PR Week (UK) articles from December 2007

PR Week (UK) archives from December 2007

'Teddy' teacher calls in agency.
December 7, 2007... The woman jailed in Sudan for naming a teddy bear Muhammad has taken on a PR agency to help her cope with the publicity that she now faces. Gillian Gibbons, from Liverpool, is using Bell Pottinger North as she negotiates media interest in...

HP set to drop Porter Novelli..
December 7, 2007... Porter Novelli is set to lose a pounds 1m-plus portfolio of PR accounts with its key client Hewlett Packard (HP). The computer giant is believed to be on the hunt for a replacement agency as it completes a review of its PR support. The...

...while TUPE ruling could affect any redundancies.
December 7, 2007... The fate of Porter Novelli staff working on the HP account may hinge on a long-running court case that has been frustrating and captivating the industry in equal measure. Wild Card PR has been contesting an employment tribunal ruling,...

Abrahams' PR man to stay on board as row quietens.
December 7, 2007... The PRO representing David Abrahams is hoping to secure a new brief to rebuild the controversial Labour donor's reputation. Martin Minns, an ex-Hill & Knowlton consultant and Conservative aide, was called in by Abrahams late last week as...

Brunswick loses out on Anglo American account.
December 7, 2007... Mining giant Anglo American, one of Britain's largest listed companies, has ditched Brunswick for rival City agency FD, following a perceived conflict of interest. Brunswick is currently advising rival miner BHP Billiton over its pounds...

Tory rising star is snared by WS.(appointment of Priti Patel at Weber Shandwick )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The woman tipped to be the Conservative Party's first Asian female MP has joined Weber Shandwick as a director. Priti Patel started this week based in the agency's corporate and public affairs practices. Patel is the official...

Joint TV venture 'Project Kangaroo' to appoint soon.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A joint venture between BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 intended to tap into the burgeoning on-demand TV market, will be appointing in-house staff and a PR agency in early 2008. The venture - dubbed 'Project Kangaroo' - will see the three...

Cake secures Sky consumer work.
December 7, 2007... Sky has awarded its consumer PR business to digital specialist Cake, ending a three-month trawl. Cake replaces Ketchum, which worked on the pounds 500,000 business for three years but did not repitch. Cake will work alongside Sky's...

Birmingham on the defensive.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Birmingham City Council has defended itself following reports that it spends pounds 10m a year on publicity. The TaxPayers' Alliance this week named the council as the biggest spender in 2006-07, based on data received from 470 councils....

Agencies battle for culture capital brief.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Four agencies are fighting it out for a sought-after account promoting Liverpool's status as European Capital of Culture in 2008. The Liverpool Culture Company has seen pitches from Weber Shandwick, Good Relations, Four Communications and...

Brazil seeks to avert ban.
December 7, 2007... Brazilian beef producers and exporters are to mount their first European PR campaign amid concerns that the European Union could bring in a ban following concerns over foot-and-mouth disease. The Brazilian beef industry has hired London agency...

News Brief: Geronimo CEO shock exit.
December 7, 2007... AGENCY: Geronimo CEO Karen Harris made a shock exit from the agency this week. Harris, who founded the public sector specialist agency from her front room in 1999, plans to set up a mentoring charity

News Brief: Magic 105.4FM hires Golden Goose.
December 7, 2007... CONSUMER: London radio station Magic 105.4FM has hired Golden Goose in a bid to capitalise on the popularity of its breakfast DJ Neil Fox

News Brief: Luther Pendragon partner.
December 7, 2007... AGENCY: Luther Pendragon has named Conor Pickering as an associate partner. Pickering joined the agency this week from the corporate, public affairs and PR shop Mmd, where he was director of the corporate practice

News Brief: Brandnation to handle Speedo comms.
December 7, 2007... CONSUMER: Swimming brand Speedo has asked Brandnation to handle its UK media comms activity. Brandnation replaces Sputnik, which held the account for six years

News Brief: MCE appointed.
December 7, 2007... B2B: Belfast-based PR firm MCE has been appointed to run comms activity for the pounds 320m regeneration scheme of retail centre Victoria Square in Belfast city centre

News Brief: BBC Worldwide appointment.
December 7, 2007... PUBLIC SECTOR: BBC Worldwide has brought in a new head of comms for its 40 magazine titles and exhibitions business. Sarah Williams previously worked in government comms

News Brief: Chatsworth Communications retained.
December 7, 2007... CORPORATE: Chatsworth Communications has been retained to provide PR support for energy giant Alstom's UK business. The agency will promote Alstom's carbon capture technologies, which prevent CO2 from reaching the atmosphere

News Brief: Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster appointed.
December 7, 2007... CONSUMER: A new glacial mineral water has signed up Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster for its UK launch. Isklar will go to market in spring 2008 Biss Lancaster will use 'guerilla tactics' and press trips to the Hardanger region of Norway to promote the...

