role of journalists in society, especially during a pandemic.
“We wanted to challenge PR to do better, produce more meaningful work, create a healthier culture for people and clients, and deliver creatively and strategically powerful work that delivered meaningful impact for the businesses we service,” Chick explains.
Mike Abel, the group CEO of M&C Saatchi South Africa, is bullish about the Razor team. M&C Saatchi has itself been shortlisted in two categories at this year’s AdFocus Awards, for Large Agency of the Year and for Partnership of the Year, with its client Takealot.
“I’m a firm believer that the people with the best people win – and that couldn’t be truer about Dustin and his entire team. He is, unequivocally, the best person to be leading our PR arm, building Razor from the ground up. The group is behind him, every step of the way,” says Abel.