PR Week (UK) articles from February 2007

PR Week (UK) archives from February 2007

Jack Daniel's firm hires UK PA chief.
February 2, 2007... Brown-Forman, the US firm behind Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort, has brought in a top London-based communicator to position it as a supporter of responsible drinking. Elizabeth Crossick joins in the newly created role of director of...

Wikipedia founder issues warning to agencies.
February 2, 2007... The founder of Wikipedia has this week warned PR agencies against writing about companies they represent in the popular online encyclopaedia. 'If it persists they (PR agencies) will be banned,' said Florida-based Jimmy Wales in an...

FH director quits to run DWP comms for Hutton.
February 2, 2007... The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), overseen by secretary of state John Hutton, has poached Fishburn Hedges board director Sue Garrard to head its 320-strong comms department. Garrard, who worked on various government campaigns...

PRWeek Awards date announced.(Editorial)
February 2, 2007... PR agencies, in-house departments and individuals who have produced outstanding work over the past year now have the chance to win real recognition for their efforts, with the launch of the PRWeek Awards 2007. Awards entry will be online...

Braben to promote Setanta's Premiership coverage.(contracts of Setanta Sports)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Setanta Sports is on the verge of hiring its first retained English PR agency as it gears up to broadcast FA Premiership matches from August. PRWeek understands a contract between the Irish broadcaster and London-based consumer shop Braben...

Nortel Networks readies review of global roster.
February 2, 2007... Canadian tech firm Nortel Networks is reviewing its global PR business - worth more than pounds 1m - setting alarm-bells ringing at agencies such as EMEA incumbent Pleon. Nortel head of PR Ben Roome said incumbents, including Pleon, would...

Former F-H LA executives jailed after overbilling.
February 2, 2007... LOS ANGELES: Former Fleishman-Hillard Los Angeles executives Doug Dowie and John Stodder were this week sentenced to jail for defrauding city taxpayers. Dowie, 58, and Stodder, 51, were convicted last May after a five-week trial. A federal...

Comet prepares to usher in H&K.(contracts of Comet AG and Hill & Knowlton Inc.)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Electrical retailer Comet is poised to sign up Hill & Knowlton to an account believed to be worth at least pounds 200,000. It is not clear how the appointment will affect Comet's Huntsworth plc owned incumbent EHPR. Windsor-based EHPR...

Clydesdale Bank in comms review.
February 2, 2007... Clydesdale Bank, which also trades under the name Yorkshire Bank, is planning a review of around pounds 500,000 worth of comms contracts. The move follows the appointment of head of external affairs Barry Gardner from HBOS. ...

Red Letter Days to select agency.
February 2, 2007... Gift experience firm Red Letter Days is to bring in fresh PR support. Two unnamed agencies have been whittled down from a longlist of five, with both due to deliver second presentations to sales and marketing director Zachary Soreff next...

Gainsborough duo join College Hill.
February 2, 2007... College Hill has recruited two of City agency Gainsborough Communications' three owners - in a move that means the closure of Gainsborough. Andy Cornelius and Duncan Murray will receive equity at College Hill, becoming partners in March....

Government PR spend rises amid ad decline.
February 2, 2007... The Government's spend on PR and sponsorship is to rise for the fifth consecutive year, while its spend on ads, DM and other marketing techniques is to fall, according to projections. The latest Central Office for Information (COI) figures...

Thai partner splits from Edelman.(contracts of Spindler & Associates and Daniel J. Edelman Public Relations Worldwide Inc. ends)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... An affiliate agency of Edelman in Thailand has terminated links with the US-headquartered consultancy after it emerged that Edelman is advising the recently deposed Thai prime minister. Spindler & Associates (S&A) ended its affiliate...

News Brief: BB publicists.(Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty retains Max Clifford and Aroon Maharajh)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... ENTERTAINMENT: Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty is retaining a number of publicists, including Max Clifford and TV agent Aroon Maharajh of Full Portion Media. Quite Great PR is promoting an upcoming album. Jo O'Meara has drafted in...

