PR Week (UK) articles from May 2009

PR Week (UK) archives from May 2009

WPP boss forecasts tough few quarters for industry.
May 1, 2009... Sorrell pours cold water on notion that PR is more recession-proof than other sectors. WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has started to question the resilience of the PR industry - months after suggesting the sector was 'well placed'...

Party offers 'pay per MEP'.
May 1, 2009... A new political party aimed at 'cleaning up politics' is offering to pay a PR agency at least pounds 10,000 for every MEP it gets elected in next month's European elections. Jury Team has been set up by multi-millionaire businessman and...

Fire Service recruits ethnic PR specialist.
May 1, 2009... Concerns about diversity in the Fire and Rescue Service have prompted the Government to launch a comms drive aimed at increasing the number of ethnic minority recruits. Ethnic PR specialist Media Moguls has been brought in to raise...

TUI hires Cull for new role.
May 1, 2009... Travel company TUI UK, which operates Thomson and First Choice Holidays, has named PR stalwart Christian Cull as its communications director. Cull is currently director of customer communications at BSkyB and will join TUI later this year....

'If you screw up, admit it'.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... The BBC's top communicator has advised comms professionals that transparency is key when faced with a crisis. Drawing on a turbulent past 12 months, BBC director of comms Ed Williams said: 'If you screw up, admit it and explain what you are...

Speed is of the essence Lexis.(Sport and Entertainment )(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Sport and Entertainment has been briefed by Powerboat P1 to manage its website content for the 2009 Powerboat P1 Championship season. Lexis will be responsible for updating news stories, writing features and refreshing team information. ...

The Week.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Gordon Brown has hired Daily Mail political correspondent Michael Lea as his chief writer, based in the Downing Street strategic comms unit. The Public Administration Select Committee is to investigate the role played by Damian McBride and...

DH 'prepared' for swine flu crisis.
May 1, 2009... Department of Health besieged with enquiries, but insists its 'crack team' is ready. The Department of Health's (DH) comms chief has told how government press officers have coped with the media and public clamour for information about...

Health Secretary's voice most heard in print press.
May 1, 2009... Figures show Conservatives lagged behind Labour spokespeople in press treatment. Health Secretary Alan Johnson has emerged as the most quoted figure in national news stories about swine flu, according to exclusive analysis commissioned by...

Survey shows ungreen trend.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Consumers are more concerned about a product's price than its green credentials, according to exclusive research from PRWeek and Populus. Pollsters Populus surveyed 1,999 adults to gauge how environmental concerns had shifted since the...

News International calls Nexus for help.
May 1, 2009... News International has briefed Nexus Communications to help it communicate better with the retailers that sell its newspapers. Rupert Murdoch's UK publishing company, chaired by James Murdoch, has brought in the comms support in a bid to...

B&Q ditches top agencies.
May 1, 2009... B&Q has shifted its entire PR account, thought to be worth close to pounds 1m in fees, out of two major agencies and into little-known outfit Z PR. The DIY giant made the surprise move after long-term incumbents Hill & Knowlton and Red...

Cayman Islands plans major lobbying drive.
May 1, 2009... The Cayman Islands will embark on a lobbying offensive to win over its detractors in the UK and US governments. The world's fifth biggest financial centre has turned to Media House International to handle its government affairs activity in...

Healthcare: On the Agenda - Poor diet linked to bad eyesight.
May 1, 2009... In a nutshell Two-thirds of Brits could be risking their eyesight with poor diets According to research released last week, 65 per cent are unaware that what they eat could affect the health of their vision. The research from the College...

Healthcare: AstraZeneca puts global drug to pitch.
May 1, 2009... Pharma giant AstraZeneca has held a global pitch for its blockbuster drug Seroquel. It has also appointed a new product manager for the brand in the UK. The drugs company held the pitch for its schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug this...

Healthcare: The Week in Healthcare - Tonic Life hires Roche man.
May 1, 2009... Tonic Life Communications has hired pharma firm Roche UK's national market development manager Ben Chaplin. He joined the agency this week as an associate director. Chaplin will work in the UK healthcare team, launched last December. He will...

Public Affairs: 'Kitemark' scheme mooted.
May 1, 2009... Public Affairs Council suggests mark to identify 'ethical' lobbyists. Lobbyists could be awarded a 'kitemark' to demonstrate their commitment to transparent behaviour, under plans being drawn up by senior players in the industry. The...

Public Affairs: The week in lobbying.
May 1, 2009... The Energy Retail Association has made two hires in its policy and external relations team. Sofia Gkiousou and Mark Rusling have both joined as policy and external relations advisers. Gkiousou was previously public affairs manager at the...

