PR Week (UK) articles from December 2006

PR Week (UK) archives from December 2006

PROs embroiled in Russian spy death aftermath.
December 1, 2006... Some of the industry's best-connected individuals have been advising those involved in the aftermath of the death of former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko in London. Chime Communications chair Lord Bell told PRWeek he was 'handling media...

Govt plans to bolster faith in school meals.
December 1, 2006... The Government has brought in a PR agency to handle a major campaign to build public confidence in school dinners. The appointment of Geronimo Communications comes as it desperately tries to tackle the nation's spiralling levels of child...

Scientology set for comms hike.(Church of Scientology)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Church of Scientology is planning to treble the size of its UK PR team as it seeks to capitalise on soaring media interest. Thrust into the limelight by members such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta, the controversial religion is keen to...

MTV plots roster for corporate job.
December 1, 2006... MTV is to establish a roster of corporate agencies to ensure it maintains credibility against more youthful entertainment brands such as YouTube and MySpace. The Viacom-owned music TV network has asked 'a number' of consultancies for...

Pension fund group hires Penrose as reform looms.
December 1, 2006... The National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) has brought in Penrose Financial ahead of plans to radically adjust the state pension system. The appointment comes in the week that the Government published a bill outlining the planned...

UN comms chief Mortimer to join Salzburg Seminar.
December 1, 2006... NEW YORK/SALZBURG: The United Nations' top communicator is to leave at end of the year to join global think-tank the Salzburg Seminar. Edward Mortimer, director of comms and head of the speechwriting unit at the UN's HQ in New York, will...

Singapore carrier rethinks UK brief.
December 1, 2006... Singapore Airlines, the second biggest airline in the world, is reviewing its UK PR account. The move has put 18-year incumbent Keene Public Affairs on alert. The state-owned carrier is reviewing its links with Keene as part of a wider...

BBC editor says new media vital for crisis comms.
December 1, 2006... PR professionals underestimate the importance of new media in times of crisis 'at their peril'. That was the warning issued by Gary Duffy, editor of BBC Interactive and part of a line-up of journalists speaking at PRWeek's Taking The Drama...

Ad group rallies industry on TUPE.
December 1, 2006... The PR industry has been urged by ad body ISBA to 'wake up' to the potential impact of TUPE laws. The Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Regulations were updated earlier this year - agencies that win contracts may have to...

Cubitt in link-up with City school.
December 1, 2006... A City agency is claiming to have forged the first UK partnership with a business school. Cubitt Consulting will fund two associate - or 'more junior' - directors annually through MBAs at the Cass Business School, which is based near the...

Xmas bashes fail to inspire PROs.(public relations firms)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Many PR executives are saying 'bah humbug' to the December party season, according to a survey. In the PRWeek/Aziz Corporation poll, 76 per cent of PROs either agreed or strongly agreed that back-to-back entertaining had a negative effect...

Boots to stage pitch in consumer revamp.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Boots the Chemist is to overhaul its consumer agency roster, reducing it from seven project agencies to 'one or two' retained advisers. Boots head of PR Janis Churton described the retailer's current model, by which it uses agencies solely...

Windeler readies agency launch.(Marie Louise Windeler)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Former Hill & Knowlton UK CEO Marie Louise Windeler is believed to be on the verge of launching her own consultancy. The agency has yet to launch officially, but speculation suggests the outfit will be called Winco, and will specialise in...

News Brief: H&M uses Karla Otto.
December 1, 2006... CONSUMER: Swedish fashion retailer H&M is using Karla Otto to launch upmarket stores across Europe. The first will open on London's Regent Street in the spring.

News Brief: B2B Consultancy restructures its management.
December 1, 2006... AGENCY: The B2B Consultancy, recently rebranded from B2B Communications, has restructured its management, following the departure of joint MD John Hay. Directors Shirley Braithwaite, Nicki Dallinson and Lisa Keogh will now head the agency's PR...

