PR Week (UK) articles from June 2008

PR Week (UK) archives from June 2008

Recruitment still in 'good shape'.
June 6, 2008... The PR recruitment market is bucking the credit crunch and is even stronger than it was this time last year. A study released this week by PRWeek has found that in-house vacancies are on the up, PR agencies are continuing to recruit and...

Tories' Coulson plans summer media blitz.
June 6, 2008... Tory Party communications director Andy Coulson is to spearhead a 'summer assault' on the media, as long-serving strategy chief Steve Hilton prepares to take more of a back-seat role. Tory insiders said that leader David Cameron would...

WPP: don't ditch green branding.
June 6, 2008... Authoritative new research by WPP suggests PR campaigns run on environmental grounds will continue to hit home despite bleaker economic conditions. The ImagePower Green Brands survey found 65 per cent of respondents were more concerned...

Talk PR to stay on pro-bono as Silverjet is grounded.
June 6, 2008... The consumer agency that launched Silverjet last year has decided to stay on pro-bono as the airline goes into administration. Talk PR founder Jane Boardman said she felt an 'ethical responsibility' to continue work on the account, despite...

Whetstone takes global role in Google reshuffle.
June 6, 2008... Google UK public affairs head DJ Collins is set to head European comms for the search engine giant. Insiders told PRWeek that Collins, currently Google's director of comms for UK and Ireland, will assume the role of European comms...

Cricketing body calls in support.(The Communication Group (TCG))(Professional Cricketers Association (PCA))(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) has called in The Communication Group (TCG) to help raise its profile. TCG will provide PR support at a time of sweeping change for the game. The new Indian Premier League has experienced...

UK agencies doing more global work, poll shows.(Public Relations Consultants Association)(Survey)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... International PR is increasingly becoming a major element of UK agencies' activities, new research by the PRCA has revealed. Some 36 per cent of agencies have seen their international business increase over the past five years, with eight...

Smoking lobby plans campaign.
June 6, 2008... Smokers' lobby Forest will seize on this week's announcement that cigarette machines could be banned with a media offensive later this year. Forest is planning a huge proactive media drive as the one-year anniversary of the smoking ban...

Ex-L'Oreal chief takes ASA role.
June 6, 2008... Former L'Oreal corporate communications head Esra Erkal-Paler is to resurface in the top comms role at The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Erkal-Paler joins the ASA next week as director of communications and marketing. She left her...

Grayling to bolster Costa Coffee brand.
June 6, 2008... High street coffee chain Costa Coffee has hired Grayling to promote the brand as it takes on faltering rival Starbucks. Grayling beat off competition from 3 Monkeys and Cohn & Wolfe to become Costa Coffee's first retained PR agency. ...

No longer singin' in the rain.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Taylor Herring is handling media for George Sampson, the 14-year-old winner of ITV1's Britain's Got Talent. Sampson took the talent show crown last weekend for his street-style dance act. The song he danced to, a remix of Gene Kelly's hit...

News Brief: Orange hires Unity.
June 6, 2008... CONSUMER: Unity has been hired by Orange to promote its RockCorps programme, which is aimed at inspiring young adults to take an active role in volunteer work by offering them exclusive gig tickets

News Brief: Discovery Networks UK appointment.
June 6, 2008... CORPORATE: Discovery Networks UK has filled its director of corporate comms post with the appointment of Sarah Farley. She was previously associate director at Brown Lloyd James

News Brief: Adams Kids takes on Peppermint PR.
June 6, 2008... CONSUMER: Adams Kids has taken on Peppermint PR after a competitive pitch. The agency will have to restore the retailer's reputation after it was pushed into a distressed sale in 2006

News Brief: Acceleris brought on board by FleetCor.
June 6, 2008... B2B: Yorkshire-based Acceleris Marketing Communications has been brought on board by the world's largest fuel card provider, FleetCor Fuel cards allow fleet operators to manage fuel costs in a time of escalating prices.

News Brief: HSBC appointment.
June 6, 2008... CORPORATE: HSBC has appointed former Halifax head of media relations Mark Hemingway to fill the same role within HSBC's retail banking division

News Brief: Mira hires Lucre Communications.
June 6, 2008... CONSUMER: Lucre Communications has been hired by shower maker Mira to handle its consumer PR following a three-way pitch

News Brief: MacDonald to leave Fleishman-Hillard.
June 6, 2008... AGENCY: Fleishman-Hillard's associate director Sarah MacDonald is leaving to head up Colman Getty Scotland. She joins the agency on 16 June as associate director

News Brief: Idea Generation wins brief.
June 6, 2008... CONSUMER: Idea Generation has won a brief from Haymarket to promote its Clothes Show Live, eve Style Show and Clothes Show London shows following a three-way pitch

From prweek.com.
June 6, 2008... Consumer Intelligent Profile has landed the account for start-up 'meal creation' business The Kitchen following a competitive pitch. The Kitchen is founded by Michelin-starred chef Thierry Laborde and entrepreneur Natalie Richmond....

