Full-service marketing and PR agency, McKenna Townsend has been appointed to manage national and regional PR for the cross-Solent ferry company, Red Funnel Ferries.

The Ringwood-based agency has already begun managing all PR activity; recently overseeing Red Funnel’s naming ceremony of its new £10m freight ferry, Red Kestrel. McKenna Townsend will support with creative campaigns, media relations, press trips, corporate profiling and crisis and issues management.

Sarah Townsend, joint-managing director at McKenna Townsend, says, “We are very excited to be working alongside Red Funnel Ferries, a leading local company here in the south coast, to help raise its profile further, drive bookings and leverage its position as the Isle of Wight ferry provider of choice. This appointment makes a great addition to our extensive client mix and we’re looking forward to working with Red Funnel in what is set to be an exciting and busy year.”

Donna Gudowski, head of marketing at Red Funnel Ferries, adds, “As the original Isle of Wight ferry operator, it’s important that Red Funnel stays front-of-mind with our existing and potential new customers. The appointment of McKenna Townsend as our retained PR agency allows us to broaden our reach and introduce even more people to what the Isle of Wight has to offer.”  

Red Funnel is the original Isle of Wight ferry operator sailing between Southampton and East and West Cowes on the Isle of Wight. It carries 3.4m passengers and 860,000 vehicles each year on its fleet of Ro-Pax vehicle and Red Jet Hi-Speed passenger catamarans.

McKenna Townsend represents a wide-range of international, national and regional clients including Sunseeker International, Subway, Care South and theYachtMarket.