PR Week (UK) articles from June 2009

PR Week (UK) archives from June 2009

BT jettisons Trimedia in overhaul of CSR strategy.
June 5, 2009... BT remains adamant CSR work will continue despite overhaul of comms agencies. BT has insisted that corporate responsibility remains a top priority after it took the drastic action of dropping its only dedicated CSR agency this week. ...

Last chance for awards.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The closing date for entries to the PRWeek Awards 2009 has been extended to this Friday, 5 June. Categories have also been revised for 2009, with a new global PR campaign category added to reflect the growing internationalisation of the...

Ferrexpo swaps PR in midst of share rift.
June 5, 2009... FTSE 250 mining firm Ferrexpo has switched PR agencies as it remains locked in a battle with dissident shareholders. The firm has dropped Finsbury and instead turned to Pelham PR. The move comes just two weeks after PRWeek revealed that...

Bell makes Outside exit.
June 5, 2009... The Outside Organisation director Stuart Bell is believed to be setting up his own shop after making a shock exit from the entertainment agency this week. As revealed on prweek.com (2 June), Bell was placed on gardening leave by the...

Banned US DJ hires PHA.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... An American 'shock jock' who is barred from the UK has signed a PR agency in advance of a media blitz. Radio host Michael Savage has said he is suing for defamation after the Home Office placed him on the list of people banned from entering...

Wheels of fortune.
June 5, 2009... The world's most successful pro-cycling outfit, Team Columbia-Highroad, has called in Capitalize to handle its global PR support. The team is fronted by British cycling star Mark Cavendish, who recently took three stage wins at the Italian...

The Week.(Mantra PR )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... WPP announced a 6.7 per cent like-for-like revenue drop in the first four months of 2009 at its annual general meeting in Dublin on Tuesday. Waggener Edstrom head of digital Paul Armstrong has left the agency after two months, without a...

Firms fail to reassure employees.
June 5, 2009... FD and YouGov report finds worrying levels of unease in the workforce. Britain's leading corporates must make employee engagement their top comms priority as they face demotivated and disillusioned staff, according to a YouGov survey. ...

A question of leadership.
June 5, 2009... Key figures from FD's job satisfaction survey in association with YouGov. How well has your employer communicated news about job security? Don't know 6% Very well 15% Acceptably 42% Poorly ...

Minogue opts for Hackford.
June 5, 2009... Dannii Minogue has turned to Hackford Jones PR as she prepares to reappear as a judge on reality TV show The X Factor. The agency has been called in to handle the singer's PR and act as her personal publicists, focusing on her return to the...

Buchanan abandons Middle East venture.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... WPP financial PR outfit Buch-anan Communications has closed its Middle East operation because of tough economic conditions in the region. Buchanan Middle East in Dubai has been rebranded as BME, after Buchanan pulled out of the joint...

BM signs up ex-eBay PRO.
June 5, 2009... Burson-Marsteller is looking to bolster its consumer credentials by appointing a former eBay PR director. Victoria Biggs has been brought in to drive the agency's integrated consumer campaigns and build BM's issues-based consumer PR...

Voucher website capitalises on recession.
June 5, 2009... One of the UK's most visited online voucher websites has hired PR support as it seeks to capitalise on public demand for cheap deals during the recession. Vouchercodes.co.uk has called in Threepipe after a competitive pitch The agency will...

Conference News: PR on the Edge - Bell's advice for politicians.(Conference news)
June 5, 2009... Chime Communications chairman Lord Bell has said politicians' reputations can be salvaged only if they pay more attention to their behaviour instead of focusing on changing the voting system. Lack of trust in Parliament in the wake of the...

Conference News: Praise for Obama strategy.(Conference news)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... The growth of the internet has fuelled public mistrust in politicians, a leading Tory frontbencher has claimed. Shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt told a PRWeek conference last week there had recently been 'a massive growth in the...

Conference News: Are you a professional truth-teller or a 'hired gun'?(Conference news)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Senior PR consultants are a mixture of truth-tellers and 'hired guns,' according to delegates at PRWeek's conference last week. A vote at the PR on the Edge conference indicated that half of PROs see their role as basically telling the...

Healthcare: On the agenda - Back pain helped by acupuncture.
June 5, 2009... In a nutshell Patients with persistent lower back pain should be offered acupuncture, according to new guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The guidelines cover those who have been in pain...

Healthcare: PRCA moves to set up healthcare group.(Public Relations Consultants Association)
June 5, 2009... The PRCA has launched a healthcare group in a bid to enhance the professional reputation of the healthcare communications industry. PRCA Health is one of a number of initiatives being spearheaded by PRCA chairman David Gallagher. Groups...

