PR Week (UK) articles from April 2007

PR Week (UK) archives from April 2007

Citigate director enters AXA role.
April 13, 2007... AXA has brought in Citigate Dewe Rogerson director Tony McGarahan as group corporate relations director for the UK. McGarahan joins only six months after taking the role at Citigate (PRWeek, 7 October, 2006). It is believed that...

Sainsbury's fund chooses Hogarth.
April 13, 2007... Sainsbury's pension fund trustees have brought in the Hogarth Partnership to demonstrate that they are acting proactively during its potential takeover. Private equity firms were mulling over a potential pounds 11.4bn bid for the firm, and...

Council in 'Labour crony' row.
April 13, 2007... Lambeth Council has sparked a furious row by hiring a Labour Party spin-doctor to a tops comms role. The council stands accused of cronyism following the appointment of the regional director of the London Labour Party Julian Ellerby. He...

MoD attacks critics in sailors selling stories saga.
April 13, 2007... The Ministry of Defence has hit back at critics of its media handling, following the tidal wave of negative press coverage that has surrounded the Iran captives selling their stories. A spokesman for the Navy told PRWeek it had allowed its...

Hills & Knowlton bags Learning Skills Council task.
April 13, 2007... The Learning Skills Council (LSC) has brought in Hill & Knowlton to lead a major new campaign to promote training and learning. H&K has teamed up with ad agency Leo Burnett to clinch the two-year brief. Total spend on the campaign is pounds...

Shine wins full Vodafone brief to steer consumer.
April 13, 2007... Vodafone has handed its entire consumer brief to Shine Communications following a massive comms review. It has also given Harvard PR an expanded brief. Shine already runs a music brief involving Vodafone's 'TBA' secret music gigs. ...

Reading to lead Gest push in UK.(Neil Reading PR)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... US television producer and concert promoter David Gest has hired Neil Reading PR as he tries to boost his profile in the UK. The move comes ahead of the broadcast of Gest's new reality TV series This Is David Gest, due to air on ITV on...

Lucre poaches August.One head for London base.(Lucre Leeds)(August.One)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Lucre has poached former August.One deputy MD Sally Hetherington to head up its new London office. Hetherington has been made a partner at the London office, located in Richmond, as well as a partner and director of Lucre Leeds....

SABMiller Pilsner job for Resonate.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... International brewer SABMiller has brought in Resonate to handle global comms for its Pilsner Urquell lager brand. Resonate, which previously handled a UK brief, will coordinate comms across the UK, Australia, North America and other...

Templeton brings in Bell Pottinger.(John Templeton Foundation)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... One of the world's largest charitable foundations has brought in Bell Pottinger Business & Brand to promote the winner of its latest pounds 800,000 prize. The Philadelphia-based John Templeton Foundation, which was formed by the eponymous...

US retirement village inspires plans for UK.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Retirement villages are to get a makeover to make them as appealing in the UK as they are in the US. Newly appointed agency Good Relations will attempt to end the stigma attached to retirement villages in the UK. Working on behalf of...

Montreal boosts UK drive for tourists.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Tourisme Montreal is to bring in agency support as it seeks to pursue the UK market more aggressively. The Canadian city has turned to Brando for a largely consumer brief, following a competitive pitch. As well as travel sections, Brando will...

Martin leaves BA.
April 13, 2007... CORPORATE: British Airways consumer PR manager Anna Martin has left the airline without a job to go to after more than seven years with the company

Mr Men account.
April 13, 2007... AGENCY: Four Communications has taken over the Mr Men account previously held by Taylor Herring. The account, tendered by Mr Men property rights owner Chorion, is for UK consumer and trade work

VeloPark venue.
April 13, 2007... CORPORATE: The Olympic Delivery Authority has shortlisted agencies for a project involving strategic advice for a nationwide schools competition that aims to get schools involved in the planning of the VeloPark, one of the five Olympic venues

Cohn+Wolfe appointed.
April 13, 2007... CONSUMER: Personal finance website Thisismoney.co.uk has brought in Cohn+Wolfe to raise its consumer profile and propaganda to work on corporate communications. They are the Associated Newspapers-owned website's first agency's appointments

Davies joins Frank.
April 13, 2007... AGENCY: Stephen Davies, better known as 'prblogger.com', has joined Frank PR. Previously at Edelman, he will work on developing Frank's online proposition, Super Fans as well as working on accounts for Blackberry, Epson and Npower

Seal appointed.
April 13, 2007... CONSUMER: The lawn Tennis Association is using Seal Communications to drive ticket sales for a series of major tournaments

Clarification.(Correction notice)
April 13, 2007... PRWeek would like to clarify that Weber Shandwick was appointed to a national PR account with George Wimpey before its planned merger with Taylor Woodrow. WS will undertake national media relations and co-ordinate the activity of Wimpey's...

