Our approach

About Barley

Introductions first – we are James Ford and Sam Williams and we’re partners in Barley Communications. In 2016, we decided to set out on our own, having worked together at big agencies for over ten years.

Above all, we wanted to make a difference on issues that matter to us. We saw an opportunity to create a new kind of agency – smart, agile and with a clear focus on maximizing the impact we achieve for our clients. An agency full of bright, energetic people, using the latest technology and flexible working practices – keeping overheads low and passing that benefit on to our clients.

When you work with Barley, we want you to be able to say that:

  • Barley is good to work with – that we act with integrity and operate in a transparent way
  • Barley delivers – the quality is high and we add value through our insights, advice and creativity
  • You benefit from big agency thinking at boutique prices

And what’s in a name? Why Barley? Well, it’s wholesome, honest, versatile and felt like a good representation of the kind of agency we wanted to create – one firmly rooted in straightforward integrity.

We’d love to meet you and discuss how we can help you reach your goals.

“I am delighted to be working with Barley on the external affairs agenda at Mondelēz International, the home of Cadbury. I know I will get fantastic support to land proactive communications campaigns, along with strategic advice on a wide range of industry issues.”

GEMMA PRYOR, HEAD OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, NORTHERN EUROPE, MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL

2017-12-12T10:37:23+00:00

GEMMA PRYOR, HEAD OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, NORTHERN EUROPE, MONDELĒZ INTERNATIONAL

“I am delighted to be working with Barley on the external affairs agenda at Mondelēz International, the home of Cadbury. I know I will get fantastic support to land proactive communications campaigns, along with strategic advice on a wide range of industry issues.”
"It is a joy working with Barley. They combine great strategic insight with an ability to tenaciously deliver results. On top of that they are an absolute pleasure to work with."

TREWIN RESTORICK, CEO AND FOUNDER, HUBBUB

2017-12-12T10:11:31+00:00

TREWIN RESTORICK, CEO AND FOUNDER, HUBBUB

"It is a joy working with Barley. They combine great strategic insight with an ability to tenaciously deliver results. On top of that they are an absolute pleasure to work with."

"Absolutely amazing! We are so happy with the outcome of this campaign. Thank you to everyone at Barley for the fab work."


Barnardo's logo

CHARLIE ENRIGHT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, RETAIL AND TRADING, BARNARDO'S

2019-07-19T13:35:02+00:00

CHARLIE ENRIGHT, MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, RETAIL AND TRADING, BARNARDO'S

"Absolutely amazing! We are so happy with the outcome of this campaign. Thank you to everyone at Barley for the fab work."
“Working with Barley is great. I like the way they have taken the time to get to know our organisation and understand our needs and those of the vulnerable Veterans we serve. They are like an extension of our in house team.”

ED TYTHERLEIGH, CEO, STOLL

2017-12-12T10:42:43+00:00

ED TYTHERLEIGH, CEO, STOLL

“Working with Barley is great. I like the way they have taken the time to get to know our organisation and understand our needs and those of the vulnerable Veterans we serve. They are like an extension of our in house team.”
“Working with Barley Communications on our Love Not Landfill campaign has been not only enjoyable but hugely fruitful: we obviously loved the campaign already, but were overwhelmed by the attention and support that Barley helped us achieve. They didn’t just deliver media relations but helped us with the whole approach, including ideas generation, social media management and film production. They also hooked us up with some great partners, collaborators and creative specialists along the way. The whole Barley team has been enthusiastic, cheerful and eminently practical at every stage – a flexible and responsive communications agency who’ve delivered reach, impact and engagement beyond our expectations.”

ALI MOORE, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, LONDON WASTE & RECYCLING BOARD

2019-01-15T14:49:58+00:00

ALI MOORE, HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, LONDON WASTE & RECYCLING BOARD

“Working with Barley Communications on our Love Not Landfill campaign has been not only enjoyable but hugely fruitful: we obviously loved the campaign already, but were overwhelmed by the attention and support that Barley helped us achieve. They didn’t just deliver media relations but helped us with the whole approach, including ideas generation, social media management and film production. They also hooked us up with some great partners, collaborators and creative specialists along the way. The whole Barley team has been enthusiastic, cheerful and eminently practical at every stage – a flexible and responsive communications agency who’ve delivered reach, impact and engagement beyond our expectations.”
"At every turn, I have been deeply impressed with the way Barley operate. The team worked hard and smart to generate well targeted national media coverage for the opening of The Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research, resulting in the best UK-wide profile we have ever achieved. The quality of their work and the support we receive is excellent. I have now commissioned Barley to prepare a communications strategy for the Foundation and anticipate they will continue to be a key partner, supporting our work for years to come."

BRENDAN ELEY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SCAR FREE FOUNDATION

2018-12-07T13:30:31+00:00

BRENDAN ELEY, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SCAR FREE FOUNDATION

"At every turn, I have been deeply impressed with the way Barley operate. The team worked hard and smart to generate well targeted national media coverage for the opening of The Scar Free Foundation Centre for Conflict Wound Research, resulting in the best UK-wide profile we have ever achieved. The quality of their work and the support we receive is excellent. I have now commissioned Barley to prepare a communications strategy for the Foundation and anticipate they will continue to be a key partner, supporting our work for years to come."

What matters

Our best work comes with clients whose vision we are passionate about, so those are the only clients we take on. We focus on what matters to us and where our experience and insights mean we can really make a difference. We’re happy to work with private and public sector clients, with charities and with commercial businesses.

What matters to us is that we work with our clients to achieve something positive – behaviour change on health, social and environmental issues; profile raising to help charities increase awareness and funding; working with members of the public, staff and other stakeholders to improve services; or campaigning for equality, justice and stronger communities.

Making an impact

As we started to plan how we set up Barley, we spent a lot of time listening to senior managers, communications professionals and fundraisers. They told us they’ve worked with too many agencies where a great strategy hasn’t worked its way through to delivery, or where they are bombarded with a bunch of creative ideas with no link back to their strategic goals.

In response to this, we’ve developed our IMPACT model which we apply to all of our work. This begins with a deep understanding of our clients – their goals, communications objectives and target audiences. From this we pin down what matters most and where we can make the greatest difference. We make sure this flows through our detailed planning process and into the campaigns we deliver, with carefully crafted content and channel strategies designed to engage and influence target audiences.

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