Public Affairs: Lobbying Target - Paul Clark, junior transport minister.
May 1, 2009... The MP for Gillingham and Rainham is a political 'fixer' who is close to John Prescott. Ten-second biography Elected to the Commons in 1997, Clark worked as parliamentary private secretary to Children's Secretary Ed Balls before being...

City & Corporate: In the news ... JJB.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Bring us up to speed. Sportswear chain JJB was saved from administration on Monday after creditors nearly unanimously voted in favour of its Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA). The agreement enables the firm to restructure and write off...

City & Corporate: Private funds fight EU restrictions.
May 1, 2009... Private equity industry and hedge fund sector set to walk a communications tightrope. The hedge fund and private equity industries were this week lobbying against restrictive EU regulation at the same time as recognising the need to...

City & Corporate: The Week in City & Corporate.
May 1, 2009... Kazakhstan bank brings in Merlin, Redleaf named financial PR firm of the year. Kazkommertsbank, one of the largest banks in Kazakhstan, has appointed Merlin as its international public relations consultant. Merlin will advise the bank on...

City & Corporate: Shell top of web ranking.
May 1, 2009... Royal Dutch Shell has been named the top FTSE 100 website, although industry information on careers and the market environment remain poor across the index. The Investis IQ Corporate Website Ranking survey was conducted in the first...

City & Corporate: Principles are no match for money.(Barclays Bank Ltd.)
May 1, 2009... Very few people in the City in the weeks before Christmas had a good word to say about Barclays. The bank has refused to take money from the Government but has instead made its own private arrangements to get new capital from the Qataris...

Voluntary Sector: The Week in Charities.
May 1, 2009... The Institute of Fundraising has appointed a new director of policy and campaigns. Computer Aid International CEO Louise Richards replaces Megan Pacey, who left in February. Richards is a former CEO of War on Want and was head of international...

Voluntary Sector: Tamil group seeks publicity.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Humanitarian group Act Now calls for agency to boost urgent Tamil relief mission. Humanitarian relief group Act Now is on the hunt for an agency to launch an urgent fundraising appeal for Tamil civilians. As PRWeek went to press, it...

Voluntary Sector: Taking Action ... Gay Humanist Association vs Anglican Mainstream/CARE.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Protesters: Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association Target: Anglican Mainstream/Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) Location: Emmanuel Centre, Westminster Date: 25 April More than 100 protesters gathered in Westminster on...

Technology: Battle for Telefonica.
May 1, 2009... Seven major agencies are believed to be fighting it out for a global brief with Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, owner of mobile companies 02 and Movistar. As recently revealed by prweek.com (24 April), the seven-figure PR brief is aimed...

Technology: Bmibaby uses web to fight Ryanair.
May 1, 2009... Budget airline bmibaby is overhauling its online PR in a bid to stand apart from rivals Ryanair and easyJet. The low-cost carrier, a subsidiary of British Midland Airways, has brought in digital specialist Immediate Future as its first...

Technology: The Week in Technology.
May 1, 2009... Grant Butler Coomber to work with Handmark. Handmark, a company that provides applications for mobile phones, has handed its PR account to Grant Butler Coomber. The agency will work to develop Handmark's profile in the mobile content space...

Technology: Best of the Tech Blogs.
May 1, 2009... PR Mistakes go Public. Posted by Matthew Watson m-p-w.co.uk/index.html 26 April The blogosphere and twittersphere is rife with journalists, PROs and members of the public identifying and publicising errors of judgment made by...

Public Sector: Campaign Breakdown - If We Can, You Can.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Agency: Admiral PR Client: The Entrepreneurs' Forum (funded by One North East) Timescale: March 2008-March 2011 Budget: Undisclosed If We Can, You Can aims to unlock the entrepreneurial potential among the general public in north...

Public Sector: Agencies set to face equality quiz.
May 1, 2009... Ethnic minority staff numbers could be made public if bill is passed in House of Commons. PR agencies pitching for public sector business could be judged by the percentage of ethnic minorities they employ, under new plans being pushed...

Public Sector: The Public Sector Week.(Fire Kills campaign)
May 1, 2009... Exam regulator appoints Knee to head of comms, Media Moguls holds on to Fire Kills campaign. Ofqual, the new regulator for exams and tests in England, has appointed Helen Knee as its head of comms. Knee previously held the role on an...

Public Sector: Regional PR support hunt.(Make Your Mark)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Make Your Mark, the government-funded programme to encourage enterprising behaviour in young people, is seeking eight regional PR agencies. The new agencies will be appointed to handle the regional elements of Make Your Mark's national...