News Brief: Oliver to replace Cracknell.
December 7, 2007... MEDIA RELATIONS: The Mail on Sunday's political editor Jonathan Oliver will replace David Cracknell as political editor of The Sunday Times in 2008. Cracknell is joining public affairs firm FD-LLM as chairman

News Brief: Correction.(Correction notice)
December 7, 2007... Last week, we reported that Reynolds-Mackenzie will promote a drug named Revlamid. The drug is, in fact, called Revlimid

Exposure to focus on new England kit.
December 7, 2007... Sports brand Umbro will use marcoms agency Exposure to promote the new England football kit. Exposure was appointed after a four-way pitch and replaces three-year incumbent agency Threepipe. In addition to promoting the kit, which is...

Four lands wide-ranging bmi consumer PR brief.
December 7, 2007... British airline bmi has consolidated all of its consumer PR work into one brief, handing a two-year account to Four Communications after a six-way pitch. The airline has ended its relationship with Mere Communications, which had worked on...

Louth-Davies for Rolls-Royce role.(appointment of Nicky Louth-Davies at Rolls-Royce AB)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Rolls-Royce has poached QinetiQ's head of media and corporate affairs to be its director of corporate comms. Nicky Louth-Davies will lead and co-ordinate the activities of the comms heads across Rolls-Royce, spanning both external and...

Birmingham shop backs rail launch.
December 7, 2007... CrossCountry Trains, the company that took a rail franchise from Virgin, has brought in Haslimann Taylor for a consumer PR brief. The Birmingham-based agency will support the launch by highlighting the network of routes available and...

New Year cinema drive.
December 7, 2007... Starfish Communications is to spearhead a new PR campaign aimed at increasing the number of UK cinema-goers. The agency has been called in by All Industry Marketing, the trade body for marketing in the cinema industry. The 'Back to the Movies'...

Public Sector: Government campaign to stress sneezing etiquette.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Department of Health has appointed The Red Consultancy to raise awareness of the importance of good hygiene in the face of a potential flu pandemic. The brief, worth pounds 143,000, will focus on spreading the department's 'Catch it,...

Public Sector: Mayor to promote inner-city farms.
December 7, 2007... The Mayor of London is embarking on a campaign to raise the profile of inner-city farms. Ken Livingstone's in-house comms team is promoting the capital's 15 city farms to families and schoolchildren, particularly those living in deprived...

Public Sector: Courts hire Good Relations.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The body responsible for running the law courts has turned to Good Relations to communicate plans to improve its speed and effectiveness. Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS), an arm of the Ministry of Justice, manages the magistrates' courts...

Public Sector: Runway not at all clear for take-off.
December 7, 2007... The Government seems to have taken to heart the old adage 'Don't ask a question if you don't want to know the answer' with its public consultation document for the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport. While everyone would agree that...

Voluntary Sector: Call for clarity on goat gift money.
December 7, 2007... The Institute of Fundraising is advising charities to be clearer about how money donated to 'give a goat' gift schemes will be used. The body has published its first guidelines on beneficiary gifts, where money is spent on a charitable...

Voluntary Sector: Police think-tank enlists Upward Curve for advice.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Police Foundation has appointed its first agency to provide strategic comms advice and PR support. The charity and think-tank has tasked Upward Curve PR with creating and implementing a comms strategy in light of the growing public...

Voluntary Sector: Heart foundation website aims to engage young.(Website overview)
December 7, 2007... The British Heart Foundation is launching a website about heart health in a fresh attempt to communicate with teenagers. The website, yheart.net, aims to help young people to find out how the heart works and how to keep it healthy. ...

Voluntary Sector: Wanted - PRO for India expedition.
December 7, 2007... Raleigh International is recruiting for a PR professional to handle comms support for its first expedition to India. The education charity runs adventure expeditions across the globe for volunteers of all ages from all nationalities. ...

Voluntary Sector: Circle Anglia plans to raise profile.(appointment of Jill Rawlins at Circle Anglia )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Housing association Circle Anglia has appointed a seasoned charity comms PRO to ramp up its comms activity. Jill Rawlins takes the title of communications consultant, reporting to deputy chief executive Howard Cresswell. She was previously...