News Brief: Nike UK & Ireland promotes Carolyn Small.
December 1, 2006... CORPORATE: Nike UK & Ireland PR manager Carolyn Small has been promoted to senior PR manager EMEA. The position has been vacant since Charlie Brooks became UK head of corporate comms this summer (PRWeek, 6 July).

News Brief: Mark Maquire joins GE Money Home Lending.
December 1, 2006... CORPORATE: Former Egg head of PR Mark Maguire has joined mortgage lender GE Money Home Lending. He has taken the role of head of external comms.

News Brief: James Crampton joins life insurer Old Mutual.
December 1, 2006... CORPORATE: SABMiller media relations manager James Crampton has left to join life insurer Old Mutual in a newly created comms role. The brewer has temporarily replaced Crampton with Sophie Miller, on secondment from Brunswick.

News Brief: Bell Pottinger to promote Wageroller.
December 1, 2006... AGENCY: Bell Pottinger Business & Brand is to promote South Wales-based financial services firm Wageroller. The agency will target the business press through traditional and online PR campaigns.

News Brief: Tess Dixon has left Centrica.
December 1, 2006... CORPORATE: Tess Dixon, director of media relations at energy supplier Centrica, has left the company to look after her ill husband. She has been replaced by colleague Mish Tullar.

News Brief: Pearl Restaurant & Bar wins award.
December 1, 2006... CONSUMER: Pearl Restaurant & Bar won the 'Marketing and PR Campaign of the Year' gong in the Visit London Awards late last month. It was recognised for its 'Shopping with the Chef' campaign. Other entrants included London Zoo and Radisson...

Halpern picks up Molton Brown job.
December 1, 2006... Luxury beauty and toiletries brand Molton Brown has handed a six-figure consumer account to Halpern. The agency will seek to generate coverage for the brand in the UK and Ireland, and create a 'PR toolkit' for use in other countries. ...

Launch Group to replace Maguire.(Paul Maguire )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Launch Group is recruiting for a head of its corporate practice following the sudden exit of Paul Maguire after less than six months in the job. Maguire - who joined the Soho-based agency in the summer after leaving a role as MD of...

Former Bite director Dodworth in Publicasity post.(Bruce Dodworth)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Publicasity - the agency formerly known as icas PR - has recruited Bruce Dodworth to the role of insight and planning director. Dodworth was global strategy and business development director at Bite Communications until this summer, when he...

Serco's Capper takes top London First comms role.
December 1, 2006... Business lobby group London First has recruited Graham Capper to the role of director of comms. Capper will join the influential membership organisation on 4 January after a year-and-a-half at service company Serco, where he is group head...

Women's fashion retailer Pilot hands brief to Frank.
December 1, 2006... Pilot, the young women's clothing retailer, has appointed its first retained agency. Frank PR has secured the account, which spans consumer and trade media relations. The account is being run by associate director JaneHill, who joined...

Horse Guards set for museum drive.
December 1, 2006... The Household Cavalry has brought in a PR agency as it prepares to open a museum on London's Horse Guards Parade next year. The regiment, the most senior in the Army, has hired arts specialist Colman Getty PR to boost awareness of the new...

Public Sector: Marketing B'ham bolsters PR team.
December 1, 2006... Marketing Birmingham has enlisted BGB Communications PR manager Charlotte Beeching as external affairs manager. The newly created role's remit includes attracting investment to the region, and consumer campaigns. Beeching will report...

Public Sector: Trident and Limehouse in merger following MBOs.
December 1, 2006... Internal comms shop Trident Communications has merged with local government specialist The Limehouse Group. With the support of investors Clydesdale Bank and Iceni Capital, Limehouse and Trident have both completed MBOs. The new six-strong...

Public Sector: Liverpool targets Euro chess fans.
December 1, 2006... European chess aficionados are being urged to visit Liverpool during 2008, its City of Culture year. The recently formed Liverpool Chess Foundation has appointed local agency Kenyon Fraser to promote the European tournaments hosted by the...