Public Sector: Budget demands survival of fittest.
May 1, 2009... Alistair Darling's Budget heralded the birth of a brutal new world for the public sector. Whoever forms the next government, dozens of organisations will disappear - a few deservedly, many not. The dawn of the Age of Brutality has been...

Media: The Sun turns its chutzpah into chat.
May 1, 2009... Like its paper counterpart, the brand new radio offering from bestselling tabloid The Sun has divided opinion among PR professionals. Fronted by controversial Sun columnist and former TalkSport presenter Jon Gaunt, the new venture aired for...

Media: Hit or Miss - Sherbet fountain now in plastic.
May 1, 2009... Tangerine dream Sweet manufacturer Tangerine Confectionery is scrapping Sherbet Fountain's cardboard packaging in favour of resealable plastic tubes. Pelican PR worked on the relaunch, but The Independent uncovered the story three weeks...

Media: Space Barons - Sunday Express.(National Sunday newspaper)(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... What is it? National Sunday newspaper Circulation: 636,153 Contact: Stephen.rigley@express.co.uk Martin Townsend has been in charge of the Sunday newspaper since 2001 Lawrie Holmes is business editor and Stephen Rigley is in charge of...

Media: The Editor's Desk - Aubrey Day, Total Film.
May 1, 2009... Describe the magazine Total Film is the UK's, and probably the world's, liveliest movie magazine, covering everything from blockbusters to art-house and indie fare. - Who reads it? Anyone with a love of film. Our core readers are...

Profile: Barbara Charone - Sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll?
May 1, 2009... Madonna's 'legendary' publicist tells Cathy Wallace why she is in it for the music, not the debauched lifestyle. Barbara Charone is thoroughly enjoying a game with PRWeek, in which we read out words the media have used to describe her, and...

Campaigns: Food/Event - Food federation starts new ice age.(British Frozen Food Federation)
May 1, 2009... Campaign: The New Ice Age Client: The British Frozen Food Federation PR team: ONE Timescale: August 2008-ongoing Budget: In excess of pounds 100,000 Objectives - To create a consumer-friendly face for the BFFF - To dispel...

Campaigns: Motoring - Norton Motorcycles are back in town.
May 1, 2009... Campaign: Norton Motorcycles launch Client: Norton Motorcycles PR team: Norton & Co PR & Marketing Timescale: October-December 2008 Budget: Under pounds 10,000 Objectives - To raise awareness of Norton Motorcycles and its...

Campaigns: Education - World Vision brings schools together.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Campaign: World Vision School Aid launch Client: World Vision PR team: Kazoo Timescale: October-November 2008 Budget: Approx. pounds 5,000 Objectives - To fully engage head teachers and parents to drive fundraising through UK...

CSR Sustainability: How to fight a green backlash.
May 1, 2009... PRWeek and research firm Populus surveyed consumers on changing attitudes to the environment. Arun Sudhaman examines what the findings mean for communicators. It is not easy being green. Particularly when people seem overwhelmingly focused...

Opinion: Why is it now so filthy to be rich?(Viewpoint essay)
May 1, 2009... In the boom years a place on The Sunday Times Rich List was worn as a badge of rank. Now an entry in the listing, published last weekend, looks high risk. Suddenly, the (reasonably) definitive tome of the UK's 1,000 richest bods seems more like...

Opinion: From the Editor - Q1 results show comms spend challenge.(Editorial)
May 1, 2009... This week we have heard financial updates from the big marcoms groups, the barometers of PR spend. Crucially, this set of results referred to the first quarter of this year, which anecdotally has been the toughest so far for comms...

Opinion: From our Readers - Essex council comms is 'morally wrong'..(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... My blood reached boiling point very quickly as I read about Essex County Council's PR consultancy last week (News, 24 April). It is one thing for councils to adopt best practice from the private sector. It is another for Essex council to...

Opinion: From our Readers - And why are private businesses funding it?
May 1, 2009... As a man of Essex and a PRO, I must wonder what Essex County Council is up to in starting its own PR consultancy (News, 24 April). I can understand it wanting to be a bank, especially as it might help to save local jobs. But then taking...

Opinion: From our Readers - Met's Tomlinson work was not good enough.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... Dick Fedorcio, the Metropolitan Police's PR director, states 'what we told at the time was what we knew', regarding the Met's initial - and inaccurate - statement on the death of Ian Tomlinson (News, 24 April). That is just not good...

