PR Week (UK) articles from March 2008

PR Week (UK) archives from March 2008

Royal PROs had no hand in blackout.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The Royal Family's PR handlers had no influence over the media blackout for Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan, PRWeek can reveal. The Prince of Wales' press secretary Paddy Harverson attended only four meetings with the Ministry of...

Comms rejig at Number 10..(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Gordon Brown is beefing up his comms team with the hire of a new strategic comms adviser and at least two digital PR experts. Nick Stace will start on Monday as special adviser on strategic political comms. He recently quit as director of...

...while Blair's PR chief makes new revelations.
March 7, 2008... As Gordon Brown makes a concerted effort to improve his standing in the media, it has emerged that his predecessor Tony Blair 'never watched a TV news bulletin' during the last few years of his premiership. Blair was known for his uncanny...

Economic analysis: Next Fifteen executive defends its low share price.
March 7, 2008... Next Fifteen chief executive Tim Dyson admitted the group is examining whether 'a public market is the right place for the group' after its shares continued to slip. Next Fifteen owns Text 100, Bite Communications, and Lexis PR, but is...

'Recession-proof' sector is coping with downturn.
March 7, 2008... Marcoms giants Interpublic and WPP have posted impressive annual growth figures, bolstered by a robust PR market. The results have led many to suggest a predicted downturn has not yet arrived for PR. Industry analysts went as far to say PR...

Viewpoint: Industry Veteran speaks out.(Burson-Marsteller )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... 'In the 40 years I was with Burson-Marsteller we were very rarely hurt by a recession. In reality we often did quite well. I was also in charge of Marsteller, our ad business, and they sometimes suffered. But clients who cut advertising...

Prince Harry in Afghanistan: Harry goes to war - how the media blackout was won.
March 7, 2008... The seven months of planning for Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan constituted the largest media blackout ever handled by the Ministry of Defence, according to its director of news. In July last year, 40 representatives from the...

Prince Harry in Afghanistan: Reactions from the media.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... 'It's surely not the job of the Army or MoD to sort out Harry's relationship with the media any more than it is the media's to act as cheerleaders for the Royals or an unpopular war' - Mail on Sunday columnist Suzanne Moore 'It's a PR...

Prince Harry in Afghanistan: Timeline: How the mod handled the story.(Chronology)
March 7, 2008... APRIL-MAY 2007: Prince Harry not deployed to Iraq following threats. General Sir Richard Dannatt, the Army's chief of the general staff, seeks advice from Ministry of Defence director of news James Shelley and the Army's PR assistant director...

News Brief: Large to join ITV.
March 7, 2008... STOP PRESS: Mike Large, former head of ITV programme publicity and currently senior associate director at Hill & Knowlton's issue management practice, is to join ITV as head of media relations. Andrew Sholl, currently a partner at Portland PR,...

News Brief: Dailymotion looks for agency.
March 7, 2008... CONSUMER: A new video-sharing website set up by Kate Burns, former MD of Google, is looking for a consumer agency to build the brand in the UK. Dailymotion wants an agency to engage with consumers so they upload and view content on the site. A...

News Brief: GCI London appointed.
March 7, 2008... CONSUMER: Online insurance price comparison site Comparethemarket.com has appointed GCI London to drive brand awareness

News Brief: Meyer to join Fleishman-Hillard.
March 7, 2008... AGENCY: Press Complaints Commission chairman Sir Christopher Meyer is to join Fleishman-Hillard's international advisory board

News Brief: Bell Pottinger North appointed.
March 7, 2008... B2B: Bell Pottinger North has been called in by Your Space, owner and operator of five-star serviced offices across the UK, to build the profile of its properties

News Brief: Ian Johnson Publicity hired.
March 7, 2008... ENTERTAINMENT: Ian Johnson Publicity has been hired to promote US TV series Pushing Daisies ahead of its ITV prime-time debut

News Brief: Natmag titles experience growth.
March 7, 2008... CLARIFICATION: Natmags' print titles Cosmopolitan and Good Housekeeping have experienced year-on-year growth in circulation, according to recent ABC figures. Parent company Hearst has asked us to point out that it is fully committed to its...

