PR Week (UK) articles from November 2007

PR Week (UK) archives from November 2007

Good Relations to defend gun sport.
November 2, 2007... The governing body for all target shooting within the UK has turned to Good Relations in an attempt to distance itself from rising gun crime. British Shooting, which is also the organisation for Great Britain's Olympic rifle, pistol and...

Sunday Times political editor to lead FD-LLM.
November 2, 2007... David Cracknell, political editor of The Sunday Times, resigned yesterday (Wednesday) to take the helm at PR agency Financial Dynamics' troubled public affairs arm. Cracknell, 39, will leave the broadsheet in January to be a managing...

Stay informed with daily bulletin.(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... PRWeek has launched a Daily News Bulletin to keep subscribers even more up to speed with developments in the industry. The stories in the bulletin - which will be distributed before lunchtime each day - will not yet have appeared in the...

Under-fire supermarket ramps up property PR.(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Asda has set about strengthening its property comms team amid criticism of supermarkets' planning tactics by the Competition Commission this week. The supermarket chain has hired BAA public affairs managers Tom McGarry and Philip Bartram...

Hanover advises Saga networking site for over-50s.
November 2, 2007... Saga Zone, the new social networking site for silver surfers, has called in Hanover Communications as it tries to emulate the huge popularity of MySpace, Bebo and Facebook. The site was launched this week and aims to attract over-50s to the...

Peregrine to promote Dubai stock exchange role.
November 2, 2007... Dubai has turned to a London agency to help position itself as the number-one stock exchange in the booming Middle East. The Dubai Borse has charged Peregrine Communications with promoting it as 'the default lead exchange' for the region...

Brands2Life wins Tesco account.
November 2, 2007... Brands2Life has won a 12-month retainer with Tesco to push its non-food products. The agency has been briefed to build awareness of Tesco Direct, an internet service offering shoppers 8,000 products, including sheds, sofas and cameras. ...

LinkedIn drops Bite after citing conflict of interests.
November 2, 2007... Social networking site LinkedIn is reviewing its agency relationships - weeks after bringing in Bite Communications. LinkedIn appointed Bite in September to raise its profile. But in October Bite picked up the sought-after Facebook account....

Top speakers for PRWeek Forum.
November 2, 2007... A line-up of top speakers will address in-house PROs at this month's PRWeek Forum. Graham McMillan, CEO of public affairs and corporate comms agency Open Road, will explain what impact Gordon Brown's Government has had on the lobbying...

NUJ concern over press standards.(National Union of Journalists)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) has expressed alarm over the extent to which press releases are being relied upon by reporters. NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear speaks out on the issue in a podcast recorded for PRWeek. ...

Gloucestershire bid to fight back after floods.
November 2, 2007... Tourism chiefs in Gloucestershire are launching a PR campaign to boost the region's economy in the wake of this summer's devastating floods. The six tourism bodies behind the Cotswolds and Forest of Dean Destination Management Organisation...

Agency's delicate brief.
November 2, 2007... The PR Office is to handle comms for a new film that deals with the sensitive subject of child abuse by priests. Film distributor Transmedia International Releasing has called in the agency for the UK launch of Our Fathers. The film,...

News Brief: McLean appointed.
November 2, 2007... IN-HOUSE: The Campaign to Protect Rural England has appointed Dan McLean as director of comms. McLean is a former international comms manager at Help the Aged

News Brief: Mischief PR appointed.
November 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Iconic insurance brand Sheila's Wheels has brought in Mischief PR on a six-month consumer and trade account. Mischief already works with sister brand Esure

News Brief: Bunnyfoot launch.
November 2, 2007... AGENCY: Former Scottish radio DJ Victoria Pitchers is launching independent PR shop Bunnyfoot this month. Based in Edinburgh, the agency will also have offices in London and Oxford

