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Tony Garner
Helping businesses like yours tell its story - Using a mix of public relations, social media and communications, we deliver storytelling with impact 🔴
Professional Background
Tony Garner is a highly accomplished professional with extensive experience in public relations and communications. As the Managing Director of Viva, a multi-award-winning public relations agency based in the North West, Tony has played a pivotal role in transforming the agency into a leader in the industry. With a strong focus on delivering award-winning impact for businesses, Viva specializes in various sectors, including Healthcare, Advanced Manufacturing, Professional Services, and the Public Sector. Under Tony's guidance, the agency has been recognized by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) as the Outstanding Small Public Relations Consultancy in the North West for multiple years, including 2016, 2019, and 2021.
Tony's professional journey began as a reporter at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, where he honed his storytelling and media relations skills. His tenure at BAE Systems in media relations further enriched his expertise in managing communications within large organizations, showcasing his ability to navigate complex communication challenges effectively. Through these experiences, Tony developed a keen understanding of the media landscape and the importance of strategic communication.
In addition to his role at Viva, Tony has served as Director and has transitioned through various leadership positions within the agency, all while maintaining a strong focus on delivering measurable results for clients. His passion for storytelling is evident in every campaign his team creates, addressing common challenges faced by businesses, such as increasing brand awareness, expanding customer bases, and attracting top talent.
Education and Achievements
Tony Garner's professional foundation was built during his studies at the University of Central Lancashire, where he completed the NCTJ pre-entry journalism course. This educational background equipped him with essential journalistic skills and a comprehensive understanding of effective communication strategies, which have been instrumental in his career in public relations.
At Viva, Tony has led numerous successful strategic PR campaigns that resonate with both B2B and B2C audiences. The agency is known for its creative and cost-effective campaigns that leverage traditional and digital media channels. Whether it's crisis management, event management, or social media strategies, Tony's leadership has enabled the team to connect clients with key audiences, enhance their reputations, and foster lasting relationships.
Notable Achievements
Some of the notable achievements under Tony's management at Viva include:
- Recognized as Outstanding Small Public Relations Consultancy (North West) by CIPR in 2016, 2019, and 2021.
- Successfully executed impactful PR and communication strategies for various clients, helping them navigate challenges and achieve their business objectives.
- Developed a diverse and talented team of storytellers specializing in various disciplines to ensure comprehensive service offerings for clients.
- Built a reputation for excellence in areas such as media management, internal and external communications, crisis management, and awards submissions.
Tony's dedication to his work is mirrored in the success of Viva, which continues to thrive in delivering high-quality public relations services. He remains committed to helping businesses find, win, grow, and retain essential partners and talent, ensuring that their stories are told in compelling and influential ways. With his background, expertise, and passion for communication, Tony Garner is a prominent figure in the landscape of public relations in the North West, making significant contributions to the industry and the businesses he serves.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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