GlaxoSmithKline signs Red Door.
March 7, 2008... HEALTHCARE: GlaxoSmithKline has signed healthcare specialist Red Door Communications to handle consumer PR for its mouthwash brand Corsodyl

News Brief: Mature Marketing appointed.
March 7, 2008... CONSUMER: Bovis Homes has appointed Bristol-based Mature Marketing to promote its seven retirement homes around the UK. www.prweek.com/uk for the full versions of these stories

Luchford APM wins coffee brief.
March 7, 2008... Fashion and lifestyle agency Luchford APM has won a consumer brief to promote Nestle coffee brand Nespresso, beating off five agencies including incumbent Weber Shandwick. Luchford APM, led by well-known lifestyle PRO Kelly Luchford, will...

Luxury tour firm Kuoni calls in help for luxury brand.
March 7, 2008... Luxury tour operator Kuoni has brought in agency support to position the company as the leader in 'upmarket, tailor-made' vacations. Kuoni has awarded London-based Flagship Consulting a 12-month retainer, as in-house head of PR Sarah Bolam...

Northern Rock drafts in FD after nationalisation.(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Recently nationalised bank Northern Rock has handed a wide-ranging corporate comms brief to FD. The agency takes over from fellow City firm Finsbury, which lost the account after ten years with the bank. FD will advise on public...

Engine expands further with Hogarth acquisition.
March 7, 2008... City agency the Hogarth Partnership has been snapped up by the Engine Group, the UK's largest privately owned comms outfit. The deal sees Engine expand into the City and corporate sectors, having already acquired public affairs agency...

Plane protestors shocked by press.
March 7, 2008... Campaign group Plane Stupid has said it was 'taken aback' by the level of positive coverage last week's stunt received in the media. Richard George was one of five people who scaled the Houses of Parliament last week in protest at the...

Lexis lands brief from Morrisons.
March 7, 2008... Morrisons has recruited Lexis PR to handle its consumer and corporate PR after a three-way pitch. The agency has been taken on for a six-figure sum after fending off rivals Clarion and Bell Pottinger. The supermarket chain has reported...

Euro RSCG to help stop university extremism.
March 7, 2008... A new project designed to tackle extremism on university campuses has turned to Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster for support. Campusalam has been created to 'assist lecturers and students in coping with situations for which they may not ordinarily...

Edelman recruits US web specialist.
March 7, 2008... One of Edelman's top web strategists has moved from the US to head up the agency's digital division, which has just surpassed the pounds 1m revenue mark after six months. Marshall Manson started this week as director of digital strategy in...

Public Sector: Brighton nabs Sutton's head of media.(Brighton and Hove City Council appointed John Shewell )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Brighton and Hove City Council has appointed a new head of corporate comms at a time of change within the local authority. John Shewell joins from the London Borough of Sutton where he was head of media. Brighton and Hove is changing...

Public Sector: Met drafts in support for property overhaul.
March 7, 2008... The Metropolitan Police Service has appointed London Communications Agency to handle PR around a controversial overhaul of its police stations. The agency won a competitive pitch for the account with the Metropolitan Police Authority...

Public Sector: Five agencies to assist East Midlands.(United Kingdom. East Midlands Development Agency)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The East Midlands Development Agency (Emda) has appointed a roster of five agencies to help promote the region to businesses. Regional agencies Willoughby PR, Hopwood, Lava PR and Eden PR have been selected alongside Trimedia's Birmingham...

Public Sector: Granatt admits to lying... in 1983.(Mike Granatt )(Viewpoint essay)
March 7, 2008... I admit it: I have been party to a lie uttered at the heart of Whitehall. It was 1983 and I was doing a short stint at Number 10. Israel and Lebanon were at war. Thousands were trapped in Beirut, including many Britons. Other...

