What Cannings Purple does

Cannings Purple, trading as Purple, is a privately held strategic communications consultancy headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, and operating under the legal entity Purple Communications Pty Ltd since 2004. The firm positions itself as Western Australia's leading strategic communications agency and Perth's largest public relations agency, serving enterprise, government, education, healthcare, and not-for-profit clients. Its customer roster includes Rio Tinto, Synergy, CBH Group, Mineral Resources, S&P Global, Darktrace, St John of God Health Care, Edith Cowan University, and The Perth Mint, indicating an enterprise-tier client base concentrated in Western Australian industries. The firm is affiliated with the WPP PAUNZ agency network, providing potential access to multinational client relationships.

The company's core offering is organised into six interconnected service categories: Strategy, Research and Advisory; Public Relations and Specialist Communications; Creative and Digital; Government and Stakeholder Engagement; Crisis and Issues Management; and Training and Resourcing. These are delivered through a cross-disciplinary model in which strategy, public relations, creative production, digital execution, stakeholder engagement, and capability-building are provided by a single integrated team rather than siloed practices. The Training and Resourcing category has been extended to include AI training and application, reflecting the firm's intent to support clients through AI adoption. There is no proprietary software platform, API, or standalone technology product; the underlying technology is the firm's professional service delivery infrastructure, supported by content marketing via the company website, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

The business model is project-based professional services consulting, with revenue derived from fees charged for communications strategy, PR execution, creative and digital production, government engagement, crisis response, and training engagements. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is sales-led, relying on direct client engagement, referrals, and industry presence rather than digital self-serve channels. The firm operates from a single Perth headquarters (Level 7, Allendale Square, Saint Georges Terrace) and serves clients primarily in Western Australia with select national engagements. Ownership is private, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or M&A history.

Name

Cannings Purple

Legal name

Purple Communications Pty Ltd

Website

https://canningspurple.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purple (formerly Cannings Purple) is a Perth-based strategic communications consultancy serving enterprise, government, education, and not-for-profit clients across Western Australia through six integrated service lines spanning strategy, PR, creative, digital, engagement, crisis management, and training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Communications Services: Consulting fees for strategic communications, public relations, crisis management, creative and digital services, government engagement, and training. Project-based engagements with government agencies, corporations, and not-for-profit organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cannings Purple (trading as Purple) is a professional services firm delivering strategic communications consulting to government, corporate, and not-for-profit clients. The firm offers a portfolio of six service categories covering strategy and research, public relations, creative and digital production, government and stakeholder engagement, crisis and issues management, and training and resourcing, delivered through project-based consulting engagements.

Product overview

Cannings Purple (Purple) is a professional services firm offering strategic communications services. Rather than a unified software platform, it provides a portfolio of six interconnected service categories: Strategy, Research and Advisory; Public Relations and Specialist Communications; Creative and Digital; Government and Stakeholder Engagement; Crisis and Issues Management; and Training and Resourcing. These services work together to help clients with strategic counsel, communications execution, creative production, stakeholder influence, crisis response, and team capability building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy, Research and Advisory Strategic consulting services encompassing risk and governance, research and insight, corporate and board advisory, communications strategy, brand strategy and positioning, and financial communications and investor relations, delivered to organisations requiring senior-level strategic counsel.
• Public Relations and Specialist Communications Communications services including corporate communications, profile raising, media relations, and internal communications that help corporate and government clients navigate pressure, build trust with stakeholders, and advance desired outcomes.
• Creative and Digital Design and digital services covering website development, content and thought leadership, graphic design and collateral, awareness campaigns, and branding and visual identity for organisations needing creative execution aligned to strategic communications goals.
• Government and Stakeholder Engagement Engagement services focused on stakeholder engagement, community engagement, and government relations to help clients influence policy decisions and make their voice heard with public-sector and community stakeholders.
• Crisis and Issues Management Crisis response and change management services providing experience, perspective, and calm support to help clients navigate complex issues, align stakeholders, and lead with confidence during high-pressure situations.
• Training and Resourcing Capability building services including media training, AI training and application, presentation training, digital marketing and social media training, in-house support, and corporate writing training delivered to client teams to build internal communications capacity.

Named customers14 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WPPOthersPurple Communications Pty Ltd is associated with WPP, operating under the WPP PAUNZ network of agencies. This appears to be a network membership rather than a formal equity partnership.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Australia: Large global communications firm operating in Australia across corporate, government and crisis communications; comparable service breadth and enterprise client base, with deeper international resources.
• Burson (formerly BCW): Global communications agency with strong public affairs, corporate and crisis practices; competes for the same enterprise and government mandates, particularly on complex stakeholder and issues work.
• Ogilvy PR Australia: Global WPP-owned communications network offering strategic PR, government engagement and creative services with a national footprint; competes for the same enterprise mandates as Purple, particularly multinational resources and government accounts.
• FleishmanHillard Australia: Global PR and integrated communications agency with Australian offices providing strategy, public affairs and crisis management to enterprise clients — directly comparable services to Purple's portfolio.
• WE Communications Australia: Global communications network with strong technology and corporate practices in Australia; directly comparable to Purple on integrated PR, creative and stakeholder engagement work for enterprise clients.

Direct peers

• Thinkerbell: Australian independent agency combining PR, creative and strategic communications; comparable boutique positioning, project-based model and enterprise client mix in Australia.
• Red Agency (SEC Newgate): Australian strategic communications and PR firm offering corporate, government and crisis communications; comparable project-based professional services model and enterprise client base.
• Icon Agency (now part of Enero Group): Australian independent integrated communications agency offering PR, creative and stakeholder engagement; similar size and service breadth, competing for similar enterprise and government clients.
• SenateSHJ: Australian strategic communications and PR consultancy competing for the same enterprise, government and resources-sector clients; comparable in size, service mix (strategy, PR, government engagement) and project-based professional services model.
• Clemenger BBDO Perth: Perth-based arm of one of Australia's largest creative and communications networks, directly competing for WA enterprise clients across PR, creative and digital services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CanningsPurple
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canningspurple
• Xx.com/CanningsPurple

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cannings Purple