For Riki Neill, doing business is very much about building and maintaining relationships.
It’s about giving a voice to companies and organisations, while maintaining a focus on its own workplace dynamic.
“We aren’t a manufacturer selling something – our product is our people,” she says.
RNN Communications works with a wide range of clients across the corporate and consumer sectors right across Ireland – from hospitality, to accountancy, manufacturing, construction and data centres, as well as developing stakeholder communications and business to business campaigns.
While it’s a recognised consumer agency in Northern Ireland, it also delivers a significant amount of corporate work for businesses across Ireland – especially within the renewables sector.
“It’s about being the voice of bold and brave businesses, brands and people – helping our team, our clients, and the planet,” Riki says.
Riki began her career working within fast-paced agencies across Ireland, before setting up her own business in 2013.
RNN Communications is now a team of seven, as well as working with outside consultants and partner agencies. And within RNN Communications, strong teamwork and a welcoming workplace culture have always been brought to the fore.
“I learned early on that I really wanted to focus on culture,” she says. “I don’t want people resenting their work. Brilliant work is important and the pace can be intense, but it’s also about the team really enjoying what they’re doing. I have no interest in RNN being a revolving door of people, with staff churn. We treat our people well, we look after them, and they stay.
“When I started the agency, I set about creating the best workplace culture and this has resulted in huge gains, for the team, our clients who can rely on consistency, and for myself.
Four years ago, RNN introduced a four-day working week that sees employees paid a full-time salary for four days work, with clients receiving support across the full working week through its duo-team model.
“The one thing I ask for is flexibility, which everyone buys in to. It’s vital that the four-day model works for the business and clients, and sometimes we need to adjust our working patterns to ensure this happens. It’s about delivering the best work when you are here.”
Getting into the agency life was a baptism of fire – one of Riki’s first clients was Specsavers in which she was tasked with meeting all of Ireland’s regional newspapers on a tour across Ireland. “I was 21, driving across Ireland, meeting editors of every regional title – it took a month and that time invested early on still pays off today,” she said. “Working cross-border is all I’ve ever known.”
For Riki and her team, it’s not about ad hoc work, but building long-term relationships with customers and clients who have a similar ethos and outlook.
“We work with major brands across sectors, some of which I’ve been working with for 15 years,” Riki says. That includes Gala Retail with some 170 stores across the Republic of Ireland.
“We also do quite a bit of corporate work, including sectors such as construction, manufacturing and renewables, and for a number of clients, we report directly to the board.”
For Riki, it’s been about developing long-lasting relationships with companies, not just knocking out a press release the odd time, on demand. “I’ve no interest in this, we want to deliver value. I’m much more interested in working with an organisation and really seeing how we can create impact. That could be everything from investor relations and employer branding campaigns to preparing a business for a sale, environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies, right through to the full-service creation and delivery of annual communications programmes, which we manage for several clients. That’s where our value lies – it’s about understanding where the business is going and creating a comms programme that moves the dial.”
Riki believes there’s appetite and demand for client promotion and marketing across all channels – from traditional print and business to business, through to digital and social media reach. And it’s that rise in the importance of social media that led her to invest in Fetch Ireland in 2021 – a micro-influencer gifting platform.
“You need to be able to demonstrate why you’re doing something,” Riki says. “So there needs to be a measurement on that, and it’s not just about reach. For example, if we were doing a paid-for campaign, it would need to be based on return.”
The strength of the relationships RNN Communications has with its clients remains key. More than half have worked with the firm for more than five years and it boasts an impressive 80% retention rate. And part of that is being involved at the very core of how a client operates.
“For me, I’m interested in being personally invested in the work we are doing, and that’s the foundation from which all of the team operates,” she says.
“I’m interested in what they are trying to achieve and really trying to get that big picture. If it’s a new client, we’ll go out and understand that market and break down who the customer base is, and how best to reach them. It’s often new ideas and thinking that’s our most valuable currency… and this is where I believe we excel.
“There are so many different ways of reaching key audiences today, and all of those areas matter.”
Looking ahead, RNN Communications is keen to expand the business further still – attracting new clients and delivering bold and brave campaigns for existing customers. “Even in the corporate arena, there’s plenty of room for brave ideas and new thinking, especially for ambitious businesses who want to grow,” Riki says.
RNN Communications is also focused on improving its own credentials, especially when it comes to giving back and making a difference – including becoming a B Corp organisation.
Last year, to mark RNN’s 10th birthday, RNN donated eight development grants to the Prince’s Trust with whom Riki is also a mentor. Giving back matters to the business.
“We’ve had and still have many great clients. It’s about aligning and ensuring our values are in sync, that’s when it works best. I want to work with more companies who have values that they want to deliver on…not values for values sake. We practice what we preach and we live by our values, and that’s what we expect from others”.
Follow RNN @RNNComms – www.rnncommunications.com