PR Week (UK) articles from July 2002

PR Week (UK) archives from July 2002

Reshuffle as Edelman UK chief Mahony quits.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Edelman PR Worldwide has reshuffled its top management tier following the surprise resignation of UK chief executive John Mahony. James Thellusson, European MD of Edelman's specialist CSR and crisis arm First&42nd, has been promoted with...

Monsanto to review govt function.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... GM food giant Monsanto's newly appointed lobbying chief is set to carry out a review of its entire UK and Ireland government affairs function. Director of government affairs Craig Stevenson, who joined this week, confirmed that he will be...

Consumer PR in a healthy position, 2002 table shows.(public relations)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PRWeek's table of the UK's Top 50 consumer PR firms suggests the sector is healthier than expected, with 19 of the top 25 reporting growth in fee income. The figures see Hill & Knowlton retain its clear lead at the top of the league with...

S&N searches for PA chief to lead an international push.(Scottish and Newcastle Breweries PLC looks for public affairs chief)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... FTSE 100 brewing giant Scottish and Newcastle (S&N) is on the hunt for a public affairs chief to lead its international PA efforts. The group - owner of lager brands Fosters and Kronenbourg - is searching for a successor to Philip Rycroft,...

Tulchan wins John Lewis retained brief.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Retailing group The John Lewis Partnership has appointed its first external financial PR adviser, taking on Tulchan Communications as its retained agency. Final details of the contract are still being finalised, but JLP head of press and...

Marshall tasked with IoD image job.(David Marshall appointed Institute of Directors)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Institute of Directors has named Unilever government relations manager David Marshall as its PR chief. Marshall joins the IoD on 15 July in the newly created director of public affairs role. Reporting to director-general George...

BNFL takes on Finsbury as Dewhurst wraps up revamp.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) group director of corporate affairs Philip Dewhurst has completed his communications shake-up, hiring Finsbury for corporate and financial PR support. Dewhurst has axed City PR incumbent Bell Pottinger...

Daily Telegraph's Connected editor quits for AOL post.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Internet service provider AOL has hired The Daily Telegraph's Jonathan Lambeth as its first head of corporate media relations. Lambeth has quit his role as editor of the Telegraph's new media technology section, Connected, and is understood...

EADS hires PR help.(EADS N.V. contracts Merlin Financial and Politics International)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Global aerospace and defence firm EADS - the consortium behind military combat aircraft the Eurofighter - has hired PR help for the first time since its IPO two years ago. Merlin Financial won a four-way pitch to handle EADS' strategic and...

STOP PRESS: IPC Connect hires Gnash.(Gnash Communications public relations contract NOW magazine)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CONSUMER: IPC Connect has hired tech specialist Gnash Communications to handle consumer PR for celebrity magazine Now. The appointment was made as part of a strategy to boost investment in marketing the Now brand.

STOP PRESS: Porterbrook Leasing appoints head of comms.(appoints Rupert Brennan-Brown)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CORPORATE: Rail services firm Porterbrook Leasing has appointed Rupert Brennan-Brown to the newly created post of head of comms. He was previously acting head of public affairs at Crossrail. Brennan-Brown is understood to be reviewing in-house...

STOP PRESS: Joined Up Communications launched.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... FINANCIAL SERVICES: Former Barclays head of PR Maria Darby has launched Joined Up Communications, specialising in internal and external PR for financial services firms. Darby is joined in the launch by Ann Pilkington, whose financial services...

STOP PRESS: Former editor joins Celebrity Media Group.(Adam Sutherland)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CELEBRITY: Adam Sutherland, the former senior editor of men's magazine Maxim, has joined the Celebrity Media Group to launch its publicity division. He will act as a celebrity publicity agent, advising on brand promotion, personal appearances...

STOP PRESS: Nestle UK makes redundancy.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CORPORATE: Nestle UK has made staff changes to its press office, making one redundancy. The senior press and PR officer for its Rowntree division, Paul Kirkwood loses his job, with Deborah Tilley extending her equivalent role at Nestle's...