Public Sector: BBC adds to press team after a troubled year.(British Broadcasting Corp. has appointed Ben Wilson )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... The BBC has appointed a new deputy head of press, the latest senior appointment to the broadcaster's comms team. Ben Wilson joins the BBC in the spring, moving from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). The news...

Public Sector: Help for Waltham Forest's smokers.(Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust's contract with 90TEN Healthcare )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Waltham Forest Primary Care Trust has appointed specialist agency 90TEN Healthcare to handle a stop smoking campaign on National No Smoking Day. Some 31 per cent of residents in Waltham Forest are smokers - significantly more than the...

Public Sector: Lexington steps up regional focus.(Lexington Communications has appointed Jon Whowell )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Lexington Communications has hired a senior comms man at the East Midlands Regional Assembly as the agency attempts to place a greater focus on winning clients in the Midlands. Jon Whowell will be the PR and lobbying agency's sole adviser...

Public Sector: Why the Prince Harry PR strategy could yet backfire on him.
March 7, 2008... The MoD and the royal family have taken a major gamble with Prince Harry and the media blackout, argues Colleen Harris. So, the royals have ridden and tamed the media tiger. Until now Prince Harry was the butt of jokes, his public persona...

Voluntary Sector: Charity partners with bus group.
March 7, 2008... Save The Children has joined forces with bus and rail company FirstGroup to publicise a series of fundraisers. The Mini Monster running and cycling events will be launched to regional press in five cities on the weekend of 11 March. The...

Voluntary Sector: Support for kids' fundraising event.
March 7, 2008... Ethical specialist agency Global Tolerance will be handling media for a national music talent competition. The contest is being held to promote annual fundraising event Wrong Trousers Day. This raises funds for the Wallace & Gromit's...

Voluntary Sector: Whitehouse to work pro-bono for Aids charity.
March 7, 2008... The National Aids Trust is to receive pro-bono public affairs support from lobbying firm The Whitehouse Consultancy. Three charities were shortlisted for the year-long brief, after applications were called for in October last year. Staff of...

Voluntary Sector: Counselling group hires agency to achieve universal appeal.
March 7, 2008... Relationship support charity Marriage Care has brought in Geronimo Communications to challenge misconceptions that it only welcomes Catholics. The agency won the 12-month account following a competitive pitch. It is the first time the...

Voluntary Sector: Bowel Cancer UK wins award for top PA campaign.
March 7, 2008... Bowel Cancer UK scooped the honours for top public affairs campaign at the annual communications awards held last week by Fifth Estate, the CIPR's not-for-profit sector group. The charity picked up the award for its patient campaigning...

Public Affairs: FD-LLM lands key retainers.(contract with KBR Inc. and R3)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... FD-LLM has scooped up two retained accounts, including one with major global infrastructure support company KBR. KBR provides engineering, construction and services to support the energy, petrochemicals, government services and civil...

Public Affairs: Wind farms fight MoD on security threat claim.
March 7, 2008... A consortium of wind farms has called in public affairs backing as the industry becomes embroiled in a fight with the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The wind farm industry has been forced on the defensive after it emerged last month that the...

Public Affairs: Agency boss in film studio switch.
March 7, 2008... The Policy Partnership is losing its managing partner Andrew Smith to film and TV studio operator Pinewood Shepperton. Smith will join the company in June as group corporate affairs director A former Tory parliamentary candidate, Smith...

Public Affairs: MPs must not succumb to calls for tough lobbying regulations.
March 7, 2008... But the select committee should criticise agencies that refuse to sign up to ethical codes, says Rod Cartwright. Since appearing before the public administration select committee as part of its inquiry into lobbying I have frequently been...

Healthcare: Huntsworth loses two directors in two weeks.(Huntsworth Health)(Guy Nasse )(Sian Hurst )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Huntsworth Health's associate director Guy Nasse is leaving this week after only six months in the role. Nasse joined Huntsworth in September from his role as director of medical affairs at Manning Selvage & Lee, where he spent nine years...

