PR Week (UK) articles from February 2006

PR Week (UK) archives from February 2006

TFCS bins Absolut for Johnnie Walker.(The Fish Can Sing ends contract with Absolut Vodka; signs contract with Johnnie Walker Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Fish Can Sing has resigned its global business with Absolut Vodka, after clinching the promotion of Diageo's Johnnie Walker whisky internationally. The move comes as Absolut prepares to lose Stockholm-based global PR manager Ann...

Coke's UK president in shock Euro PR switch.
February 3, 2006... Charlotte Oades is leaving her role as president of Coca-Cola GB to take charge of the company's European PR strategy. From 20 February, Oades takes on a newly created title - director, corporate identity, public affairs and communications...

H&K suffers major blow in H-P review.(Hewlett-Packard cancels Hill & Knowlton contract)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Hewlett-Packard has delivered a blow to Hill & Knowlton, transferring up to pounds 2m of pan-European business to rivals Burson-Marsteller and Porter Novelli. The rivals have captured the Europe briefs for H-P's Technology Solutions Group...

Book your place at PRWeek Forum.
February 3, 2006... The corporate comms heads of BT, BNFL and Rio Tinto are to speak alongside Tulchan founder Andrew Grant and Edelman blogging guru Guillaume du Gardier at the PRWeek Summer Forum. The event takes place at the Marriott St Pierre Hotel,...

More employers turn to PR graduates, says poll.
February 3, 2006... Employment for graduates of PR courses has continued to rise, according to the latest CIPR figures. More than three quarters of students graduating from CIPR-approved degree courses in 2005 found jobs in the industry within six months. Of...

Govt prepares campaign to encourage cycling.
February 3, 2006... Cycling England, a Department for Transport initiative, has hired Blue Rubicon for a campaign to encourage more of us to ride. The Government is investing pounds 17m over three years to promote cycling in six 'demonstration towns' - which...

RSPB seeks help to save albatross.(Royal Society for the Protection of Birds )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is hunting agency support for its campaign to curtail the accidental slaughter of albatrosses by fishing fleets. The charity, working alongside other wildlife groups around the world, wants to...

Anti-euthanasia group fights law.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... An anti-euthanasia alliance that has vowed to fight suggested changes to assisted suicide laws has called in PR support for its launch. Care Not Killing is a UK-based collaboration of human rights groups, palliative care groups and...

Crime agency hires Defra's Freeman.
February 3, 2006... The newly formed Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) is handing its top PR role to Kelly Freeman, deputy director of comms at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. As head of public affairs at 'the UK equivalent of...

Power shift at B-M as Sinclair takes charge.(Heidi Sinclair promoted at Burston-Marsteller)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... MADRID/LONDON: Burson-Marsteller has promoted Spain-based US national Heidi Sinclair to the post of sole CEO across Europe. The move shunts London-based UK chief executive Per Heggenes, previously joint CEO across Europe alongside Sinclair,...

Dell raids Novartis for comms chief.
February 3, 2006... TEXAS: Dell, the world's largest personal computer maker, has lured Bob Pearson from Swiss drugs firm Novartis to take the US-based job of V-P of corporate group communications. Pearson will join on 6 February, having already left a role as...

News Brief: BB winners appoint.
February 3, 2006... CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER: Winner Chantelle Houghton has signed up with John Noel Management; Dennis Rodman is using IncrediBull Ideas; Traci Bingham took on Identity One; Michael Barrymore is using his some-time PRO of seven years Chrissy Smith;...

News Brief: Beattie handles PR.
February 3, 2006... CONSUMER: The firm behind Lady Bird Bio Beer - billed as the world's first 'healthy' beer - is using Beattie Communications to handle its ongoing PR and launch. The vitamin-enriched beer is being released in Indian restaurants this month and...

News Brief: Lewis opens doors.
February 3, 2006... TECH: Lewis PR has opened its doors in New York with an office led by partner and general manager Steve Capoccia. He formerly worked for the agency in Boston.