STOP PRESS: Fleishman-Hillard hired.(Morley and Scott)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... FINANCIAL: Top 40 chartered accountancy Morley & Scott has hired Fleishman-Hillard to handle media relations ahead of its rebrand later this year. The agency is tasked with raising awareness in national, regional and trade media.

STOP PRESS: AvantGo hires Manning Selvage & Lee.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... TECH: Mobile tech firm AvantGo has hired Manning Selvage & Lee in the UK and Germany. MS&L won the six-figure brief after a pitch to promote AvantGo's efforts to lead the European market in mobile business.

STOP PRESS: Ultralase tasks Leedex Euro with campaign.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CONSUMER: Laser eye treatment firm Ultralase has tasked Leedex Euro RSCG with running its national consumer PR campaign. The brief, won after a three-way pitch, is to build brand awareness and support the Ultralase network of clinics.

STOP PRESS: Mean Fiddler Music hires Peter Noble PR.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... ENTERTAINMENT: Mean Fiddler Music Group has hired Peter Noble PR to handle PR surrounding the forthcoming UK tour of Spanish flamenco dancer Joaquin Cortes. The agency, which has worked for Cortes in the past, will target national and regional...

STOP PRESS: Waymaker launches ClipSource.(measurement and evaluation service)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... SERVICES: Waymaker has launched its latest measurement and evaluation service, ClipSource, allowing clients to collate clippings on campaigns and those of their competitors. The data is then presented electronically.

STOP PRESS: Drop in profits not revenues.(correction)(Correction Notice)
July 5, 2002... CLARIFICATION: The 79 per cent drop in revenues for six months to January reported in last week's analysis of OneMonday Group (28 June) should have read a 79 per cent drop in profits.

Lib Dems recruit CRE comms head as press director. (Liberal Democrats, Commission for Racial Equality head Robin Banerji).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Liberal Democrats have hired Commission for Racial Equality head of comms Robin Banerji as director of press and broadcasting. Banerji joined the CRE in April 2000 from a role as senior information officer at the Ministry of Defence...

Big/Beattie battle in north-eastern Scotland hots up.(Big Partnership and Beattie Media vie for public relations business in north-east Scotland)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Big Partnership has stepped up its battle with Beattie Media for the lion's share of PR agency work in north-east Scotland, taking clients from Beattie's Aberdeen office. Two-year-old Big - formed by three former Beattie directors - has...

PRCA aids cross-sector guide on pitching.(Public Relations Consultants Association)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Public Relations Consultants Association has collaborated with marketers and advertisers to help create the first cross-sector guidelines on the pitching process. This is the first time the PRCA has joined the marketing and ad sectors'...

Investor nerves depress values in Deal Watch table.(public relations for mergers and acquisitions)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The M&A PR adviser market has fallen to its lowest point in more than a year with investor nerves at an all-time high and a spate of aborted stock market flotations. Deal Watch figures for June, compiled exclusively for PRWeek by corporate...

ZPR wins pitch to handle Matalan comms offensive.(communications)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Discount clothing and homewares retailer Matalan is staging a PR offensive spanning corporate, consumer and internal communications. The group has hired ZPR to lead the programme following a group-wide comms review, sparked off by the...

Bowman to leave Hill & Knowlton for AXA comms post.(Christina Bowman hired as AXA UK corporate communications director)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Financial services giant AXA UK has filled its corporate communications director position by hiring Hill & Knowlton director Christina Bowman. Bowman will join the firm later this month, and assumes overall responsibility for all of the...

Midland Mainline appoints NP PR as retained agency.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Rail operator Midland Mainline has hired NP PR as its retained agency. The firm was appointed following a competitive pitch, and assumes the brief from incumbent Brahm PR. It is understood the appointment was made earlier this week...

F-H extends offer with UK litigation comms division.(Fleishman-Hillard)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Fleishman-Hillard has created an issues, crisis and litigation communications unit, in response to the growing litigation culture in the UK. The division is currently operating with three internal staff, headed by Jonathan Hawker, with...

THC wins National TV Awards PR job in run-up to event.(Taylor Herring Communications)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Taylor Herring Communications (THC) has landed the PR brief for this year's National Television Awards. The awards has hired the agency for PR surrounding the show this October, with the possibility of an ongoing three-year deal. THC...

