Comms Hero wasn't a planned community. It began as a one-off Manchester event to offer an affordable, non-London alternative for comms professionals. Its success led to rapid expansion and organic community growth, driven by a genuine desire to serve the audience differently.
In an era of digital ticketing, Comms Hero sent physical tickets with handwritten notes. This personal, tactile touch prompted attendees to photograph and share them on Twitter, generating powerful, organic word-of-mouth marketing and creating a deeper brand connection.
Unlike most conferences, Comms Hero deliberately avoids sponsorships to protect the integrity of the event. This ensures the focus remains on learning and networking, without pressure to generate leads for sponsors. The only things attendees "buy" are knowledge and relationships.
After his first event, negative social media feedback nearly caused the founder to quit Twitter. Advice from experienced CEOs reframed the trolling as a sign of visibility, teaching him that if you're reaching people, you can't only be visible to positive voices.
The founder defines community as a long-term commitment. For Comms Hero, this meant daily social media engagement for eight straight years and sending handwritten cards for personal milestones, regardless of whether the recipient was a customer, proving a genuine investment in people over transactions.
Comms Hero has a strict policy of never selling its branded merchandise like hoodies and notepads. This makes the swag obtainable only through community participation, creating a powerful sense of exclusivity and turning simple items into coveted symbols of membership.
Comms Hero deliberately kept its core hashtag undated (e.g., not #CommsHero14). This simple decision allowed the hashtag to become a continuous, 11-year marketing campaign, accumulating brand equity over time rather than resetting with a new event hashtag each year.
The community's initial brand fully embraced a literal superhero theme with capes and pop-art graphics. They later realized this was a mistake, as it was "too superhero" and distracted from the core message of celebrating the everyday heroics of comms professionals.