Public Sector: Royal Mail in online Xmas shopping bid.
December 1, 2006... Royal Mail is promoting the benefits of shopping over the web to consumers and businesses. The campaign, launched last week, communicates the message that the internet represents an opportunity for Royal Mail rather than a threat to its...

Public Sector: Lincs enlists Marshall to turn around reputation.
December 1, 2006... Lincolnshire Council has snared Cambridgeshire's head of internal comms Janet Marshall to help rebuild its reputation. Marshall is to join in the newly created role of head of comms and community engagement in January, following a turbulent...

Public Sector: Merton outsources PR to Westminster.
December 1, 2006... Westminster City Council has clinched a deal to restructure Merton Council's PR team. Over five months Westminster will implement the recommendations of a recent review of the South-West London borough's comms. Its contract runs to...

Public Sector: Transport - prepare for the long haul.
December 1, 2006... When does more disruption mean less disruption? Answer: in the strange, old-fashioned, topsy-turvy world of transport. Because if you want a decent transport scheme, you just have to put up with years of politics, planning, budgeting and...

Voluntary Sector: Afghan Action in pre-Xmas drive.
December 1, 2006... Afghan Action is planning a major PR campaign to promote its 'ethical giving' scheme. It wants to raise extra cash in the run-up to Christmas by encouraging people to buy a handmade carpet, donate money to medical and other supplies, or...

Voluntary Sector: Ex-Virgin Mobile exec resurfaces.
December 1, 2006... Former Virgin Mobile corporate affairs director Steven Day is advising a charity lobbying for better awareness of dyslexia in schools. Day, who left Virgin Mobile in the summer (PRWeek, 7 July), is working on a voluntary, part-time basis...

Voluntary Sector: Red Cross hires Frank to devise 'stunning' event.(Frank PR)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The British Red Cross has handed Frank PR a contract to drum up publicity around its next fundraising week, set to run from 6-13 May 2007. Frank is planning a publicity campaign around a 'visually stunning', high-profile event. Further...

Voluntary Sector: World War Two Experience Centre bolsters comms.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's interim comms director has joined The Second World War Experience Centre as marketing manager. Liz Emeny was filling in for Helen Dexter while she was on maternity leave, but Dexter returned to the animal...

Voluntary Sector: NSPCC recruits to focus on regions.(National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The NSPCC has created a head of divisional comms position as it looks to place more importance on regional PR. Former freelancer Helen Chown has been installed in the London-based job. She will oversee around 20 staff from regional...

Voluntary Sector: Aids Day targets youth.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... World Aids Day is specifically targeting young people for the first time this year in a bid to increase awareness of the condition among new audiences. Its comms team has partnered Dazed and Confused magazine and is targeting youth media...

Public Affairs: Warwick Smith elected to V-P role for US group.(The Advocacy Group)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Warwick Smith, managing partner of College Hill's nascent public affairs operations, has been elected V-P of US-based government relations organisation The Advocacy Group. The non-executive appointment makes Smith - recently installed as...

Public Affairs: US PE firms ready first trade assoc.(private-equity firms)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Washington: Private-equity firms in the US are to create their industry's first trade association. The body promises to become a powerful voice in the ongoing public debate over regulation of the powerful buyout specialists. The group,...

Public Affairs: Poll - Brown would make life tougher for lobbyists.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lobbyists believe they will find life tougher under a Gordon Brown government, according to a poll released exclusively to PRWeek. The Communication Group found 'significant concern' about future access to ministers when it questioned 100...

Public Affairs: Ketchum in joint venture with Madrid agency Lenci.
December 1, 2006... Madrid: Ketchum this week unveiled a joint venture with Spanish local government relations specialist Lenci Consulting. Initially just using Lenci's existing five staff, Ketchum Lenci Public Affairs will focus on representing corporate...

Public Affairs: Birds Eye brings in Bell Pottinger.(Birds Eye Frozen Foods)(Bell Pottinger Public Affairs)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Birds Eye Frozen Foods - acquired by private-equity firm Permira from Unilever for pounds 1.2bn this autumn - has appointed Bell Pottinger Public Affairs. The agency will advise its new management team on the development of a PA strategy....