News Brief: Cow to help Whole Earth.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Organic brand Whole Earth has brought in Cow PR to help it win more of the natural food market. The brand used Revolver Communications until the agency closed its London office at the end of last year (PRWeek, 4 August 2006).

News Brief: PRCA's bullish outlook.
February 2, 2007... AGENCY: The PRCA's quarterly Trends Barometer has revealed a bullish outlook from agency bosses. Half of those surveyed said budgets had increased, and 70 per cent said 2006's final quarter made them feel 'more optimistic'. Read the full survey...

News Brief: www.moneysupermarket.com agency.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Price comparison website www.moneysupermarket.com is to hire its first consumer agency. Borkowski PR, 3 Monkeys and FD Consumer have been shortlisted.

News Brief: Tulchan appointed.
February 2, 2007... CORPORATE: Sports World has brought in Tulchan Communications ahead of a rumoured pounds 2bn listing. Tulchan founder Andrew Grant is heading the account for the country's largest sports retailer, which owns 370 stores and brands such as Dunlop...

News Brief: SLAM project.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Weber Shandwick consumer marketing arm SLAM has won a three-month project to promote Playboy's clothing to a more upmarket UK audience.

News Brief: ICCO appoints Hague.
February 2, 2007... CORPORATE: Virginia Hague has taken the top role at international PR umbrella body ICCO. The former Burson-Marsteller new business manager became executive director this week, replacing Simon Quarendon, who held the now defunct position of...

News Brief: Firefly promotes.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Firefly is promoting Sir Richard Branson's new controversial venture - a move into stem-cell storage and the biotech sector. The new Virgin-branded company was due to launch today (1 February).

Ex-Nexus CEO unveils agency advice shop.(Jim Horsley's What Next?)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Former Nexus Communications CEO Jim Horsley has resurfaced as head of a start-up business performance consultancy. Horsley said the consultancy - named What Next? - was aimed at agency founders looking to take their firm to the next level....

Expedia replaces Red with Golin.
February 2, 2007... Internet travel company Expedia has brought in Golin Harris - ending an eight-year relationship with The Red Consultancy. GH plans to run an 'aggressive' press office and promote the Expedia brand to 'high-end individuals'. A...

Ratanshi secures Patrick Cox role.(appointment of Rosemin Ratanshi )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Designer shoe label Patrick Cox has headhunted Rosemin Ratanshi to be its head of PR. Ratanshi has already started in the London-based role and leads a team of three. Her remit includes promoting store openings and product placement. She...

Equus stars in PR drive.
February 2, 2007... Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is using publicist Vanessa Davies to plug his appearance in controversial West End play Equus. The 17-year-old - playing a stable boy who has an erotic fixation with horses - stars alongside Joanna...

News Brief: Seal appointed.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Wines of South Africa has appointed Seal Communications on an 18-month contract to bring to life its wines' 'Variety is in our Nature' positioning. The agency reports to Jo Mason, who joined last month as UK market manager from an...

News Brief: Zipcar to launch.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Kaizo is to launch Zipcar, billed as 'the world's largest car club', in London. The company is to open in Kensington & Chelsea and plans to extend throughout the capital by the end of 2007.

News Brief: Connectpoint promotion.
February 2, 2007... AGENCY: Manchester agency Connectpoint has promoted director Sandra McDowell to head of PR, with responsibility for the day-to-day running of the company. She replaces MD Nigel Sarbutts, who is now at Communique (PRWeek, 19 January).

News Brief: Nexus handed briefs.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: United Biscuits has handed Nexus Communications one-year consumer briefs for its Jaffa Cakes and McVities brands. The work was previously handled by The Red Consultancy, still on the UB roster.

News Brief: Pitch PR appointed.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Sport magazine, launched last year, is using Pitch PR to promote the title to potential advertisers and consumers. The magazine is currently distributed to around 320,000 people in the UK. Pitch is also promoting next week's Brazil v...

