PR Week (UK) articles from June 2004

PR Week (UK) archives from June 2004

PR war hots up over M&S control.
June 4, 2004... Finsbury and Tulchan Communications are squaring off against each other for the increasingly bitter battle over retail icon Marks & Spencer. Billionaire BHS and Arcadia owner Philip Green has brought in Finsbury co-founder Rupert Younger...

British Energy spurns BP-PA in director spat.
June 4, 2004... Nuclear generator British Energy has pulled out of a deal at the eleventh hour to hand its PR contract to Bell Pottinger Public Affairs after it discovered the director assigned to the account has an anti-nuclear track record. The...

Portuguese plan Euro 2004 crisis PR.
June 4, 2004... The Portuguese Tourist Office (ICEP) is preparing for Euro 2004 by enlisting BGB & Associates for a crisis management brief. The notorious hooligan element of England's football fans will be under intense media scrutiny during the...

PRWeek Awards deadline looms.
June 4, 2004... Today (Friday) marks the official deadline for entries to the PRWeek Awards 2004. Late entries in all categories have to be with events manager Cate MacCreadie by the close of business on 7 June. If entries arrive by then, a special...

Viral/buzz marketing promotional body launches.
June 4, 2004... An international body aiming to 'dispel the myths' surrounding the disciplines of viral and buzz marketing has launched. Frank PR and Cake's new-media division have signed up to the Viral & Buzz Marketing Association, which aims to enable...

EADS hires Jeacock to lead comms onslaught.
June 4, 2004... European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) has hired former QinetiQ head of media relations and corporate affairs Andrew Jeacock as it prepares a UK comms drive to establish its name with the British public. Jeacock joined EADS...

Revolver sells up to Propaganda.
June 4, 2004... Consumer PR shop Revolver Communications has been bought by Leeds-based marketing agency Propaganda for a 'six-figure' cash sum. The deal sees Propaganda take 90 per cent of Revolver's shares, with the London agency's founder and joint MD...

Jernstedt leaves Golin Harris to take up F-H role.
June 4, 2004... CHICAGO: Fleishman-Hillard has hired Golin Harris chair-man Rich Jernstedt as an executive V-P and senior partner, based at the firm's Chicago office. Jernstedt, who will join on 1 July, said the opportunity to work for a larger agency on...

Coke GB veteran Norris departs.
June 4, 2004... Coca-Cola GB has been hit by the departure of Martin Norris - until January, Coke's most senior PR man in the UK. Norris, a Coke stalwart, is understood to have left without a job to go to. Norris has held the title of external affairs...

Momart calls in HC for crisis job.
June 4, 2004... Warehouse owner Momart has drafted in Harrison Cowley to handle crisis PR in the wake of the fire that destroyed its storage unit in East London this week. London Fire Brigade is investigating the cause of the fire, which is believed to...

COI puts its pounds 10m PR roster up for review.
June 4, 2004... Government procurement body the Central Office of Information (COI) is reviewing its pounds 10m PR roster. The 26-strong roster currently boasts some of the UK's major agencies and was set up in 2001 for a three to five-year period. ...

Gornall exits PR for Reed position.
June 4, 2004... Industry veteran Alastair Gornall is leaving PR to become UK chief executive of Reed Exhibitions. Gornall, who founded Scope Communications and Consolidated Communications - before selling the latter to his board in June 2001 - takes up...

News Brief: IPR Awards entries.
June 4, 2004... PRIDE AWARDS: The IPR's regional PRIDE Awards are open for entries until 8 July. Those wishing to enter the events, running between October and February 2005, should visit ipr.org.uk or call Paula Kelsey at Cloud 9 Management on 0115 8419699.

News Brief: Frith resigns.
June 4, 2004... TECHNOLOGY PR: Citigate Dewe Rogerson divisional MD Suzi Frith has resigned. Frith is to leave the corporate and technology practice she ran with Deborah Saw and Jonathan Flint in two weeks.

News Brief: Harrison Cowley hired.
June 4, 2004... CONSUMER PR: Online casino software manufacturer VueTec has hired Harrison Cowley. The previous agency to work on the account was Max Clifford Associates, which promoted its launch.

News Brief: Rummel joins Merlin.
June 4, 2004... FINANCIAL PR: Deutsche Bank director of corporate finance Michael Rummel has joined Merlin Financial Communications as director. His appointment follows Merlin's hiring of Gavin Anderson associate director Rebecca Penney as associate director.

News Brief: Promote PR appointed.
June 4, 2004... CONSUMER PR: Health club chain Fitness First has appointed Promote PR to handle its UK consumer and trade PR. The Berkshire-based agency formerly worked for rival chain LA Fitness.