Healthcare: The Week in Healthcare - Cranage calls in Signature.(Cranage Healthcare contracts with Signature Healthcare Communications )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Cranage Healthcare has brought in Signature Healthcare Communications to handle the UK launch and ongoing promotion of its scar prevention treatment, Kelo-cote. The agency will work with dermatology healthcare professionals to provide...

Public Affairs: Aides eye public affairs jobs.
June 5, 2009... Top-level special advisers already in talks with lobbying firms. Several Labour special advisers have held talks with public affairs agencies in the run-up to this week's European and local elections. PRWeek has learned that at least...

Public Affairs: Lobbying Target - Andrew Mitchell, shadow international development secretary.
June 5, 2009... The MP for Sutton Coldfield is a traditional Tory with a strong belief in Thatcherite free market principles. Ten-second biography First elected as MP for Gedling in 1987, Mitchell lost his seat in the 1997 Labour landslide but bounced...

Public Affairs: The week in lobbying.
June 5, 2009... Portland has signed up Conservative parliamentary candidate Charlotte Leslie. As revealed on prweek.com (1 June), Leslie starts this week as an education associate. She is a former policy adviser to shadow cabinet minister David Willetts...

City & Corporate: In the news - Auto sector.
June 5, 2009... Bring us up to speed More than 35,000 new cars have been bought through the UK Government's new scrappage scheme since its April launch. One in five of those who bought new cars took advantage of the pounds 2,000 discount for scrapping...

City & Corporate: Brunswick fights for William Hill.
June 5, 2009... William Hill puts account to pitch and shortlists niche agencies as well as big City players. Brunswick is fighting to hold on to its long-standing financial PR account with the world's biggest bookmaker William Hill. Brunswick has...

City & Corporate: The Week in City & Corporate.
June 5, 2009... Brunswick stays at the top of FTSE 100 clients lists, PBN Company hires corporate VP. Brunswick remains the top City PR firm for FTSE 100 clients, according to the latest quarterly Hemscott Adviser Rankings Guide. Brunswick lost one...

City & Corporate: Shanks hires McGarahan.
June 5, 2009... City PR troubleshooter Tony McGarahan has been parachuted into waste management company Shanks Group as it launches a pounds 71.4m rights issue to reduce its debts. McGarahan was most recently interim director of comms at Bradford &...

City & Corporate: CSR should be at top of PR agenda.
June 5, 2009... One of the side effects of the recession is that consumers have become more price conscious. There has been a migration of shoppers towards cheaper ranges. Sales of supermarket own brands are on the up; premium brands are under pressure....

Voluntary Sector: Charity chief blames PROs for poor health coverage.
June 5, 2009... PR professionals who exaggerate scientific studies about possible causes of cancer are destroying public trust in health advice, a charity comms chief has warned. The World Cancer Research Fund's head of comms Richard Evans is calling on...

Voluntary Sector: Taking Action - Guerrilla gardeners vs BAA's third runway.
June 5, 2009... Target: BAA Protesters: Guerrilla gardeners Location: Villages near Heathrow Airport Date: 25 May THE LOWDOWN Heathrow residents and environmental activists replanted hundreds of plants from this year's Chelsea Flower...

Voluntary Sector: The week in charities.
June 5, 2009... Mencap's press and PR manager Sam Heath has left to join the Cabinet Office as chief press officer. Heath joined the charity in 2007 from Age Concern, where he was senior media relations officer. Lucy Hannagan will become acting PR and...

Technology: Iseepr wins Tpoll account.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Growing demand for more cost-effective market research has prompted one of the sector's leading online players to hire its first PR support. Online market research house Tpoll has selected b2b agency iseepr to provide PR and branding...

Technology: Labour denies Tories are winning blog war.
June 5, 2009... Labour bloggers have lined up to attack a report claiming that Conservative blogs have established a clear lead over their left-wing rivals. The study, carried out by Social Media Affairs (SMA), found 19 per cent of bloggers identified as...

Technology: The Week in Technology - New appointments at Start Creative.
June 5, 2009... Start Creative has announced a raft of new hires. Roger Thelwell joins the digital comms agency from ad shop Nitro as its new head of operations, while former freelancer Alison Bonny arrives as head of PR and marketing. iPilot, Europe's...

Technology: Best of the tech blogs.
June 5, 2009... The new press release Posted by Lewis Team lewis360.com 27 May - The press release is undergoing a dramatic makeover. But this is not a makeover of the overnight-transformation variety. The debate has been going on for years. Last...