Speedy moves to dog charity.
June 6, 2008... An associate director at Henry's House has made a surprise move to the top comms role at Dogs Trust, citing her love of canines. Charlotte Speedy joined as head of communications this week after nine years in agency PR, including a stint at...

New consultancy for men's market.
June 6, 2008... A former deputy editor of FHM is setting up a PR consultancy service for agencies wanting to target men's mags. Mike Peake is launching Insider Consultancy with men's mag stalwart Simeon de la Torre, who has also written for FHM, Men's...

Outpost to promote Coca-Cola's Olympics range.
June 6, 2008... Consumer shop Outpost is to promote a limited-edition range of Coca-Cola bottles that are being launched to coincide with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Coca-Cola is releasing eight new bottles, each with a different design by a Chinese...

Mantra to boost CSR in business.
June 6, 2008... Mantra PR has secured a six-figure brief to encourage UK businesses to take CSR more seriously, beating eight other agencies to the account. The Loewy-owned agency has been handed a retainer by Business in the Community (BITC), a charity...

Ogilvy to help draw more British tourists to Brazil.
June 6, 2008... The Brazilian Tourism Board has called in Ogilvy PR to oversee a new comms offensive to lure more UK tourists. The agency has been briefed to focus on the diversity and affordability of Brazil as a holiday destination for UK holidaymakers....

Edinburgh agency wins UK account for Grolsch.(SABMiller PLC)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... International brewer SABMiller has chosen an Edinburgh-based agency to handle UK consumer PR for its Grolsch brand. Stripe Communications fought off two London agencies to become the first retained PR agency for the Grolsch portfolio. It...

Public Sector: The mundane can be perfect defence.
June 6, 2008... What connects MPs and nuclear power besides the National Grid? It is the absolute need for public trust through openness. What is curious is that it is the nuclear boys who have lessons for MPs. Consider the House of Commons, still...

Public Sector: Defra's green emphasis increases annual spend.
June 6, 2008... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has steadily increased its PR spend in recent years as the Government places a greater priority on tackling climate change. Last year, the department spent pounds 477,000 on one...

Public Sector: Westminster takes home gold.
June 6, 2008... Westminster City Council has scooped a raft of awards in recognition of its communications department. The team won a total of six gongs at this year's Local Government Communications Reputations Awards ceremony - more than any other local...

Public Sector: Youth awards hire support.(Duke of Edinburgh's award)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... A Luton-based PR agency has been appointed to promote The Duke of Edinburgh's Award to businesses, potential partners and participants across the world. Technical Associates was selected following a competitive pitch handled by The Duke of...

Public Sector: Treasury speechwriter moves across to DfID team.(Department for International Development appointed Tim Stern )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Department for International Development (DfID) has appointed a speechwriter from The Treasury. Tim Stern joins Pete Lewis on the speechwriting team at the department He was previously a policy and communications strategy adviser in...

Public Sector: Staffordshire in drive for tourism.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Seal Communications has been selected by tourist body Staffordshire Destination Management Partnership (DMP) to implement a PR campaign designed to attract more tourists. The Midlands agency will focus on promoting the county at a national...

Public Sector: European Commission signs up UK media chief.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The European Commission has appointed a new head of media for the UK. Antonia Mochan moves to London this month to take up the role. The move follows more than three years as the European Commission spokeswoman for science and research,...

Public Sector: New lobbyist for Visit London.(VisitLondon.com appointed Jonathan Hale )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Visit London has appointed a public affairs manager in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. Jonathan Hale will focus on ensuring that funding is allocated to promoting London as a tourist destination. Hale reports to corporate affairs and...

Public Sector: Rugby expands comms office.
June 6, 2008... Rugby Borough Council has stepped up its comms offering with the appointment of a comms manager and two other PR staff. Matthew Deaves has joined as corporate comms manager, fresh from the same role at Bedfordshire County Council's...

