Who Is
Joe Public?

We exist to help brands win with retailers and shoppers alike, by understanding commercial reality and human behaviour, not by adding marketing gloss.

We exist to help brands win with retailers and shoppers alike, by understanding commercial reality and human behaviour, not by adding marketing gloss.

Our work is grounded in real shopper insight, real retail pressure, and real moments of choice. Retail is tough. Margins are tight. Time is short. Decisions matter. That’s why our approach is plain-speaking, energetic and human.

We believe shoppers don’t need to be sold to; they need to be understood. And retailers don’t need hype; they need brands that earn their place.

Our name, Joe Public, is intentional. We understand everyday people, everyday decisions and everyday moments of joy, brought by the food, drink and FMCG brands who offer functionality, reward and pleasure into millions of lives.

OUR ETHOS

OK, we know the world doesn’t need another PR agency

But what it does need is one that truly understands retail and the ‘Joe Public’ who walk through their doors.

We’ve set out to raise the bar for retail and shopper PR, doing work that delivers for brands and retailers alike. How we do it matters just as much as what we do.

Our job is simple: help brands move product, earn trust and deliver real commercial results.

We bring joy, originality and energy to our work – while always being plain-speaking and real.

OUR MANIFESTO

Joe Public exists to help brands win with retailers and shoppers alike

01
We believe influence should work where it really matters – at the shelf, in the aisle, and in everyday life. Because retail is under pressure. Margins are tight. Time is short. Decisions matter.
02
Retailers don’t need PR fluff.  They need brands that understand their world, answer a real shopper need, and earn their place on the shelf.
03
Shoppers don’t need to be sold to.  They’re people balancing budgets, supporting families, making difficult choices – but still wanting moments of joy, comfort and reward even when life feels tough.
04
We believe brands earn trust and advocacy by understanding this reality and facing into it. That’s why we work where shopper influence truly begins: in trade media, with retailers, helping brands prove their value, build belief and secure the confidence that gets them chosen. And then we follow influence to where it is felt.
05
We help brands intersect with shoppers in the moments that matter – through media, culture, retail environments and everyday touch points – showing up in ways that feel relevant, respectful and real. No gimmicks. No forced loyalty. Just clear reasons to choose, believe and come back.
06
We are plain speaking by nature – clear, commercial and grounded in how retail actually works. No marketing hype. No PR jargon. Just smart storytelling rooted in data and insight, designed to move shoppers from awareness to action, from consideration to choice.
07
We bring joy, optimism and energy to our work because enthusiasm is contagious, and relevance is earned.
08
Joe Public is the destination for retail and shopper influence – where commercial reality meets human truth, and influence moves product, builds trust and earns its place in a shopper’s world.

What we stand for

Purpose

To earn trust and advocacy from shoppers and retailers through real shopper understanding.

Mission

To be the destination for retail and shopper influence.

Vision

Our vision is to set the standard for retail and shopper PR – influence that moves product, builds trust and delivers commercial return.

Values

Joy, Originality, Energy, Plain Speaking, Real.

THE LEADERSHIP TEAM

Ruth Kieran — CEO & Co-Founder

With 25+ years leading communications for some of the UK’s biggest FMCG and retail names, including PepsiCo, Ferrero, Britvic and Costa Coffee, Ruth is one of the most experienced operators in the industry. A seven-time PR Week Power Book name and PRCA PR Leader of the Year, she built Cirkle into EMEA Creative Agency of the Year before co-founding Joe Public.

Read Ruth’s bio

Amy Searle — MD & Co-Founder

Amy has 16+ years of experience across agency, in-house and trade body roles, delivering award-winning campaigns for brands including Diageo, Hovis, Haleon, Birds Eye and Heineken UK. That breadth — spanning PR, marketing and sales across both supplier and operator environments — gives her a commercial perspective on retail and FMCG that’s genuinely rare in PR.

Read Amy’s bio

Careers

Come and do the best work of your career

We’re a new agency, but we’re built on decades of experience, and we’re growing. If you’re passionate about retail, food and drink or FMCG communications and you want to work somewhere that genuinely cares about the quality of its work and the people doing it, we’d love to meet you.

Drop us a line and tell us a bit about yourself. We’re always happy to have a conversation.

Open vacancies

Account Manager Shopper & Retail PR Full time London Hybrid

Part of the zeal Group

Joe Public is proud to be a Zeal Creative agency, a group of specialist agencies united by a belief in effective, commercially-driven work.

Being part of the Zeal family means our clients benefit from access to a wider network of creative, strategic and production expertise, whenever the brief demands it.