Public Sector: Campaign breakdown - Teen pregnancy.
June 5, 2009... Body: NHS Leicester City Client: Leicester City Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Partnership Timescale: May-June Budget: The viral cost pounds 15,000 THE LOWDOWN NHS Leicester City produced a viral clip that appears to...

Public Sector: Home Office's knife crime effort.
June 5, 2009... Kindred appointed by the Home Office to bolster 'It doesn't have to happen' campaign. The Home Office has called in Kindred as it attempts to get big brands behind its campaign against knife crime. An MPs' committee said this week that...

Public Sector: The Public Sector Week.
June 5, 2009... PR Options appointed by South East Enterprise, East of England International hires Project PR. South East Enterprise has brought on board Kent-based agency PR Options The agency won a two-year account following a competitive pitch. PR...

Public Sector: Agency hire for Scotland.(Historic Scotland has appointed Consolidated PR )(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Historic Scotland has appointed Consolidated PR to promote the country as a holiday destination. The agency will focus on promoting a cut-price annual membership deal Individuals and families in Scotland are now being offered six months...

Public Sector: Boris faces two-wheel challenge.
June 5, 2009... Over the next 12 months London is going to be transformed by a truly radical new public transport initiative. It will influence the way the capital is perceived, alter the character of much of the city centre and change the way many of us move...

Media: Welcome to the ten new faces of UKTV.
June 5, 2009... It has been a busy 18 months for UKTV. The digital channel broadcaster has rebranded eight of its channels and launched two new ones in the space of a year and a half. This frenzy of activity has unfortunately confused some PR...

Media: Hit or miss - Estate agent queue turns out to be PR stunt.
June 5, 2009... Estate agent queue turns out to be PR stunt for Northern Ireland property scheme. Boom or bust Northern Ireland property developer Bradkeel Developments hit the headlines for the wrong reasons last week when its PR stunt was outed. What at...

Media: Space Barons - Essentials.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... What is it? Women's title with emphasis on 'real' women Staff: 16 Circulation: 98,487 Contact: Fiona_Galley@ipcmedia.com Who are the space barons? Jules Barton-Breck is editor of IPC's Essentials magazine. Lifestyle...

Media: The Editor's Desk - Annabel Brog, Sugar.(Interview)
June 5, 2009... Who reads Sugar? The average reader is 14 years and nine months old, but our readership covers 12-year-olds up to those aged 17 or 18. What is the aim of the magazine? It is a fashion and lifestyle magazine for teenage girls. We...

Profile: Pat McParland - Pouring oil on troubled water.(Drury Communications)(Occupation overview)
June 5, 2009... From the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to NI Water, Pat McParland loves a challenge, says Gemma O'Reilly. Few domestic issues raise the ire of consumers quite as much as water charges. One year into his role leading the comms team at...

Campaigns: Retail - Firebox has 'crap' service wrapped up.
June 5, 2009... Campaign: Launch of CrapWrap Client: Firebox.com PR team: In-house Timescale: December 2008 Budget: Time costs only Objectives - To position Firebox.com as a creative, quirky online retainer with a sense of humour - To...

Campaigns: Digital - O2 and Twitter get down to business.(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Campaign: O2 small businesses adopting Twitter Client: O2 PR team: Talk PR Timescale: March 2009 Budget: pounds 3,000 Objectives - To position O2 as connected with, and an expert on, small business trends - To show how...

Campaigns: Travel - A new lease of life for holiday homes.(Holidaylettings.co.uk)(Brief article)
June 5, 2009... Campaign: It Pays to Let Client: Holidaylettings.co.uk PR team: Ash Communications and holidaylettings.co.uk Timescale: January 2008-January 2009 Budget: pounds 30,000 Objectives - To boost awareness of holiday homes - To...

Opinion: Football sponsors need reassuring.
June 5, 2009... Was there ever a more contrived photo-call than the embarrassing dressing room dance routines performed to camera by Chelsea's FA Cup winning team? The same players who horrified sponsors just weeks earlier by snarling and swearing at a...

Opinion: From the Editor - The shutters come down on an era of spin.(Conference news)(Editorial)
June 5, 2009... A bevy of senior politicos attended last week's PR on the Edge conference, hosted by PRWeek, and it was illuminating to hear from some key strategists behind the Barack Obama election campaign in the context of our domestic political malaise....

Opinion: From our Readers - Visit London's work is worthy and viable.(Letter to the editor)
June 5, 2009... In response to Clive Booth's assertion that London has more than enough PR already (Letters, 29 May), let me put Visit London's activity in accountancy terms to see if it helps him understand our role a bit better. Our campaigns deliver...