HarknessKennett appoints.
April 13, 2007... CORPORATE: HarknessKennett has hired the former head of global internal comms at Cable and Wireless, Janet Webb, to head its interim internal comms practice. She reports directly into founding partner, James Harkness

London Olympics brief boosts Vero.(Vero Communications)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... VisitBritain has turned to London 2012 expert Vero Communications to advise on making the most out of tourist opportunities created by the Olympics. Vero will work on next year's Beijing Olympic Games as well as in the build-up to 2012,...

Agencies pair up to pool contacts.(Exposure and Relative PR )(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Exposure and Relative PR are to share key contacts, clients and new business opportunities in a partnership which sees Relative PR 'moving in' to Exposure's showrooms. While both agencies will stay independently owned, each will use the...

Bahlsen hands consumer and trade brief to Brahm.
April 13, 2007... German biscuit supplier Bahlsen has brought in Leeds-based Brahm to handle its consumer and trade PR. The company has enlisted Brahm to reposition its brand to a younger, more mainstream audience, while maintaining an 'upmarket and...

Government seeks head for new justice ministry.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... The Ministry of Justice has left without a director of communications just weeks before it's launch with the departure of Mike Anderson. Anderson, who had only been in the post for four months, has depared to a senior climate change...

CIPR online diploma opens door to cyber training.
April 13, 2007... Prospective PROs will soon be using the web to obtain professional qualifications, following the launch of a new online course by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Borne out of demand by those unable to attend the traditionally...

Ing first signing for coffee chain.(Ing Media )(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Vending operator Coffee Nation has brought in its first agency as it seeks to position itself as an ethical company. Ing Media has been charged with showing that Coffee Nation has a transparent supply chain and that it 'supports the concept...

Public Sector: Bradford Regeneration keeps Brahm.
April 13, 2007... Bradford Centre Regeneration has retained Leeds-based Brahm to promote the city over the next two years. The integrated marketing account - worth pounds 1.25m - features PR, branding, advertising, events and direct marketing. The two year...

Public Sector: DfT drops FH contract for Red Consultancy pitch.
April 13, 2007... The Department for Transport (DfT) has dropped Fishburn Hedges from its road safety brief and taken on The Red Consultancy. Four agencies battled it out for the pounds 400,000 flagship campaign, 'Think!' including five-year incumbent...

Public Sector: RDA offers up three big money accounts.
April 13, 2007... The South West Regional Development Agency (RDA) has put pounds 500,000 of business up for grabs. The move consolidates the RDA's existing agency support into three regional briefs with pitches expected to take place in July. ...

Public Sector: Elections prompt purgatory purdah.
April 13, 2007... With local elections now only three weeks away, public sector staff all over the country are once again heading into that strange limbo land called purdah. It's an odd, slightly unreal place, where comms staff in particular have to pretend...

Voluntary Sector: One selected for fresh2o venture.(One)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... London shop One has taken on global pro bono work with third world water charity Water Aid. The agency is looking to secure corporate sponsorship for fresh2o, a specially comissioned series of photos of celebrities being used to promote...

Voluntary Sector: Rural body poaches policy head.
April 13, 2007... The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has raided the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for its new head of campaigns. The countryside campaigners have hired Ben Stafford, former senior parliamentary officer at the RSPB. ...

Voluntary Sector: Charity signs lobbyist to bolster foster care brief.
April 13, 2007... Foster care charity TACT is ramping up its in-house comms with the appointment of a former lobbyist as its first head of external affairs. The charity has brought in Charles Willis, previously a director at Burson-Marsteller's public...

Voluntary Sector: Dreams Come True hands account to Remarkable.
April 13, 2007... Children's charity Dreams Come True, which provides treats such as exotic trips for children with terminal or serious illness, has handed out a national PR account. The charity chose The Remarkable Group following a five-way pitch. A...

Voluntary Sector: Africa charity win for comms work.
April 13, 2007... The Centre for Francophone African Development has become one of five London charities and community organisations to be recognised for transforming their approach to comms. The organisation, which works to alleviate poverty in...

Voluntary Sector: When I grow up..(The Children's Society)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Co-operative Group staff aimed to raise pounds 1 million for The Children's Society by arriving at work dressed as what they had dreamed of being when they grew up. Employees at 160 outlets, dressed as firemen, ballerinas and footballers. More...

