/ Case Study

Two briefs. One relationship.
£300k in play.

How a single cold email to the wrong contact led to the right one — and opened two separate briefs worth £20k confirmed and up to £300k in play.

BrandCoca-Cola HBC / Finlandia Vodka

AgencyPR, Social & Influencer Agency

Tender won£20k confirmed

Pipeline in playUp to £300k

How it unfolded

One cold email. Two briefs. Three months of nurturing.

01

7 January 2025 PR Thread
The cold email — wrong door, right building

The email was sent to Sonia, Group Communications Lead at Coca-Cola HBC — referencing her background at William Grant & Sons and the Finlandia acquisition. Sonia replied the same day with a direct referral to Rosa, Group Communications Manager, who was handling Finlandia.

Cold email sent cold. Replied within hours — referred to the right contact immediately.
02

7–10 January 2025 PR Thread
Discovery call booked with Rosa

Rosa reached out directly — mid-process on a Finlandia Vodka relaunch campaign, actively seeking PR support. Discovery call booked for Friday 10 January.

Referral converted to a booked call within 24 hours.

First reply from Rosa
03

10 January 2025 PR Thread
Discovery call — Finlandia brief confirmed

Global PR support for the Finlandia Vodka relaunch across Europe and North America. Full proposal requested across multiple budget levels. Social capabilities also flagged as a separate opportunity for later.

Global PR brief confirmed. Social interest noted for follow-up.
04

15 January 2025 PR Thread
Proposal sent — three budget options

Tiered proposal submitted ahead of Rosa's internal Finlandia meeting — Gold, Silver and Bronze — covering brand ambassador recruitment, global media distribution, influencer content and a Poland press trip.

£300k

Gold option — full global campaign across ambassador, media, influencer and press trip

£30k

Bronze option — global media distribution and PR newswire placement
05

January–February 2025 PR Thread
Finlandia goes quiet — relationship kept warm

Rosa went quiet after the proposal. Two follow-up calls made — both breezy, no hard no. Project on hold internally. Rather than closing the file, the relationship was kept warm with Rosa's social interest still live.

This is where most BD relationships die. Staying present without pressure is what kept this alive for what came next.
06

March 2025 Social Thread
Second discovery call — new brief surfaces

Months after Finlandia went quiet, Rosa came back — this time with a social media brief for Coca-Cola HBC's own channels. The relationship nurtured through the Finlandia process was the reason she returned.

Second call booked unprompted — a direct result of staying present over two months.
07

25–26 March 2025 Social Thread
Tender — shortlisted as one of three

Rosa put the agency straight through to a formal tender. One of three agencies invited to pitch — the only one with an existing relationship.

Tender invitation
08

April 2025 Social Thread
Why Ascend works with the whole agency

The tender came in at approximately £20k. The agency's social leadership decided the margin didn't work and didn't proceed. The BD had done everything right — pipeline real, relationship strong, shortlisted ahead of two competitors.

This is why Ascend now engages with agency leadership from day one to make sure the briefs we open are ones the whole team is ready to take on.

Ascend qualifies the fit between the opportunity and the agency. When BD and leadership are aligned from the start, pipeline converts.