Opinion: From our Readers - Stick with your best creative ideas.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2009... It is good to see creativity rated so highly in 'Why clients will choose your agency' (Feature, 24 April), but I would urge agencies not to be put off from selling an idea they may happen to have 'on the shelf'. Some of the best ideas in...

Opinion: Tories need more than 'yes' women.
May 1, 2009... 'Alarming' was how one Tory female MP described the photo of David Cameron at the Conservative Party spring conference surrounded by his white male shadow cabinet. There are some talented and hard-working MPs there but it speaks volumes - it...

Flack.
May 1, 2009... As the dust settles on Damian McBride's Downing Street departure, one tale doing the rounds involves his girlfriend's job in the Department for Children, Schools and Families' press office. Separate sources insist Children's Secretary and...

Flack.
May 1, 2009... 1. Missing the slopes? Finn Communications will launch a flashy snowsports complex called the Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead next week Verbier it ain't. Nevertheless, top athletes will showcase their skills at the 5 May press launch. 2....

Flack: (Saving) on expenses - Ego, Lichfield, Staffordshire.(Brief article)
May 1, 2009... Reviewer: Jonathan Hemus, director, Insignia Communications. - What is it good for? There has never been a shortage of ego in PR, and the quality of this restaurant means there should never be a shortage of PROs in Ego. This...

Catholic Church PR operation dubbed 'confused and divided'.
May 8, 2009... Ex-comms chief lambasts Archbishop Nichols' 'overly confrontational' media operation. The Catholic Church's PR operation in England and Wales has been described as 'institutionally confused and divided' by its former comms chief. In...

Tabloid man in PR switch.(editor Phil Taylor )(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... News of the World associate editor Phil Taylor is moving into PR with a job at former colleague Phil Hall's agency. Taylor has already stepped down after 15 years at the tabloid. He has been hired to boost the celebrity credentials of PHA...

Mexico plans drive to lure back tourists.
May 8, 2009... Mexico is planning a major PR campaign to lure travellers back to the country following the global outbreak of swine flu. The Mexico Tourism Board is desperate to re-establish confidence in the country once media hysteria over swine flu has...

Chime posts good news.(Financial report)
May 8, 2009... Chime Communications has bucked the trend of downbeat updates from marcoms groups by revealing double-digit first-quarter rises in operating income and profit. Chairman Lord Bell said first-quarter operating income rose 13 per cent year on...

Davis defends her expenses.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Birmingham City Council comms director Deborah Davis has defended her actions after a local paper accused her of using a taxpayer-funded credit card to spend pounds 15,000 on foreign trips and entertaining in a year. The Sunday Mercury...

The prince and the frog.
May 8, 2009... Prince Charles' Rainforests Project has hired digital PR support for its latest drive to protect tropical rainforests. This week, Cake helped launch a public awareness film starring Princes Charles, William and Harry alongside Harrison Ford and...

The Week.
May 8, 2009... British Airways is reviewing its PR accounts across EMEA. The seven-figure business is currently split between six agencies. Samsung Electronics has appointed Hewlett-Packard corporate comms manager Rachel Cameron as its UK head of PR. ...

Media agencies muscle in ..
May 8, 2009... Social media - Volvo chooses media shop MindShare for digital PR, causing concern among agencies. Volvo has set alarm bells ringing among PR agencies by selecting a media buying shop to handle its entire social media strategy. PR...

... but Drinkaware chief executive says: 'PR is best'.
May 8, 2009... Word of mouth - Drinkaware rejects advertising for PR-only campaign to create consumer awareness. Alcohol charity Drinkaware is to run a completely below-the-line campaign using PR and digital only to target key groups and build its brand....

Healthcare: C&W beats rivals to Schering drugs brief.
May 8, 2009... Pharma firm Schering-Plough has brought in Cohn & Wolfe's healthcare team to handle a new combined brief for its substance misuse and hepatitis C (HCV) treatments. C&W won the account after a four-way pitch. It is the first time an agency...

Healthcare: The Week in Healthcare.
May 8, 2009... Omnicom plans TogoRun. Omnicom has released details of its new global healthcare agency, following previous revelations in PRWeek. TogoRun will have offices in New York and London. Kathy Hyett will be based in New York as agency president....

Healthcare: On the Agenda - Use of leukaemia drug to treat MS.
May 8, 2009... - In a nutshell A drug licensed for the treatment of leukaemia has been found to dramatically reduce the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients having a relapse or deterioration. A new UK study of 1,300 patients found that taking...

