PR Week (UK) articles from December 2004

PR Week (UK) archives from December 2004

Littlewood grabs Lib Dem press job.(Mark Littlewood )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Liberal Democrats have appointed Mark Littlewood as head of press as the party strives to convince the media that the forthcoming general election is a genuine three-horse race. Littlewood has for the last six months been national...

Boeing reviews PR ahead of Airbus war.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... US aerospace and defence giant Boeing is reviewing its PR account as the company prepares its comms for the fightback against European rival Airbus. Boeing is understood to have held initial talks with at least three agencies for an...

Football League plans top division makeover.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Football League is in talks with PR agencies as it bids to overhaul The Championship's image - and woo more families and sponsors to matches in the English game's second tier. The League wants matches to be 'more of an event' and to...

Sainsbury's top PR role for Wood.(Pip Wood )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Troubled supermarket giant Sainsbury's has downsized its top PR post in the wake of the departure of director of corporate relations Jan Shawe. It has promoted head of media Pip Wood to become director of communications, a role that...

Taylor Herring lands Fifpro World XI Player Awards.(Taylor Herring Communications )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Taylor Herring Communications has landed a PR contract to promote the inaugural Fifpro World XI Player Awards - an international peer- voted football awards ceremony to be held in London next year. The agency won a three-way pitch to...

Chime and Incepta urged to resume merger talks.(Chime Communiatins; Incepta Group PLC)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Senior PROs and City watchers have urged marcoms groups Incepta and Chime to press ahead with their stalled merger talks. Despite Chime's statement to the stock exchange earlier this week that 'no agreement on terms was reached, the talks...

Borthwick moves up at FirstGroup.(Rachael Borthwick )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... FirstGroup, the UK's largest road and rail transport firm, has promoted Rachael Borthwick to head of group corporate communications. Borthwick, who joined the company in 1997 and was group corporate comms manager, takes over the...

Agency chiefs lend support to 'mentoring' scheme.(Guild of Public Relations Practitioners)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Luther Pendragon partner Mike Grannatt, Media Strategy MD Charles Lewington and Kaizo director Rosemary Brook are among the industry figures spearheading a PR mentoring scheme from the Guild of Public Relations Practitioners. The scheme's...

PSA Peugeot nets Goodman for PR.(Jon Goodman )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... French automotive group PSA Peugeot Citroen has appointed Peugeot UK marketing director Jon Goodman as UK director of corporate communications and external relations. Goodman takes over the group's comms function from Peugeot Citroen...

Washington bids for livelier image.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... WASHINGTON DC: The US capital is aiming to broaden its image to British tourists by emphasising its entertainment value. The Washington DC Convention and Tourism Corporation has appointed Charisma PR after a pitch against Siren PR and...

Symbian reviews global PR brief.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Symbian, the mobile-phone software giant, is reviewing its global PR account, ending Text 100's three-year hold on the brief. Symbian global PR manager Anatolie Papas - who joined the company from Text 100 in 2001 - confirmed it had begun...

Clarion secures PR remit for Gallaher.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Tobacco giant Gallaher, the firm behind the Benson & Hedges, Silk Cut and Mayfair brands, has switched its trade PR account from b2b communications to Clarion Communications as the industry faces increasing restrictions on marketing. The...

Network Rail hires internal duo.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Network Rail has appointed ex-BNFL internal comms chief Sean Trainor and Marks & Spencer head of internal comms Virginia Hicks following a doubling in staff numbers. Trainor becomes head of a 24-strong internal comms department with Hicks...

News Brief: 2005 James Maxwell Award.
December 3, 2004... JAMES MAXWELL AWARD: The 2005 James Maxwell Award is open for entries from graduates and undergraduates in full-time education. The winner has the chance to spend a year at Ketchum. For information contact Cate MacCreadie on 020 8267 4017 or at...

News Brief: Addis reviews PR support.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... PR PITCH: Food-storage and cleaning-product brand Addis is reviewing its PR support, threatening Romerco's ten-year hold on the account. A pitch will see the agency go head-to-head with The Grove PR Consultancy, Saffron PR and Lawson Dodd.

News Brief: Weber Shandwick appointed.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... CONSUMER: KFC has appointed Weber Shandwick as its US agency of record. WS replaces Edelman, which walked away from the account in a dispute over terms.

News Brief: Fishburn Hedges appointed.(Hudson, human resources consultants' public relations agency)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... CORPORATE: Fishburn Hedges has been appointed to provide UK corporate PR support to HR consultancy Hudson. FH was appointed following a five-way pitch.