News Brief: Vtech hands Nexus PR brief.
November 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Electronic toys company Vtech has handed Nexus PR a six-figure brief following a competitive pitch. The account was previously held by Oxford-based agency JJ Group

News Brief: Halpern named agency.
November 2, 2007... CONSUMER: American mineral make-up brand Bare Escentuals has named Halpern as its retained UK agency after a three-way pitch. Halpern will seek to replicate the brand's success in the US

News Brief: Watch appointed.
November 2, 2007... PUBLIC SECTOR: The General Social Care Council has taken on Lisa Watch as head of external affairs. Watch joins from the Electoral Commission and reports to interim director of strategy Mick Lowe

News Brief: Communique promotes Herman Miller.
November 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Communique is to promote furniture designer and manufacturer Herman Miller in the UK. It will position the brand as a pioneer in product design and a thought leader on sustainability

News Brief: Finsbury appointment.
November 2, 2007... CITY & CORPORATE: Finsbury is to bring in Brunswick consultant Conor McClafferty as an associate partner from January. At Brunswick, McClafferty worked with clients including ICI, Reed Elsevier, Britvic and Thomas Cook

News Brief: Douwe Egberts hires Storm.
November 2, 2007... B2B: Storm Communications has been hired by coffee brand Douwe Egberts after a five-way pitch. The agency will position the brand as a quality coffee provider across the catering industry

News Brief: Life Communications hired.
November 2, 2007... CONSUMER: Belfast-based PR agency Life Communications has been hired for a consumer and promotions brief for Bollinger champagne in Ireland

Estee Lauder boss in beauty startup.
November 2, 2007... The former comms manager at Estee Lauder has teamed up with Exposure to create an agency dedicated to the beauty industry. Jo Fox-Tutchener starts Beauty Seen PR with a client list that includes Ruby & Millie, Ruby Hammer, Cowshed and Paul...

National Trust's PR chief opposes Swindon move.
November 2, 2007... The National Trust is to lose two senior members of its comms team after announcing a relocation to Swindon. Head of comms Julian Lloyd will step down after five years, opting to stay in London as his nine-strong comms team is consolidated...

IAS Smarts grabs building account.
November 2, 2007... Building giant Wolseley UK has hired IAS Smarts as its retained agency. Wolseley, the country's largest supplier of building materials, dropped B2B firm Camargue as its corporate comms agency earlier this year (PRWeek, 18 July). IAS...

Honda wins Green Awards.
November 2, 2007... The Honda Formula 1 team's efforts to demonstrate its environmentally friendly credentials were applauded at last week's Green Awards, organised by PRWeek's publisher Haymarket. Honda's myearthdream - featuring an image of Earth, in place of...

Four on Kettle Foods' shortlist.
November 2, 2007... Kettle Foods is reviewing its external PR support and has drawn up a shortlist of four agencies. Frank PR, Munro & Forster, Consolidated and three-year incumbent Phipps will be asked to pitch this month. A decision will be made by the end...

Public Sector: Bell Pottinger to push Liverpool health drive.(Bell Pottinger Public Affairs)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Liverpool Primary Care Trust (PCT) has appointed Bell Pottinger North to aid its fight against obesity, smoking and alcohol dependency. Bell Pottinger has been appointed to promote all of the PCT's public health campaigns following a...

Public Sector: Kent veteran to bow out of role.
November 2, 2007... Kent County Council is seeking a new comms chief after the current postholder handed in his notice after 27 years of service. Gerry Moore will step down as head of comms on 31 December. He does not yet have a role to go to but is planning...

Public Sector: Verve to promote NHS plans.(Verve Communications)(National Health Service Trusts)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Verve Communications has been taken on to support controversial plans to restructure NHS services in South East London. The agency has been hired by a consortium of NHS trusts in Bexley, Lewisham, Bromley, Lambeth, Southwark and Greenwich....