News Brief: PPR hires Nahmny.
February 3, 2006... CORPORATE: French luxury retailer PPR has hired Havas director of external relations Peggy Nahmny. She has joined in the Paris-based role of external relations.

News Brief: Threepipe appoints.
February 3, 2006... AGENCY: Threepipe Communications has appointed Wendy Crammond from the Council of British Chambers of Commerce as an associate director. She has formerly worked at Edelman and Shandwick.

News Brief: Porter Novelli promotes.
February 3, 2006... CONSUMER: Porter Novelli is promoting British explorer Jim McNeill's 'Ice Warrior' expedition to the North Pole. McNeill is bidding to become the first person to reach all four North poles (Arctic, magnetic, geomagnetic and geographic). He is...

News Brief: Westbury appointment.
February 3, 2006... AGENCY: Ken Allsopp has returned to the UK agency scene, having bagged the deputy MD job at Westbury Communications. He worked at Shandwick, Burson-Marsteller and Good Relations before moving to Australia in 2001.

Unilever readies squeezy Marmite.(Unilever BestFoods (UK) contracts Splendid Communications)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Unilever Bestfoods UK is using Splendid Communications to promote its opinion-dividing spread Marmite. The company is developing a squeezy bottle for the iconic brand, with a launch expected in April. Further product developments have been...

Scholarest chief departs for H&K.(catering company loses Simon Liss to Hill & Knowlton)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Scholarest, the caterer slammed by Jamie Oliver for its Turkey Twizzlers meat product, has lost its top PRO to Hill & Knowlton. Simon Liss, comms manager at the Compass Group-owned firm, is to become an associate director in H&K's issues...

Habitat goes into agency talks for consumer brief.(Habitat Group PLC negotiates for a contract with public relations firms)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Habitat has put its PR account up for pitch at the request of its procurement department, which has instigated a business-wide review of supplier relations. The homeware retailer's PR team has approached 11 agencies to assess whether they...

Croydon mall to battle Bluewater.
February 3, 2006... St Martins Property Group, owner of the Centrale shopping centre in Croydon, has brought in Starfish Communications to help it woo custom from centres such as Kent's Bluewater. Starfish is promoting Centrale - which serves north Surrey,...

Lancs dairies get cheesy.(Lancashire dairy companies celebrates 'National Cheese on Toast Day')(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Ten Lancashire-based dairies have joined forces to create a National Cheese on Toast Day, to position the region's creamy cheese as the best variety for melting. Lancashire is renowned for its crumbly cheese, which does not melt well. ...

F-H bags Egypt's tourism account.
February 3, 2006... The Egypt Tourism Authority has hired Fleishman-Hillard as a result of a pounds 22.5m marketing services pitch won by Omnicom. The global brief is to reposition Egypt as more than a 'once in a lifetime destination'. After last year's...

Richard Rogers in comms chief hire.
February 3, 2006... Richard Rogers Partnership, the architectural firm behind the Millennium Dome and the Welsh Assembly building, has poached Camargue senior consultant Paul Stelmaszczyk as head of comms. Stelmaszczyk joined this week to oversee a four-strong...

Club Med appoints Four to ditch 'holiday camp' label.
February 3, 2006... Club Med has shifted its UK PR account from travel specialist agency Synergy to consumer shop Four Communications as it attempts to rid the brand of its 'French holiday camp' image. Club Med marketing manager Sarah Mason said: 'Travel PR is...

Dog tracks in bid for new audience.
February 3, 2006... The Greyhound Racing Association has taken on its first retained PR agency as it bids to widen the sport's spectator appeal. A company owned by restaurateur Luke Johnson bought the six-track chain last year, and has pumped thousands of...

Public Sector: DWP takes to the streets for national pensions poll.
February 3, 2006... The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has brought in Opinion Leader Research to help with a national consultation programme on pension reform. The National Pensions Debate will visit cities across the UK on what will be termed...