PR to raise profile of Wimbledon museum.(Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum (WLTM) has taken on external PR help for the first time in its 25-year history. The museum, which is situated next door to Wimbledon's centre court, has turned to local agency Grasshopper PR to run a year-long...

Comms chiefs face annual crisis, reveals WS survey.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Almost two thirds of communications directors are forced to embark on crisis communications campaigns every year, a survey from Weber Shandwick has revealed. The poll of more than 200 UK communications directors revealed that 42 per cent...

Kilpatrick PR wins Ted Baker brief for fragrance brands.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Fashion brand Ted Baker has hired Kilpatrick PR to handle consumer PR for its Ted Baker Fragrance line. The brief sees the fashion and beauty specialist agency assume responsibility for the promotion of Skinwear, Ted Baker Woman, Bodywear,...

UK lobbying shop in strategic deal with Brussels firm.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PA shop Politics International has formed an alliance with Brussels lobbying firm Houston Consulting Europe. The firm this week announced a deal by which it will pitch for business and jointly market services with the Belgian shop. It...

Business Post acts ahead of deregulation.(plaqns media campaign)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Express delivery group Business Post this week embarked on a media relations onslaught in a bid to take advantage of plans to deregulate the postal market. The group, which runs Express and UK Mail, is aiming to raise its profile in the...

PUBLIC SECTOR: GICS head Granatt to scoop Stephen Tallents IPR gong.(Government Information and Communications Service head Mike Granatt to get award from Institute of Public Relations)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Government's most senior PRO is set to land one of the Institute of Public Relations top annual awards. Mike Granatt, head of the Government Information and Communications Service, is to receive the IPR's Stephen Tallents Medal at its...

PUBLIC SECT0R: Hackney hunts for PR chief to drive 'realistic' comms.(London borough)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The London Borough of Hackney has launched a hunt for its first permanent communications chief in two years. Widely seen as one of the most difficult roles in local government PR, the head of comms is tasked with rebuilding a reputation...

PUBLIC SECT0R: LG Communications boosts e-govt support.
July 5, 2002... LG Communications - the trade body for council PROs - is to set up a support group to help authorities better deal with e-government. The group's aim will be to focus on content, including the use of digital TV. It is also hoped that a...

PUBLIC SECT0R: Campaign to cut violence against ambulance staff.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has launched a fresh PR push in its campaign to halt violence against crew members. The integrated PR and ads push is the first since the campaign's launch in December 2000 and has been taken after a...

PUBLIC SECT0R: Highways Agency PR revamp kicks off.
July 5, 2002... The Highways Agency has taken on external PR support in a bid to better promote its extra powers. Last year the HA's role was transformed from being the government's road-building and maintenance arm to becoming the operator of the entire...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Council on hunt for communications manager.(Lincolnshire County Council)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... LINCOLNSHIRE: Lincolnshire County Council is is on the hunt for the first communications manager for its regeneration department, which is called Lincs Development. The postholder, who will handle PR for schemes including broadband initiatives,...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Efforts for Road Safety Week stepped up.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CHARITY: Brake is to step up its PR efforts for its annual Road Safety Week, which runs from 23 to 29 September. The charity is currently seeking corporate backing for the week. The charity estimates that around 3,400 people die on UK roads...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Agency support taken on for first time.(Midnight Commuinications)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... NETWORKS: Wired Sussex and South East Media Network have taken on retained agency support for the first time. The two Brighton-based not-for- profit support groups have hired Midnight Communications, which is tasked with promoting both groups'...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Community Channel to promote.
July 5, 2002... COMMUNITY CHANNEL: The Community Channel is to promote carers, uptake of donor cards, personal fitness and heritage as part of its on-going series of 'call to action' weeks this month. The channel is devoting each week to a different cause....

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Royal Air Force hires PR support.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... RAF: The Royal Air Force has hired external PR support to find sponsorship vehicles. Agency Capitalize has been taken on to find ways of better using sponsorship to promote the force among 13 to 18-year-olds. The agency team, headed by...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: EveryChild appoints Primal PR.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... CHARITY: EveryChild has appointed Primal PR to handle its PR. The UK-based charity operates globally and was created last year by the merger of the Christian Children's Fund of Great Britain and the European Children's Trust. The agency team...