Public Affairs: FH wins Muscular Dystrophy drive.
April 13, 2007... Fleishman-Hillard is to lobby for better provision for people suffering from muscle disease. The agency has won a brief with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, which provides help to people with neuromuscular conditions. Its remit is to...

Public Affairs: APCO shakes up Brussels outfit.(reshaping of APCO Worldwide)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... APCO has reshaped its Brussels operation with a trio of promotions - two months after putting in place a new leadership team. The company has promoted Tresja Bolt from associate manager to associate director. Ylva Mozis and Paul Shaw have...

Public Affairs: FDF ditches agency and boss as TV ad rules arrive.
April 13, 2007... The Food and Drink Federation has parted company with its public affairs agency and head in the week that the Government finally introduced new rules restricting the TV advertising of food to children. The pounds 66bn industry body has...

Public Affairs: Councils court agencies in bid for unitary powers.
April 13, 2007... Six of the 16 councils shortlisted for unitary status have enlisted public affairs agencies to lobby on their behalf. The Government plans to hand extra powers to a small number of local authorities, claiming it could save up to pounds 200m...

Public Affairs: Golden Arrow fights prospect of losing key clients.(Golden Arrow Communications)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Embattled PA agency Golden Arrow Communications is fighting to hold on to its flagship clients. The agency hit the headlines last month when The Sunday Times claimed that staff were being provided with sensitive information by government...

Public Affairs: Biss picks head for green drive.(appointment of John Fraser at AS Biss and Co.)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... AS Biss has raided the Energy Saving Trust for its top lobbyist as it attempts to stress its green credentials. The agency has brought in John Fraser, joint head of corporate and public affairs at the EST, as a senior consultant. The...

Healthcare: Just Health pitch wins Novartis UK account.
April 13, 2007... Novartis UK has awarded briefs for its diabetes, neuroscience and cardiovascular portfolios to Just Health PR, after a three-way pitch. The cardiovascular brief will involve media relations around three hypertension brands: Diovan, Exforge...

Healthcare: Edelman healthcare team grows.(Julia Kirby, Catherine Pannell, Jake Davis and Jill Barone appointed)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Edelman has beefed up its London-based healthcare team with four hires. The agency has brought in two account directors - one from Resolute Communications and another from Ketchum. It has also appointed an account manager from Chandler...

Healthcare: Athena Medical bags two briefs.
April 13, 2007... Pfizer UK has given Athena Medical PR two anti- infection accounts, one being for the drug company's MRSA antibiotic Zyvox. The agency, which already runs Pfizer's annual oncol-ogy forum, won the UK PR campaigns in two separate four-way...

Healthcare: Interlace buyout in need of PROs.
April 13, 2007... The holding company for Wells Healthcare Communications and Quantum Medical Communications has been bought by its management. Interlace Global now plans to hire more PROs. Former director Mark Forbes Irving, who has become MD in the MBO,...

Healthcare: At a Glance - PR push for plaster-sized vital signs monitor.
April 13, 2007... - Plaster-sized? Are they like nicotine patches then? Yes. These are so-called 'digital plasters', which can be worn on the body by patients. They contain a low-power battery and a microchip which can sense information from the wearer such...

City & Corporate: Advice for Wimpey lands Maitland in pole position.
April 13, 2007... Maitland raced to the top of the latest Deal Watch after not featuring in the top ten agencies last month. Maitland's headline deal was the biggest of the month - advising housebuilder George Wimpey as it approached a pounds 4.9bn merger...

City & Corporate: Penrose wins BDO account.(Penrose Financial)(BDO Stoy Hayward)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Following a competitive pitch Penrose Financial has secured BDO Stoy Hayward Investment Management as a client. The investment firm wants Penrose to raise brand awareness and help drive sales for its financial planning, investment...

City & Corporate: Edelman in Olive Tree hedge deal.
April 13, 2007... Cayman Islands-based hedge fund Olive Tree Capital (OTC) has enlisted Edelman for a UK, US and Swiss brief. OTC, which trades liquid markets including futures, commodities, FX and equities, is looking to make 20 per cent returns. The fund...

City & Corporate: Tabloid story sales offer little insight.
April 13, 2007... We must surely have crossed an important line with the decision from the Ministry of Defence to allow those troops recently detained by Iran to sell their stories to the tabloids. Whatever the public interest in their capture and the conditions...

Technology: BroadView to use UK agency vision.
April 13, 2007... A company that aids employee and customer communications is turning to a UK agency for the first time. BroadView Communications, which works for BT, Sainsbury's and Barclays, has brought in Red Lorry Yellow Lorry after a comms review....