Public Affairs: Aviva says no to Fishburn.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Fishburn Hedges is set to lose key client Aviva after the insurance heavyweight sidelined the agency from its ongoing pitch process. Fishburn Hedges was placed on alert earlier this year when Aviva decided to put the account out to pitch...

Public Affairs: Pharma giants plan for new government.
May 8, 2009... Top drugs companies are reshuffling their public affairs teams as they prepare for a likely change in government. AstraZeneca and Pfizer are both looking to hire senior lobbyists, while rival companies Sanofi-aventis and Janssen-Cilag are...

Public Affairs: The Week in Lobbying.
May 8, 2009... - The American Pharmaceutical Group has handed fresh public affairs briefs to Fleishman-Hillard and Hanover Communications. The two agencies held on to the accounts following a ten-way pitch process. Hanover handles public affairs and corporate...

Public Affairs: Lobbying target - Grant Shapps, shadow housing minister.
May 8, 2009... Despite only being an MP for three years, Shapps has already been trusted with a crucial portfolio and a place in the shadow cabinet. - Ten-second biography Elected as MP for Welwyn Hatfield in 2005, Shapps has risen quickly up the...

City & Corporate: In the News ... BAA's third runway.
May 8, 2009... - Bring us up to speed Some of the UK's top business leaders have come out against the controversial proposed third runway at BAA-owned Heathrow. Gordon Brown had previously approved the airport's extension, citing the extra money it would...

City & Corporate: AIM work drops off as market slumps.
May 8, 2009... Alternative investments Market Research shows financial agencies are feeling the lack of listing briefs. London's Alternative Investment Market, once the most vibrant growth area in City PR, is suffering from de-listings and collapsing...

City & Corporate: The Week in City & Corporate.
May 8, 2009... Band & Brown holds on to ING account, WW Advisors appoints Madano Partnership. - Band & Brown Communications has won a four-way pitch to keep the retained UK PR account for direct savings bank ING Direct UK. The three-year contract will...

City & Corporate: Hudson calls in NYSE guru.
May 8, 2009... Hudson Sandler has brought in a senior MD from stock exchange NYSE Euronext as its new vice-chairman. David Griffiths is charged with leading the continued development of the agency's international client franchise. Andrew Hayes, chief...

City & Corporate: How fund heads can shine in media.
May 8, 2009... It is often said that the more the media put someone on a pedestal, the more likely they are to turn on that person when their fortunes change. The higher they get built up, the lower they get knocked down. There are many examples where...

Voluntary Sector: Comms boss for kids' charity.
May 8, 2009... The Children's Society lures senior Nokia executive to top PR and marketing role. The Children's Society has turned to the private sector to find its new comms chief, poaching a senior marketing executive from Nokia. Seasoned comms...

Voluntary Sector: Taking action ... Climate Rush vs UK Government.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Protesters: Climate Rush Target: UK Government Location: Houses of Parliament, Westminster Date: 27 April Four climate-change protesters glued themselves around a statue in the Houses of Parliament. The man and three women shouted...

Voluntary Sector: The Week in Charities.
May 8, 2009... - The Shaw Trust is targeting marketing organisations with a campaign to improve workplace awareness of mental health issues. The charity conducted a survey of 1,000 marketing professionals and found 57.1 per cent would not be happy to disclose...

Technology: Hotwire throws hat into digital arena.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Hotwire has launched a specialist digital agency in a bid to attract new clients in the retail and media sectors. 33 Digital will target clients outside the traditional technology sphere. Hotwire has already signed up eight clients for the...

Technology: Logica hands brief to Bite.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Bite Communications has landed a six-figure account with Logica, the IT and business services company, following a five-way pitch. The account is the first combined win for Next Fifteen-owned agencies Bite and Inferno since they merged on 1...

Technology: The Week in Technology.(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Capgemini signs up Prompt Communications - Sogeti, a division of the IT services and business consultancy company Capgemini Group, has appointed Prompt Communications. Sogeti provides software testing and infrastructure services for the...

Technology: Best of the tech blogs.
May 8, 2009... NOT SO EARLY BIRDS Posted by Dave Fleet davefleet.com/ 4 May: I don't care when you joined Twitter. Maybe ten million people joined Twitter before Oprah. That leaves somewhere in the region of 6.7 billion people who didn't. Here's...

Public Sector: Campaign breakdown - Love Food Hate Waste.(Waste and Resources Action Programme)(Brief article)
May 8, 2009... Agency: Fishburn Hedges Client: Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) Timescale: Now until the end of 2009 Budget: Undisclosed The campaign is run by WRAP, a government-funded organisation that encourages recycling and resource...