Roland Dransfield

What Roland Dransfield does

Roland Dransfield is an integrated public relations and content marketing agency founded in 1996 by Lisa Morton from her kitchen table in Manchester, one week after the IRA bomb in the city. The agency operates from three locations — Manchester (headquarters at 11 York Street), London (AllBright Mayfair, Maddox Street) and Los Angeles — and serves enterprise and mid-market clients across property development, real estate investment, hospitality (D&D London), financial services (Equilibrium Financial Planning), local government (Manchester City Council), healthcare public health (Greater Manchester Health and Social Care), and charity / sports causes (Tackle4MCR with Vincent Kompany). The firm remains founder-owned and bootstrapped, with no disclosed venture or private-equity investment.

The service portfolio comprises PR and media relations (delivered by award-winning ex-journalists), digital and social marketing (including HubSpot implementation, SEO, blogger outreach, video, and content), events and activations, public affairs (focused on property, planning and regeneration), training services (social, media, crisis, content), and podcast production under the Purposeful Podcasts banner. The agency also operates We Built This City, a proprietary branded podcast launched in March 2020 that has reached #7 on Apple Podcasts in the entrepreneurship category, won a British Podcast Award, and hosted guests including Andy Burnham and Gary Neville. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery is professional services through a team of approximately 10-12 people led by Lisa Morton (Founder and CEO) and Maria Murphy (Client Services Director).

Commercial mechanics are retainer-based engagements and bespoke project fees for PR campaigns, media relations, digital marketing, content, events, social media management, training and podcast production. Pricing is generally quote-based, with two transparent subscription tiers for Purposeful Podcasts: a 'Done for you' tier at £10/month platform hosting and a 'Done with you' tier at £15/month platform hosting (both following a 12-episode series). Go-to-market is sales-led via relationship-based direct outreach, referrals and inbound enquiry, anchored by the agency's 'Purposeful Relationships' philosophy and the 2018 'Roland Dransfield Way' framework of 15 guiding principles. Distribution is direct only, with no channel or partner-based routes to market.

Name

Roland Dransfield

Legal name

Roland Dransfield

Website

https://rdpr.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Roland Dransfield is a UK-based integrated PR and content marketing agency founded in 1996, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across property, real estate, hospitality, financial services, local government, and charity sectors from offices in Manchester, London, and Los Angeles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PR and Communications Retainers and Project Fees: Roland Dransfield generates revenue through retainer-based relationships and project fees for PR campaigns, media relations, digital marketing, content creation, events management, social media management, training services, and podcast production. Services are tailored to individual client needs and billed accordingly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Roland Dransfield is an integrated PR and content marketing agency delivering media relations, digital and social marketing, events management, public affairs, training, and podcast production services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Revenue is earned through retainer-based and project-fee engagements scoped to individual client needs, with a recurring subscription element through Purposeful Podcasts. Clients span property development, real estate investment, hospitality, financial services, local government, and healthcare communications.

