Razor PR's Dustin Chick: PR promotes and protects brands and reputation
PR is no longer just about professional PR, it is about a deeply embedded and strategic communications function that both promotes and protects brands and reputations - exactly what Razor PR set out to do when it opened its doors in 2020.
“When we launched Razor in 2020 we were clear that the elevated role of communications meant that we needed to build and grow an agency that was more than 'just PR', ” says Dustin Chick, co-founder and CEO.
He says this was not just because of a global pandemic (“Who knew at the time that this was the challenge we would face, right out of the gates”). “It was because the world required more communication, and better communication if it was to allow a more meaningful impact for leaders, companies, brands and the reputations of all of these in an increasingly complicated environment.”
The agency deliberately focused on a communications proposition that was elevated well beyond traditional media relations, but one that focused on the power of conversations to connect, build trust and drive engagement.
Shortlisted at Cannes
And it worked, and the results prove it. In its first year of opening, it was shortlisted in the FM AdFocus Awards PR Agency of the Year, winning the Award in 2021.
Razor has gone on to be the most awarded agency in and from Africa in global communications.
It has repeatedly been named among the top 5 creative PR agencies globally, recognised as the best agency in the world twice in five years. Its work on Bullet Proof Park not only won gold at the Sabre Awards but was the only PR campaign to be shortlisted at this year's Cannes Lions. Recently, it has been named by Provoke as among the agencies to produce a top 40 global PR campaign every year since launching (the Global Sabre Awards), most recently again in 2025.
An agency with two doors
Razor is an agency with "two doors". The first is strategic communications with a deep focus on strategy and creativity (and the full-service PR service offering). The second is an advisory offering that has supported some of the biggest reputations in Africa for the last five years. In addition, the agency has several senior counsellors who provide deep subject matter experience, including the likes of Rod Cartwright (the world’s top crisis communicator).
Razor was the first agency in Africa to offer a global solution to managing the scourge of fake news and mis/disinformation, and has partnerships that give it deep reach and expertise in 29 countries across the continent.
Provide exponential value
“We believe that day of asking for a seat at the main table has long since passed - we are at the table now, and we must provide exponential value.
“Communications is measurable at a business level, it is data driven and it places brands, companies and leaders at the forefront of the most critical conversations in the world today” says Chick.
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