News Brief: Campbell to offer advice.(Rugby Union)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... RUGBY: Former Number 10 comms director Alastair Campbell is to offer media relations advice to the British & Irish Lions for next summer's Rugby Union tour of New Zealand.

News Brief: Tully promoted.(Hewlett-Packard)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... APPOINTMENT: Hewlett-Packard has promoted Neta Tully to UK Enterprise marketing director, with responsibility for marketing and PR, to replace Ian Curtis, now head of H-P's Enterprise Software Business Group.

News Brief: Titley retires.(VisitBritain)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... TOURISM: VisitBritain is hunting for a US director of comms after the retirement of Robert Titley. The tourism body is also looking to add a Los Angeles-based PRO to encourage tourism to UK film locations.

News Brief: Communique appointed.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... MOTOR SHOWS: Emap has appointed Communique to handle PR for two motoring exhibitions next year - the MCN London Motorcycle Show and Classic Cars Live.

News Brief: Agere hires Neesham.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... TECHNOLOGY: Semiconductor firm Agere Systems has hired Neesham PR to handle B2B PR in the UK and Scandinavia.

Princess Cruises brings in Halpern.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Princess Cruises has hired Halpern to help it drum up celebrity ambassadors ahead of the inaugural UK season of its vessel Sea Princess. The agency will also target the travel, lifestyle and celebrity media to promote Princess Cruises as...

Exposure suffers joint CEO walkout.(creative agency)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... LOS ANGELES: The joint CEOs of creative agency Exposure in Los Angeles have quit - and taken the marcoms and PR account for Jaguar with them. The exit of Chris Stephenson, who only set up the office in January, and Pat Devereux, who...

Malaysian deal propels Stanley into top three.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Casino group Stanley Leisure jumped 728 places to take third spot in this week's Reputation Monitor after it capitalised on liberalisation of the UK's gambling laws by joining forces with a Malaysian rival in a plan to create Vegas-style...

Butters exits Spreckley for 'challenge'.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Spreckley Partners managing director Fraser Butters has left after less than two years without a job to go to. Butters, a former Burson-Marsteller UK technology chief, said he wants 'to play in a bigger field', adding that chairman and...

Trident MBO sees founders leave.(management buy - out)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Internal comms agency Trident Communications has undergone a management buyout with its co-founders - chairman Alan Peaford and chief executive Chris Murray - opting to sell their shares and leave the firm. Trident has named Peter Agertoft...

Hyperion tech PR job up for grabs.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Hyperion, maker of financial-planning and budgeting software, is to review its UK PR following the acquisition of Brio Software last year. The company is drawing up a shortlist of up to five agencies to pitch for the brief in a move that...

IT provider Star appoints Bite.(information technology)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Gloucester-based pay-as-you-go IT system provider Star has dropped HBL Media, its retained PR adviser of four years, and hired Bite Communications as the company bids to move away from its internet service provider image. Star did not ask...

Childrenswear retailer Adams stages PR pitch.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Kidswear retailer Adams is reviewing its consumer PR strategy and is planning to stage a pitch for agency support. Incumbent Pittilla is one of four agencies in the running for the brief to promote Adams through 2005. Adams head of...

Horse Society in comms boss hire.(British Horse Society)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The British Horse Society has appointed The Catholic Church head of news Oliver Wilson to be its first comms director as it prepares to crank up its profile. Wilson's hire is one of five director positions that have been created at the...

Public Sector: Devon tourism job up for grabs.(Devon County Council)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Devon County Council's tourism promotion unit Discover Devon has put its PR and marketing account out to pitch, having received pounds 1.2m in European funding for tourism development over three years. As part of the pitch process,...

Public Sector: Tribal MPC to review LGA comms function.(Local Government Association public relations review)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Local Government Association (LGA) has drafted in troubleshooting agency Tribal MPC to conduct a root-and-branch review of its PR function as it gears up for the general election. Tribal will review the size and responsibilities of the...

Public Sector: GLA plans hire for violence at home.(Greater London Authority)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Greater London Authority is rethinking its strategy for tackling domestic violence in the capital and has issued a tender for agencies to develop a fresh approach. The successful agency will be required to develop, publish and...

Public Sector: One NorthEast to plug heritage.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Regional development agency One NorthEast has issued a tender for PR help to improve the North-East's image through raising awareness of its heritage. It follows 18 months of strategic planning involving research by MORI and has the aim...

