The Everflow Group is a Wynyard-based business comprising non-household water retailer Everflow Water and utilities software developer Everflow Tech.
In 2021, the business was named the third-fastest growing company in Europe by the FT1000, reflecting the pace at which the group had developed across both water retail and utilities technology.
With rapid growth, innovative products and services, a distinctive company culture and an ambitious leadership team, Everflow had a strong story to tell. Harvey & Hugo supported the business across awards, media relations, thought leadership, content, photography and video.
Everflow already had a successful track record as a water retailer and software developer, but there was an opportunity to turn its achievements, culture and leadership into a stronger and more consistent external profile.
A key aim was to position Everflow, and CEO Josh Gill in particular, as innovative thought leaders in both the North East and the utilities market, while ensuring the company received recognition for its growth, customer service, technology and team culture.
There was an opportunity to:
Everflow’s story was broader than any single product, award or announcement. The campaign therefore needed to connect the company’s commercial success with the culture, leadership and innovation behind it.
Harvey & Hugo developed an integrated profile-building strategy centred on:
Every element was designed to make Everflow more visible, credible and recognisable while creating multiple opportunities for third-party endorsement through press coverage, awards and industry publications.
Everflow had strong results, ambitious leadership and a distinctive culture, all of which created opportunities across a wide range of business and industry awards.
Harvey & Hugo considered not only which awards to enter, but which categories would give the business the strongest opportunity to stand out. Each submission was then shaped around the specification and judging criteria for that particular award.
Although many entries drew on the same initiatives and results, each needed to feel unique. Word counts, required evidence and the balance between scene-setting, facts and figures all varied from award to award, so the submissions were tailored accordingly rather than relying on a repeated formula.
This approach allowed the team to produce a high volume of entries while keeping each one focused on what the judges were specifically looking for.
Another of Everflow’s key aims was to position the business, and Josh Gill in particular, as an innovative thought leader in both the North East region and the utilities market as a whole.
Harvey & Hugo built relationships with editorial teams across those sectors, resulting in regular and guest articles in significant publications. These included a monthly feature in Northern Insight magazine, along with recurring appearances in Energy Live News, The Water Report and Utility Week.
Everflow was also approached by industry press for comment on the issues of the day, helping cement its position as a thought-leading firm rather than a business that only appeared in the media when it had its own news to announce.
Everflow had a steady stream of stories to share, from awards and new ways of working to innovative products and services.
During Harvey & Hugo’s time working with the company, 25 press releases were written and distributed across regional and trade media. Topics included:
Harvey & Hugo also produced photography and video for Everflow, capturing the team’s relaxed, informal vibe and creating professional content for media and marketing use.
Work included:
The campaign generated substantial media coverage, award recognition and industry visibility while helping establish Everflow and its leadership as authoritative voices.
High-volume media coverage
The 25 press releases written and distributed by Harvey & Hugo generated 312 pieces of coverage across regional and trade media.
Features and thought-leadership pieces also appeared in major industry publications including Utility Week and The Water Report, while Everflow’s relationships with sector journalists led to opportunities to comment on wider industry developments.
Award success
In 2021, Harvey & Hugo wrote and submitted 39 entries for Everflow Group across leadership, customer service, utilities, technology and team awards.
The company was shortlisted for 24 of those awards, a shortlist rate of 65 per cent, and nine awards were won from the entries contributed by Harvey & Hugo:
National and international recognition
During the time Harvey & Hugo worked with Everflow, the company was named the third-fastest growing company in Europe by the FT1000, while Josh Gill was named as one of the top 50 most inspiring business leaders by LDC.
As of April 2022, Everflow was also shortlisted in the digital transformation and customer service categories of the Euro CX Awards, alongside household names including Orange and Post Office Insurance.
A stronger thought-leadership position
Regular editorial opportunities and invitations to comment helped Everflow move beyond promotional coverage and become a recognised source of insight for industry media.
Combined with its award success, press coverage and distinctive visual content, this gave the group a stronger platform from which to communicate its growth, innovation and company culture.
“We’ve been with Harvey & Hugo for a couple of years and throughout our time with them, the team have gone the extra mile to help us achieve our goals, get amazing press coverage, win a bunch of awards and create some hilarious videos!
“They work hard to get to know your brand and constantly come up with creative ideas to help you reach your goals.”
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