Voluntary Sector: Upward Curve to flag up adoption.
June 6, 2008... Upward Curve is working with a fostering and adoption charity to promote 'harder to place' children to prospective families. Parents for Children finds permanent homes for children with profound emotional, learning or physical disabilities....

Voluntary Sector: New identity for merged charities.
June 6, 2008... The Forster Company is creating a new brand identity for the charity formed by the merger of One Parent Families and Gingerbread. The two largest one-parent charities in the country merged in May 2007. One Parent Families/Gingerbread...

Voluntary Sector: Rethink uses Hollyoaks to educate on mental illness.
June 6, 2008... A mental health charity is hoping to communicate with young people through a storyline in the popular soap opera Hollyoaks. Rethink's media team has been advising programme makers on a storyline that sees the character Newt developing...

Voluntary Sector: NCH plan to change name opposed by kids' charity.
June 6, 2008... The UK's largest children's charity NCH is changing its name to Action For Children, but the move is being opposed by a smaller charity with a similar name. National disability charity Action For Kids will use Ethos Public Relations to...

Voluntary Sector: Campaign alerts teens to sunburn.
June 6, 2008... The Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) is launching a campaign to encourage teenagers to avoid sunburn. TCT wants to educate teens about sun safety after recent research found that 81 per cent of teens do not always wear a sunscreen when exposed...

Voluntary Sector: Global Tolerance wins brief from Holocaust Centre.(Kristallnacht (Germany), 1938)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Holocaust Centre has hired Global Tolerance to help promote an event to mark the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazi attack on the Jews that preceded the Holocaust. The agency will handle a general campaign about the root causes...

Public Affairs: IT giant poaches head from Abbey.(Electronic Data Systems Corp. appointed Gazala Haq)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... High-street bank Abbey has lost its head of government and community relations to IT firm EDS. Gazala Haq has left Abbey after four years to join EDS as UK head of political relations. A spokesman for Abbey said the bank was in the...

Public Affairs: Portland wins pounds 100,000 account at McDonald's.
June 6, 2008... McDonald's has selected Portland PR to handle its public affairs business, citing the agency's grasp of the political agenda outside of Westminster. The fast-food behemoth is shifting the account out of Bell Pottinger Public Affairs...

Public Affairs: Comms director appointed at IPPR.
June 6, 2008... Influential think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has appointed its first director of communications. Catherine Bithell joins the newly created role from the Unite union, where she was head of media and campaigns. ...

Public Affairs: Lobbyists should make the most of Boris' willingness to listen.
June 6, 2008... The new mayor of London is open to innovative, low-cost ideas that will inspire and serve the people, advises Katie Perrior. One month on and Boris Johnson's early moves have shown our new mayor is desperate to roll out his manifesto...

Healthcare: The Specials Laboratory hires in-house help.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Unlicensed medicine manufacturer The Specials Laboratory has taken on its first in-house PR professional. Raman Sehgal joins the company from marcoms agency Cool Blue where he was account manager. He takes on the newly created role of...

Healthcare: ABPI appoints Slee as head of media.(Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has filled its head of media position following an extensive five-month search. Grayling director Crispin Slee is joining the pharma industry trade body next month. He replaces...

Healthcare: Pharma industry is 'not corrupt'.
June 6, 2008... The pharmaceutical industry is perceived as less corrupt than the Government, according to a new report. The research, commissioned by Thames Valley University lecturer Kunal Mehta, questioned more than 2,500 pharmacy customers and 97...

Healthcare: Guide to global marketing codes released.(Book review)
June 6, 2008... Healthcare communications network GlobalHealthPR has released what it claims is the first guide to global pharmaceutical marketing codes. The guide is designed to help pharma marketers and PR specialists understand the codes in different...

Healthcare: At a Glance - PR teams raise cot death research awareness.
June 6, 2008... - Tell me more. Scientists at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital (GOSH) have uncovered new evidence about sudden unexplained death in infants (SUDI) - commonly known as cot death. They believe that it may now be linked to bacteria...

City & Corporate: Pelham boosts offering with experienced duo.(Pelham Public Relations appointed Andy Cornelius and Mark Antelme )(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Former College Hill staffer and Gainsborough Communications joint founder Andy Cornelius is to join Pelham PR as a director. Rapidly expanding Pelham has also poached Brunswick oil and gas expert Mark Antelme to co-head its oil and gas...

City & Corporate: Debenhams nabs Asda boss.
June 6, 2008... High street department store chain Debenhams has moved to revamp the firm's comms output with the hire of Asda's head of PR. Ed Watson joins from the UK's second largest supermarket, where he is also head of PR for its George clothing...