News Brief: Companycare forms alliance.
June 4, 2004... AGENCY LINK-UP: Reading-based PR agency Companycare Communications has formed an alliance with Plymouth-based marketing agency tmaglobal. The companies are sharing an office in London's Soho Square.

News Brief: Johnson King appointed.
June 4, 2004... B2B: US software company Motive is seeking to win business outside its traditional tech client base from enterprise companies such as banks and pharmaceuticals. It has appointed Johnson King to implement a B2B media relations campaign targeting...

News Brief: Millard-Beer appointed.
June 4, 2004... APPOINTMENT: Fleishman-Hillard UK has appointed Matthew Millard-Beer as consumer marketing associate director. He was formerly a director at travel PR agency CIBpr.

Park Plaza Hotels to hire PR agency.
June 4, 2004... Park Plaza Hotels Europe is on the verge of drafting in PR agency support to promote the Riverbank Park Plaza, touted as the largest central London hotel to be built afresh in 30 years. UK-based agencies have pitched for an international PR...

French PM brings in Bonnemain.
June 4, 2004... PARIS: French prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has appointed Francois Bonnemain as his principal comms adviser. Bonnemain replaces Dominique Ambiel, who resigned after he was charged on 20 April for 'soliciting, accepting or obtaining......

Supermarkets rule table after Wal-Mart visit to EU.
June 4, 2004... Supermarket chains dominated the top three in this week's Reputation Monitor, with US giant Wal-Mart taking third place after a visit to Brussels by company chief executive H Lee Scott. Scott's visit to the Belgian capital was motivated by...

Motorcycle Show in PR hire.
June 4, 2004... MCI Exhibitions has appointed Capitalize to handle PR for its International Motorcycle and Scooter Show as it attempts to boost visitor numbers over the 200,000 mark. PR spend for the annual Birmingham show, to be held in November, has...

Direct Wines PR search on hold.
June 4, 2004... Home delivery wine seller Direct Wines has put plans to draft in external PR support on hold following meetings with a selection of agencies in the past three weeks. A spokesman confirmed Direct Wines had 'dipped a toe in the water' and...

Mission21 to plug Year of Einstein.
June 4, 2004... The Institute of Physics (IoP) has hired Mission21 to promote 2005 as the Year of Einstein following a five-way pitch. Mission21 is to manage media relations and provide events support for the themed year, which is part of the World Year of...

Durrants buys up Xtreme news arm.
June 4, 2004... Durrants Press Cuttings has bought the news division of Xtreme Information Services in a pounds 17.5m deal to build overseas reach and improve overnight capabilities. Durrants chief executive Stephen White said the purchase improves the...

Colt Telecom brings in Brodeur as WS is ousted.
June 4, 2004... Colt Telecom has dropped Weber Shandwick after a personnel change in its B2B marketing and communications division. The company's new director of communications, Nicola Porter, has appointed Brodeur Worldwide to handle relations with UK...

McDonald's hires F-H for Ireland PR.
June 4, 2004... McDonald's has appointed Fleishman-Hillard Saunders to its PR account in Ireland with monthly fees of about pounds 10,000. Sean O'Riordain, MD of incumbent Park Communications, said the agency declined to repitch. He added: 'We are a...

Public Sector: Southampton hires Kite for top PR post.
June 4, 2004... Southampton City Council has appointed London Borough of Havering media and marketing manager Liz Kite to fill its top communications post. Kite joined as head of communications this week, overseeing a team of 16. She steps into a...

Public Sector: Councils sold on comms success.
June 4, 2004... Around two out of three local authorities now have written strategies for communicating with the media, compared with two in five two years ago, according to a report by Mori commissioned by the Local Government Association. About...

Public Sector: August.One wins Envirowise remit.
June 4, 2004... The DTI and Defra have taken on August.One Communications on a 12-month contract to promote their Envirowise free advisory service, which helps businesses identify cost savings by minimising the amount of waste they produce. August.One's...

Public Sector: Band & Brown takes TTA gauntlet.
June 4, 2004... The Teacher Training Agency (TTA) is poised for a fresh recruitment drive with the hire of Band & Brown Communications to manage its Use your Head, Teach campaign. B&B replaces Financial Dynamics on the two-year contract. The drive aims to...

Public Sector Brief: Birmingham Council head delayed.
June 4, 2004... BIRMINGHAM: Birmingham City Council members have delayed appointing a new head of comms until after the 10 June elections. The post, occupied previously by Myra Benson, remains vacant after the council's appointments panel, which met last week,...