Public Sector: Ombudsman set for comms rejig.(Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is in hunt for head of communications)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is seeking a head of comms as it prepares to merge its PR and strategy departments. From April the four-strong comms team, under ombudsman Ann Abraham, will work within the...

Public Sector: Waterside homes project calls in Spinoza agency.(Isis Waterside Regeneration contracts Spinoza Kennedy Vesey PR)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Isis Waterside Regeneration has asked Spinoza Kennedy Vesey PR - formerly known as Spin Media - to publicise its development scheme. The public/private partnership has been set up by the Government to free up riverside land across the UK....

Public Sector: Birm'ham plans Bull Ring publicity.(Birmingham City Council hunt for an advertising agency)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Birmingham City Council is on the hunt for an agency to promote its town centre retail markets. The Bull Ring markets have benefited from a multi-million-pound facelift, completed in 2003. The contract will last for two years with the...

Public Sector: EEDA readies gastro campaign.
February 3, 2006... The East of England Development Agency (EEDA ) is seeking an agency to promote the region's food. EEDA's remit covers Essex, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Industries in the region include wheat and sugarbeet...

Public Sector: Disability cash plea.
February 3, 2006... The Disability Rights Commission is raising awareness of the growing poverty gap between the disabled and non-disabled. PR will be integrated with a press and billboard advertising campaign in five cities in the UK - Manchester, Leeds,...

Public Sector: APCO's Stibbs to lobby for increased sports funding.
February 3, 2006... The Central Council for Physical Recreation has hired James Stibbs to its first dedicated PR role as it prepares to raise its profile and lobby for additional finance. The council, which represents 270 of the UK's sports clubs, plans to...

Public Sector: Staff'shire names top comms man.(David Murrell joins Staffordshire Moorlands District Council )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has brought in Institute of Interim Management PR director David Murrell as its top PRO. As comms manager, Murrell will lead a team of five and report to corporate director Sheila Walker. He...

Public Sector: Leeds in fresh publicity drive.(Marketing Leeds )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Marketing Leeds is reviewing its PR as part of a campaign to establish itself as an international business centre. Based in one of the UK's biggest financial centres outside London, the promotional body is undertaking its third comms review...

Public Sector: Govt must trust political instincts.
February 3, 2006... What makes news? This is a question that still seems to floor many of the governing classes. For example, why didn't anyone in Whitehall twig that letting a sex offender return to teaching would cause press and public outrage, whatever the...

Voluntary Sector: Food standards body to employ PR-led strategy.
February 3, 2006... Assured Food Standards (AFS) has launched a national PR drive to build the profile of its Red Tractor logo. The not-for-profit group, which promotes high-quality produce across the food supply chain in the UK and sets standards 'from farm...

Voluntary Sector: Fairtrade looks to mainstream.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Fairtrade Foundation is preparing a major celebrity-led campaign to change consumers' shopping habits. The 14-year-old organisation estimates that half of UK consumers recognise and understand the Fairtrade logo, but is keen to broaden...

Voluntary Sector: Charity alliance hires Trinity for Carers Week job.
February 3, 2006... Carers Week has brought in PR support to promote its 'In Sickness and in Health' message for this year's awareness week in June. The charity alliance behind Carers Week is concerned that only a small number of the UK's six million carers...

Voluntary Sector: Advicenow turns to Emmerdale.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Legal advice charity Advicenow is using rural soap Emmerdale to raise awareness of its new Housing & Living Together guide. Last year, the charity offered to advise ITV1 on any forthcoming episodes involving co-habiting couples. This...

Voluntary Sector: Cancer researchers slam media.
February 3, 2006... The UK's only specialist breast cancer research charity has launched a scathing attack on the media over their 'unrepresentative coverage' of people who suffer from the disease. Breast Cancer Campaign (BCC) commissioned Romeike to analyse...

Voluntary Sector: Rugby boosts confidence.(Prince's Trust teams up with Royal Bank of Scotland PLC)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The Prince's Trust has teamed up with Six Nations rugby sponsor RBS as part of a pounds 5m partnership to encourage young people with low self-esteem and no qualifications. The captains of the England, Wales and Scotland teams joined 11...

