Oxfam appoints Weber Shandwick for strategic PR role

Oxfam has appointed Weber Shandwick as its strategic PR partner, in a brief that will see the agency help the organisation to reinvigorate its engagement with UK consumers.

Weber Shandwick will provide ongoing strategic consultancy and advice on a range of challenges as Oxfam seeks to generate a greater understanding and passion for its role and work among the UK public, and to increase the impact of the charity’s campaigning activities.

The appointment follows the launch of Oxfam’s new brand proposition, Be Humankind, which was developed to create a strong personality for the organisation, and to transform Oxfam from one of Britain’s best-known brands into one of its best-loved.  

The account will be led by Helen Bennett, Director in Weber Shandwick’s Consumer practice. The consumer-led team will also draw on expertise from across the wider Weber Shandwick business, with Leo Rayman, recently appointed Strategic Planning Director, heavily involved with the development of the new positioning and strategy.

Sam Barratt, Head of Media at Oxfam: “Oxfam is one of the best known organisations in the UK, yet the breadth of our work can lead to many people not knowing what we really do.  Our challenge is to build a clearer identity for Oxfam in the media that emotionally engages with people and to broaden our current news-hungry approach to PR. We went through a thorough pitch process, which resulted in the hire of Weber Shandwick, who impressed us with their strategy, challenge and energy to the task.”

Helen Bennett, Director at Weber Shandwick: “This is a fantastic appointment for Weber Shandwick as Oxfam is one of the biggest, high profile brands and organisations in the UK. This is a hugely exciting time to be working with Oxfam and our appointment has been well received across the business.”