About

Because the story will be told either way

Parley is a London communications agency. We run media relations, digital and social campaigns, crisis and reputation work, public affairs, podcasts, film and web design for clients facing complex international political and business issues. Our team has worked in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

We started Parley because we kept meeting the same kind of client. A foundation with a strong case and no one listening. A family business caught in someone else's political fight. A campaigner whose name was being dragged through papers they had never read.

They had usually tried a big agency and been passed to a junior team within a month. Or they had tried a digital shop that built them a beautiful website nobody visited. Or they had hired lobbyists who secured meetings but never changed the headlines.

We built Parley to do all three jobs properly, with one senior team, in one campaign. We avoid breathless marketing language. We give our clients a clear, credible voice, put them in front of the audiences that matter, and make their case in every channel available.

Where PR, digital and diplomacy meet

Three overlapping circles labelled Media relations, Digital campaigns, International public affairs. Parley sits where all three overlap. Media relations Digital campaigns International public affairs P|Y
Most agencies are strong in one circle. We work in the overlap.

What sets us apart

London is full of PR agencies, digital studios and public affairs consultancies, and plenty of them are very good. What makes Parley different is the balance.

A traditional PR agency will chase the front page and the Today programme. A strong digital studio will build an excellent website, then leave you to fill it and find its audience. A public affairs firm will fill your diary with meetings in Westminster and Brussels, and send a thin clippings report.

We do all three, and we make each one feed the others. The interview drives traffic to the explainer. The explainer gives the MP something to share. The MP's question becomes tomorrow's news.

Who we're not for

If you want to be on breakfast television tomorrow to launch a new product, we're probably not your agency.

If you need to raise awareness of an issue that matters, build a profile as a serious voice in your field, or answer a campaign of misleading claims about you, we have the right mix of media, digital and advocacy experience to help.

The benefits of a boutique agency

Parley is small, and that's deliberate.

We take on a limited number of clients and causes, and we only take ones we believe in. Many come to us through international law firms and other agencies. Others come directly: entrepreneurs, charities, campaigning groups and public figures.

Our job is more than posting on social media and sending press releases. We bring ideas and strategy that help clients shape outcomes, whether that's a court of public opinion, a parliamentary committee or a boardroom.

What that means in practice:

  • A partner on every account. The person who pitched you runs your campaign.
  • Phones answered at 11pm. Crises don't keep office hours and neither do we.
  • One team, one plan. Media, digital and public affairs sit in the same meeting.
  • Honest advice. If an idea won't work, we'll say so before you pay for it.

Meet our founder, Eleanor Marsh, and the rest of the team.

Our standards

Parley works to the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Code of Conduct and the PRCA Professional Charter. We declare our clients where the law or the setting requires it, including on the UK Register of Consultant Lobbyists where applicable. We don't run anonymous attack campaigns, we don't use fake accounts, and we don't knowingly mislead journalists.

Something brewing?

Most of our work starts with a quiet call before anything reaches the press. Tell us what's happening. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help.

Talk to us