Healthcare: Napp Pharmaceuticals to shortlist for UK job.
December 1, 2006... Napp Pharmaceuticals, the company behind pain-relief patch BuTrans, has approached agencies touting a potential product comms contract. PRWeek understands that selected UK agencies have been contacted by the Cambridge-based firm ahead of a...

Healthcare: Merck hunts agency for anti-obesity drug.
December 1, 2006... Pennsylvania: Drugs giant Merck & Co has held talks with leading international agencies over a contract to handle PR for a pre-launch anti-obesity product. PRWeek has learned that around seven of the world's biggest agencies have pitched...

Healthcare: Roche lures CCA's Evans for int'l comms role.
December 1, 2006... Basel: Swiss pharma firm Roche has appointed Clare Evans to the role of international comms manager. Evans will start work this month at the firm's offices in Basel, Switzerland, and will focus on handling comms for Bonviva - the...

Healthcare: Agency alliance for focus on PCTs.(Primary Care Trusts)(Onyx Health forms alliance with HealthIntell)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Onyx Health this week unveiled a 'strategic alliance' with start-up policy comms consultancy HealthIntell. The agency has teamed up with Nottingham-based HealthIntell to offer clients comms programmes focusing on Primary Care Trusts, NHS...

Healthcare: At a glance - NHS starts consultation on self-promotion regs.
December 1, 2006... What sort of consultation is this? The Department of Health has asked for views on a proposed code of practice - its first - to cover NHS providers promoting their services to health professionals and patients. 'Promoting', as in PR?...

City & Corporate: Mirror suitor Evans turns again to Gavin Anderson.(Marcus Evans)(Daily Mirror)(Gavin Anderson and Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Daily Mirror fancier Marcus Evans has brought in Gavin Anderson as he lines up a renewed bid for the tabloid - two years after he missed out on an pounds 800m deal. Conference organiser Evans, who is expected to offer pounds 200m less this...

City & Corporate: Kafka joins Goldman Sachs.
December 1, 2006... Paul Kafka, the London Stock Exchange's departing director of corporate comms and public affairs, has landed the top European comms role at Goldman Sachs. Kafka joins as European director of corporate comms at the investment bank, working...

City & Corporate: Citigate's Brown in Square Mile job.(Citigate Dewe Rogerson)(Alex Brown)(Weber Shandwick Square Mile)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Citigate Dewe Rogerson stalwart Alex Brown has joined Weber Shandwick Square Mile as associate director in its financial services team. Brown had been heading Citigate's Sydney affiliate CPR Communications & PR but returned to the UK for...

City & Corporate: Comms becomes onerous for CEOs.
December 1, 2006... A recent article in Fortune, the US business magazine, estimated that a typical chief executive of a major US company could expect to spend 40 per cent of his or her time on public and investor relations activities; communicating with...

Technology: Noiseworks bags SmartTrust work.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... SmartTrust, a mobile device management firm, has handed a UK B2B account to Noiseworks. SmartTrust helps mobile-network providers ensure that subscribers' equipment is properly configured. Susanna Collins, account director at...

Technology: 3M sets sights on parenting blogs.
December 1, 2006... Post-it Note maker 3M is targeting blogs as it seeks to promote its reflective safety-wear clothes and accessories. The campaign is being run by e-marketing agency Chameleon Net, targeting UK parenting blogs. 3M senior e-channel...

Technology: Lewis beats Red and F-H to land Lexmark account.
December 1, 2006... Printer firm Lexmark has handed a pounds 500,000 Euro-pean contract to Lewis PR, ending relationships with at least six agencies. Lewis will oversee the account - which covers B2B, corporate and consumer work - from London, taking full...

Technology: Fishburn Hedges grabs BT Global Services brief.
December 1, 2006... BT Global Services has consolidated its external accounts from three to one, handing the combined brief to Fishburn Hedges. The agency will start work on the account on 2 January. It has been briefed to position BT Global Services as a...