Public Sector Brief: Liverpool confirmed host.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... LG COMMS: Trade body LG Comms has confirmed Liverpool as host city for its 2005 annual conference. The event will be based at the recently refurbished town hall and will run from13 to 15 April. The theme will be 'great communications for...

Public Sector Brief: 'Catch a Cowboy'.(Derbyshire County Council to create awareness about rogue traders)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... DERBY: Derbyshire County Council is to launch a campaign to raise awareness of rogue traders. It follows a pilot project in which council staff rented a house and posed as a couple having problems with their washing machine. One of four...

Public Sector Brief: Borough of Brent Council survey.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... BRENT: The London Borough of Brent Council is carrying out a survey of one in five households in the area to better establish local needs. It will include face-to-face interviews with residents in more than 2,700 homes and use the information...

Public Sector Brief: Kingston First successful.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... KINGSTON: Public-private partnership Kingston First has been successful in its campaign to sway businesses to vote 'yes' for it to become a business-improvement district by a two-thirds majority. Businesses will pay an additional one per cent...

Public Sector Brief: Thompson appointed.(Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... DONCASTER: Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council press and PR assistant Karlie Thompson is to join Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council as education and culture communications officer. She joins on 10 January.

Public Sector Brief: Hero appoints.(Higher Education & Research Opportunities' web site)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... EDUCATION: Government website Higher Education & Research Opportunities in the UK (Hero) has appointed Bradley O'Mahoney PR to boost its profile to students, parents and career advisers. The site, a guide to the UK's universities and...

Public Sector Brief: Haringey Council joins forces.(Operation Christmas Cracker, crime prevention advice)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... HARINGEY: Haringey Council has joined forces with the Metropolitan Police to launch 'Operation Christmas Cracker' to promote crime- prevention advice for businesses alongside high-visibility policing and festive events in shopping centres....

Voluntary Sector: National Trust plugs Xmas gifts.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The National Trust is to launch a media relations campaign to boost sales of its traditional Christmas food and gifts while most of its properties are closed for the winter period. The campaign, aimed at lifestyle titles such as Period...

Voluntary Sector: Charity body NCVO fights National Lottery reforms.(National Council for Voluntary Organisations)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is gearing up to challenge the Government's National Lottery Bill, which it argues will empower the Government with too much influence over how Lottery money is spent. NCVO is this...

Voluntary Sector: Fitzgerald to boost motor neurone disease profile.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) has hired Bedfordshire County Council external comms manager Sarah Fitzgerald as head of PR and media. Fitzgerald, who takes up the post on 13 December, plans to increase the charity's use of...

Voluntary Sector: Papers launch charity appeals.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The majority of national newspapers have chosen organisations committed to alleviating the problems of poverty in developing countries for their Christmas charity appeals. Last year most nationals ran appeals to help refugees caught up in...

Voluntary Sector: NI schools group bolsters comms.(Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education (NICIE), a charity devoted to setting up mixed-religion schools for children of Catholic and Protestant faiths, has bolstered its PR function. It has hired Philip O'Sullivan from an...

Voluntary Sector: Badger DNA.(Deoxyribonucleic Acid )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The RSPCA is to map the DNA profile of badgers in an attempt to stamp out illegal digging and baiting of the protected species.The society has commissioned Wildlife DNA Services to set up a database of hundreds of DNA samples nationwide to...

Public Affairs: Drug tester Altrix launches PA push.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Warrington-based Altrix Healthcare, one of the biggest oral drug- testing laboratories in Europe, has hired two agencies for a government and media relations offensive in the wake of the announcement of a Drugs Bill in the Queen's Speech. ...

Public Affairs: Chiron appoints GPC in wake of flu-plant crisis.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Biotech firm Chiron is understood to have appointed GPC International to its public affairs account after a competitive pitch as it recovers from controversy surrounding the suspension of its flu- vaccine facility in Liverpool this autumn. ...

Public Affairs: Ladbrokes mulls senior hire after Gambling Bill.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Britain's biggest bookmaker Ladbrokes is planning to appoint its first board-level public affairs director as it prepares for the effects of the recent Gambling Bill. The post is being considered by the gaming and betting giant as...

Public Affairs: APCO nabs BBC analyst Dalziel.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... APCO has hired BBC Russian-affairs analyst Stephen Dalziel to join its six-strong Russian and emerging-markets media team as an associate manager. Dalziel will work 'across the business', covering emerging markets including Central and...

