Big changes at Peekaboo

We’ve been a little quiet on the blog of late. For good reason. We’ve had a lot going on behind the scenes, which we are now very excited to share with you.

Five years ago I (Melissa Talago – that’s me in the pic) started up Peekaboo Communications. It happened quite by accident, but has grown steadily year on year. In five years we have worked with over 60 companies in the parenting sector, won two PR industry awards, secured countless awards for clients and generated reams and reams of press coverage.  It has been a huge amount of fun and immensely satisfying to see some of the start ups we helped, now becoming household names. When I started Peekaboo, my boys were just two years old and 6 months old respectively. I didn’t sleep much.

Five years on, I have two children in school, have no need for most of the fantastic baby products currently on the market and a great team of hard working mums in place continuing to deliver fantastic results for clients.

Peekaboo has been my third child. I’ve watched it grow and thrive. But now it’s time for me to move onto something new, to take on a new challenge, most likely something completely different. I’m open to suggestions!

However, Peekaboo will continue to grow and thrive under the new leadership of Michelle Horne. A mum of three, Michelle has over fifteen years of PR experience working with a huge range of brands and across multiple sectors. She has been working as part of the Peekaboo team for the past year and as joint MD in recent months. With fresh ideas, great strategic thinking, attention grabbing copy writing and a real passion for selling into press, Michelle is perfectly positioned to help you boost your PR.

So please join me in welcoming Michelle in her new role.

To everyone I have worked with in the last five years, many thanks for your support. It’s been an honour and a priviledge to work with so many amazing companies.

 

I’m Michelle Horne, mum to three boys under 5 and soon to be sole managing director of Peekaboo Communications – I’m also a sister to three brothers, a wife to one husband, owner of one dog Bruce the Jack Russell and can whip up Sunday lunch for double figures with my eyes closed – phew!

How can I possibly get down on paper just how excited I am at the prospect of running my own business, and just as importantly, helping other people achieve success in theirs!   In short the answer is very, very, very!

Having worked in PR for 15 years with the likes of Royal Mail, Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, Bank of Scotland, Intel, MFI (as was), Yorkshire Bank, Ultralase, Brewers Fayre, Theakstons and a whole host of other organisations, I don’t think there’s a business sector I haven’t covered at some point.  I am passionate about achieving great coverage for clients.  The right story in the right publication can have an amazing impact on a company’s bottom line and gives me a great buzz to know I can deliver tangible results that make the difference!

To me Peekaboo will work best for clients when we’re part of a team.  My ethos is to work hard, deliver results and make a difference.  Most of our clients are start-ups like me and they don’t have money to waste on ineffective marketing and advertising which is why I’m committed to helping companies grow.  Success is a great feeling!

From a business perspective, the parenting sector is being squeezed from all directions.  While budgets are tighter than ever, countless new products are entering an already crowded space, all vying for the attention of the same parents.

The media landscape is also changing – stalwart magazines like I’m Pregnant have recently folded and trade magazine Nursery World is moving content online and shifting from weekly to fortnightly. The internet is groaning under the weight of portals, newsletters, magazines, videos, forums, e-tailers and blogs. On top of that, how parents research and buy products is changing.  Only this month Mothercare announced the closure of 110 UK stores. For Peekaboo clients, it’s about connecting with the customers in the right medium at the right time.

Rest assured, the aforementioned offspring mean I am submerged in mummydom and all things parenting.  I read the magazines, I use the products, subscribe to the newsletters and am part of the mummy bloggers community.  I really do know what it means to multi-task and three kids ensure I am fully conversant with the term 24-7!

A huge thank you to Melissa for literally filling my brain with all of the knowledge she has accumulated over the last five years.  Her support and advice has been invaluable and she’s a real inspiration for me.  I’d like to take this opportunity to wish her all the success in whatever the future holds, which given her determination, creativity and unfailing ability to simply take the plunge I am sure will be utterly fantastic!

If you’d like to have a chat about your PR needs or if you just want to say hello, please email me on michelle@peekaboocoms.co.uk. I really look forward to getting to know you.

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