Public Sector: Do not lose out to the bigger picture.(Column)
November 2, 2007... Public sector PR must be on the side of the angels - or so said a mentor of mine when I started in this business. Sometimes though, it just isn't that straightforward. Last week, the domestic media agenda was once again taken over by rows...

Voluntary Sector: Berkeley secures Brunelcare brief.(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Social care charity Brunelcare has called in Berkeley PR to raise awareness of its services. Berkeley PR has been handed a three-year contract, following a competitive pitch. The account was previously held by Trimedia Harrison Cowley. ...

Voluntary Sector: WWF hires duo to work on Climate Change Bill.(Peter Lockley and Jean Leston are appointed at World Wildlife Fund)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... WWF-UK has added to its lobbying firepower as it steps up its efforts to persuade the Government to include transport targets in the Climate Change Bill. The wildlife charity has created two positions dedicated to transport policy, amid...

Voluntary Sector: NAS drive aims to tackle prejudice.
November 2, 2007... The National Autistic Society (NAS) is attempting to challenge misconceptions about autism through its new 'Think differently about autism' campaign. The charity polled more than 2,000 people and found that 39 per cent believe people with...

Voluntary Sector: Social care should be giving MPs far more sleepless nights.
November 2, 2007... Sam Heath says NGOs have failed to bring the Government to book for the scandalous state of social care. In the recent Comprehensive Spending Review, the Government failed to make a realistic settlement for social care. Although we got...

Public Affairs: Grogan in fresh war of words with Bell Pottinger.(John Grogan)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Labour MP John Grogan has expressed scepticism about the public affairs industry's latest attempts to deflect criticism ahead of the impending lobbying inquiry by the Public Administration Select Committee. Grogan was speaking to PRWeek...

Public Affairs: Tory MP applauds Alzheimer's body.
November 2, 2007... A Conservative MP has heaped praise on the Alzheimer's Society for the quality of its lobbying. Shadow junior health minister Anne Milton told the House of Commons last week: 'I... pay tribute to the Alzheimer's Society for its lobbying....

Public Affairs: LLM loses United Utilities account to its rival F-H.
November 2, 2007... United Utilities has switched its public affairs account from FD-LLM to Fleishman-Hillard. The water and electricity group has been using FD-LLM since 2005 but moved the account following a competitive pitch. It is understood F-H faced...

Public Affairs: Lloyds TSB switches from Edelman to Citigate.
November 2, 2007... Citigate Dewe Rogerson (CDR) Public Policy has unseated Edelman to win the public affairs account for Lloyds TSB. Recently formed CDR Public Policy scooped the business after a long-running competitive pitch process. It will now undertake a...

Public Affairs: Centre for Cities fills lobbying role.(Claire Hibbett appointed)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... The former media chief at the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has resurfaced at the Centre for Cities. Claire Hibbett becomes the think-tank's first head of external affairs, overseeing lobbying and media relations. The Centre for...

Public Affairs: WS enlists former McConnell aide.(Weber Shandwick International)(Jack McConnell)(Peter Hastie)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Weber Shandwick has hired a former adviser to Jack McConnell for a senior role in its Scottish public affairs team. Peter Hastie joins WS Scotland as an associate director based at the agency's Edinburgh office. He previously spent five...

Healthcare: Road poaches Wyeth's Boston for senior role.
November 2, 2007... Healthcare specialist Road has hired Wyeth's head of comms Jane Boston as a senior consultant. Boston joined the agency this week after four years at the pharma firm She will head up several recent account wins for undisclosed products...

Healthcare: Pharma firms told to boost patient focus.
November 2, 2007... Healthcare PROs have urged pharma companies to target more comms activity at patients. A healthcare comms conference in London heard The Patient Information Forum's honorary president Mark Duman claim that very little money is being spent...

Healthcare: Brand Create in wound-care win.
November 2, 2007... US-based medical technology company Kinetic Concepts (KCI) has turned to Brand Create to spearhead an international wound-care campaign. Brand Create will focus on communicating the benefits of KCI's wound-care therapy systems in the UK...