Public Affairs: Crop firm Syngenta hands LLM's Titterington top job.
February 3, 2006... Syngenta, the crop protection and seeds company, has appointed LLM Communications partner Mark Titterington as its top UK lobbyist. Titterington joins in March and will report to head of comms Andrew Coker, the former Coca-Cola GB comms...

Public Affairs: National Grid hunts for PA firm amid growth plans.
February 3, 2006... National Grid has issued a tender for international public affairs support as the energy transmitter steps up its expansion programme. The company is understood to have approached around six agencies to submit proposals for a two-year...

Public Affairs: Music rights body calls in Lexington.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Lexington Communications has emerged triumphant in landing the PA contract for British Music Rights after a competitive pitch. The body exists to promote the interests of composers and songwriters in the face of new technology and is...

Public Affairs: Marconi's Kanter quits after sale.(Elizabeth Kanter )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Marconi V-P of government affairs Elizabeth Kanter is to quit following the sale of the bulk of its assets to Swedish firm Ericsson. Kanter said there was no longer a PA job of a similar scope at the telecoms equipment company. She will...

Public Affairs: Yorkshire agency Appeal in PA move.(Barry White )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Harrogate-based agency Appeal PR has snared development group Yorkshire Forward senior press office officer Barry White to establish a PA practice. Appeal MD Paul Snape said the agency was located near to several blue-chip companies, which...

Public Affairs: Glover leaves Indigo to launch start-up Bellenden.(Mark Glover)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Mark Glover, the former Media Strategy public affairs partner, has left local government and planning specialist Indigo Public Affairs after just three months to set up his own practice. Bellenden Public Affairs is a solo operation, with...

City & Corporate: Mellon hands EMEA brief to comms chief Brookes.
February 3, 2006... Mellon Financial Corporation has promoted Mellon International communications manager Jamie Brookes to oversee comms in the EMEA region. The fund manager is planning to expand into continental Europe. Brookes has replaced Jan Altink as...

City & Corporate: Lansons secures JP Morgan brief.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... JP Morgan Asset Management has hired Lansons Communications following last month's three-way review. Lansons CEO Tony Langham and director Helen Proud are leading the account, which was created after a review of JP Morgan AM's comms,...

City & Corporate: Reinsurer hires in wake of US probe.
February 3, 2006... Reinsurance consultancy The Donald MacDonald Partnership (DMPL) has asked FWD Financial Services Marketing to position it as the answer to the industry's image problems. 'After the (New York attorney-general) Eliot Spitzer corruption...

City & Corporate: Linde calls in Brunswick for BOC acquisition offer.
February 3, 2006... Brunswick is preparing a comms offensive for industrial gas group Linde, as it decides whether to improve a bid for FTSE rival BOC. Brunswick Germany senior partner Thomas Knipp and Simon Holberton, a partner in the firm's London office,...

City & Corporate: Clarity lures new director from FT.(financial prepardness of Clarity Communications )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Bath-based agency Clarity Communications has poached Financial Times UK companies reporter Sophy Buckley as it prepares to expand its financial practice and open offices in London and Australia. Buckley, who joined the FT ten years ago and...

City & Corporate: Financial Dynamics in major review of operations.
February 3, 2006... Financial Dynamics has restructured its global business amid speculation that venture capital backer Advent International might be ready to sell it. FD chief executive Charles Watson said the UK operations had been pulled into three core...

City & Corporate: Mittal Steel uses Maitland for Arcelor takeover fight.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... PARIS/LUXEMBOURG: Mittal Steel, the world's biggest steel maker, has drafted in The Maitland Consultancy to spearhead its pounds 12.7bn bid for European rival Arcelor. Arcelor, based in Luxembourg, rejected Mittal's bid last Saturday,...

City & Corporate: IRS revamps policy group.
February 3, 2006... The Investor Relations Society has put two agency PROs on its monthly policy committee in a bid to be more representative and to prepare for a raft of disclosure regulation. The Maitland Consultancy head of IR Emma Burdett and Buchanan...