Technology: Berlin-based IT security company brings in Rainier.
December 1, 2006... Innominate Security Technologies, a company that provides IT security systems to manufacturing plants, has hired Rainier PR. The Berlin-headquartered firm appointed the agency after a competitive pitch as it seeks to raise global brand...

Technology: Whiteoaks wins voice-ID remit.
December 1, 2006... Voice-recognition software firm VeCommerce has hired The Whiteoaks Consultancy after a four-way pitch. The company launched in 1997 and is well known in Australia, where it is headquartered. Whiteoaks' campaign will kick off later this...

Media Relations: What the papers say - Symbolic victory for BA's critics.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... BA's refusal to let employee Nadia Eweida wear a cross at work precipitated a religious and political storm. Headlines - such as 'Barmy battle of the Cross' (The Sun, 25 Nov); 'Why can't BA show common sense?' (Daily Mail, 23 Nov);...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
December 1, 2006... PRESS The Guardian's European editor Nick Watt is to return to London in the new year in a senior reporter role. Ian Traynor, currently central and south-east Europe correspondent, will move from Zagreb to Brussels to replace him. Kate...

Media Relations: 2 minutes with - Avril O'Connor Editor, Elixir.(Interview)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Elixir magazine hits the shelves next February. What's the content? We are always hearing that 60 is the 'new 40', with every women's magazine and newspaper writing about anti-ageing. Elixir will be totally focused on the topic, covering...

Media Analysis: Reader's Digest - a mass opportunity.
December 1, 2006... Following the sale of Reader's Digest last month for pounds 850m, Robyn Lewis asks its executive editor how PROs should target its two million UK readers. One of the world's best-known consumer magazines, Reader's Digest, was bought last...

News Analysis: Why Rose is the pick of the bunch.(Stuart Rose)
December 1, 2006... Stuart Rose, CEO of a buoyant Marks & Spencer, was this week named the fourth PRCA Romeike Business Communicator of the Year. David Quainton examines how Rose has communicated the retailer's turnaround Turn on the TV in the coming weeks and you...

News Analysis: Manchester agency chiefs bare all.
December 1, 2006... PR agencies located in the North-West are booming, but leading lights are concerned about recruitment difficulties in the region. Ian Hall reports from a roundtable event convened in Manchester last week Unprecedented investment in city...

Profile: Sailing to the top - Jonathan Jordan, UK chief executive, Burson-Marsteller.
December 1, 2006... A successful agency needs three attributes,' argues Jonathan Jordan, settling in to his refurbished office. 'Strong clients, great people and a respected brand. We certainly have the first two, and I would argue we also have the most respected...

Opinion: Time the Olympics left the political arena.
December 1, 2006... As the cash-tills ring to the sound of billions of pounds of taxpayers' money, one thing is certain about the 2012 London Olympics: it is a comms nightmare that will outlive the Games. The glory (for some) of putting one over on the French...

Opinion: Mixed messages for the Conservatives.
December 1, 2006... David Cameron, approaching the end of his first 12 months as Tory leader, would have got a boost from a poll in last weekend's Mail on Sunday. Dave, apparently, is seen by voters as way ahead of Gordon Brown and Ming Campbell in coming up...

Editorial: Battle of the Cross is a warning for all.(Editorial)
December 1, 2006... Alastair Campbell famously told a journalist 'we don't do God' when Tony Blair was asked about his Christianity. British Airways' PR professionals surely wish they were able to deploy a similar response on the increasingly powderkeg issue of...

Letter: Ad industry aiming to salve TUPE concerns.(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Your feature article on the potential impact on PR agencies of the revised TUPE employment law ('Worried about TUPE?', 17 November) was both wide-ranging and authoritative. Clients, too, can see real problems. When they move their accounts...

