Empica

Empica is an advertising and PR agency founded in Bristol in 1989 by Martin Powell, who remains actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business. He is supported by consultant Natalie Birrell and Operations Director Will Powell. The company operates from a large office in Bristol and a permanent base in London, working locally, nationally and internationally. Empica provides PR, media relations and content creation services.

Its founder is a world leader in PR for the IVF and fertility sector, and since 2005 the agency has worked in the UK and internationally with clinics and businesses associated with IVF, fertility and assisted reproductive technologies. It has provided PR support to high-profile individuals including Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby. Empica has a long track record in housing, commercial property and development; decades of experience with professional service providers such as law firms, accountancy practices, wealth management and other financial firms, recruitment agencies and business advisory organisations; and has worked with major South West names in tourism, leisure, hospitality and hotels.

Its PR team has served nurseries, schools and colleges across all age groups, and has worked closely with paramedics, healthcare providers, residential care and nursing homes, domiciliary care agencies and health-based charities. Empica supports local and national charities and not-for-profit organisations, and works with businesses in end-of-life care, funerals, cremations and burials. It also works with business owners to help them achieve their goals.

Working with businesses, charities and membership organisations, Empica is portrayed by those it represents as a public relations and media consultancy that operates as a natural extension of the in-house team. The calibre of the written output stands out, with press releases and articles described as consistently strong and well received by readers. Dependability is a recurring motif, and long-standing clients speak of work that directly supports wider organisational goals, while coverage has been arranged across several continents alongside conferences and events. Prompt replies and deep familiarity with the media landscape surface regularly in feedback.

Named individuals such as Darren and Martin Powell attract particular praise, the latter credited with steering one travel company through years of growth. A collaborative manner is widely noted, with clients appreciating how thoroughly the team grasps their sector and contributes to strategic communications work. Those using both the public relations and digital marketing sides of the business call the outfit efficient, knowledgeable and professional, and the pleasure of collaborating with the staff is a further point that comes up often. The relationship is depicted as forward-looking, with fresh opportunities for client businesses continually being identified.