Healthcare: Lawn and Newman to promote Nycomed.
November 2, 2007... Marlow-based pharmaceutical company Nycomed has called in two independent healthcare PR shops to handle its corporate comms activity. Independent PR consultancies Helen Lawn & Associates and Newman Associates PR have been enlisted to raise...

Healthcare: At a Glance - AstraZeneca mental health site backs choice agenda.
November 2, 2007... SO THIS IS A WEBSITE? Yes, set up by AstraZeneca (AZ) to promote the choice agenda in mental health services. It aims to tell patients how they can switch from one drug to another to best manage their condition. It highlights the work of a...

City & Corporate: Anderson's Cairney in switch to Powerscourt.
November 2, 2007... Gavin Anderson director Marie Cairney has left the consultancy after ten years to join Powerscourt. Cairney spent seven years working for Gavin Anderson in Tokyo, before moving to its London office three years ago. At Powerscourt, she...

City & Corporate: SIFMA hires comms director.
November 2, 2007... The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) has hired Claire Hunte to its top European comms role. She joins from Cross Border, publisher of IR Magazine, where she was - until last month - comms director. SIFMA is...

City & Corporate: Citypress targets oil and gas firms.
November 2, 2007... Citypress has been called in by a pounds 50m venture capital fund targeting the oil and gas services sector. Epi-V is targeting investments of between pounds 2m and pounds 10m in so-called 'disruptive technology' - products and services...

City & Corporate: Undermine rivals to control a bid.
November 2, 2007... Takeover bids these days are decided for the most part by hedge funds. When an intention to bid is announced, the traditional institutional investors - those running the insurance company and pension fund money - tend to sell immediately...

Technology: Cambridge picks EML for account.
November 2, 2007... Tech outfit EML PR has won an international brief from gadget firm Cambridge Consultants to promote its services in both the UK and US. EML will focus on the firm's core business areas of medical devices, including blood testers for...

Technology: Wolfstar to help launch WOM-UK.(Wolfstar Consultancy)(Word of Mouth Marketing Association)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Digital startup Wolfstar Consultancy has been hired to launch the Word of Mouth Marketing Association in the UK. WOM-UK is a not-for-profit trade association aiming to represent brands, agencies and organisations using 'virals, blogs and...

Technology: Bite's Mackender joins Inferno amid restructure.(Paul Mackender)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Bite director Paul Mackender is to transfer to fellow Next Fifteen agency Inferno. Mackender will start at Inferno in January as part of a high-level restructure at the tech agency. He will take up a senior board position, although the...

Technology: Indian tech company Mutual sets up in London.
November 2, 2007... New Delhi-based tech agency Mutual PR has announced plans to open an office in London. It is believed to be the first time an Indian outfit has set up shop in the capital. UK agency Bond PR has been brought in to help establish Mutual as...

Technology: Firefly poaches Beattie's Cryans.(Martin Cryans appointed at Firefly Communications Ltd.)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Firefly's Scotland office has poached a new MD from rival tech shop Beattie Communications. Martin Cryans will start as the head of Firefly Scotland early next month after eight years with Beattie. Cryans will lead a team of five and...

Technology: Samsung lines up with Girls Aloud.
November 2, 2007... Samsung has hired youth specialist The Lounge Group on a project basis to launch its F210 Purple handset. The agency will capitalise on Samsung's relationship with pop band Girls Aloud, and position the Purple phone as 'the fashion and...

Media Relations: What the Papers say - US crisis threatens Merrill Lynch CEO.
November 2, 2007... The so-called 'sub-prime market crisis' in the US claimed a possible high-profile casualty this week as Merrill Lynch chairman and chief executive Stan O'Neal looked likely to fall on his sword because of the volatile mortgage securities...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.(briefs)(The Sunday Times)
November 2, 2007... PRESS Observer editor Roger Alton will step down at the end of the year, to be replaced by deputy editor John Mulholland. Historian and Harvard professor Niall Ferguson has been appointed contributing editor at the Financial Times....

