”“Excellent service, great people to deal with who know the PR business. Our visibility has increased significantly...”
Alan CorbettManaging Director at Pilbeam Construction
The challenge
Pilbeam Construction, a respected family-run construction firm based in West Sussex, approached Midnight Communications at a pivotal moment in its history.
Following the retirement of long-standing owner Simon Pilbeam, the company underwent a management buyout led by Alan Corbett and Andrew Arrow.
The new leadership team was committed to preserving the company’s heritage, values and name, while also positioning Pilbeam for future growth.
Pilbeam needed a trusted PR partner to help communicate this transition, raise awareness of the new leadership and reinforce its reputation as a specialist in heritage, healthcare and educational construction projects across the South East.
What began as a brief to support the management buyout announcement, quickly evolved into a comprehensive PR campaign designed to boost Pilbeam’s profile and drive business growth.
Our approach
Midnight developed a strategic PR campaign to:
- Raise brand awareness and preference for Pilbeam amongst its prospects, existing customers and broader stakeholders.
- Spotlight the new leaders of the company as established experts who provide continuity and retain the family feel of the original business.
- Build a thought leadership profile, positioning key spokespeople as experts.
- Make the most of key projects, through a comprehensive programme of media outreach, complemented by social media.
- Build Pilbeam’s reputation as the specialist construction company for medium to large projects in the South East.
Our campaign was rooted in a deep understanding of Pilbeam’s values, strengths and ambitions.
We worked closely with the leadership team to identify newsworthy stories, develop engaging content and secure high-impact media coverage across regional and trade outlets.
Delivering results
Strategic media relations
A cornerstone of our campaign was securing consistent, high-quality media coverage that aligned with Pilbeam’s business objectives.
We have delivered more than 90 pieces of coverage in our first 12 months, spanning regional press, construction trade titles and specialist heritage and care home publications.
One of the standout successes was the £7.5 million restoration of Newhaven Fort, a flagship heritage project that underscored Pilbeam’s expertise in complex, sensitive construction work.
We collaborated with Newhaven Fort’s PR team to coordinate joint media efforts, resulting in widespread coverage including:
- ITV Meridian
- BBC Radio Sussex
- Regional newspapers
- Construction and heritage trade media
To further amplify the project, we organised an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the fort for 40 members of the Constructing Excellence Sussex Club, representing key business leaders from the built environment sector in Sussex.
The popular event featured talks from Pilbeam and project partners, guided tours of the restoration work and valuable networking opportunities.
Showcasing hero projects
Beyond Newhaven Fort, we spotlighted a range of Pilbeam’s standout projects across heritage, care homes and education including:
- St Mary’s Church in Horsham – a sensitive restoration of an historic place of worship.
- Penfold Hall in Steyning – refurbishment of an historic community hall.
- The Tiger in Lindfield – installation of underfloor heating.
- Glen Arun in Horsham – doubling the size of a care home.
- St Margaret’s CE Primary School in Rottingdean – classroom refurbishment.
Each project was supported by tailored press releases, media outreach and LinkedIn posts, ensuring maximum visibility and reinforcing Pilbeam’s reputation as a trusted construction partner in Sussex.
A growing business
To position Pilbeam as a forward-thinking and growing business we delivered company news to showcase their new hires.
We also drafted a campaigning press story addressing the chronic skills shortage in the industry and calling for the Government to take action.
The steady pipeline of project completion news reflects the success of the business and showcases its expertise.
Award submissions
Recognising the importance of third-party endorsement, we supported Pilbeam with award entries for the Sussex Heritage Trust Awards, showcasing their work on the restoration of Newhaven Fort and a new community hall, launderette, offices and flats for Littlehampton and Rustington Housing Association.
Our expert awards team crafted compelling submissions that highlighted Pilbeam’s craftsmanship, sustainability community impact and commitment to heritage preservation.
At Midnight we have helped our clients win countless awards with our deep understanding of what makes an award-winning entry that will grab judges’ attention.
The results arrived in July and we’re so proud to announce we helped Pilbeam scoop a category award winner for Newhaven Fort and highly commended for Littlehampton and Rustington Housing Association.
Social media amplification
To extend the reach of our PR efforts, we created a steady stream of LinkedIn content aligned with media activity – such as BBC Breakfast Weather filming at Newhaven Fort or Pilbeam being featured on ITV Meridian.
Our posts included engaging visuals combined with strategic messaging to reinforce Pilbeam’s brand values.
This approach helped Pilbeam connect with industry peers, attract new followers and drive engagement.
The impact
Our integrated PR campaign delivered measurable results which supported Pilbeam’s business goals.
In our first year we achieved:
- Audience reach: 666m across national, regional, and trade media
- Brand mentions: 520+
- Backlinks: More than 80 high-quality links to Pilbeam’s website
These outcomes have significantly enhanced Pilbeam’s visibility, credibility, and reputation in the South East construction sector, with peers reportedly saying to Pilbeam: “You’re everywhere at the moment!”
A seamless partnership
The success of this campaign is rooted in the close collaboration between Pilbeam and Midnight. Our teams worked seamlessly to identify opportunities, craft compelling stories and deliver consistent, high-impact communications.
From media relations to award writing and social media, Midnight provided a full-service PR solution that freed up time for Pilbeam’s leadership team and delivered tangible business value.