Healthcare: Industry replies to damning anti-depressants report.
March 7, 2008... A London PR agency has urged the pharma industry to speak out about the effectiveness of anti-depressants in the wake of a study deriding their benefits. A study released last week - that was widely covered in the media - stated that there...

Healthcare: Medicom joins GlobalCom to aid expansion.
March 7, 2008... Healthcare specialist Medicom Group has signed up to the GlobalCom PR network to drive its expansion into the international healthcare market. The GlobalCom network is a worldwide group of independent PR and marketing comms agencies. The...

Healthcare: At a Glance - AstraZeneca opposes landmark US court verdict.
March 7, 2008... WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? A court in Alabama has told AstraZeneca (AZ) that it must pay damages in a dispute over the supply of drugs to Medicaid, the US health programme for people with low incomes. AZ's case is the first of many to come to...

City & Corporate: Hudson Sandler called in for Swiss Temenos brief.
March 7, 2008... Swiss banking software firm Temenos has turned to Hudson Sandler to raise its profile in the financial press. The blue chip firm is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of around pounds 950m. 'Temenos has...

City & Corporate: Spanish law firm starts trend.
March 7, 2008... A Spanish law company hoping to break into the UK market has brought in The Hogarth Partnership on a corporate brief. 'Uria Menendez is seeking to raise its profile in the UK market, in particular its role in advising on major cross-border...

City & Corporate: FD battles to free British engineer.
March 7, 2008... Miner Carnegie Minerals has asked FD to help it free an employee arrested on uranium-smuggling accusations. British engineer Charlie Northfield, 48, was detained by the Gambian government last month. The firm has since moved out of...

City & Corporate: Rival bashing easier than home truths.
March 7, 2008... It has always been the case in PR that it is much easier to tell lies about a competitor than it is to tell the truth about one's own client. It is nevertheless bizarre that a side effect of regulation is to make this legally the preferred...

Technology: BMW appoints its first digital boss.
March 7, 2008... Auto giant BMW UK has appointed its first digital PR manager following a six-month search (PRWeek, 7 September 2007). Media relations manager Duncan Forrester has been chosen to fill what BMW describes as the first role of its kind in the...

Technology: Heating oil website turns to Lewis to boost profile.(Website overview)
March 7, 2008... A website that sells heating oil in bulk has brought in Lewis on a retained brief. The win is one of two new online briefs in a week for the agency. BoilerJuice wants Lewis to raise its profile in the media and increase subscriber...

Technology: Science website calls in Hot Cherry.(Website overview)
March 7, 2008... Digital specialist Hot Cherry is to promote an online channel aimed at 'de-mystifying science'. Maverick TV, the production company behind reality shows Ten Years Younger and How to Look Good Naked, has briefed the agency to launch...

Technology: 'Tech PROs should drop the drivel and stand up to their clients'.
March 7, 2008... Banish 'corporate bollocks' for 'common sense and plain English' in UK press releases, advises Chris Lee. Does this sound familiar? 'Unheard-of Company X (Nasdaq:UComp X08) today announced the availability of market-leading fault-tolerant...

Media Relations: What the Papers say - Peer hits out at 'grubby' nurses.
March 7, 2008... Lord Mancroft, the outspoken hereditary peer, stirred up a hornet's nest when he accused nurses at the Royal United Hospital in Bath of being 'grubby, drunken and promiscuous' during a debate in the House of Lords. Although the hospital...

Media Relations: Contact book update.(Financial Times Ltd. promoted Jeremy Grant)(Centaur Media appointed Russell Parsons)(The Bookseller appointed Alice O'Keeffe )
March 7, 2008... PRESS Alex O'Connell, The Times' arts and entertainment editor, has been promoted to executive editor. Times2 editor Sandra Parsons has been promoted to head of features. Assistant features editor Emma Tucker is the new Times2 editor. ...

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Lucy Higginson, Editor, Horse & Hound.(Interview)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... - Horse & Hound has just been redesigned. Tell us about the title. H&H offers an all-in-one weekly summary of the latest domestic and international equestrian news; comprehensive reports from nine major equestrian disciplines; fabulous...