Voluntary Sector: Tsunami survivors.
December 7, 2007... The British Red Cross is staging a photography exhibition at the.gallery@oxo on London's South Bank, displaying pictures of survivors of the 2004 Asian tsunami three years on. It aims to stop the affected area slipping off the media agenda and...

Public Affairs: Royal Mail ends turbulent year with Paterson hire.
December 7, 2007... Former Lansons Communications public affairs chief Dirk Paterson has resurfaced at Royal Mail as head of governmental relations. Paterson left Lansons in the summer, without a new role (PRWeek, 18 July). It is understood that he has taken...

Public Affairs: MPs clash at lobbying inquiry.
December 7, 2007... MPs on the Public Administration Select Committee have heard conflicting accounts of how the public affairs industry should be regulated. The committee kicked off its long-awaited inquiry into lobbying last week by taking evidence from...

Public Affairs: Ex-PPS Scotland chief branches out with own firm.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Former PPS Scotland head Mark Cummings has set up his own lobbying outfit and landed a contract with PPS' main Scottish client. Cummings' four-strong Edinburgh-based agency Invicta Public Affairs is providing PR and public affairs support...

Public Affairs: Madano recruits Carr as partner.(appointment of Tim Carr)(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Business comms consultancy Madano has appointed the experienced lobbyist Tim Carr to develop a new public affairs wing. Carr is currently chief operating director at the Waterfront Partnership, which was this week sold to the AIM-listed...

Public Affairs: Tax alliance wins think-tank award.(Taxpayers' Alliance )(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... The Taxpayers' Alliance has been named most innovative think-tank in the first ever UK awards of this kind. The Stockholm Network Golden Umbrella Think Tank Awards took place on Wednesday with lobbyists and political editors in attendance....

Healthcare: Pharma firms give comms bigger share of budgets.
December 7, 2007... Around half of pharmaceutical companies are spending more of their marketing budgets on PR than before, according to the latest report by the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA). The 2006-07 HCA benchmarking programme questioned...

Healthcare: Wyeth uses Ruder Finn for launch.
December 7, 2007... Pharma firm Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has hired its first PR support for the planned launch of a new palliative care treatment next year. Healthcare specialist Ruder Finn has been appointed to the 12-month account following a competitive pitch...

Healthcare: ABPI speaks out on Oxfam claims.
December 7, 2007... The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has hit back at a recent report criticising the industry's involvement in the developing world. The report, Investing in Life, was commissioned by Oxfam. It said the...

Healthcare: At a Glance - NICE gives Novartis Xolair comms boost.
December 7, 2007... IS XOLAIR THE ASTHMA BRAND? Yes, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) last week recommended the Novartis product for use in patients with severe, persistent allergic asthma. The drug takes the form of a...

City & Corporate: Tulchan tops list in last Deal Watch of the year.
December 7, 2007... Tulchan has secured itself a Christmas number one, leaping to the top of the final Deal Watch of the year. Andrew Grant's agency was boosted after advising UK private equity firm Candover on its pounds 516m sale of Norwegian cable...

City & Corporate: Powerscourt raids rival firm.
December 7, 2007... Gavin Anderson (GA) director Keith Brookbank has left the agency after a decade at the firm to join City rivals Powerscourt. Brookbank joins as a director, reporting into Powerscourt founder Rory Godson. He leads the technology and media...

City & Corporate: Alstom drafts in agency help.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... A company that claims to supply equipment for around 25 per cent of the world's power generation capacity, has brought in an agency to highlight its work on climate change. Chatsworth Communications will advise Alstom on media and corporate...

City & Corporate: Board rebels save company via web.
December 7, 2007... I doubt many readers have heard of Transense Technologies, yet what has happened at the company since October is a dramatic illustration of how the internet can rob a board of its power by making possible alternative methods of communication...

Technology: Citypress lands quote website.(Website overview)
December 7, 2007... The millionaire web entrepreneur behind success story Laterooms.com has brought in Citypress as he launches his newest online venture. Steve Walsh hired Citypress' Manchester office to promote Quote.co.uk, a 'quo-te engine' that allows...

Technology: Firefly wins telecoms brief from first:utility.
December 7, 2007... Telecoms and energy start-up first:utility has brought in Firefly as it attempts to take on the 'big six' power companies. The agency will conduct a full consumer, trade and B2B campaign as first:utility brings its 'smart meter' billing to...