News Brief: Taut hires Cake.
February 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Energy drink Taut has hired Cake as it makes a fresh attempt to compete against brands such as Lucozade. The brand was previously promoted by Nexus Communications (PRWeek, 14 May 2005).

Brunswick loses Westfield brief.(Westfield end contract with Brunswick)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Australian company Westfield has ceased to work with Brunswick less than six months after its top PR man joined directly from the City consultancy. Westfield, the company building West London's White City shopping development, this week...

Ford veteran Slater takes firm's top European role.
February 2, 2007... Ford of Europe has moved swiftly to replace former V-P of comms and public affairs Stuart Dyble, promoting Ian Slater to the role. Slater, based in Warwickshire, is now responsible for all comms and PA activity in more than 40 European...

Mantra snaps up Economist job.(contracts of The Economist and Mantra Public Relations)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Economist has brought in Mantra PR to encourage 'occasional' and 'lapsed' readers to buy the magazine on a regular basis. Mantra will work on an unspecified number of projects including a 16-page report, 'Britannia Redux', that will be...

Public Sector: Capitalize snares hockey account.
February 2, 2007... England Hockey has brought in Capitalize to promote the EuroHockey Nations Championships this August in Manchester. The brief involves running a press office, business relations and pan-European consumer comms. England Hockey marketing...

Public Sector: Waverley Railway brief up for grabs.
February 2, 2007... The Scottish Borders Council is reviewing its agency support for the Waverley Railway - a 29-mile line from east of Edinburgh to the central Borders area - set to re-open in 2011. Four-year incumbent agency Trimedia Harrison Cowley is...

Public Sector: Consumers 'not doing enough' to prevent ID theft.
February 2, 2007... The Information Commissioner's Office is this week urging consumers to better protect themselves against identity fraud. Being handled by four-year retained agency Trimedia Harrison Cowley (THC), the publicity drive coincides with European...

Public Sector: East Midlands Tourism to shortlist for fresh drive.
February 2, 2007... East Midlands Tourism (EMT) has put its PR account out to tender as it seeks to boost visitor spending in the region. The body - part of the East Midlands Development Agency - has been working with Nottingham-based Redbrick Communications...

Public Sector: Awarding body to bring in agency.
February 2, 2007... Newcastle-based qualification body NCFE is on the hunt for an agency, two months after it appointed a new chief executive. Former Food & Drink Qualifications CEO David Grailey said he wanted to enhance the group's reputation as a...

Public Sector: Lambeth to lose comms deputy McGill.
February 2, 2007... The number two comms professional at one of London's most high-profile councils is to leave her role by the end of March. Claire McGill, deputy head of campaigns and comms at Lambeth Council, is moving to Cheltenham, potentially leaving the...

Public Sector: Geronimo retains hold of National Lottery brief.
February 2, 2007... Geronimo Communications has fought off three agencies to keep hold of its lucrative National Lottery Promotions Unit account. The business - thought to be worth around pounds 250,000 - was reviewed over the Christmas period by former Band &...

Public Sector: Scots social work body hires agency.(Social Work Inspection Agency hired Consolidated Communications)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Scotland's Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) has hired Consolidated Communications as its first retained agency. The SWIA - a recently formed body of the Scottish Executive - will work with Consolidated for an unconfirmed period....

Public Sector: Peerage row won't be ended with spin.
February 2, 2007... It is curious but true - unlike the Cabinet colleagues he selects, the Prime Minister has no statutory powers. Even so, when he enters office, the unwritten power of patronage - to appoint or disappoint - has extraordinary potency. The...

Voluntary sector: Mischief secures Pawtraits brief.(People's Dispensary for Sick Animals hired Mischief PR )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Pet charity PDSA has taken on Mischief PR to run the campaign for its 2008 Pet Pawtraits calendar. The brief is to recruit 12 pet-owning celebs and an A-list photographer, followed by a glitzy launch party this summer, said Mischief MD...

