Evri

In the year that Evri celebrated its 50^th anniversary, the UK's biggest dedicated parcel delivery company tripled the size of its recently established in-house PR team as it took the opportunity to reposition the brand from a historically negative perception to the nation’s favourite parcel delivery service.

The new team had several clear objectives:

• Increase positive media coverage by 20 per cent

• Reduce negative coverage by 20 per cent

• Improve the ‘kill rate’ on negative stories

Its strategic plan focused around the ‘5 Rs’ framework: resource, relationships, relevance, rebuttal and reach. Operating as a hybrid press office, working on a rota to ensure round-the-clock coverage, the team also established cross-functional collaborations across internal communications, HR, operations, customer service, digital and design to ensure a consistent message across the company.

This close collaboration also came into its own when Evri suffered a fire at a depot in Avonmouth, Bristol, allowing the media team to deliver fast and accurate updates.

The team recognised, however, that building relationships with the media would be key to achieving its goals. Evri’s senior leadership was given training and tailored briefings to give them confidence in dealing with the media, while the team proactively engaged with key journalists (identified after a media audit) with a steady flow of relevant stories.

Again, the cross-operational collaboration came into its own, as the team identified a pipeline of positive stories that aligned with business priorities, from social value initiatives, customer protection, growth to job creation.

Strategic sell-ins to national, regional, trade, broadcast media and newswires coupled with dynamic evaluation of coverage, including sentiment analysis and media metrics, provided the leadership with clarity on both the impact of the new strategy and return on the investment.

Established in Yorkshire (initially as Grattan Mail Order) in 1974, the team sent journalists anniversary packages on Yorkshire Day, containing local treats and a report detailing Evri’s heritage and growth. These prompted interview requests and widespread positive coverage.

Across the year, Evri’s team received 190 media enquiries, of which 168 were negative, reflecting the scrutiny of a business with a large, predominantly self-employed courier workforce. Negative issues were often heightened by social media, requiring rapid responses from the team.

As the team itself said, ‘balancing a proactive news agenda with reactive crisis management was a constant challenge, alongside overcoming historical scepticism of the brand within national and trade media’, while resource constraints meant each story or media asset had to be impactful and carefully crafted, to ensure they could work across multiple channels.

In total, Evri’s team secured a record 6,569 pieces of media coverage in 2024. Almost eight in ten articles (79 per cent) were positive, up from just over half of all coverage the previous year (53 per cent). Negative coverage fell by 41 per cent, while a one-third ‘kill rate’ was achieved on negative queries.

Historically, December, the peak month for deliveries, was challenging for Evri in terms of coverage, but the new team ensured it became the most positive month ever, with 2,604 positive pieces of coverage.

Independent data confirmed the impact. YouGov Brandwatch reported a 6.4 point rise in overall impression scores and a 4.3 point increase in satisfaction, which outperformed market averages. Similarly, independent research conducted between March and November revealed a four percent increase in positive sentiment over the eight months.

The judges said the team ‘exemplifies the qualities, we're looking for. Strong teamwork. Clear strategy. Excellent relationship building and measurable impact. Their work, demonstrates maturity, cohesion and innovation.

‘Uncommon for a newly formed team. The transformation of a reputationally challenged brand through disciplined media relations, is particularly impressive.’