Media Analysis: A gem yet to be discovered.(First Post )
March 7, 2008... The First Post is a successful current affairs website, but it is still largely unheard of in the PR industry. Hannah Marriott looks at what the site has to offer. Media commentators and internet enthusiasts are very excited about The...

News Analysis: Will Da Vinci live up to its name?
March 7, 2008... Dell is remodelling its entire marcoms strategy in order to create one giant integrated supplier run by WPP. Robert Gray looks at the strategy and asks whether it is inspired or doomed to failure. Back in the mid-1980s Dell Computer shook...

Profile: A pretty straight kind of guy - David Hill - Director, Bell Pottinger.(Bell Pottinger Public Affairs)
March 7, 2008... 'Starting work at Downing Street is an immense shock. You can't train for it. And the first thing that hits you is that you are responsible for everything - from war to the weather.' The walrus-like David Hill, Tony Blair's post-Campbell...

Opinion: Industry needs to reflect social diversity.(Viewpoint essay)
March 7, 2008... With all the changes we have seen in media consumption and marketing in recent years, PR is in a better position to lead in consumer and corporate comms than ever before. But in a rapidly changing society, where we need to talk with, rather...

Opinion: Fewer policy stories is the right strategy.(Viewpoint essay)
March 7, 2008... The mood in Birmingham for Labour's spring conference last weekend was certainly different from when the comrades met in Bournemouth last autumn. Then talk was of an early election - now it was the long slog to the polls in two years' time. ...

Editorial: Harry's war 'stunt' is just first chapter.(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... For some days during the past week it has been difficult to distinguish the front pages of Hello! and The Guardian. Each has focused on Prince Harry as the boys' own hero in Afghanistan. Instead of scattered body parts on rubble-strewn...

Opinion: Letters - Sell the benefits of studying PR.(Letter to the editor)
March 7, 2008... As your Salary Survey illustrates, a career in public relations can command an increasingly attractive salary (Features, 29 February). I was interested to read that more than 80 per cent of those employers responding to the PRCA's trends...

Opinion: Letters - From Ab Fab to moaning women.(Letter to the editor)
March 7, 2008... Ten years ago the public perception of PR was shaped by the comedy show Absolutely Fabulous: a shallow, leisurely job that added little of value. So it was a surprise when I overheard an exchange that one of my colleagues had with a taxi...

Opinion: Letters - MPs need to be tech-savvy to survive.(Letter to the editor)
March 7, 2008... The Politics, Policy and the Internet report by the Centre for Policy Studies (News, 22 February) made notable recommendations but why should politicians stop at web 2.0? Technology is evolving at a fast rate and our MPs cannot afford to...

Opinion: ViewPoint - Don't let green initiatives turn into a gimmick.(Marks and Spencer PLC)(Viewpoint essay)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... Initiatives such as Marks & Spencer's payment for shopping bags also shine the spotlight on a company's wider environmental performance, argues David McKnight in this week's podcast, available at www.prweek.com/uk. 'Since the initiative...

Campaign: 118 118 boys aim to save Christmas carols - Consumer.
March 7, 2008... Campaign: 'Caroloke' for 118 118 Client: 118 118 PR team: Resonate Timescale: November-December 2007 Budget: Part of retainer, plus cost of hiring Aled Jones Christmas is one of the most commercially important periods for the...

Campaign: Fiat stunt drives sales of new Cinquecento - Automotive.
March 7, 2008... Campaign: UK launch of Fiat 500 Client: Fiat Group Automobile UK PR team: Paul Ridley Ltd Timescale: November 2007 to January 2008 Budget: pounds 50,000 Paul Ridley Ltd was hired to ensure the consumer media covered the UK launch...

Campaign: A treat with a health boost - Food.
March 7, 2008... Campaign: Choxi+ Client: Prestat PR team: The Ideas Network Timescale: July-November 2007 Budget: pounds 25,000 OBJECTIVES To promote the potential health benefits of Choxi+, while ensuring all nutritional claims were...