PUBLIC SECT0R BRIEFS: Top award won by RSPCA.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... RSPCA: The top charity award at this year's New Media Age Effectiveness Awards has been won by the RSPCA. The charity won for its online campaigning, which 'served to arouse a true sense of compassion for the society's projects', according to...

INTERNATIONAL: Computer firms lose out in public perception poll.(polling data)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)
July 5, 2002... ROCHESTER, NY: Computer companies have lost their place at the top of Harris Interactive's annual poll on the public perception of industry. They dropped a full 20 per cent and now trail behind banks, hospitals and airlines. No...

INTERNATIONAL: Monod resigns as Chirac adviser.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PARIS: The communications adviser who led French president Jacques Chirac's re-election campaign is to step down. Jerome Monod, the strategist Chirac hired in January 2000 to organise his re-election campaign - which Chirac then won this...

LETTER FROM AMERICA: Govt spend on PR should be applauded not criticised - Media condemn public PR spend as a waste of resources, but if government is to be as efficient as business, good PR needs to be paid for, says US commentator Paul Holmes.
July 5, 2002... 'Crafting a savvy public message is so important to Columbus officials that they employ 28 information officers to do the job,' reports the Columbus Dispatch. 'And their salaries cost taxpayers dollars 1.43m a year.' The reporter doesn't...

INTERNATIONAL: F-H Chicago boss prepares to target healthcare sector.
July 5, 2002... CHICAGO: The newly appointed head of Fleishman-Hillard in Chicago is to target the healthcare sector in an 'aggressive' push for new business. Cynthia Hardie was promoted to F-H Chicago general manager last week. She had been deputy...

INTERNATIONAL: Edelman secures Austria/Germany brief for Lavazza.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... HAMBURG: Edelman PR Worldwide has launched a PR drive to encourage German-speaking consumers to feel 'a new impulse to enjoy original Italian coffee'. The agency has been hired by Italian coffee brand Lavazza to handle consumer PR and...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: ASEAN gives APCO six-month contract.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... SINGAPORE: The Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has given APCO's Indonesian office a six-month contract to carry out a comms campaign focusing on trade, investment and regional security issues. Trade and investment is on the...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: Three firms pitch for account.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... BANGKOK: Three PR firms have pitched for the Alfa Romeo account in Thailand. PR&Associates, Impact Image and Wonderex (previously known as Chein) can expect a decision later this month, claims Sasivimol Talasri, PR and ads manager at Thai...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: Textual to handle PR for Games.(public relations contract details)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... RIO DE JANEIRO: Textual is to handle PR for the South American Games, which will be held in Brazil in August. The team of 50 includes Textual's 20 staff and 30 temporary PROs. The job is an extension of Textual's existing account with the...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: General Motors to review.(marketing plans)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... BANGKOK: General Motors will be calling for a pitch in September as part of its annual review of its PR account in Thailand. The account, for corporate and brand activities, is on a 12-month retainer basis and has been with Weber Shandwick for...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: Havas names director of media relations.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PARIS: Havas Advertising, which recently shortened its name to Havas, has named Alice Marouani as its director of media relations. She joins the corporate unit from a previous role as head of external relations for Euro RSCG Works, one of...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: National Grid USA names corporate comms director. (Edward Powers).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... WESTBOROUGH, MA: National Grid USA has named Edward Powers as director of corporate comms. Powers was most recently V-P comms for Sappi Fine Paper in the US. In his new role he will report to V-P comms Sue Stevens. Powers replaces Fredrick...

INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS: Brandt names group comms director.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PARIS: Brandt, the French appliance manufacturer recently acquired by Israeli conglomerate Elco - which has renamed the company ElcoBrandt - has named Daniel Payan its group comms director. ElcoBrandt's new head of marketing and comms will be...