Product overview

Roland Dransfield is an integrated PR and communications agency offering a unified service portfolio centered on Purposeful Relationships. The core offerings include PR & Media Relations (delivered by award-winning ex-journalists), Digital & Social Marketing (encompassing SEO, content marketing, social media management, video production, and Hubspot services), Events & Activations, Public Affairs, and Training Services. The agency also operates proprietary branded offerings including the We Built This City Podcast and the Purposeful Podcasts service. This is a services company, not a software platform—the offerings are professional services rather than a modular software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PR & Media Relations Core public and media relations service using award-winning former journalists to secure quality press coverage and build brand reputation for clients across property, hospitality, financial services, and public sector.
• Digital & Social Marketing Integrated digital marketing service covering social media management, content creation, blogger outreach, video production, email marketing, website development, and SEO for brands seeking online visibility and engagement.
• Events & Activations End-to-end event management service that takes clients from ideation through to post-event reporting, including venue selection, logistics, and integrated marketing.
• Public Affairs Strategic communications service covering political analysis, stakeholder consultation, and public affairs for clients in property, planning, and regeneration sectors.
• Training Services Bespoke corporate training covering social media, media training, crisis communications, and content marketing for in-house teams.
• Purposeful Podcasts Podcast creation service offering 'Done for You' (full-service production) and 'Done with You' (training-led upskilling) packages, including equipment provision, training, music, audio imaging, show notes, and social clips for brands wanting to launch a podcast series.
• HubSpot UK Services HubSpot inbound marketing implementation and consultancy service leveraging the HubSpot CRM, content management, social media, and email marketing toolsets.
• We Built This City Podcast Roland Dransfield's award-winning proprietary podcast featuring conversations with Mancunian business leaders and entrepreneurs, distributed via Apple Podcasts and used as a content marketing asset and networking platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £1 million raised for Tackle4MCR charitable campaign
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UnitedCitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020UnitedCity is a business lobbying group founded during the COVID-19 pandemic by Roland Dransfield CEO Lisa Morton alongside Gary Neville, Will Lewis (OBI Property), Chris Oglesby (Bruntwood), and Frank McKenna (Downtown in Business) to support Greater Manchester businesses impacted by lockdown. Roland Dransfield served as the PR partner, implementing media relations and social media strategy, managing communication to 150 members, and developing creative campaigns.
• Oxford Road CorridorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoland Dransfield was appointed to build social media presence and community engagement for Oxford Road Corridor, one of Manchester's most iconic districts known for its knowledge quarter. During the COVID-19 national lockdown, the agency adopted a digital-first approach, launching four new social media channels and leading an outreach campaign to support affected venues and restaurants.
• The Business DeskminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership formed with The Business Desk to support the wider media strategy for Manchester City Council's 2022: Our Year campaign.
• Hits RadiominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership formed with Hits Radio to support the wider media strategy for Manchester City Council's 2022: Our Year campaign.
• The MancminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership formed with The Manc to support the wider media strategy for Manchester City Council's 2022: Our Year campaign.
• Leeds City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoland Dransfield developed working relationships with Leeds City Council as part of the Majestic Leeds PR campaign, helping amplify the development's core messaging to a business-focused audience.
• Leeds LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoland Dransfield built relationships with the Leeds LEP to ensure the Majestic development was positioned as an important regional and national project, amplifying core messaging to business audiences.
• Leeds BIDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Leeds BID (Business Improvement District) to amplify the Majestic Leeds development messaging to the local business community.
• Channel 4minorOthersChannel 4 was secured as a tenant for the Majestic Leeds development as a result of the PR campaign. This was a key campaign outcome demonstrating the agency's ability to attract major occupiers.
• ColliersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoland Dransfield promoted the collaboration between Schroders (owner of City Tower) and Colliers (real estate adviser) regarding tenancy, achieving prominent coverage on the announcement.
• Sheppard RobsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Sheppard Robson architects on the announcement of City Tower's atrium refurbishment, generating engagement around the development's redesign.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• FleishmanHillard: Major global PR network offering integrated communications across sectors. Comparable in offering media relations, content, public affairs, and digital services to enterprise and public sector clients.
• Edelman: World's largest PR firm with full-service integrated communications including PR, digital, public affairs, and content. Represents the global incumbent tier Roland Dransfield competes against for multinational client mandates.
• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications firm focused on financial, corporate, and critical issues advisory. Comparable in serving enterprise clients with media relations and public affairs needs, particularly in property/investment contexts (e.g., Schroders/City Tower type work).
• Ketchum: Global communications consultancy providing PR, brand marketing, and content services. Overlapping service portfolio and target enterprise/mid-market client base; serves as a global-scale incumbent comparable to Roland Dransfield's integrated offering.
• Weber Shandwick: Global top-tier PR firm with deep media relations, public affairs, and content capabilities. Operates as a much larger, multi-network incumbent that competes for the same enterprise clients Roland Dransfield serves at a regional level.

Direct peers

• MHP Group: UK-based strategic communications consultancy offering public relations, public affairs, and content services. Comparable integrated service model targeting UK enterprise and mid-market clients across sectors including property and financial services.
• Citypress: UK PR agency with a strong property and place-making specialism and offices in Manchester and London. Directly comparable in size, sector focus (real estate, regeneration, property), and integrated PR/content offering to Roland Dransfield.
• Beattie Communications: UK integrated communications group with PR, public affairs, and content divisions. Similar full-service integrated model with comparable enterprise and public sector client mix.
• Portland Communications: London-based strategic communications and public affairs agency. Comparable in integrated PR, public affairs, and content offerings, particularly to clients with civic, political, and corporate reputation needs.
• BJL Group: Manchester-headquartered integrated PR, digital and creative agency. Comparable in size and full-service communications model, with similar North-West client base and integrated campaign approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/rdprtweets
• Facebookfacebook.com/RolandDransfield
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roland-dransfield-pr
• Instagraminstagram.com/roland_dransfield

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

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 Roland Dransfield