View from the Top: The millionaire backpacker.
March 7, 2008... Lonely Planet may be a global success story, but its founder still spends half his time in remote corners of the world. Here he talks to Alex Black about the changing nature of travel writing and his plans for the brand. Tony Wheeler is an...

Internal Communications: In the event of an economic downturn..
March 7, 2008... With recession on everyone's lips, good communication to nervous staff is vital. Mary Cowlett looks at the right and wrong ways to achieve it. Should economic downturn hit the UK, conventional wisdom says internal comms skills will be in...

Diary: Curious friends and celebrity lookalikes.
March 7, 2008... Diary was happier than a dwarf in platform shoes when invited to be Taylor Herring co-founder James Herring's friend on Facebook. Having accepted the kindly invitation, and upon viewing Herring's page, joy turned to confusion when presented...

Diary: Aerospace evens score with activists.
March 7, 2008... Arguments still rage whether activist group Plane Stupid's moniker refers to Heathrow's mooted third runway or the Parliament-scaling nutcases themselves. Plane Stupid and fellow headline grabbers Greenpeace climbed up the Commons...

Diary: Frank FC signing of Zola is a sure thing.(Frank PR)(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... PR stunts are, of course, a speciality of Frank PR, which once hired a penguin for the promotion of Sure deodorant (PRWeek, 7 April 2006). The agency assures Diary, however, that a recent signing for its football team Frank FC is genuine....

Diary: Record breakers 'n' wannabe rock stars.
March 7, 2008... The PR world is bloated with fame wannabes, wannabe musicians and wannabes in general. It is the nature of the beast. It also has the odd record breaker. Juggling both with the aplomb of an, erm, juggler, is Sussex-based Wildwood PR...

Diary: Hit or Miss... Keeping it simple.(The Random House Group Ltd.)(Van Communications )(Brief article)
March 7, 2008... A simple survey idea from Van Communications led to a flurry of media coverage for client publisher Random House. To launch Dame Jacqueline Wilson's new novel, the agency used the results of a survey to suggest that parents are alarmingly...

Diary: Let's Meet at - The Waterloo Brasserie.
March 7, 2008... Reviewed by Danny Rogers, editor, PRWeek Despite being a major hub for London, the area around Waterloo isn't blessed with many pleasant places to meet, let alone eat. There is the Waterloo Tandoori, a favourite haunt of the City boys after...

Andy Murray gets PR advice.(Stuart Higgins Communications)(Brief article)
March 14, 2008... Surly tennis star Andy Murray has hired Stuart Higgins Communications, after years of firmly shunning PR. Higgins was appointed this week, following a competitive pitch process. Murray is Britain's best tennis hope in decades, but has...

Pharma industry urged to wake up.
March 14, 2008... A senior drugs PRO has given a refreshingly honest take on the state of the pharmaceutical industry's reputation. Procter & Gamble director of external relations Mark Chakravarty last week told an academic conference: 'There is a high...

Fuel duty U-turn after lobbyists meet Darling.
March 14, 2008... Alistair Darling's Budget turnaround on fuel duty came after the Chancellor held an hour-long meeting with lobbyists fiercely opposed to the plans. Darling announced on Wednesday that the planned 2p fuel duty rise, due to come in from...

Group results: Huntsworth chief predicts summer share price rise.
March 14, 2008... 'We've really got to perform in 2008. If Huntsworth can do well this year, it will prove how strong the industry is.' Huntsworth chief executive Lord Chadlington is sounding bullish about the year ahead, having registered a leap in profit...

Group results: Marcoms trio buoyant after profit rise in 2007.(Chime Communications)(Havas S.A.)(Huntsworth Group)(Financial report)(Brief article)
March 14, 2008... Marcoms groups Chime Communications, Huntsworth and Havas have all reported an outstanding 2007 in their annual figures, with no downturn apparent so far in 2008. Huntsworth, which owns Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Huntsworth Health and The Red...