City & Corporate: BHP Billiton beefs up its media team.
February 3, 2006... BHP Billiton has poached Centrica head of group media relations Illtud Harri to handle increasing media interest in the company and its mining activities. Harri, who has been at Centrica for nearly seven years, will join BHP in March as...

City & Corporate: No corporation is whiter than white.
February 3, 2006... A corporation pretentious enough to adopt as a mission statement 'Don't be evil' needs to be careful about the company it keeps. In the case of Google, Bill Gates has suggested that its maxim should now read 'Don't be quite as evil as the next...

Healthcare: H&K promotes Singh to MD after Ilett exits.(Hill & Knowlton )(Shipra Singh )(Nicola Ilett )(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Hill & Knowlton has parted company with its UK healthcare MD Nicola Ilett after less than a year. The agency has now merged its ethical and consumer health teams and placed five-year agency stalwart Shipra Singh in charge of a combined...

Healthcare: Diabetes group in 'image' campaign.
February 3, 2006... NEW YORK: A US non-profit group is aiming to boost awareness of diabetes to New York women. Divabetic is inviting nurses and 'diabetes educators' to mingle with make-up artists and DJs at specially held events in the city. The...

Healthcare: Edelman beefs up healthcare team.
February 3, 2006... Edelman has hired a brace of account directors - Katie Turner-Samuels and Nana Addow - to bolster its healthcare team. Turner-Samuels has formerly held the same role at Ogilvy PR Worldwide. She has also previously worked for Porter...

Healthcare: AZ reviews global asthma brief.
February 3, 2006... LUND, SWEDEN: AstraZeneca is reviewing the global account for its leading asthma drug Symbicort ahead of a crucial year for the product. The combination inhaler for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is locked in a fierce...

Healthcare: At a Glance - Abbott targets new indication for Humira.
February 3, 2006... Please explain... Pharma company Abbott says it wants at least one new indication for its anti-arthritis product Humira, which launched in the UK in 2003. This year it hopes to be able to promote Humira as a treatment for ankylosing...

Media Relations: What The Papers Say - 'Bono brand' bids for ethical buyers.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... The launch of 'Bono's red revolution' (FT, 28 January) at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week referred not to the creation of a stable of Red-branded products and services from some of the world's most 'iconic companies' (ABC Money, 28...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
February 3, 2006... PRESS Jayne Savva has been appointed as editor of the Daily Record Saturday magazine, replacing Angela Dewar. Savva will remain deputy features editor of the paper. Sarah Biggs, acting beauty editor at CosmoGirl!, has joined teen...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Julia Goodman, editor, Prima Baby.
February 3, 2006... Tell us about the redesign. The magazine has a fresh, contemporary look, and there are more words and bigger pictures. We also have new experts on board, including a child psychologist, a dietician and an obstetrician, so the magazine has...

Media Analysis: The Economist sets the standard.
February 3, 2006... The Economist is the most popular magazine of its type among CEOs, but as a byline-free totem of integrity it is a tough nut for many PROs to crack. Tom Williams asks how one should target its hallowed pages. The Economist kicked off the...

News Analysis: Industry reaches out to the young.(Public relations firms)
February 3, 2006... More PR students than ever are finding employment soon after graduating. David Quainton reports on what the trade bodies are doing for young talent. It is almost 12 months since the CIPR achieved chartered status, heralded as a coming of...

News Analysis: Coming clean is the way to come out.
February 3, 2006... Simon Hughes' revelations have showed that sexual preference can still make headlines, particularly if the media feel they have been misled. Hannah Marriott asks how PR advisers can help clients out of the closet. It has not been an easy...

Profile: Front-foot player - Mark Slattery, head of comms, Dignity in Dying.
February 3, 2006... Just over a month into 2006 and Mark Slattery has already been involved in two major news stories. First came criticism from Christian and medical groups outraged by his organisation's name change from the Voluntary Euthanasia Society (PRWeek,...

