The Jargon Group acquires Pelican Communications

The Jargon Group has today acquired Pelican Communications. Based in the North West of England, the agency specialises in sustainability and ESG focussed integrated communications campaigns with a client portfolio that includes The British Frozen Food Federation, Ylem Energy and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Founded in 1998 by Michael Bennett, (pictured right) the agency was recognised as the Best Small Agency in the Northern Marketing Awards 2014 and ESG Consultancy of the Year in the 2022 PRmoment Awards.

The Jargon Group includes several market leading agencies including b2b focussed Jargon PR and processing, packaging and industrial automation specialist GloHouse Media. The new partnership will strengthen The Jargon Group, adding ESG capability into the group to advise brands on social and economic issues, responsible governance and brand reputation.

The acquisition extends The Jargon Group’s offering and presence in Manchester, which now includes 12 full time team members based in Manchester’s Media City.

Michael Bennett, managing director at Pelican Communications said: “It’s great to be part of The Jargon Group. Our shared values and commitment to quality of service for every client make this an ideal partnership. Joining The Jargon Group means we can expand the reach of our social impact and brand purpose services globally, working with the agency’s international client base and teams in the US and Dubai.”

Kevin Winfield, associate director at Jargon PR said: “We’re excited to be welcoming the team at Pelican into the Jargon Group. Every business has a role to play in sustainability, the specialist insight and communications capabilities the team brings will continue to allow us to continue to build world-class content and communications strategy services for our clients.”

Earlier this month Jargon PR celebrated its thirteenth anniversary while also reporting record growth with revenue for the first six-months of FY 22-23 exceeding £1,500,000. The agency expects annual fees to surpass £3million this financial year.

Supporting this growth has been the diversification of office locations throughout the UK including offices in Cardiff, Manchester, Reading and London. At the same time, the agency has invested in its international model by opening a series of offices including Jargon PR MENA in Dubai led by the former Markettiers4DC Managing Director Cheryl King and a US office in New York led by PR veteran Vivian Kelly.

As the agency has grown, Jargon PR has continued to put CSR at the heart of its strategy through a strategic partnership with Ecologi. Since June 2021, Jargon PR has planted over 4,100 trees and taken over 340 tonnes of CO₂ out of the atmosphere. The Company’s longer-term ambition remains to become B Corporation certified.

Growth through acquisition has been part of Jargon Group’s accelerated growth strategy to provide geographical and sector specific specialism for its international clients.

This is the fourth acquisition in the past three years which includes Cardiff communications agency Vantage Marketing (Nov, 2020), Manchester-based Souter PR (July, 2021) and processing, packaging and industrial automation market specialist GloHouse Media (Oct 22).

Commenting on the first six-months of FY 22-23, Simon Corbett, Jargon Group founder (pictured left) said: “The past few years have been hugely successful for the agency as we continue to focus on organic growth and maximising value from our existing client base. Record new business performance continues and client and team retention remains strong.

“The business is focused on a three-year growth strategy which has included a series of strategic acquisitions. Despite the economic challenges facing the economy, client demand for digital PR and communications services continues to grow and Jargon is well set to benefit from this demand.’’