Voluntary sector: Holocaust library plans media hire.(The Wiener Library)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The world's oldest resource dedicated to the Holocaust and Nazi Germany is creating its first press and PR function amid a multi-million-pound fundraising drive. The Wiener Library's lease on its London HQ expires in 2009, and it has...

Voluntary sector: Ex-Firefly staffer joins mental health group United.
February 2, 2007... Mental health charity United Response has restructured its comms function and hired ex-Firefly senior consultant Jamie Gill to fill a new press and PA manager role. Gill, who left Firefly at the end of last year after nine years with the...

Voluntary sector: RSA enlists former Nesta comms director Butler.
February 2, 2007... The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts Manufacturers & Commerce (RSA) has lured the former comms director of entrepreneurial body Nesta to its top comms role. Susan Butler joins the RSA on 19 February with a brief to position it...

Voluntary sector: Media Trust guide focuses on youth.
February 2, 2007... The Media Trust has launched an interactive guide for charities looking to reach young people. 'Communication for the next generation' is a free 185-page interactive guide with 'practical tips and straight-talking advice'. It covers...

Public Affairs: Agencies of former DTI staff bag Saga business.(SC Dodd Comms; Wright Communication )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Saga, the insurance-to-holidays group targeted at the over-50s, has brought in two fledgling agencies to provide PR and public affairs support. SC Dodd Comms and Wright Communication were set up in 2005 by former PR aides at the Department...

Public Affairs: Lexington lobbies over drugs report.(Lexington Communications )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Lexington Communications is urging MPs to accept recommendations in a forthcoming report on alleviating Britain's drug problems. The report - by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce (RSA) - will be...

Public Affairs: Ex-Blair aide Murphy to exit APCO for drugs firm.(Darren Murphy is leaving from APCO)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... APCO director Darren Murphy has quit for a wide-ranging in-house role overseeing PA and external relations at AstraZeneca. Murphy, a former special adviser to Tony Blair, will join the Anglo-Swedish drugs company later this month with the...

Public Affairs: PA chief for Motor Industry group leaves for LSC.(Learning and Skills Council )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Retail Motor Industry Federation's first head of public affairs has quit after barely six months in the job. Josephine Perry, a former account manager in Weber Shandwick's public affairs team, will not be directly replaced. Perry -...

Public Affairs: St Mungo's beefs up in-house team.(appointment of Chloe Stables )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Homelessness charity St Mungo's is to step up its lobbying efforts, having appointed its first in-house public affairs officer. The move comes just weeks after it also enlisted agency backing. Chloe Stables takes the role, having joined...

Public Affairs: Ellis takes up Help the Hospices role.
February 2, 2007... Help the Hospices has enlisted Jonathan Ellis to oversee its lobbying activity. He joins from Help the Aged where he was senior policy manager for health and social care. Ellis started in the newly created role of director of public...

Healthcare: Telegraph medical ed Celia Hall quits for Sante position.
February 2, 2007... Daily Telegraph medical editor Celia Hall has quit after almost 12 years with the broadsheet to take a healthcare PR job. Hall is to join health specialist agency Sante Communications as director of media strategy - in a newly created role....

Healthcare: Red Door scoops Merck account.
February 2, 2007... Merck Pharmaceuticals has appointed Red Door Communications to handle its colorectal cancer products Erbitux and Uftoral in the UK. The move, which comes at a critical time for Erbitux (see At a Glance, left), follows a competitive pitch...

Healthcare: PharmaVentures plans campaign.
February 2, 2007... PharmaVentures, an Oxford-headquartered business consultancy that specialises in the pharma and biotech sectors, has brought in its first PR agency. Golley Slater won a pitch against Northbank Communications to bag the comms account. ...

Healthcare: At a Glance - Bowel cancer charities set to rethink comms.
February 2, 2007... IS THIS AFTER THE ERBITUX APPEAL, BY ANY CHANCE? Yes, NICE last week turned down the appeal - by Erbitux manufacturer Merck Pharmaceuticals and two charities - to make the bowel cancer drug available on the NHS. NICE in effect has upheld...