Public Sector Brief: Dorset council website busy.
June 4, 2004... DORSET: Dorset County Council's new website, www.dorsetcc.gov.uk, has been ranked as one of the 20 busiest local government websites by internet research company Hitwise. The council's own research showed that 79 per cent of users felt the...

Public Sector Brief: Jarvis speaker at Chime event.
June 4, 2004... HEALTH: Department for Health head of comms Sian Jarvis said last week that stakeholder participation in comms and aligning your message with the behaviour of your staff were the two crucial elements in the future of PR. Jarvis was the main...

Public Sector Brief: Deadline for IPR awards.
June 4, 2004... AWARDS: The deadline for entries to the IPR Local Government Group's annual excellence awards is 21 June. The winners will be announced at the annual conference in Canterbury, scheduled for 9-11 September.

Public Sector Brief: Nigerian Government visits.
June 4, 2004... NIGERIA: Representatives from the Nigerian Government visited Newcastle and Gateshead last week to learn about public relations campaigns run by two local authorities and by the Newcastle and Gateshead Initiative. The visit, organised by the...

Public Sector Brief: Merlin awarded contract.
June 4, 2004... APPOINTMENT: Full-service communications agency Merlin Marketing and Public Relations has been awarded the contract for event management support to the Carbon Trust in Wales. The Carbon Trust works with UK businesses and the public sector to...

Public Sector Brief: Surrey council exhibits.
June 4, 2004... EVENT: Surrey County Council's communications team exhibited at one the county's largest annual events when it spent the weekend at the Surrey County Show. Visitors were able to surf the internet for free at the council's stands.

Voluntary Sector: NSPCC in drive to educate parents.
June 4, 2004... The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is gearing up to kick off a nationwide media relations campaign targeting parents and community health professionals as part of its latest drive to protect babies and...

Voluntary Sector: Scout Association prepares EuroJam media push.
June 4, 2004... The Scout Association is launching a national and regional PR campaign to promote the launch of 'youth peace camp' EuroJam, using teenagers and young adults as the event's spokespeople. Fifteen to 23-year-olds will front the campaign, which...

Voluntary Sector: Institute of Fundraising hires Wright to head PR.
June 4, 2004... The Institute of Fundraising (IF) has hired Chartered Institute of Marketing head of marketing David Wright as its first marcoms director and is poised to put its entire PR account up for grabs. Wright has a remit to revamp the institute's...

Voluntary Sector: Leonard Cheshire internal PR drive.
June 4, 2004... Disability support charity Leonard Cheshire is rolling out an internal comms strategy as it begins its third annual fundraising week with a PR campaign in national and regional media. The organisation aims to improve its internal comms...

City & Corporate: Eperon branches out to OFR advice.
June 4, 2004... Former Boots director of corporate affairs Alastair Eperon and ex-head of brand management Neville Wells have teamed up to prepare companies for the government's operating financial review (OFR). The pair launched OFR Consulting with...

City & Corporate: ICIS readies 2e2 for June flotation.
June 4, 2004... IT consulting firm 2e2 has brought in ICIS to handle communications around its planned pounds 65m AIM listing, announced last week. The company, which launched two years ago to provide IT network advice and maintenance services to small and...

City & Corporate: Forsyth spearheads Standard Life City PR push.
June 4, 2004... Standard Life is laying the foundations for a financial communications push as the life assurer prepares for demutualistion. The Edinburgh-based financial services company has appointed investment director Amanda Forsyth to the new position...

City & Corporate: Christian Salvesen hires Tulchan in recovery bid.
June 4, 2004... Troubled European transport and logistics company Christian Salvesen (CS) has dropped Hogarth, its retained financial comms adviser of seven years, and appointed Tulchan Communications in its place. The change comes as a result of a...

City & Corporate: Fund managers open up on company influences.
June 4, 2004... UK fund managers are increasingly willing to explain how they use their holdings to influence company management, a survey has revealed. According to the TUC's 2004 Fund Manager Survey, half the 50 fund managers interviewed provided records...

City & Corporate: Chester departs Mayer Brown.
June 4, 2004... Transatlantic corporate law firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw is on the hunt for a new UK head of marcomms following the abrupt departure of business development manager Mark Chester. Mayer Brown PR manager Will Hulbert said that the firm had...

Healthcare: Merck appoints Trinity for diabetes account.
June 4, 2004... Merck Pharmaceuticals has called in UK external PR support as it attempts to 'raise the profile of issues faced by patients with Type II diabetes' - the treatment area in which it markets Glucophage. Start-up agency Trinity PR will target...

