Lucre handed branding and CRM brief by Portal

The company, which is predominantly an IBM reseller and counts TNT and property services group Connaught among its clients, wants to build its brand in the tech sector and to offer new services.

The appointment was the first time in memory that Portal has sought PR help following a rebranding last year, explained marketing manager Catherine Nottage.

She said: ‘I joined the company last year and had less experience in PR than in general marketing, so I felt I needed the help of a professional agency.

‘We rebranded a few years ago from The Portal Partnership, modernising our logo and website. We are one of the top three IBM software group partners but aside from IBM and IBM customers we’re not that known, so we wanted to get our name out there.’

After seeing the best trading year in its history last year, Portal brought in IBM’s former head of information management for UK & Ireland David Beeston last month to grow its information management sales using IBM analytics software.

The PR strategy will focus on boosting trade media coverage to help boost brand awareness, while helping the company build its corporate reputation.

The account has been awarded on a rolling basis and is worth around £10,000 per quarter. It will be headed by Lucre’s Mark Jackson, group head of corporate.

Jackson said that, as well as a media relations campaign, Portal would be looking at community engagement programmes.

He added: ‘Portal has grown very quickly. It won two major awards last year, so we’re really looking forward to helping them reach these goals.'