City & Corporate: FD's Haville to step down from agency's top IR role.
February 2, 2007... Financial Dynamics IR chief Bob Haville is to leave the agency after 18 months to pursue his own business interests. FD has responded by drafting in Societe Generale analyst Ed Firth as MD of its IR practice. Firth is currently working...

City & Corporate: AMRO man exits for Cognito.(contracts)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... ABN AMRO has lost its global markets head of marketing and comms to agency Cognito. Carsten Huwendiek joins the 25-strong financial services firm as UK MD, in a move that sees founder Tom Coombes shift to a programme development role. ...

City & Corporate: MRM woos Lloyds TSB media exec.(Media Relations Management )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Lloyds TSB media relations manager Chris Duncan is leaving the bank next week for Media Relations Management (MRM). The move reunites Duncan with MRM partner Andrew Appleyard, who previously worked with him at Mainland PR. Duncan joins...

City & Corporate: PR industry in eye of the storm in City.
February 2, 2007... When I started in this business, the City could be characterised as a place where the institutions were ethical but some of their employees were not. The net effect of a generation of regulation is that the City for the most part is now...

Technology: Ogden takes MD seat at Midnight.
February 2, 2007... Midnight Communications director of strategy and planning Sarah Ogden has been promoted to MD. The move follows founder Caraline Brown's decision to take a back seat from the day-to-day running of the company and focus on staff training...

Technology: SNP in YouTube election drive.(Scottish National Party )(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... The Scottish National Party (SNP) is deploying new-media techniques to engage with disenfranchised non-voters ahead of the Holyrood elections in May. The party has been producing monthly webcasts featuring leader Alex Salmond's campaign...

Technology: IncrediBull to make Openreach engineers 'heroes'.(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... Openreach, the division of BT responsible for local networks, has appointed IncrediBull Ideas to position its engineers as 'people who will go the extra mile for the customer'. IncrediBull bagged the nationwide account - worth around pounds...

Technology: Taylor Herring launches digital arm with Carr gig.
February 2, 2007... Entertainment specialist Taylor Herring PR has established a digital division branded Force10. The new department is promoting a one-off 'virtual' gig by comedian Jimmy Carr on 7 February. It will be performed to a live audience of around...

Technology: Ericsson selects Nelson Bostock for UK campaign.
February 2, 2007... Nelson Bostock Communications has emerged triumphant from a four-way pitch to promote Ericsson's UK telecoms infrastructure business. The London agency's brief centres around media relations targeting both business and trade press. ...

Technology: Firefly secures DLA Piper brief.
February 2, 2007... Legal group DLA Piper's Technology, Media and Commercial (TMC) practice has appointed Firefly Communications after a five-way pitch. Firefly beat Hotwire PR, Octopus, Nelson Bostock Communications and Companycare to the account. The...

Media Relations: What the Papers say - Microsoft fails to wow with Vista.
February 2, 2007... Pre-launch coverage of Microsoft's long-awaited new operating system Vista displayed a distinct lack of journalistic excitement. Comment was mainly confined to the trade press, which was largely cynical about Vista's self-marketed 'wow' factor....

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.(National Magazine Company Ltd. appointed Clare Gogerty)(IPC Connect appointed Helen Johnston)(Tatler appointed Emily Compton )
February 2, 2007... PRESS Helen Power has replaced Robert Watts as editor of The Sunday Telegraph's City diary, Royal Exchange. Watts has become Whitehall correspondent. Also at the paper, Mark Choueke has joined as leisure reporter. Previously at Marketing...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Gavin Griffiths, Publisher, Harlot.(Interview)
February 2, 2007... - Harlot has just launched as a weekly online spin-off to raunchy women's glossy monthly Scarlet. Is there scope for the title? Harlot allows us to be a lot more current. Scarlet is a monthly, so the lead times are between two to three...