Healthcare: Reckitt hires hsd for Ireland remit.
June 4, 2004... DUBLIN: Reckitt Benckiser has appointed its first PR agency for its Gaviscon Advance and Fybogel brands in the Republic of Ireland. The company's Irish subsidiary has appointed hsd communications to handle a medical education campaign as it...

Healthcare: AstraZeneca US hires ex-Altria PRO Nicoli.
June 4, 2004... WILMINGTON, DE: Anglo-Swedish drugs giant AstraZeneca has drafted in a former government affairs and CSR stalwart at Altria, the conglomerate formerly known as Philip Morris Companies, for its top US PR job. David Nicoli takes charge of...

Healthcare: De Facto sells design unit to creative chief.
June 4, 2004... Healthcare and life sciences agency De Facto Communications is selling off its 'design studio' to its creative director as it bids to focus solely on PR. Paul Conington, a co-founder of the former HCC - a forerunner to today's agency - 15...

Healthcare: At a Glance - E-health information.
June 4, 2004... You're referring to patients looking for health info on the internet? Exactly. Researchers from the University of York, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, have questioned households with children suffering from eczema,...

Media Relations: Petty Wood work handed to Storm.
June 4, 2004... Premium food distributor Petty, Wood & Co is gearing up to re-establish its profile in retail trade media, as it takes on five new categories for Weight Watchers and six new brands in 2004. It has hired Storm Communications to raise its...

Media Relations: Nestle pet food blitz for Purina One launch in UK.
June 4, 2004... Nestle Purina PetCare (NPP) has developed a consumer PR campaign using celebrity advertorials and stunts to capture national media attention for Purina One, its biggest brand launch for 2004. The world's largest pet food company has set...

Media Relations: BBC media push for Jakers! series.
June 4, 2004... Parents of three to five-year-olds are to be the primary target of a PR push to launch the animated TV series Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks, which airs on the BBC from September. Owner Entara has appointed Shine Communications,...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
June 4, 2004... PRESS David Bond has been made executive sports editor at the London Evening Standard. Formerly at The Sunday Times, he reports to sports editor Martin Chilton. Ben Brogan is to become Whitehall editor of the Daily Mail. Previously...

News Analysis: The power of photographs.
June 4, 2004... Horrifying pictures of prisoner abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and in Basra are damaging to the reputation of the US and UK in the Arab world. They serve to underline the power of images that PR practitioners would do well to recognise. ...

Profile: A companion for trouble - Leonie Austin, director of public affairs, Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
June 4, 2004... Sixteen years in government communications has had a profound effect on Leonie Austin. Constant battles and the attention of national media have coloured her path through various departments. So how will she handle her new role as director...

Opinion: How Hay successfully pulls in the punters.
June 4, 2004... They say 'make hay while the sun shines', and I have done that this week - well, sort of. The hay in question is the Guardian Hay Festival of Literature, a ten-day literary jamboree in the Brecon Beacons. I'm a vice-president of the...

Opinion: Independence Party sparks Tory panic.
June 4, 2004... When Tony Blair made his dramatic U-turn over a referendum on the European constitution, he was slated in much of the media - though not in this column. For me it was a case of short-term pain for long-term gain. The gain, though, has come...

Leader: Viral marketing has to combat mistrust.
June 4, 2004... With the creation this week of the Viral and Buzz Marketing Association, the discipline of so-called consumer-to-consumer communications would appear to have come of age. The body, a collection of PR firms, ad and new-media agencies and sales...

Opinion: My Best Hire - Romola Christopherson.
June 4, 2004... Charles Lewington, Media Strategy founder on the exemplary Romola Christopherson. 'Romola joined Media Strategy in 1999 after a distinguished career as director of comms at the Department of Health. 'Clients adored her lack of jargon...

London Mayoral Elections: Towards the end.
June 4, 2004... With one week to go before London elects its mayor, Sunday Times political editor David Cracknell explores which of the three front-running candidates is getting their campaign message across most effectively. The fact that six London...

Crisis Management: Does the crisis ever end?
June 4, 2004... After a series of crises for Royal Mail, Mark Johnson asks three crisis experts how the company could bounce back. Channel 4's Dispatches on 29 April made uncomfortable viewing for Royal Mail. Third-Class Post saw investigative reporter...

Corporate Hospitality: 10 unusual venues.
June 4, 2004... Donna Werbner rounds up ten alternative corporate hospitality venues available for hire around the UK. 1 ALDWYCH UNDERGROUND STATION, LONDON: Built in 1907 on the site of the Royal Strand Theatre and used as an air raid shelter during World...