MEDIA: Editor's departure will not alter Emap plan for Car mag.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Emap Automotive motoring title Car this week insisted that its under-wraps editorial plans would not be blown off course by the departure of its editor. Greg Fountain, who has been editor of the 108,200-circulation monthly for three years,...

MEDIA: Senior hire at WSJ Europe. (Wall Street Journal Europe's weekend section Personal Journal).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Mary Romano has replaced Jim Ruane as editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe's weekend section, Personal Journal. Ruane has moved to information group Bloomberg in an editor-at-large role. Published on Fridays, Personal Journal has...

MEDIA: Winneker lands Tech Central Station role.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Tech Central Station, the US tech news and business website, is to expand its offering to cover European affairs. Craig Winneker, currently deputy editor of The Economist Group's European Voice weekly newspaper, will be the Brussels-based...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Phil Hall to be replaced as Hello! editor.
July 5, 2002... HELLO!: Maria Trkulja is to replace Phil Hall as editor of celebrity title Hello!. Hall was waiting for the appointment before taking up his new role as MD of Press Association's contract publishing division (PRWeek, 26 April). Trkulja left...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Gautam Malkani promoted to media correspondent. (Financial Times).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... FINANCIAL TIMES: Gautam Malkani has been promoted to media correspondent at The Financial Times. Formerly covering mergers and acquisitions for the paper, he replaces Ashling O'Connor, who has moved to The Times sports desk. Malkani will be one...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Big Issue in Scotland launches spin-off. (New Consumer, bi-monthly periodical).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... THE BIG ISSUE: The Big Issue in Scotland has launched a spin-off aimed at female readers. New Consumer is a bi-monthly that examines ethical trading issues, such as the plight of cocoa farmers in Africa. Editor-in-chief is Mal Young. New...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Liverpool Daily Post & Echo to launch magazine. (Space).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... LIVERPOOL ECHO: Merseyside title the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo, which is owned by Trinity Mirror, is to launch a bi-monthly lifestyle magazine. Space will be aimed at 'the sophisticated urban elite of resurgent Liverpool', according to the...

MEDIA BRIEFS: IPC tx promotes co-ordinating editor. (Hellen Gardner).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... SOAPLIFE: IPC tx has promoted Hellen Gardner to editor of Soaplife. She was previously co-ordinating editor of the monthly title, which was spun off from IPC's What's On TV in 1999 under former editor Mike Hollingsworth. Gardner is a former...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Paragon Publishing launches magazine. (Digital Video Made Easy).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
July 5, 2002... DIGITAL VIDEO: Paragon Publishing this week launched Digital Video Made Easy, a magazine that aims to capitalise on what the publisher sees as a boom in cheap digital video equipment. Editor of the bi-monthly title is Karl Foster. Paragon...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Future Publishing to publish new on back of old.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PLAYSTATION MAG: Future Publishing's games division is to publish a new monthly title on the back of an existing magazine. The Official UK PlayStation 2 Tips Magazine is edited by Andy Dyer, and contains content to help readers get the most out...

MEDIA BRIEFS: Sky to publish information online. (Sky Television).(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... SKY TV: Sky Television is to publish online its programme information. At www.sky.com, programme highlights, amendments and listings can be downloaded, along with links to imagenet and Sky's publicity website. The move is an attempt to make...

EDITORIAL: IPO cancellations can only hit PROs.(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The last-minute cancellation of the Yell and Focus Wickes floats this week underlines the central problem for transaction-based PR consultants revealed in the latest Deal Watch table. In short, the size of deal is in decline. Large-scale M&A...

EDITORIAL: 'PR points' are still worth striving for.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 5, 2002... At a time when every marketing penny has to be justified, it is hardly surprising that the launch by the PRCA and IPR's PRE-fix committee of a media evaluation standard attracted the FT's attention this week. But the proposal to create a single...

OPINION: Spin might not save PR-maestro Livingstone.(London mayor Ken Livingstone)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 5, 2002... There are some politicians who don't need spin doctors because they are so brilliant at handling PR for themselves. London mayor Ken Livingstone is one such person. Livingstone, or Ken as he has amazingly managed to persuade much of the...

