On March 26th, 1999 Kelly Marks and Cara Ward stepped into their very first office with big dreams to build brands they felt had a valuable place in the market and a wonderful story to tell.
With a dial-up modem to check email, two desks, a meeting table borrowed from the office upstairs, and a determination to succeed, Cara and Kelly signed their first client, The Curtain Exchange, and the second one, Sean Hanna, the day after.
Since then, with a tremendous team of Purettes, they have grown the business strategically, steadily and always with brands they admire and people they respect.
In late March, PuRe celebrated their silver anniversary, quite a milestone as many PR agencies have come and gone over the years.
Kelly Marks who heads the beauty and wellness team explains, “We’re a different type of PR agency, one that thinks differently and works our brands into culture, it’s why our clients see themselves on television, at pop concerts, in theatres, thriving on all social channels and used by the greatest experts, and most famous faces the world over. We pride ourselves on Connection, Creativity, Commitment and Collaboration, working across PR, influencer, social media, licensing and talent.”
Having worked with some of the best-known brands in the business, Cara Ward explains, “When we look over our client portfolio and see brands like Method, Molton Brown, Kenneth Turner, Nina Campbell, Philip Kingsley, Burt’s Bees Malin + Goetz, e.l.f., Moroccanoil, Andrew Martin Brintons Carpets, LSA, Tom Howley and more, we really feel proud of what we’ve achieved for them and how we continue to propel our clients into new markets through collaborations and licensing too.”
Having always been at the front of industry developments, PuRe was the first agency to host a cross-brand influencer event and the first to make a stand against waste packaging in PR mailers when they launched the Packaging Promise some years ago.
The future is bright as PuRe continues to strengthen their team and work with some of the best brands in the business.
Cara and Kelly celebrated with some industry friends including Newby Hands, Caroline Hirons, Jane Cunningham, Deborah Joseph, Lesley Thomas, Giles Kime, Ben Spriggs and Jackie Daly over breakfast at Claridges. Purette alumni were also invited to toast PuRe’s 25th anniversary with bubbles, a vintage-style cake and hand-drawn portraits by @daria.world.
“Getting the gang together was magical." explains Kelly Marks, “Those who have started their careers with us, those who left and returned, those who moved on to work for big global businesses, some who have started their own agencies and our longest serving superstar, Laura Morris, who has been with us for 15 years.”
A great time was had by all.
Image credit: @richardyounggallery