Technology: PRSavvy to push Huddle network.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Online networking site Huddle has enlisted PRSavvy to launch and promote it as a place 'where enterprise meets MySpace'. The mainly media relations account, which was won following a three-way pitch, will target marketing and communications...

Technology: Tech head Morris leaves after Pleon UK realigns.(Pleon UK appoints Nick Morris)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Pleon UK's first tech director has left the firm by 'mutual consent' with no job to go. Nick Morris, who joined from Bite Communications last year, will freelance while he decides alternatives. Pleon has acted swiftly to replace...

Technology: Intellect turns to Bite for speaker opportunity brief.
April 13, 2007... The trade association for the UK hi-tech industry has brought in Bite Communications for a 'speaker opportunity' brief. Intellect, which is five years old, wants to increase the exposure of its director general John Higgins.Traditionally...

Technology: EML tailor to suit Wolfson's world.(Wolfson Microelectronics Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Scottish chipmaker Wolfson Microelectronics has brought in EML for a brief to globally enhance its reputation as an innovative company. EML will manage a worldwide roster of agencies, while acting as the primary agency in Europe. 'The...

Technology: Green Row appointed.(SheerLuxe.com)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... SheerLuxe.com is to use Green Row Communications for a national media relations campaign positioning it as a one-stop shop for high-end online shopping. The six-figure, 18-month account was won following a three-way pitch. It will target...

Media Relations: What the papers say - Ofcom report puts Channel 4 at a loss.
April 13, 2007... With the digital switchover looming, the long-awaited report commissioned by the media regulator Ofcom and conducted by consultancy firm LEK predicted that Channel 4 will be 'operating at a loss by the end of the decade' (The Guardian, 5...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
April 13, 2007... PRESS Tracey Boles, previously business reporter, has been promoted to deputy business editor of The Sunday Express. She replaces Robin Pagnamenta, who is now pharmaceuticals correspondent at The Times. Dipesh Gadher has been appointed...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Tim Hulse, editor, Business Life.
April 13, 2007... Business Life, the British Airways in-flight title, re-launched this month with redesigned sections. What does the magazine cover? Business Life is a popular business magazine, which aims to appeal to a broad cross-section of passengers on BA...

Media Analysis: Dealing with the gossip websites.
April 13, 2007... Everyone enjoys reading them, but no-one wants to see their clients mentioned on them. Kate Magee looks at whether it is possible to influence gossip sites. Did you hear the one about the actor who has an appetite for interval quickies? We...

News Analysis: Office smoking ban has ill effects.
April 13, 2007... As England's first workplace smoking ban appears on the horizon, Sarah Robertson reports on the internal communications challenges it has produced. With less than 100 days until England's first ban on smoking in the workplace,...

News Analysis: Finance skills shortage hits home.
April 13, 2007... The managing director of training company Finance Talking says it often has to run courses in basic maths for its students. With financial PR booming and communicators in demand, this reflects a serious skills vacuum. How can Sainsbury's...

Profile: Rocket man - Gary Farrow, Chairman, The Corporation.(Biography)
April 13, 2007... Fresh from client Elton John's sixtieth birthday party in New York, Gary Farrow sits in his office, in a black leather chair, behind a glass-topped desk, monitoring the day's big stories on his plasma screen TV. This is mission control for...

Opinion: Tabloid stories spell disaster for Navy PR.
April 13, 2007... If truth is the first casualty of war, then the naval PR disaster we are now witnessing illustrates how the wounds can be fatally exacerbated by the addition of the 20 pieces of silver from the tabloid buy-up. The decision to allow individual...

Opinion: Fresh Budget leaves behind a stale aroma.
April 13, 2007... At the Treasury veteran civil servants used to tell me that Budgets that go down well on the day usually look a lot worse the day after. No one ever told me that they could look a lot worse 10 years later. The media onslaught faced by...

Editorial: Training is worth the investment.(Learning and Skills Council)(Editorial)
April 13, 2007... There's a great irony built into the news we report this week (p2) of the major PR component within the Learning and Skills Council's campaign to promote training to consumers and businesses. As an industry, PR hasn't exactly embraced the...

Opinion: ViewPoint - Make the most of that hard earned coverage.
April 13, 2007... Berkeley PR associate director Sara Lewis argues that companies are not making the most of the coverage that they have worked so hard to win through PR. 'It takes a great deal of time and energy to get results', she says. 'But those...

Opinion: Letter - No 'must' in PR when is comes to degrees.
April 13, 2007... While I don't disagree with Mark Ramsdale - 'PR degrees should be a recruitment must' (Letters, 30 March) - we must not overlook potentially outstanding recruits just because they can't tick the PR qualification box. Most of the best...

