On Wednesday the 13th of April, No Filter PR, a Lagos-based public relations agency servicing African startups, held a networking event to launch its operations. Journalists from international and tech media, past and current clients, as well as heads of entrepreneurship networks, attended the launch held at Nordic Hotel. The launch served as an opportunity to increase awareness about the agency’s mission and allowed attendees to network with each other. The agency also unveiled its new brand identity and website.
Despite its recent launch, No Filter PR has been quietly working on client campaigns and projects for five months. The agency has worked with leading startups – uLesson, Bamboo, Omnibiz, Daystar Power, CrowdForce, and Mecho Autotech – and secured coverage in top-tier international outlets such as Bloomberg, BBC, TechCrunch, Quartz, and Thomson Reuters Foundation.
As African tech matures, and global investors back the sector, there is a greater need for startups at all stages to develop and execute a strategy for audience engagement. Historically, product marketing served this purpose, with the rationalization that leads generation and customer acquisition are the only communication objectives that matter.
However, as Africa integrates into the global tech ecosystem, founders are realizing the value of bespoke communications campaigns to position their companies to attract investment and talent as well as build goodwill with stakeholders. Tech startups, in particular, need a PR strategy that goes beyond fundraising campaigns.
No Filter is a research-oriented, people-focused PR agency using authentic and creative storytelling to secure visibility for clients. Speaking on the importance of research, Victoria Crandall, No Filter PR Founder, said, “Founders seldom anticipate the comprehensive, collaborative process that is required to deliver PR results. This is a recurring theme we see in our work with clients, and we want to contribute to the body of knowledge on PR and communications, not just for our clients, but the entire ecosystem.’
No Filter PR was founded in 2021 by Victoria Crandall, a publicist with 15 years of experience in journalism, market research, and public relations. Having lived in West Africa for six years, she moved to Lagos in 2019 to set up a solo practitioner PR business. In 2021, she brought on Ireti Oluwagbemi to manage its growing client base. Ireti joined from the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, where she headed communications campaigns across Africa, managing multiple high profile projects.
With a pan-African spread of clientele including in southern and Francophone West Africa, the agency takes a personalized approach to each client, working with them to understand their PR goals and craft a strategy to achieve them. From fundraise-related campaigns to three-month projects and longer retainer-based contracts, founders are encouraged to get in touch for a preliminary consultation via the website, email or Twitter DM.