Opinion: Kids' marketing offers a moving target.
February 3, 2006... Marketing to kids is risky territory these days. Not only is Ofcom still debating whether to ban junk food advertising to kids, but Jamie Oliver's success in the school dinners arena seems likely to push the emphasis of the Children's Food Bill...

Opinion: Lib Dems must decide on their direction.
February 3, 2006... Come back Charlie, all is forgiven. A poll last week showed that 40 per cent of Liberal Democrats would like Kennedy back as their leader. What they really need however is any sort of leadership, as their search for a new boss lurches from...

Editorial: PR needs more than entry-level training.(Editorial)
February 3, 2006... A sneak preview of a new study, called 'Reputation management: looking to the future of PR', gives an important glimpse of the new challenges facing senior practitioners. The study, to be published soon by Henley Management College...

Opinion: Letters - Animal-testers have it too sweet already.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2006... I trust the headline and tone of your front-page lead ('Animal testing lobby fights for fair hearing,' 20 January) wasn't swayed by the fact that you and Haymarket have a vested economic interest in keeping 'the world's biggest pharmaceutical...

Opinion: Letters - Australia has a duty to help Aborigines.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2006... I read Kate Nicholas's article ('Aboriginal marketing is Australia's shame,' 13 January) with knowing sadness. I visited Australia for the first time last year, and while I thought it was a gorgeous country, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I...

Opinion: Letters - Not the first time govt has used media firm.(Letter to the Editor)
February 3, 2006... Excellent story about the growing problem of child obesity - well done ('Govt uses kids to devise anti-obesity campaign,' 13 January). I am glad the Government is finally collaborating more. But it is not 'the first time government has...

Opinion: My Best Hire - Paul Petrie.(public relations officer's management)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2006... Nina Wheeler, owner of Brazen, on the 'straight -talking' Paul Petrie. 'Paul joined Brazen as an account manager in 2002 from Joe Public Relations after relocating to the North. A football-loving, beer-swilling Scot, Paul isn't your...

Campaign: Direct mail sector confronts its critics - Crisis Management.
February 3, 2006... Campaign: Launch of mydm.co.uk Client: The Direct Marketing Association PR team: Hotwire PR Timescale: July-November 2005 Budget: Undisclosed Last year the trade body's in-house PR team tendered for an agency to develop a consumer...

Campaign: Skin treatment goes beyond the cosmetic - Healthcare.
February 3, 2006... Client: Isolagen - self-rejuvenation skin treatment PR team: Health and Beauty, Halpern Campaign: Building Better Skin Timescale: July-August 2005 Budget: Less than pounds 20,000 Until recently these cells were simply injected back...

Campaign: Pret trumpets Norwich store to local media - Consumer.(Pret a Manger contracts Foxmurphy )
February 3, 2006... Campaign: Norwich store opening Client: Pret a Manger PR team: Foxmurphy Timescale: May-June 2005 Budget: pounds 5,000 OBJECTIVES To raise public awareness of the opening of the Norwich store and promote a trial offer. To...

View From The Top: 'I can tell puffery from profundity'.(Robert Thomson's management of Times Newspapers)
February 3, 2006... The man who took The Times tabloid believes the PR industry needs to embrace the new 'non-linear' media, as Adam Hill reports. Robert Thomson shakes hands warmly, laughs frequently and has a softish Australian accent. With his black suit...

Market Research: Take the best of both worlds.(management of advertising campaigns of public relations firms)
February 3, 2006... The boundaries between market research and evaluation are being broken down by data-driven clients, says Alexandra Jardine. It is a familiar scenario: a PR firm puts in place a spectacular consumer campaign for a new product or service,...

Let's Do Lunch: Pied a Terre.(Restaurant Review)
February 3, 2006... Reviewed by Emma Warren, managing director, Prodigy Communications. It was a pleasant surprise to find that Pied a Terre had never featured in this column before as it gave me a chance to revisit an old favourite - although there is nothing...