ANALYSIS: FA coasts through the media circus - With the World Cup PR effort finally over, Football Association PR chief Paul Newman tells Chris Scott how the intense media interest was handled.(2002 World Cup soccer)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... After two years of news stories about how Japanese soldiers were training to handle English hooligans, and more recent fears over player fitness, the media coverage of England's World Cup PR campaign seemed to have gone rather well. Yet...

ANALYSIS: IPR/Pathfinders shake up PR work experience - The IPR and recruitment firm Pathfinders have reignited the debate over work experience in the PR sector with an innovative deal struck last week Peter Simpson explains.(Institute of Public Relations)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... July signals the annual flood of under-graduates and graduates looking for work experience. This exchange of unpaid labour in return for experience remains the traditional right of passage in the PR industry, as in others. Despite the...

TOP 50 CONSUMER PR: The rough ride - Mary Cowlett finds consumer agencies riding the waves of a tumultuous year.(Statistical Data Included)
July 5, 2002... 2001 was a roller-coaster year for consumer PR specialists, characterised by heady optimism at the start and more than a few headaches at the end. But this was against the backdrop of one of the strongest consumer booms in decades. ...

CAMPAIGNS: Online charity fundraising in profile boost - Tech PR.(Charity Technology Trust, National Canine Defence League and the Football Association)
July 5, 2002... Client: Charity Technology Trust (CTT) PR Team: In-house and Grant Butler Coomber Campaign: Launch of CTT and CTT Raffles Timescale: October 2001 - March 2002 Budget: Undisclosed Set up by former investment banker Peter Sweatman,...

PROFILE: Nicole Lander, Woolworths - Year-round challenge for Lander at Woolies - Woolworths is a tough PR task for its ambitious corporate affairs boss.(Brief Article)(Interview)
July 5, 2002... Woolworths corporate affairs head Nicole Lander says she is a true believer in practising what you preach. While most brand evangelists claim to eat, think and breathe the brand they represent, Lander seems more committed than most. Asked when...

DIARY: Edelman/Lighthouse staff unharmed after American Express hold-up.(Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Lighthouse PR)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... There was trouble afoot on central London's Haymarket last week as some of the PR industry's finest found themselves locked up in their offices courtesy of an armed robber. A lone gunman held up the branch of American Express near Picadilly...

DIARY: Book offers Euro slant on what defines 'cool'.
July 5, 2002... And lo, a further addition to the debate on what's 'cool', this time with a global edge. The Little Book of Cool, published this week, offers curt sentences on cool in various countries. Examples of this insight? In Italy 'football is...

DIARY: Lung Foundation gets Campbell on the record.(Downing Street communications director Alastair Campbell)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... The Times and the British Lung Foundation have found something in common. The only publication in recent months to have secured an attributable, on-the-record quote from Downing Street strategy and comms director Alastair Campbell was...

DIARY: Franks and Hill wow Medienforum delegates.(Lynne Franks and David Hill address 'The Practice of PR in the UK' conference)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... PR legend Lynne Franks and former Labour Party PR head David Hill were among the speakers on 'The Practice of PR in the UK' at last week's Medienforum bash in Cologne. Franks majored on the importance of communicating to women on the basis...

DIARY: Rainier's 'robot butler' recreates Ab Fab spirit.(Absolutely Fabulous)(Brief Article)
July 5, 2002... Who says there's little money in tech PR these days? Tech shop Rainier has acquired a 'robot butler' skilled in the art of mixing the 'perfect' G&T. The device - described by agency co-MD Stephen Waddington as a 'hi-tech bid to bring back...

Nationwide holds talks for sponsorship PR.(Nationwide Building Society)(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Nationwide is holding talks with a number of PR agencies surrounding sponsorship of next season's FA Cup, England team and Football League. The group - which used Playmaker PR for last season's sponsorship work - confirmed it was...

Ogilvy secures Nortel UK and EMEA account.(Brief Article)
July 12, 2002... Telecoms giant Nortel Networks has ended its exhaustive eight-month agency review hiring Ogilvy PR Worldwide across the UK and EMEA. Ogilvy picked up the brief - understood to carry fees of more than pounds 500,000 - after a pitch process...