Campaign: NPDT increases awareness of its cause - Public Sector PR.
June 4, 2004... Campaign: Advanced Access To GPs Client: National Primary Care Development Team PR team: Media Strategy Timescale: Ongoing from January 2003 Budget: pounds 3,000 monthly retainer In 2003, to underline its role and secure Government...

Campaign: Second Opinion.
June 4, 2004... Geoffrey Bowden, Nexus Structured Communications managing director, advises healthcare clients such as the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. The increase in surgeries signing up to NPDT programmes would indicate that its message...

Campaign: Haynes uses inventive PR to ensure Sex sells - Consumer PR.
June 4, 2004... Campaign: The Haynes Sex Manual Client: Haynes Publishing PR team: In-house Timescale: September 2003-March 2004 Budget: pounds 5,000 The success of its Man and Baby manuals led to the Sex manual, against a backdrop of Department...

Campaign: Venture Finance ramps up its industry profile - Corporate PR.
June 4, 2004... Campaign: Does The UK Mean Business? Client: Venture Finance PR team: Midnight Communications Timescale: January-April 2004 Budget: Around pounds 10,000 Objectives To enhance the company's profile. To increase sales targets....

Diary: Insurer counts cost of diamond stunt.
June 4, 2004... A stunt by Bleach Publicity at last month's Monaco Grand Prix was to prove an expensive headache for insurers after the firm came up a with an eye-catching idea to promote Steinmetz's sponsorship of Jaguar. Diamond trader and De Beers...

Diary: Banner b'day bash a night to cherish.
June 4, 2004... Attendees at last week's Banner Corporation 20th birthday party might just about have recovered from their blushes after the evening's raunchy display at London's Club Pacha. The marcoms agency hired the two-floor tribute to...

Diary: Wine-tasting event pulls in the punters.
June 4, 2004... PRWeek - usually, as a rule, a shandy drinker - can now confidently distinguish between a Chablis and an Orvieto after indulging at a wine-tasting competition organised by healthcare PR agency Biosector2. The event, funded by Danish firm...

Diary: PROs don khaki for volunteer forces.
June 4, 2004... A Golley Slater PRO showed his support for the guys and gals in the forces when he ditched his suit for two days of mud, sweat and khaki. Account executive Alexander Ehmann even persuaded clients from Cala Homes and Lloyds TSB Commercial...

Diary: Hit or Miss... Sebastian Coe.
June 4, 2004... Former Olympic champion Seb Coe was understandably nervous that revelations of a ten-year affair surfaced just two weeks after he became chairman of London's bid to host the games. But a failed attempt to secure a High Court injunction did...

Diary: Let's do Lunch - Quartier Vert.
June 4, 2004... Reviewed by Sarah Bryars, head of operations, Harrison Cowley Bristol Set in the bustling heart of Clifton, Bristol, Quartier Vert is unassuming and delightful. The restaurant has a relaxed and slightly rustic environment; light, airy and...

Yelland picks WS over rival firms.
June 11, 2004... The former editor of The Sun, David Yelland, opted to join Weber Shandwick as senior vice-chairman following negotiations to join rivals Burson-Marsteller and Brunswick, it has emerged. Yelland starts at WS on 1 July after a spell in the...

Regester Larkin role marks Hehir return.
June 11, 2004... Former Porter Novelli International chairman Peter Hehir has made a dramatic return to the UK PR scene, taking the chairman role at Regester Larkin. Hehir's appointment comes as the crisis comms and reputation management agency plans to...

Ketchum's Oliveira to grab Beckham PR job.
June 11, 2004... David Beckham has drafted in an associate director from Ketchum to handle his PR as he bids to return the focus of his promotional activity to his footballing skills. The move, revealed on the eve of Euro 2004, will see Simon Oliveira -...

Cisco puts UK PR task out to pitch.
June 11, 2004... Computer networking giant Cisco Systems has put its UK PR account up for grabs. Four-year incumbent Insight Marketing and Communications is repitching for the media and corporate relations brief. The account up for review includes...

Exposure loses out as Travelocity appoints Shine.
June 11, 2004... Travelocity has dropped Exposure just months after appointing the agency, in favour of one it had pitched against, Shine Communications. The online firm handed Exposure a brief in December (PRWeek, 9 January) to produce a campaign,...

South Eastern Trains set to stage crisis PR pitch.
June 11, 2004... South Eastern Trains (SET) is to stage a pitch for crisis PR after a review of its comms strategy as it prepares for a new operator in 2005. Head of comms Nina Arnott, who joined SET in May (PRWeek, 16 April), said the high media profile...