Opinion: From our Readers - PR is best placed to create experiential.
June 5, 2009... In response to your article on the closure of Cunning Stunts and Making Waves Communications (News, 29 May), in the marketing industry PROs are best placed to identify and amplify something experiential. After all, we are the industry that...

Opinion: From our Readers - Supply chain must not be ignored by brands.
June 5, 2009... The global supply chain used to be considered by many leading proponents of strategic comms counsel to be the dustiest of technical topics. Certainly not a deciding factor in building and protecting a brand. Not so now: with the dreaded...

Opinion: Reshuffle is test of Brown's mettle.
June 5, 2009... The European election has damaged the Prime Minister's standing Already insistent that he will lead Labour into the next election, Gordon Brown's options are to lead a fightback or to lead a descent into electoral annihilation. So far...

Careers: The pros and cons of a degree in PR.
June 5, 2009... Almost half of agency bosses are dismissive of the benefits of studying public relations at degree level. But not all agree... Cathy Wallace investigates. Gerry Hopkinson values a university education in his recruits. The co-founder of...

Top adviser warns Labour 'brand' risks contamination.
June 12, 2009... Paul Richards says Labour is in need of wide-ranging communications overhaul. Hazel Blears' outgoing special adviser has issued a stark warning that Labour's brand is in 'real danger of contamination' unless there is a wide-ranging...

Rock switch to Brunswick.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Northern Rock has shifted its entire corporate comms account to Brunswick as it prepares to exit from public ownership. The account had been held by FD since March 2008. One insider said the bank felt Brunswick was better placed to offer...

Wagamama brings in first agency help.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Asian food chain Wagamama has called in its first retained consumer PR support to promote its restaurants. Kazoo will provide PR support for product launches and will help with campaigns planned throughout the year. It will also be on hand...

Abbey Road digital push.
June 12, 2009... Abbey Road Studios has named Taylor Herring as its PR adviser, the first in its 78-year history. The recording studio, best known for recording nearly all The Beatles' music and immortalised by best-selling 1969 album Abbey Road, wants to...

Bosses polled on degrees.(Survey)(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... PR bosses still favour traditional academic degrees over vocational or 'new' degrees, according to fresh research. JFL Search & Selection rec-ently surveyed more than 600 senior PROs, both in-house and agency, about their plans for graduate...

Hot shots.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Renowned photographer Rankin has enlisted Idea Generation to promote his biggest show to date. The agency will manage a global consumer and trade campaign for the upcoming Rankin Live! exhibition, which opens on 31 July. Idea Generation...

The Week.
June 12, 2009... PORTER NOVELLI has been chosen to handle PR for Entrepreneur Country, set up by new BBC Dragon Julie Meyer. FLINT PUBLIC RELATIONS has been launched by three former Midas PR staffers. The arts and entertainment specialist has already signed...

Leaders urged to confront BNP.
June 12, 2009... Comms professionals advise political parties to engage in tough debate. The mainstream political parties must enter into a policy debate with the British National Party if they are to dent its future electoral hopes, a host of comms...

Digital campaign 'did not connect' with communities.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Searchlight's failure raises questions over comms effectiveness of online tactics. Questions have been asked about a recent UK campaign 'to counter racism and fascism', following the BNP's success in the European elections. The Hope...

Visit Florida drops retained support.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Visit Florida is scaling back its UK PR support following cutbacks to its budget forced by the recession. Hills Balfour Synergy, which had retained the account for two years, will now work for Visit Florida on a project basis. The account...

Clarion taps into trend with 'head of news' role.
June 12, 2009... Clarion Communications is the latest agency to hire a PRO specifically to monitor the news agenda. Former national newspaper journalist Howard Bowden has been hired in the newly created role of head of news. Bowden previously held the...

Weber Shandwick wins Microsoft EMEA.
June 12, 2009... Microsoft is pressing ahead with its PR overhaul by appointing Weber Shandwick to handle its consumer and online business across EMEA. The move will see Weber Shandwick act as a 'hub' for all local markets in EMEA, with the business...

Purnell's exit splits opinion.
June 12, 2009... Senior figures analyse former ministers' media tactics. The spate of recent resignations from Gordon Brown's Government has prompted a lively debate in media circles this week. A senior lobby journalist told PRWeek he thought former...

Tories buy up adword.
June 12, 2009... The Conservatives reacted speedily to James Purnell's resignation last week by buying up the former work and pensions secretary's name as an adword on Google. Within an hour of the news breaking, the Tories purchased the adword and...

