The Sauce Shop’s website says that the Ponsonby-based agency is in the business of “adding flavour to food, lifestyle and design brands”, and founder Jo Bell is definitely adept in the area of spreading the word when it comes to what’s new, fresh and pretty damn exciting to boot.
She tells me she first entered the world of public relations two decades ago, as a shiny new graduate fresh from AUT’s Communication Studies degree. As long as I’ve known her she has been operating from under her own umbrella, so it was a surprise when she told me that the life of a PR solo operator wasn’t always the plan. “Ha, no not at all,” she says, going on to explain “I had eight years in the consultancy and corporate world and then got made redundant right before Christmas one year. My friend asked if I could help do the PR for the upcoming Royal Easter Show and the work just kept coming in from there.” Her first company, Switch PR officially kicked off in 2004, and there was no looking back.
A few months ago she re-branded her business as The Sauce Shop, with the aforementioned new look and sharpened focus. Why a re-brand, and why now? “Well, we have always specialised in PR and marketing for food and beverage, hospitality, lifestyle, design and entertainment brands,” she tells me, “and the new look is just a more accurate reflection of what we do.”
I say that there are actually few hospo and FMCG-specialist agencies out there, and few who do it well. What would she say sets The Sauce Shop apart? “I would say finding a specialist who works in your area on a daily basis is key,” says Bell, “and I’ve been lucky enough to work on a lot of great eateries and bars and food and beverage brands.” She adds that being passionate about what you do is also essential. “It’s no accident that we work in these areas, it’s what we love and gets us out of bed in the morning.”
Talk turns to how to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry, something she has always seemed to do really well. “The industry has changed so much since we started,” she comments, “even in the just the past few years. Communicating with consumers today is about so much more than print ads and press releases, it’s about creating meaningful connections with buyers through their preferred forms of media.” The consummate PR professional adds that to stay alive, “seeking to inspire, inform, educate and/or entertain your customer is key, as is understanding the ever-evolving media landscape.”
Some of her most recent client work has been helping launch the Good Home, a new gastropub in Mt Eden, and Soda Press Co drink syrups. She also works closely with interiors and homewares retailer Collected, Crown Range Cellar wines, EasiYo, Wendy’s and the Q Theatre. When asked to name a campaign that she is particularly proud of she immediately cites “a fundraising campaign for a very worthy cause, the Breast Cancer Aotearoa Coalition, for which we achieved about $1 million worth of media coverage.” Also very involved in the creative side of the business, Jo tells me she never fails to get a real kick out of seeing the beautiful imagery The Sauce Shop helps create for their clients getting picked up by media.
Based in Ponsonby for many years now, Bell says she loves the neighbourhood and really can’t imagine living anywhere else. “Everything I need most in life is no more than a couple minutes’ away,” she says with a smile, “and there are so many great places to eat, drink and shop these days. I’m a sucker for an old villa, there are plenty of parks nearby for when I need some fresh air. Ponsonby and Herne Bay are also so close to the water and just a beautiful place to be on a sunny day.”
Last up, where does she see The Sauce Shop sitting in 10 years’ time, any plans for world domination? “To be honest I really don’t think that far ahead,” says Bell with a laugh, “it’s too scary thinking about how old I’ll be for starters!”
(HELENE RAVLICH)