Technology: ITV signs agency for web interests.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... ITV has brought in agency support as it reaches out to online communities. The broadcasting giant has handed specialist agency webitpr a year retainer as it targets web journalists, bloggers and fans alike. The agency will work alongside...

Technology: We can create 'talkability' by engaging the right ten per cent.
December 7, 2007... Youth marketing expert Andrew Needham says generating positive word of mouth can be done in three easy steps. Regular readers of the PR media may be familiar with PWOM (positive word of mouth) and NWOM (negative word of mouth). But as I...

Media Relations: What the Papers say - Promising start for Tesco in US.
December 7, 2007... Tesco talked up its fledgling American operation ahead of this week's trading statement by taking analysts and reporters around its Fresh & Easy stores in the US. After months of secrecy, including asserting its trial concept store in Los...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
December 7, 2007... PRESS Margareta Pagano has been appointed business editor of The Independent on Sunday, replacing Andrew Murray-Watson, who is leaving journalism She starts in January. Isabel Choat has been promoted to travel editor at The Guardian's...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Dominic Holtam, Editor, Performance Car.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... - Unity Media is launching a new consumer magazine, Performance Car. What will the content be like? The clue is in the title! It's a magazine about performance cars. But not the mega-money stuff that only Lotto winners and oil billionaires...

Media Analysis: Focus on Liverpool - It pays to listen carefully to the Echo.
December 7, 2007... As one of the UK's biggest paid-for regional titles, the Liverpool Echo is an obvious target for PROs seeking a mass audience. But, as Kate Magee discovers, a tailored rather than scattergun approach is required. It is the Scousers' answer...

News Analysis: A new era for Liverpool?
December 7, 2007... The European Capital of Culture will once again be in Britain in 2008, but will it give Liverpool the cultural boost it desires? Patrick Dye examines the city's plans. Liverpool labours under more preconceptions than most cities, not all...

Profile: The glamorous face of wrestling.
December 7, 2007... Claire Murphy - Director, communications, sponsorship and promotions, World Wrestling Entertainment. Rey Mysterio looks huge. His inhumanly large muscles, shining after a good workout, are flexed, and his hand seems ready to take Claire...

Opinion: PR should capitalise on recruitment boom.
December 7, 2007... Our business is much in vogue as the chosen career of many of the brightest young talents graduating from the country's leading established universities. It has benefited from a switch over the past decade that has steered the career ambitions...

Opinion: Brown remains calm amid the donor storm.
December 7, 2007... I cannot recall such a dramatic change in political fortunes as we have witnessed over the past month. Yet, to my knowledge, no voter in the country has seen their material circumstances change one iota. As the political storm crashes...

Editorial: Sector must wake up to TUPE effect.(Editorial)
December 7, 2007... The rather dull-looking acronym TUPE has been kicking around the PR industry for the past 18 months or so. By now most people are aware of it, some are worried about it, but few really know what they should be doing about it. TUPE - whose...

Opinion: Letters - Most MPs do have respect for lobbying.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... I read Conservative MP Charles Walker's 'coruscating' attack on the lobbying industry on the PRWeek website (prweek.com/uk, 30 November) with both surprise and disappointment. You reported that Walker told the Public Administration Select...

Opinion: Letters - Is the Madeleine hype really helping?(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... I can well understand Clarence Mitchell and the McCanns being upset when the media run a Madeleine story on the flimsiest of evidence (Profile, 30 November). But surely this has been the case with the vast majority of stories over the past few...

Opinion: Letters - Put the podcast in the 21st century.(Letter to the editor)
December 7, 2007... A PRWeek video podcast is a great idea, but why on earth have you done it like this? After reading an article in last week's issue I was impressed to see an advert for the video podcast. A great idea I thought, I'll subscribe to those....

Opinion: ViewPoint - Recognise your worth and ask for more funds.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Burson-Marsteller founding chairman and PR legend Harold Burson this week tells the UK PR industry that it fails to be paid correctly because it is too timid about asking for funding. In a special podcast to celebrate B-M's 40th...

Campaign: Darkness illuminates climate concerns.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Campaign: Lights Out London Client: Capital 95.8 (GCap Media) PR Team: Futerra Sustainability Communications and Capital 95.8 in-house team Timescale: May-June 2007 Budget: Under pounds 10,000 OBJECTIVES To obtain widespread...

Campaign: Thierry and Gisele make time for Arsenal and Ebel - Sport/fashion.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Campaign: Ebel announces sponsorship as official timekeeper for Arsenal Football Club Client: Ebel PR Team: Bleach Media Timescale: June 2007-ongoing Budget: Under pounds 20,000 Retained agency Bleach Media was chosen to promote...