City & Corporate: Goldman PRO signs for Merlin.
June 6, 2008... Former Goldman Sachs media relations associate Toby Bates is to join Merlin as an associate director. Bates had been at Goldman for seven years, providing support to the Investment Banking, Equities and Asset Management Divisions. His...

City & Corporate: City PR can keep eye on poor bosses.
June 6, 2008... One of the things they ought to teach in business school, but do not, is that while bad management can screw up a good business, good management can rarely rescue a bad one. One could go further and say there is no business so good that...

Technology: Hill & Knowlton to prime THQ for game launches.
June 6, 2008... One of the best known video game developers worldwide has brought in Hill & Knowlton as it prepares for several high-profile launches. California-based THQ has handed Hill & Knowlton's London consumer team a 12-month retainer after a...

Technology: Europe director for LinkedIn site.(LinkedIn appointed Cristina Hoole)(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Business network LinkedIn has hired a European director of PR and marketing as part of an expansion drive. Cristina Hoole moves to LinkedIn from PayPal, where she was head of PR, responsible for establishing the brand as a byword for online...

Technology: Logica review heralds new chief.
June 6, 2008... IT giant Logica has hired a new head of PR and media relations for the UK following a company-wide strategic review. Rima Awad joins from FTSE 100-listed credit information firm Experian, where she was senior marketing manager, responsible...

Technology: How to avoid the PR pitfalls of floating on the stock exchange.
June 6, 2008... PR professionals need to anticipate the negative press that can come with a tech IPO, warns Hazel Butters. In some ways, seeing a company through an initial public offering (IPO) is like being a parent. We help tech start-ups to form their...

Media Relations: What the papers say - Debate rages over BBC wages.
June 6, 2008... This week's report by the BBC Trust was prompted by speculation over the salary it paid Jonathan Ross and other presenters. The report drew accusations that 'the BBC seems to be doing precious little to manage top talent costs' (The Times,...

Media Relations: Contact book update.
June 6, 2008... Press The Independent and The Independent on Sunday editor in chief Simon Kelner is now MD across both titles. Philip Robinson has been promoted to head of business news at The Times, co-ordinating all business news across the paper...

Media Relations: 2 minutes with ... Joanna Yarrow Editor, eco-you.
June 6, 2008... Big Spark Publishing launches green lifestyle magazine eco-you later this year with GMTV's sustainable living expert Joanna Yarrow at the helm. What does the magazine aim to cover? Eco-you focuses on all aspects of daily life from fashion...

Media Analysis: Mail site aims to be number one.
June 6, 2008... As national newspapers attempt to bridge the gap between print and online, the Daily Mail has revamped its website to stay on trend. Kate Magee reports. The Daily Mail is the latest national paper to revamp its website as media outlets...

News Analysis: Keeping the spotlight on Zimbabwe.
June 6, 2008... Zimbabwe's opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, recently called in Fleishman-Hillard to ensure the world's media stay focused on the election crisis that still grips the southern African nation. As we flew into...

Profile: Brutally honest - Sara Render - Co-founder, Kinross + Render.(Interview)
June 6, 2008... 'I was expelled from boarding school at the age of 16 after organising a protest march about our living conditions. We wanted to get more attention, so I set fire to some bathing huts. At which point we got lots of attention... ' So...

Opinion: How green is the Government's agenda?
June 6, 2008... Recession is at the gate and the casualties of a stuttering economy are already piling up. Will the UK's move towards a greener image be among them? The question and the issues it raises for communicators are crucial. At the root of the...

Opinion: Touchy-feely stuff seems slightly barking.
June 6, 2008... Most would agree that Gordon Brown is probably a very nice man. Like lots of people in the public eye who have a rather grey disposition, those who have worked with them often insist that when the cameras are off, it is a different story. These...

Editorial: Try letting Gordon Brown be himself.(Editorial)
June 6, 2008... In many walks of life, the best career advice is not to upset the boat. Keep the boss happy. Don't give your opinion unless anyone asks. But the best PR professionals are not like that. They are valued highly precisely because they can...

Opinion: Letters - Transaction 2007 underestimates FTA.(Letter to the editor)
June 6, 2008... Peter Carroll of Transaction 2007 is rightly angry about high fuel prices and frustrated by the Government's unwillingness to do anything (News, 30 May). He's not the only one. He should try working for a lobby group endeavouring to score on...