Public Affairs: Cosmetic surgery Harley Medical in lobbying drive.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Cosmetic surgery outfit The Harley Medical Group has drafted in GPC International as it calls for the Government to set more stringent guidelines on cosmetic surgery practice. The group is arguing that while commercial clinics account for...

City & Corporate: Ex-Bell Pottinger C&F's Coles joins WS Square Mile.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Former Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial director John Coles is to join City PR shop Weber Shandwick Square Mile. Coles, who quit Bell Pottinger's financial PR operation last month after more than ten years with the firm (PRWeek, 8...

City & Corporate: BowLeven hires Maitland for float.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... African oil and gas exploration group BowLeven has hired The Maitland Consultancy to spearhead a financial comms push around the firm's flotation on AIM. Maitland managing partner Neil Bennett is advising the company, which has operated...

City & Corporate: Polhill director role for Ansdell.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Polhill Communications has hired former Inter-Alliance comms chief Charles Ansdell. Ansdell has become a director at Polhill and leads a three-strong team with partners Despina Constantinides and Julian Polhill on key financial services...

City & Corporate: P&O Group on verge of naming financial shop.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Ferry, port and freight transport company P&O Group is on the verge of completing a review of its financial PR, jeopardising a 15-year relationship with Bell Pottinger Corporate & Financial. The group has drawn up a shortlist of three...

City & Corporate: College Hill lands St Modwen brief.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Specialist urban regenerator and brownfield site developer St Modwen has hired College Hill to handle a revamped financial and corporate comms brief following a four-way pitch. The property firm put the account up for review after the...

City & Corporate: Rock Pacific selects Holborn for Countryside brief.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Rock Pacific, the Bahamas-based vehicle backed by billionaire Joe Lewis, has drafted in Holborn to handle interest in the stake it has acquired in house-builder Countryside Properties. Rock, which is also backed by property entrepreneur...

City & Corporate: Some firms are better off private.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Everyone knows dotcom stocks joined the 90 per cent club when the bubble burst, falling to a tenth of their peak value. What is less widely appreciated is that many media stocks went the same way. Shares of PR firms were particularly hard hit...

City & Corporate: Abbey deal aids return of Brunswick to first place.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Brunswick clawed its way back to the top of the Deal Watch table for November after working on deals worth pounds 4.4bn more than those that gave it second place in October. In addition to the final stages of Banco Santander Central...

City & Corporate: Maitland grabs B&H brief.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Boosey & Hawkes (B&H), the world's largest publisher of classical music, has hired The Maitland Consultancy to front financial comms as the privately owned firm eyes up potential acquisitions. Former Gavin Anderson chief executive and...

City & Corporate: Pelham snaps up KBC Peel Hunt job.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Small to mid-cap broker KBC Peel Hunt has hired Pelham, the agency cofounded last month by former College Hill Partner James Henderson, in a bid to stake its position as a long-term market trader. CEO Tim Cockroft said the company had hired...

Healthcare: Brand Watch reveals extent of GP concern over Seroxat.(Genaral Practitioners)
December 3, 2004... Two fifths of GPs say patients have raised concerns about anti- depressant drug Seroxat as a result of something they had read, seen or heard about the product in the past three months, according to PRWeek's inaugural Brand Watch. More...

Healthcare: Galliard hires Turner as director.(Galliard Healthcare Communications)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Galliard Healthcare Communications has snared former Hill & Knowlton UK healthcare head and InterScience senior consultant David Turner to take a director role. Turner, who is working for clients such Japanese drugs firm Fujisawa, Lilly...

Healthcare: NIMH set to boost mental-health PR.(National Institute of Mental Health)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... WASHINGTON: The US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) this week launched a search for a PR agency as it bids to raise awareness of mental-health issues and promote available treatments. The account encompasses PR activities around a...

Healthcare: At a Glance - Anti-depressant prescriptions to children.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... What's the story? A University of London School of Pharmacy survey has revealed a dramatic 68 per cent rise in the prescribing of anti-depressants to UK children (up to 17 years old) from 2000 to 2002. Wow. Is this replicated...

Healthcare: Patients Assoc in summit drive.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Patients Association is planning a PR push to promote its first-ever Clean Hospitals Summit, a two-day event set to take place next April. The body is using West Sussex-based health, nutrition and parenting outfit MurrayPR to promote...