Media Relations: 2 Minutes with... Roger Kasper, editor, thedailygoss.com.(The Daily Goss Limited)(Interview)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... - Thedailygoss.com is a new gossip blog, updated 24/7 to keep up with the latest news in the entertainment world. Tell us about it. The site is very 'showbizzy' and features all the hot celebs you'd expect to see - Britney, Paris and...

Media Analysis: An hour for more than just women.(Editorial)
November 2, 2007... Woman's Hour is as influential as ever. With its strong desire to inform, it tackles subjects from make-up to the Darfur crisis and remains a key medium among opinion formers and community leaders alike, says Kate Magee. Woman's Hour has...

News Analysis: Legal case spells transfer trouble.
November 2, 2007... Under a recent legal ruling, in-house comms heads could be forced to employ the account team of a sacked agency. But few in the client world are taking any notice. 'Stupefied' means to put into a state of little or no sensibility; to...

Profile: All work - but plenty of play - Claire Mason - Founder, Man Bites Dog.(Interview)
November 2, 2007... Those who think B2B PR sounds a little dry should have a chat with 32-year-old Claire Mason, founder of the intriguingly named Man Bites Dog (MBD). The Brighton-based agency specialises in business-facing communications for the...

Opinion: Chaos reigns while truth goes up in smoke.
November 2, 2007... In World War Two, when radar was a new British invention, military planners countered its deadly efficiency with the use of chaff. By spreading a cloud of thin aluminium strips, an aircraft could swamp radar screens with sufficient...

Opinion: Why are some football clubs so bad at PR?
November 2, 2007... As a keen football fan, I never cease to be amazed by just how incompetent many soccer clubs are with their public relations - and none more so than my team, Tottenham Hotspur. What is even more upsetting for me is that our rivals, Chelsea,...

Editorial: Supermarket giants can't rely on apathy.(Editorial)
November 2, 2007... The latest report into the alleged dominance of the UK's 'big four' supermarkets shows that this is a story that won't quite go away. All the usual issues are rolled out: one pound in every seven spent in British shops goes through Tesco's...

Opinion: Letters - It is time for aviation to defend its corner.(Letter to the editor)
November 2, 2007... From the many global seminars we run on aviation, it is clear that the most significant subject to face the airline industry in decades is environmentally friendly aviation - and more specifically how to win the PR battle. If we do not,...

Opinion: Letters - APPC guidelines will apply to everyone.(Letter to the editor)
November 2, 2007... The launch of the guiding principles by the APPC, PRCA and the CIPR (News, 26 October) are testament to the public affairs industry being unified to further raise standards. The guiding principles are a major step forward for the industry...

Opinion: Letters - Staffs council is a Facebook veteran.(Letter to the editor)
November 2, 2007... Last week's edition of PRWeek describes how Essex County Council claims to be the first UK council to use Facebook as a PR tool (News, 26 October). But at Staffordshire County Council, we have been using Facebook and MySpace for some time...

Opinion: Letters - Members clubs are good for business.(Letter to the editor)
November 2, 2007... Frank MD Andrew Bloch misses the point in his criticism of private members clubs (Features, 12 October). If you want to catch up with a client for coffee or lunch, Walthamstow dogs or a music festival field are not practical. If you want...

Opinion: ViewPoint - We should be worried about editorial cuts.(Editorial)
November 2, 2007... National Union of Journalists' general secretary Jeremy Dear says recent job cuts in journalism are having a knock-on effect for the PR industry. In this week's podcast - available at www.prweek.com/uk - Dear argues that overworked...

Campaign: Sochi triumphs in Olympic Games bid.
November 2, 2007... Campaign: Gateway to the Future: Winning Russia's First Ever Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2014 Client: Sochi 2014 PR Team: Weber Shandwick Worldwide Timescale: January 2006-July 2007 Budget: Part of a bid budget of pounds...