Opinion: Letter - Expect no miracles from PR graduates.
April 13, 2007... I couldn't disagree more with Mark Ramsdale's that PR degrees are a must. As a PR graduate in 1996 I knew a lot of theory, but very little about putting that into practice in the real world. Ten years later I am disappointed that PR degree...

Opinion: Letter - Whelan takes poor ethics for granted.(Letter to the editor)
April 13, 2007... How depressing to read Charlie Whelan (PRWeek, 30 March) boasting about one of his 'favourite tales' which involved leaking a fake memo to the BBC. This 'complete parcel of rubbish' then made it on to the Today programme - grossly misleading...

Opinion: Letter - Why Current TV still has a long way to go.(Letter to the editor)
April 13, 2007... I think it's fantastic that TV is finally picking up on the new media trend and embracing it through Current TV ('How to get airtime on Current TV', 23 March). The channel is a great gateway for PR professionals to reach young people and really...

Campaign: Launching the Colonel deep into orbit - Consumer.
April 13, 2007... Campaign: Global relaunch of KFC Client: Yum! Brands KFC PR Team: Weber Shandwick Consumer Timescale: August to November 2006 Budget: Undisclosed OBJECTIVES To create a worldwide media moment, ensuring simultaneous coverage...

Campaign: Locking arms with the WWE phenomenom - Consumer.(World Wrestling Entertainment Inc public relations contract)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Campaign: WWE2006 Client: World Wrestling Entertainment International PR Team: Outside Organisation Timescale: January-December 2006 Budget: Undisclosed Having spawned the likes of Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker, today the US-based...

Campaign: Press and pubs do trick for Sega game relaunch - Consumer.
April 13, 2007... Campaign: Game launch - Football Manager 2007 Client: Sega PR Team: Kazoo Timescale: October to December 2006 Budget: Undisclosed OBJECTIVES To raise awareness of the game's release and drive sales. To offer a demo of the game...

Brand marketing: How to pick the best star for the job.
April 13, 2007... It's hard to gauge the effectiveness of a music 'face' chosen to promote a brand. Kate Magee takes a look at one company that is offering a solution. Music industry stars sell products. Having a high-profile figure on board gives an...

Training: Working all the angles.
April 13, 2007... Getting your pitch right in a broadcast interview can be a dangerous game, especially if you are not prepared for the questions Now one training course prepares PROs for the worst. Peter Crush is PRWeek's fly on the wall. 'Journalists...

Diary: Let's meet at Cecconi's.(Restaurant review)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Reviewed by Edwina Rankin, director, JFL Search & Selection. If I'm lunching a senior client or important prospect, there's no question as to venue... it's Cecconi's. A five-minute walk from our Beak Street offices, Cecconi's serves...

Diary: Wildlife man tops media elite chart.(Raoul Shah top media figure)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... PRWeek regular Raoul Shah beat off stiff competition to be named the most important media figure from an ethnic minority. The Exposure CEO was deemed by Media Guardian to be more influential than broadcaster Oprah Winfrey, Observer...

Diary: Who knows what's bitten Rod McPhee.(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Rod McPhee appeared close to breaking point last week as he vented his spleen about 'a infuriating, minority working in PR'. 'You'll find them sipping champagne cocktails in Harvey Nick's or reducing...

Diary: When PR falls short of His expectations.
April 13, 2007... Ever made a mistake on a press release? Course you have, which is why you won't be gloating much at the cringe-worthy tale of a certain Hayley Booth, who attracted the kind of publicity last week her employer Brando must wish she'd avoided. ...

Diary: Tech sector faces influx of nutcases.
April 13, 2007... More tales of incompetance over 75 per cent of the 245 direct applications received by Lighthouse PR in the past three months contained basic errors including spelling and grammatical mistakes, formatting blunders and even applications...

Diary: Hit or Miss... Pilot trouble.(sex offenders regulations)(Brief article)
April 13, 2007... The Government fluffed the announcement of new sex offender disclosure pilot schemes, unveiled this weekend. Sunday's News of The World reported parents would be able to find out how many sex offenders lived on their street. But the headlines...

Pitcher to advise Citigate PA arm.(George Pitcher)(Warwick Smith appointed)(Brief article)
April 20, 2007... Luther Pendragon founder George Pitcher has been parachuted in to Citigate Public Affairs - as parent company, the Global Consulting Group, looks to resuscitate the ailing firm. GCG's New York-based chief executive Richard Wolff said: 'We...