Opinion: Letters - Information Act is worth the effort.(Letter to the editor)
June 6, 2008... Giles Roca is right that the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act has had an impact (Public Sector News, 30 May). FOI is leading to more official information coming into the public domain that otherwise would have remained secret. It was a...

Opinion: Letters - We are dealing with health, not games ..(Letter to the editor)
June 6, 2008... The Virgo Health PR report calling for the pharmaceutical industry to improve its reputation (Healthcare News, 23 May) is a welcome response to the question it poses about whether the industry finds itself in an unhealthy paradox. As a PR...

Opinion: Letters - ... and pharma PR must simplify debate.(Letter to the editor)
June 6, 2008... The pharmaceutical industry has got itself in a right pickle over transparency and trust. Problems have been compounded by a siege mentality and increasing red tape, which has stifled communication. The conclusions of the Virgo Health...

Campaign: CSR - Vodafone cuts out text message bullying.
June 6, 2008... Campaign: Vodafone 'CUT-it-out' Client: Vodafone PR team: Threepipe Timescale: October 2007 to February 2008 Budget: pounds 40,000 OBJECTIVES To encourage teenagers to think responsibly about mobile phone usage. To provide...

Campaign: Consumer - 'Home workout' gets gamers off the couch.
June 6, 2008... Campaign: Launch of Nintendo Wii Fit Client: Nintendo PR team: The Red Consultancy Timescale: March to April 2008 Budget: Undisclosed but believed to be more than pounds 100,000 Retained agency The Red Consultancy was asked to grab...

Campaign: Entertainment - 27 Dresses is a romantic hit at the box office.
June 6, 2008... Campaign: 27 Dresses Client: Twentieth Century Fox Films PR team: DSA PR Timescale: January to March 2008 Budget: pounds 22,000 When Twentieth Century Fox Films hatched plans to release the 'frock fabulous' movie starring Knocked...

Careers: When Daljit met David ..(Interview)
June 6, 2008... With 50 years of experience separating them, David Wynne-Morgan and Daljit Bhurji represent two different eras of PR. But what can they learn from each other? PRWeek brought them together to find out... Daljit Bhurji What advice do...

Diary: Say goodbye to the humble potato.
June 6, 2008... Picture the scene. It is Sunday lunchtime, you are dicing potatoes in the kitchen in preparation to roast them. Then you realise - with horror - that you are using the wrong type of potato. According to Storm Communications, these kitchen...

Diary: Scheming plans often go awry.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... One would have thought the recent pounds 5.7m fine slapped on ITV would act as a deterrent for other organisations considering a vote-rigging scam. Step forward little-known marcoms outfit Imagine Line Communications (illustrious clients...

Diary: Opik hits harmonica for one night only.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Diary was front of the queue this week to see our favourite politician Lembit Opik in a bizarre musical collaboration at London's Science Museum, courtesy of Unity PR. Opik, who recently thanked this organ for reminding him to declare some...

Diary: Ready, steady, Lexington, go.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Last week we told how a team from Hanover Communications had taken part in the Bupa 10k run. This week, we hear that team raised a whopping pounds 7,500 for the charity, which is not bad at all. Well done, chaps. Now it turns out that...

Diary: Hit or Miss... Floundering Fern.
June 6, 2008... Ryvita's decision to hire Fern Britton as a brand ambassador backfired this week following a News of The World exclusive about the TV presenter. It revealed that Britton's dramatic weight loss was not due to healthy eating and exercise as had...

Diary: Let's meet at - Cellar Bar at The Gable.(Brief article)
June 6, 2008... Reviewed by Sarah Evans-Toyne, head of digital strategy, Broadgate. There is a time and a place for any type of hospitality. A raucous and lively beer-swilling pub culture still fuels the pistons of many of the City's dealing rooms and...

UK union refuses to smear Tesco.
June 13, 2008... A major UK trade union is declining to join US counterparts who have vowed to damage the reputation of Tesco around the world. America's 1.3 million-member United Food and Commercial Workers' Union (UFCW) has pledged to shame Tesco into...

ITV to slash PR jobs in latest comms shake-up.
June 13, 2008... ITV's corporate comms chief has said that 'most' of the broadcaster's 75-strong programme publicity department will have to reapply for their jobs in a maor shake-up of its PR operation. Director of corporate comms Ruth Settle comfirmed...

Cabinet Office seeks chief as James quits.(Brief article)
June 13, 2008... Top Whitehall PROs were this week polishing their CVs and preparing to fight it out to be the next permanent secretary for government communications. The biggest public sector PR job has become available following the news Howell James is...