Healthcare: Ardana in med-ed push for testosterone brand.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Ardana Bioscience has called in agency backing to promote Striant SR, its testosterone-replacement drug that men can take in a bid to help problems such as a lack of libido or erectile dysfunction. The Edinburgh-based reproductive health...

Healthcare: Ogilvy secures Pfizer US pain job.
December 3, 2004... NEW YORK: Ogilvy PR Worldwide has scooped the highly coveted US Pfizer pain franchise account, which includes blockbuster arthritis drugs Celebrex and Bextra. The agency won a pitch against Hill & Knowlton, Burson-Marsteller and Porter...

Healthcare: Awareness Campaign Close-up - ARC targets back-pain sufferers.(Arthritis Research Campaign)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Organisation: Arthritis Research Campaign Campaign: Arthritis Education Week - Back to Fitness PR team: In-house Budget: pounds 2,500 Date: 4-8 January The annual campaign exists to raise awareness of a particular type of arthritis...

Media Relations: WebitPR rolls out SMS alert service.(Short Message Service)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Media distribution and monitoring company webitPR has introduced SMS alerts to notify clients of media coverage as it occurs. The opt-in service will refer clients to the webitPR website when media coverage is detected, making it most...

Media Relations: Obesity Forum in push to address media interest.(National Obesity Forum)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The National Obesity Forum (NOF) has responded to the growing media interest in Britons' battle with obesity with the appointment of its first PR agency to manage its profile in health-trade and consumer media. Dr Ian Campbell, president...

Media Relations: Platinum group targets fiances.(Platinum Guild International)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Platinum jewellery is to be the subject of a UK PR drive for the first time as the industry body for one of the most expensive metals targets the spring wedding season. Platinum Guild International (PGI) is to highlight the metal's purity,...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
December 3, 2004... PRESS IPC magazine Practical Parenting is relaunching with new sections from its January issue. Children's food expert Annabel Karmel will write a health and nutrition section, while TV nanny Jo Frost will have a monthly column. There will...

Media Analysis: Healthy diets gain press exposure.
December 3, 2004... With Channel 4 show You Are What You Eat to be spun off into a monthly magazine, Tom Williams explores the best routes for getting press coverage on healthy-eating matters and how research can play its part. Publisher Brooklands Group's...

News Analysis: Review threatens practical training.
December 3, 2004... As PR courses face up to the possibility of funding cuts, Ian Hall asks whether the ongoing review could affect graduates' preparedness for real-world PR. The cash ploughed into the growing number of PR courses on offer in England is under...

News Analysis: PR blitz confronts binge drinkers.
December 3, 2004... With Britons preparing to embark on their annual festive booze spree, Sarah Robertson analyses efforts by the Government, charities and the alcohol industry to warn people of the ill-effects of binge drinking. Britain's binge-drinking...

Profile: Petrol-head with gravitas - Daniel Ward, communications director, MG Rover Group.
December 3, 2004... Serious and understated, Daniel Ward might not seem the dynamic figure needed to turn round the reputation of a car maker that houses two of Britain's most iconic marques but is struggling to get out of the red. In person, however, he is...

Opinion: Fear of age blinds UK plc to opportunity.(United Kingdom)
December 3, 2004... The grey market is big - and getting bigger - but the corporate environment of UK plc seems to be in denial about it. Indeed, the UK's Peter Pan business leaders are likely to be throwing their toys out of their prams again this week, after it...

Opinion: The truth will be Blunkett's best PR ally.
December 3, 2004... For weeks now the press have been digging for more dirt on the Home Secretary. In fact, they've been at it ever since the news first broke of his unlikely relationship with Kimberly Quinn, the married publisher of The Spectator. Many...

Opinion: Leader - Football League has to combat the cynics.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Football League's plans to overhaul the Championship's image defy the tribal loyalties characteristic of the game, and particularly its own 24 success-starved clubs. Many teams in the Championship (in old days 'league division two')...

Opinion: My Best Hire - Sarah Parry.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Stephen Waddington, Rainier PR managing director, on the 'versatile' Sarah Parry. 'We first worked together a decade ago at MMC Communications, when I hired her as an account executive. Within a week, Sarah proved she could race touring...

Healthcare Survey: Marketing Medicines.
December 3, 2004... Research shows that GPs value creative PR and accurate sales-force delivery from pharma firms, finds Mark Johnson. Press releases sent out by pharma firms ten years ago, were concerned primarily with the research and development of new...