Healthcare: Online pharmacy brings in Pegasus.
June 12, 2009... Global pharmaceutical distribution firm Masters International has called in healthcare specialist Pegasus to launch an online pharmacy. Pegasus was awarded the account following a three-way pitch. It will conduct an integrated PR campaign...

Healthcare: The Week in Healthcare.(Hospital Group contracts with Public relations firm)(Virgo Health PR is restructuring its senior management team )(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Clinic hands brief to Seal The Hospital Group, a cosmetic and weight loss surgery group, has called in Birmingham-based Seal to promote its clinics and services. The agency will aim to engage key media with case studies and celebrity...

Healthcare: On the Agenda - Call for MMR jab to be compulsory.
June 12, 2009... In a nutshell A former chairman of the British Medical Association has called for the controversial MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) jab to be made compulsory. Sir Sandy Macara said children should not be allowed to attend school unless...

Public Affairs: Watson quits Cabinet Office.
June 12, 2009... Watson's departure expected to stymie lobbying overhaul. The Government is expected to place lobbying reform on the backburner following Cabinet Office minister Tom Watson's decision to stand down last Friday. Watson had been...

Public Affairs: Lobbying Target - Lord Adonis, Transport Secretary.
June 12, 2009... The arch-Blairite was a surprise winner in last week's cabinet reshuffle, replacing Geoff Hoon after his resignation. Ten-second biography Adonis was plucked out of journalism by Tony Blair in 1998 and became head of the Number 10...

Public Affairs: The week in lobbying.
June 12, 2009... The Guardian has found the vast majority of its readers support a crackdown on lobbying. The papers conducted a poll of 5,000 readers of The Guardian and The Observer and found that 98 per cent supported a register of all lobbyists. ...

City & Corporate: In the news - Rio Tinto.
June 12, 2009... Bring us up to speed Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has turned its back on a USdollars 19.5bn tie-up with China's Chinalco to enter a deal with rival BHP Billiton, the firm from which it fought off a takeover bid just months ago....

City & Corporate: Hedge funds seek to polish image.
June 12, 2009... AIMA to form promotional group in the wake of hedge fund threats to abandon the UK. The body representing hedge fund companies is forming a 'working group' of PR practitioners to help improve perceptions of the industry. The...

City & Corporate: The Week in City & Corporate.
June 12, 2009... College Hill wins P2i account, Corizon appoints Prompt Communications. College Hill has been appointed by P2i, a producer of liquid-repellent nano-coating technology, to implement a six-figure comms programme. The agency won the account in...

City & Corporate: Fishburn buys reporting firm.(Brief article)
June 12, 2009... Fishburn Hedges has acquired specialist corporate reporting firm Pauffley. The agency will merge its new acquisition with its design and branding company FHD. The as yet unnamed combined firm will be headed by FHD's Adrian Day as MD and...

City & Corporate: Hornby happily rewrites history.
June 12, 2009... Getting Andy Hornby back into gainful employment is one of the cleverest bits of PR seen for a long time. Hornby - to remind those of you with short memories - was the chief executive of HBOS, the Halifax Bank of Scotland group. On his...

Voluntary Sector: Charity plans festival public transport drive.
June 12, 2009... Climate change charity Global Cool is launching a fresh PR drive to get more people using public transport - by targeting festival-goers. The charity has turned to newly formed Red Dog Communications after a five-way pitch. Global Cool will...

Voluntary Sector: Search for progeria kids.
June 12, 2009... The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF) has called in PR support to help with its quest to find 150 people with the rare and fatal condition. Progeria is a genetic condition characterised by accelerated ageing in children. There are 52...

Voluntary Sector: Taking Action - SWAGS v New Forest authorities.
June 12, 2009... Target: New Forest Road Safety Council, Hampshire Police, Hampshire County Council, and New Forest National Park Authority Protesters: South Weirs Action Group For Safety (SWAGS) Location: New Forest, Hampshire Date: 6 June 2009...

Voluntary Sector: The Week in Charities.
June 12, 2009... V, the national youth volunteer service, has hired Jane Eggleton as PR manager. She joins from homeless charity Crisis, where she was comms manager. V recently briefed Shine Communications to handle consumer PR. CLIC Sargent has called in...

Technology: Sony opts for 'pioneering' webcast to launch phones.
June 12, 2009... Sony Ericsson has launched two new 'green' phones with a pioneering live webcast that incorporated three live digital elements simultaneously. The mobile phone company unveiled the C190 and the NAITE last week. To publicise the launch, a...