On 26th March 2024, PuRe celebrates its 25th anniversary – a quarter century of building considered, editorially-minded positioning campaigns for leading Interiors + Lifestyle and Beauty + Wellbeing brands, the first agency to combine the two. To commemorate this milestone, the PuRe founders Cara Ward and Kelly Marks hosted an intimate breakfast at Claridges (who coincidentally twins our corporate colours) for the movers, shakers and media innovators who have all played an integral part in the PuRe journey.
But first, let’s take a trip down memory lane…
Kelly Marks, Co-Founder & Director of PuRe’s Beauty + Wellbeing division begins: “On 26th March, 1999, Cara and I stepped into our very first office with big dreams to build brands that we felt had important stories to tell and a valuable place in the market. We met in our early days at Halpern PR, and whilst different in almost every way, we got on like a house on fire. We had a shared passion, made each other laugh, and recognised that each other's weaknesses were the other one’s strengths – making for a strong business partnership.”
The ambitious duo started with single roomed NoHo London office, a dial-up modem which they plugged in a few times a day to check email, two desks, a meeting table (which they borrowed from the office upstairs), and a determination to succeed. They signed their first client, the Curtain Exchange, the very next day, and their second one, Sean Hanna, the following. Since then, Cara and Kelly have grown the business strategically and steadily, always maintaining a commitment to working with brands they love and people they wholeheartedly enjoy spending time with.
PuRe PR co-founders Cara Ward and Kelly Marks,
photographed by Richard Young at PuRe PR HQ, London
Cara Ward, Co-Founder & Director of PuRe’s Interiors + Lifestyle division shares, “it’s exciting to think we launched a quarter of a century ago and put it into context, 1999 was also the year the Euro went into circulation, The Sopranos aired, and ‘Livin La Vida Loca whilst only 9% of households had internet. PuRe has survived two recessions, a pandemic, and a whole new media landscape. We’ve worked with Simon Fuller, pitched for Big Brother, campaigned for dogs to travel on the Eurostar, and launched One Direction’s perfume. It’s safe to say it’s not been dull.”
“Over all these years, we have worked with some of the best-known brands, experts, and celebrities in the business – like Molton Brown, Philip Kingsley, Method, and Burt’s Bees,” Kelly adds. “We’ve worked with many of our clients on long tenures. In particular, Malin + Goetz has been a client for over 15 years, e.l.f. and Moroccanoil both for 5 years, Andrew Martin for 10 years, Brintons Carpets for 11 years, and LSA International and Tom Howley, each for 6.”
25 years is a long while, and in this time, the PuRe team has seen publications come and go, and watched online media emerge, develop, and reign. They’ve witnessed advertising revenues die and then affiliates drive it back. They’ve seen a huge shift in editorial staff going freelance, editors writing their own books, the exponential rise of influencers – with many of them now launching their own brands. Through it all, PuRe has adapted and thrived, embracing change and driving consistently impactful results for our portfolio of premium brands.
Cara concludes: “It was Martin Waller of beloved long-time client, Andrew Martin, who once said to me, ‘business is easy if you know what you’re good at, and then hire the very best people to do the things you are not.’ Our all-female team, affectionately known as The PuRettes, are the best in the industry – possibly the world – and they are a huge part of PuRe’s success. We like to say, ‘once a PuRette, always a PuRette’. Our former team members pop in often, have become clients, and some have even returned when they saw the light. Together, we’re ready to embrace the next 25 years and Livin La Vida Loca. We hope you’ll join us.”