There are few perks to working in the PR industry, unless you peddle cool consumer products. We don't.
But in my interview for the job at Tartle, one of the questions was: “Now... do you like beer?” And, as it turns out, you can mix business with pleasure when given half a chance.
This Oktoberfest, Tartle had the distinct pleasure to volunteer its digital nous to help out the Hanover Beer Festival, a charity fundraiser that has been held in Brighton for the past 31 years, earning itself quite the reputation among beer fans and brewers from all over Sussex.
It can sometimes be the case that quaint, community-led events can have a difficult time adjusting to the digital age. And, with no social media and no budget, it was proving difficult to get the word out. Cue Tartle Media’s theme music… With Emily Garnham’s legendary wordcrafting, editorial skills and years of experience, the Hanover Beer Festival was about to come screaming into the 21st century and be the talk of the town. Alex was also there.
We set about creating a Facebook page, spread the word and created content about the rich beer history of Hanover and guides on how to impress beer hipsters with obscure terminology.
It ended up as a passion project for us both. Getting involved in all the local Facebook groups and heritage projects was a great change of pace and there was free beer. A good bitter can always sweeten the deal.
Businesses used to have stronger connections with their local areas. But, in industries such as PR, where remote working and clients in far flung reaches of the UK and overseas are common, it's easy to lose that sense of community.
Hanover is a wonderful hilltop community in Brighton and it was a genuine pleasure to do our bit to help out the city Tartle Media calls home with a bit of PR wizardry.
Cheers to that.