Media Analysis: Brule unveils his vision for Monocle.
February 2, 2007... Tyler Brule, the founder of iconic style magazine Wallpaper*, is gearing up for the launch of his latest ambitious project - an international monthly called Monocle. Hannah Marriott explores the opportunities for PROs. Tyler Brule's...

News Analysis: Why UK agencies must think global.(Column)
February 2, 2007... The threats and opportunities facing PR consultancies were laid bare at the World Economic Forum last week. Ketchum's London CEO reports from Davos. In the private conference rooms of the World Economic Forum's meeting in Davos last week,...

News Analysis: Can 'living the brand' help in a pitch?
February 2, 2007... Wildfire PR last week bagged a tech brief in a pitch conducted via the client's online 'meeting service'. Six agency PROs tell Alex Black how they have put a client's product at the centre of a pitch - with mixed results. PITCHES WON ...

Profile: The Changing Man - Chris Lovell, chief executive, Golley Slater.
February 2, 2007... Change is in the air at Golley Slater. The regional marcoms agency has shifted its headquarters from Cardiff to London and created a national PR division (PRWeek, 26 January). CEO Chris Lovell - the driving force behind the changes - is also...

Editorial: Optimism is high in flexible agencies.(Editorial)(Brief article)
February 2, 2007... While the British winter drags on, the PR industry continues to display a noticeable spring in its step. Two more positive indicators emerged this week. First, the COI - central government's marketing arm - revealed that despite cutting...

Opinion: Letter - Chelsea's CSR likely to encourage others.
February 2, 2007... Chelsea's CSR commitment (Leader: 'Chelsea FC listens to its brand advisers,' 19 January) could well herald a new wave of engagement and interest in CSR from the sports industry and its sponsors. To date, football has led the way, but it...

Opinion: Letter - Hilton is right to point out web shortfalls.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Anthony Hilton as usual hits the nail on the head when he says PROs may be asleep at the wheel as web 2.0 thunders towards them - although he is perhaps a little unfair. Most are aware of the potential impact of consumer-generated web...

Opinion: Letter - ...but PROs are right to tread carefully.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Anthony Hilton is right that PROs must pay more attention to social media. But it's easier to accuse the industry of dragging its heels than to offer suggestions for how PROs should approach web 2.0. Online social media is complex,...

Opinion: Letter - ...as Quadrant shows how it's done in Wales.(Letter to the editor)
February 2, 2007... Anthony Hilton's column, 'PR still underrates web 2.0 potential' (19 Jan), was interesting. We are the only agency in Wales to have invested heavily in state-of-the-art editing suites and online technology, enabling us to webcast, both...

Opinion: ViewPoint.
February 2, 2007... Chandler Chicco Agency European MD of operations Fiona Hall argues that the ABPI's tighter code of practice requires PR agencies to adopt 'a fresh way of thinking and new approach to external audiences'. In her video-clip for PRWeek, Hall...

Campaign: Public Affairs Special - Parkinson's carers told to 'get it on time' - Healthcare.
February 2, 2007... Campaign: Get it on time Client: Parkinson's Disease Society PR team: In-house/markettiers4dc Timescale: April 2006-ongoing Budget: pounds 8,000 for radio segment The Parkinson's Disease Society launched its 'Get it on time'...

Campaign: Public Affairs Special - Nominee shareholders win extra voting rights - City & Corporate.
February 2, 2007... Campaign: Equal Rights for all Shareholders Client: The Share Centre PR team: Lansons PR and Lansons Public Affairs Timescale: April-May 2006 Budget: Undisclosed The Share Centre wanted nominee account holders to have the same...

Campaign: Public Affairs Special - RNIB protests at travel benefits for the blind - Voluntary.
February 2, 2007... Campaign: Taken for a Ride Client: Royal National Institute of the Blind PR team: In-house Timescale: April 2006-ongoing Budget: pounds 45,000 (April to December) Last April, the RNIB began to lobby politicians to allow those with...