Campaign: Durable warns of health risks from dirty PCs - Consumer.
December 7, 2007... Campaign: Computer Cleaning Week 2007 Client: Durable PR Team: Spreckley Partners Timescale: July-September 2007 Budget: pounds 5,000 OBJECTIVES To make the Durable brand synonymous with computer cleaning and to encourage...

Voluntary Sector: A worthy alliance.
December 7, 2007... The Children in Need appeal last month was one of the UK's biggest fundraising events. Kate Magee joined Trimedia and the cast of EastEnders behind the scenes. Three weeks ago, BBC Children In Need yet again smashed the record for the...

Travel PR: Managing disasters in tourist spots.
December 7, 2007... Last month's World Travel Market reminded us that crisis PR is increasingly central to destination marketing strategies. Suzy Bashford investigates... Handling PR for tourist destinations is not for the faint-hearted. Talk to any seasoned...

CIPR Pride Awards 20O7: Midlands - Snapshots of ordinary life.
December 7, 2007... CIPR Pride Award winners in the Midlands and the North West include IAS Smarts, which helped National Express tell the stories of its travellers over the years, and SKV's campaign to publicise an exhibition celebrating northern life. ...

Diary: Joy to the world - well Diary at least.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Given the number of Christmas cards flying into the PRWeek inbox this time of year, Diary assumes there is a phalanx of burly Scandinavian lumberjacks wearing mink-lined boots afforded by the seasonal generosity of UK PR Ltd. PRWeek is...

Diary: Express joins the digital Diana age.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... There are those that would, and have, describe the Daily Mail and the Daily Express as positioning themselves editorially somewhere to the right of Mein Kampf. If it is not the gypsies' fault, then it is almost certainly immigrants If the...

Diary: Extreme plan to dodge fund fiasco.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... As any PR specialist knows, perception is everything. Take Jon Mendelsohn, for example. By getting involved in the Labour Party's acceptance of fishy funds from Newcastle-based property developer David Abrahams, he not only caused problems for...

Diary: Of all the gin joints in all the industry..(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Diary was wined and dined by the good people of the Midlands at the annual CIPR Pride awards for the region last week, and was very pleased to see Seal Communications' Steve Dann receive an award for PR Professional of the Year. Dann, who...

Diary: Hit or Miss... Sticker stupidity.
December 7, 2007... The average cut-price woman's mag may not be the most high-class of reads, but Heat has pushed new boundaries in tastelessness with some astonishing free stickers. Poking fun at the disabled child of Jordan with the words 'Harvey wants to eat...

Diary: Let's Meet at - Great Queen Street.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... Reviewed by Amy Freeman, Consultant, Seventy Seven PR. If you like things simple and down to earth then try this place. You'll have to find it first though, and without a sign that can be tricky, but once you've been you will want to go...

Digital Essays: Introduction - Digital division.(Brief article)
December 7, 2007... I suspect that readers of this supplement will fall into one of two categories. One half of you will be digital evangelists. Not only have you been blogging since wi-fi broadband became available in coffee shops, but you'll have a YouTube...

Digital Essays: Ruder Finn Interactive - The new face of journalism.
December 7, 2007... Far from being overshadowed by new media, traditional news outlets are thriving, so it is important to understand the difference between a journalist with web responsibilities, and dedicated online reporters. Last year, Ruder Finn hosted a...

Digital Essays: Waggener Edstrom - The perils of the digital sea.
December 7, 2007... Integration is the key to the digital age. But new media resemble the Titanic - surrounded by dangerous icebergs. The explosion of channels available in our digital age seems to engender enthusiasm and panic in equal measure in PR circles....

Digital Essays: Edelman - Beyond buzz: adapt or die.
December 7, 2007... Those who fail to stay abreast of the pace of change in today's 'conversation society' do so at their own risk. It is hard to believe that, more than a decade into the internet era, I still find myself spending an inordinate amount of time...

Digital Essays: Durrants - Slow death of newspapers.
December 7, 2007... The shift to new media may be gathering pace, but print looks set to continue to play a role for years to come. The way in which we are consuming and interacting with the media is shifting fundamentally away from print. In September 2006,...

Digital Essays: Midnight Communications - The power of face-to-face.
December 7, 2007... In the brave new world of social media, PROs should remember the power of good old-fashioned interaction. On a weekly basis now, I find myself presenting on the topic of social media to rooms of developers, content creators and business...