Campaign: Electrolux promotes healthy competition - Technology.(In-house Public Relations Firm)(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Campaign: Design Lab Client: Electrolux PR Team: In-house Timescale: April 2006-April 2007 Budget: Undisclosed OBJECTIVES To promote the competition among design students. To attract entrants from around the world. To position...

Campaign: BJ's mindful campaign aids workplace debate - B2B.
November 2, 2007... Campaign: The Sleepless Report Client: Browne Jacobson PR Team: Man Bites Dog Timescale: May 2006-June 2007 Budget: pounds 20,000 OBJECTIVES To evolve BJ's press profile from trade and regional coverage to national business...

Careers and Training: Back to school.
November 2, 2007... Is it worth taking a degree in PR? Hannah Marriott sends two industry veterans back to university to find out... Thousands of young hopefuls embark upon PR degrees every year, but is there really any point? If PR is all about networking,...

Pride Awards 2007 Wales: 'Cool Cymru' in the money.
November 2, 2007... The CIPR Pride Award winners for Wales include Merlin, Freshwater and Carmarthenshire County Council. NOT FOR PROFIT Gold award: 'Cool Cymru floats for Noah's Ark' by Merlin Marketing & Public Relations In 2005, a relatively...

Careers and Training: Training for the digital age.
November 2, 2007... Courses are having to adapt in order to keep pace with the fast-moving media industry. Alex Black outlines some of the most relevant ones on offer. What was the last professional training course you went on? What did it teach you?...

Diary: Awards Special - Gore receives First Class takeaway..
November 2, 2007... Albert Arnold Gore loves the environment. We can only assume that it is for this reason and this reason alone that Gore could not make it to the PRWeek awards in London last week - all that travelling would have increased his carbon footprint...

Diary: Awards Special - ... even though the bass was to die for.
November 2, 2007... Also receiving a big shiny 'PR' last week was Westminster City Council head of comms Alex Aiken, whose team won Best Public Sector PR Department. Aiken was reminded of his last visit to the palatial surroundings of Grosvenor House, and the...

Diary: Awards Special - Crisis advice that Farrow swears by.(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... Meanwhile, on the top table, the red wine was going down and the volume of conversation up. The Reverend George Pitcher was locked in heated debate with top Tory MP Ed Vaizey about the value of religion, while across the table the chat was...

Diary: Awards Special - Brought to Book for advertising naivety.
November 2, 2007... One prize not dealt out on the evening was the 'Not Really Thinking it Through Award for Bizarre Requests'. The gong unofficially goes to one of PRWeek's Book of the Night advertisers, who rang our diligent and good-looking sales team on...

Diary: Hit or Miss... 'Enders shock leaves Vera for dead.(Brief article)
November 2, 2007... The BBC, whose head of press Jane Fletcher left last month, gained acres of coverage for flagship soap EastEnders by announcing the return of popular character Bianca Jackson, played by Patsy Palmer, on Monday Later that day, the Coronation...

Diary: Let's Meet at - KFC.
November 2, 2007... Reviewed by Matt Neale, joint MD, GolinHarris. I look forward to visiting 'The Colonel', as Lynne Franks might a Mayfair Michelin-starred tasting menu. I know it's a treat, but hey, I'm worth it. Despite the current mania for...

Biss Lancaster lands pounds 1m brief.
November 9, 2007... Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster has scooped a massive pounds 1m UK consumer brief with a firm that has traditionally eschewed PR support. Household products and cosmetics giant Reckitt Benckiser wants to promote its Finish, Airwick, Veet and E45...

Staff 'churn' at consultancies reaches new high.
November 9, 2007... British PR agencies lose one in four of their employees every year, it emerged this week, showing the massive challenge that agency managers face. A benchmarking study, which was carried out earlier this year by UK agency trade body the...