Saltwater Stone

What Saltwater Stone does

Saltwater Stone is a UK-based specialist public relations, marketing, and advertising agency focused exclusively on the marine sector. Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Poole, Dorset, the firm serves three primary verticals: leisure marine, superyacht, and commercial maritime. It is led by founder and managing director Georgina Bartlett and operates with an 11-50 person in-house team providing four core service lines: Public Relations (press release writing, editorials, media outreach, show support), Digital Marketing (campaign targeting, social media, performance measurement), Advertising (print and digital media planning and buying), and Design & Branding (exhibition stands, brochures, packaging, visual identity). All services are delivered directly by the in-house team rather than through outsourced partners except for ancillary web hosting via partner Semantic.

The agency's revenue model is professional services with quote-based, customized pricing per client scope; no pricing is publicly disclosed. Client relationships are direct and typically multi-year, with named enterprise accounts including Intellian, Kongsberg Digital, Teledyne FLIR, Raymarine, Yanmar, Cox Marine, ACR Electronics, Ocean Signal, Inmarsat, OneOcean, Peters & May, West P&I, and Karpaz Gate Marina. Customer acquisition is sales-led and consultative, with referrals (e.g., Dometic-referred Fischer Panda) supplementing direct outreach. The firm maintains memberships in Superyacht UK, British Marine, and the International Superyacht Society as credibility and lead-generation channels.

Operationally, Saltwater Stone runs from a single UK office on Poole Quay, serving international clients without disclosed satellite offices. The Client Newsroom is an owned digital distribution asset for editors and journalists aggregating client press releases, images, and video. There is no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI/ML capability, no funding rounds, and no parent company. The business is privately held and independently owned.

Name

Saltwater Stone

Legal name

Saltwater Stone

Website

https://saltwater-stone.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saltwater Stone is a UK-based specialist marine PR, marketing, and advertising agency founded in 1991, serving leisure, superyacht, and commercial maritime clients with in-house PR, digital marketing, advertising, and design services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Poole

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. PR and Communications Services: Public relations services including press release writing, editorials, media outreach, and show support for marine industry clients. Long-term client relationships with ongoing PR campaigns.
2. Advertising Services: Print and digital media planning and buying services for marine sector clients across leisure, superyacht, and commercial markets. Includes media campaigns and advertising strategies.
3. Digital Marketing Services: Digital marketing and social media support services including campaign targeting and performance measurement.
4. Design and Branding Services: Design services including brand creation, marketing materials, exhibition stands, advertising campaigns, packaging design, brochures, and handbooks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Saltwater Stone is a specialist marine PR, marketing, and advertising agency serving the leisure, superyacht, and commercial maritime markets. The agency delivers integrated services including public relations (press release writing, editorials, media outreach, show support), advertising (print and digital media planning and buying), digital marketing and social media support, and design and branding services. All services are provided by an in-house team with over 30 years of marine sector experience and an extensive global media contact network.

Product overview

Saltwater Stone is a specialist marine PR, Marketing and Advertising agency offering a unified service portfolio for the leisure, superyacht, and commercial marine markets. The agency provides four core services: Public Relations (press release writing, editorials, media outreach, show support), Digital Marketing (social media, campaign targeting, performance measurement), Advertising (print and digital media buying, lead generation), and Design & Branding (exhibition stands, advertising materials, packaging, brochures). All services are delivered by an in-house team with over 30 years of experience and extensive media contacts in the global marine industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations Core PR services for marine industry clients including press release writing, editorials, media outreach, and show support to increase editorial coverage using the agency's extensive marine media contacts.

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SemanticminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital marketing, web hosting, and design services delivered through partner supplier Semantic for Peters & May client engagement.
• Superyacht UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProud member of Superyacht UK, a flagship association within British Marine that champions innovation, excellence, and heritage in the UK superyacht sector.
• British MarinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of British Marine trade association representing the UK marine industry.
• International Superyacht SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of International Superyacht Society, an industry organization serving the global superyacht community.
• DometicminorOthersFischer Panda was recommended to Saltwater Stone's services by Dometic, its UK client from 2008 to 2018, demonstrating referral-based business development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Global communications marketing firm with significant marine, transportation, and technology practices. Competes for enterprise marine-tech PR and integrated communications mandates that Saltwater Stone also serves, but as part of a much broader, multi-region portfolio.
• Finsbury Glover Hering: Global strategic communications and public affairs consultancy serving industrial and technology clients. Overlaps with Saltwater Stone on enterprise marine-tech reputation and corporate-PR work, though it is not marine-specialized.
• Hill & Knowlton: Global communications consultancy with technology, industrial, and energy practices. Frequently competes for marine-tech, shipping, and offshore-energy PR briefs that overlap with Saltwater Stone's commercial maritime vertical, though as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Ogilvy: Global creative, advertising and PR network with deep B2B technology and consumer practices. Competes with Saltwater Stone on integrated advertising and brand campaigns for marine brands, particularly in superyacht and consumer-leisure categories.
• Weber Shandwick: Top-tier global PR and integrated marketing agency with technology and industrial verticals. Frequently pitches for marine-tech and superyacht brand work that competes with Saltwater Stone, but offers significantly larger scale, multi-region staffing and broader capabilities.
• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications firm with a strong transportation, industrial, and marine client base. Competes for higher-budget corporate, IR, and crisis PR engagements from marine and shipping clients also served by Saltwater Stone.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): Global communications agency with technology, industrial, and consumer practices. Competes with Saltwater Stone for integrated marketing mandates from marine-tech and leisure-marine clients, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Boat International Media: Global superyacht media brand (Boat International, Superyacht Investor) covering the same superyacht segment Saltwater Stone serves. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — it sells advertising, content and events rather than acting as a client's agency — but draws on overlapping client marketing budgets and relationships in the superyacht vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/saltwater_stone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/saltwater-communications-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Saltwater Stone