Letter: COI should lead way on carbon-neutrality.(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... The CarbonNeutral Company founder Sue Welland's assault on the lack of sustainability action by PR firms is a clever bit of PR ('PR firms slammed for lack of 'green' action,' 10 Nov; 'Prepare to join the green revolution,' 17 Nov). But...

Letter: 'Homogeneous' PROs leave me staggered.(public relations officers)
December 1, 2006... Congratulations on your recent PRWeek Awards 2006 supplement (27 Oct), although flicking through its pages did depress me on one count. Leaving aside the cute Taylor Herring collie dog, the group and individual photographs did present a...

My Best Hire.(Louise Drabwell of Rare Communications hired Lynne-Mei Lee)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Louise Drabwell, MD of Rare Communications, on the 'vivacious' Lynne-Mei Lee. 'In 2001 I was head of PR for Fox Kids Europe and looking for press officers. Lynne-Mei bypassed the recruitment agency and came to me directly. 'She was...

Campaign: LG sprinkles celeb glitter on Choc phone.
December 1, 2006... Campaign: Launch of the LG Mobile Chocolate Phone Client: LG Mobile PR team: Hill & Knowlton and Blanc & Otus Timescale: April-June 2006 Budget: Less than pounds 500,000 In April, LG appointed Hill & Knowlton and sister agency Blanc...

Campaigns: Amphibian bike makes a great media splash.(PR Office)
December 1, 2006... Campaign: Quadski launch Client: Gibbs Technology PR team: The PR Office Timescale: June-July 2006 Budget: pounds 25,000 To launch its latest product, the Quadski - a cross between a quad bike and a jet-ski - Gibbs recruited The PR...

Campaign: Belu impresses with a compostable bottle.(Belu Mineral Water)(Redhead PR)
December 1, 2006... Campaign: Bio Bottle Client: Belu Mineral Water PR team: Redhead PR Timescale: April-July 2006 Budget: pounds 14,000 After modest sales, Belu wanted to revitalise the brand via Bio Bottle - the UK's first compostable bottle, made...

Careers: Daunting December.
December 1, 2006... A month of parties might sound fun, but many PROs view the season as a chore. Steve Hemsley investigates. This Friday is the start of the season of goodwill. But for those PR executives worn out after a tough year's work, the countdown to...

PRweek Crisis Conference Report: Firefighting in the digital age.
December 1, 2006... PROs met this week to discuss crisis management. Peter Crush picks three high-profile case studies, and speaks to delegates. Delegates left PRWeek's first crisis conference this Wednesday sure of two things: that trouble always lurks just...

Diary: Anyone fancy a pint of camel's milk?
December 1, 2006... The world's first flavoured camel's milk - branded Camelicious - is going down a storm in Dubai, thanks in part to coverage bagged by Cyprus-based agency Action Global Communications. The drink is available in date and saffron flavours, and...

Diary: DSG profits (again) from tech progress.(DSG International)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... When the Daily Mail and others ran stories this week on the rise of flat-screen TVs and demise of bulky, old-style sets - while namechecking DSG International - Diary got an unerring sense of deja vu. The retailer's decision to focus on...

Diary: Decade-old AS Biss names ten to watch.(AS Biss and Co. celebrated its tenth birthday with introduction of 'Ten People of Tomorrow' booklet)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Public affairs agency AS Biss held a bash at Tate Britain this Tuesday evening to celebrate its tenth birthday, and has produced a booklet of 'Ten People of Tomorrow' to mark the occasion. The list, 'ten political stars of the future', was...

Diary: C&W can't wait for Christmas party.
December 1, 2006... Some PROs may dread the excess of the December party season (see feature, p22), but staff at Cohn & Wolfe have one less event to fret about in the coming weeks - the agency has already got its Christmas bash out of the way. Around 110 C&W...

Diary: Hit or miss ..(Tony Blair)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Blair slave-trade 'regret' backfires Tony Blair's partial apology for the slave trade, published in New Nation, received criticism across the political spectrum this week. Many claimed his 'expression of regret' - made ahead of the bicentenary...