PR Week (UK) articles from October 2005

PR Week (UK) archives from October 2005

Chelsea FC brings in head of media.(football club)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Chelsea Football Club, which 'deserves more respect' from the media according to coach Jose Mourinho, has brought in a head of media to deal with day-to-day relationships with journalists. Simon Taylor, who has joined from the grassroots...

Shore takes charge of GCI in shake-up.(Jonathan Shore )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Cohn & Wolfe London MD Jonathan Shore has taken up a new role that also puts him in charge of sister WPP agency GCI UK. He becomes UK CEO of the still-unnamed holding company, created by WPP in the US in April, which straddles just the two...

Nokia prepares ground for UK music campaign.
October 7, 2005... Nokia is in talks with agencies about a secret music initiative that it believes will help it reconnect with British youth. It has inked a deal with an undisclosed partner to 'develop a marketing property in an innovative way', said UK...

Food firms pledge healthier options.
October 7, 2005... Britain's major food manufacturers have issued a report showcasing their collective efforts to tone down promotions to children and offer healthier options. Last week, Education Secretary Ruth Kelly called for a ban on fizzy drinks,...

Observer journalist Ryle joins start-up Millbrook.
October 7, 2005... The Observer's former consumer business correspondent, Sarah Ryle, has taken a PR job, joining a start-up agency founded by an ex-Brunswick duo. Ryle started work this week as a partner at The Millbrook Partnership, the company run by Tim...

Wall's owner Kerry puts brand brief up for grabs.
October 7, 2005... Kerry Foods is planning to bring in its first retained agency to handle UK PR across brands including its Mattessons meat range and Wall's bacon and sausages. A pitch process is being prepared for a consumer and trade brief that also spans...

Chime duo to oversee Hero Foods' UK juice launch.
October 7, 2005... Switzerland-based jam and cereal maker Hero Foods has hired Chime agencies QBO Bell Pottinger and Good Relations to launch juice drink Fruit2Day in the UK. From January it will be marketed as providing two of the five recommended portions...

First&42nd hires FTSE man as MD.
October 7, 2005... First&42nd, the CSR comms business owned by Edelman, has snared FTSE Group public affairs director Peter de Graaf as MD. De Graaf replaces Jane Atkin, who co-founded First&42nd eight years ago and left to start a rival business at Tulchan...

Feeny takes top DCMS comms job.
October 7, 2005... The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has promoted head of news Paddy Feeny to director of strategy and comms. Feeny, who has been acting in the post for three months, takes over next week from Siobhan Kenny, who joined Walt...

Internal comms is key, says Burson.(Harold Burson)(Burson-Marsteller)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Major corporations' demand for advice on internal comms is likely to drive agency growth more than anything else, according Burson-Marsteller founder Harold Burson, who spoke to PRWeek on a visit from New York last week. Burson said...

MTV brings in Firefly to boost digital offer.
October 7, 2005... MTV has enlisted agency support to bolster its credentials as an entertainment provider across new-media platforms and make itself more relevant to youth audiences in the digital age. Firefly Communications has been brought in to help the...

Caffe Ritazza set for agency hire.
October 7, 2005... Coffee shop Caffe Ritazza is in talks with agencies for a worldwide trade and consumer brief. The brand, part of caterer Compass Group, has previously handled PR in-house, but has decided to bring an agency on board with a brief to raise...

Biss Lancaster hired.
October 7, 2005... CONSUMER: Stanley Casinos has taken on Biss Lancaster to build its brand and promote recent changes to gambling laws, which allow people to gamble as soon as they enter a casino.

Mere hired.
October 7, 2005... CONSUMER: Dunlop Slazenger has hired Manchester firm Mere Communication to handle consumer PR. Mere is overseeing comms for the firm's Dunlop, Slazenger and Carlton sporting goods brands.

London Hilton appoints.
October 7, 2005... APPOINTMENT: London Hilton on Park Lane has appointed Alex Huggan to the newly created role of PR manager. He has formerly worked at Freud Communications.

Travelzoo uses Launch PR.
October 7, 2005... CONSUMER: US online travel firm Travelzoo is using Launch PR to promote its brand in the UK. Separately, Launch has hired Sue Skeats, formerly at Nelson Bostock, as a consultant director.

PBC name change.
October 7, 2005... AGENCY: Food and drink specialist agency PBC has changed its name to Touch PR. It was set up in 1998 by Philippa Browning, who went into partnership with Amanda Baiden and Tim Inskip in 2000.

Mission PR hired.
October 7, 2005... CONSUMER High-street food chain EAT has brought in Mission PR as its first agency, to promote its involvement with charity recipe publication Best Soup Book in the World. The tie-up includes store appearances by celebrity chefs.

Speakers at event.
October 7, 2005... EVENT: BT director of comms Peter Morgan, LloydsTSB head of corporate relations Mary Walsh, Department for Constitutional Affairs head of comms Lucian Hudson and Charity Commission head of comms Antony Robbins are to speak at 'Public Sector vs...

Clarification.(Correction Notice)
October 7, 2005... 21st Anniversary Supplement PRWeek would like to make it clear that although WMC Communications was approached by the Bin Laden construction group for advice, WMC did not actually work for the group.

Ryder Cup host in 'weekender' bid.(K Club)
October 7, 2005... DUBLIN: The K Club, the luxury golf resort in Ireland that will host the 2006 Ryder Cup, has called in agency backing. Plunkett Communications is seeking to capitalise on media interest in the golf fest by highlighting facilities such as...

Inmarsat readies pounds 1.5bn satellite.
October 7, 2005... Satellite comms company Inmarsat has brought in Harvard PR, ending its four-year relationship with Bite Communications. Harvard is handling the pounds 1.5bn launch of Inmarsat's next generation of satellites, which will provide broadband...

Compass rocked by CEO exit as high street suffers.(Mike Bailey)(chief executive officer)
October 7, 2005... Compass Group plunged to the bottom of this week's Reputation Monitor, with news of chief executive Mike Bailey's impending exit and shares at their lowest level for ten years. The company is hoping to sell its retail catering business -...

Theakston aims to highlight heritage.(Ram Public Relation )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Yorkshire-based brewer Theakston has called in Ram PR as it prepares to consolidate its position as a leading supplier of traditional ales, nearly two years after it was bought back from Scottish & Newcastle. The Theakston family struck a...

South Africa in UK 'offshorers' drive.(call centres)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... South African call centres are being given a UK image makeover, with London agency Glasshouse Partnership promoting the country as a desirable location for firms to 'offshore'. The London agency is managing a B2B programme targeting UK...

First Milk hires Nexus.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... First Milk, the farmer-owned dairy co-operative with more than 3,600 members, has enlisted Nexus Communications. The agency appointment comes at a time of sweeping change in the sector, with dairy farmers under pressure from diminishing...

Icas lands Skinny Cow ice cream job.
October 7, 2005... Richmond Ice Cream is preparing a PR drive to increase the market share of its low-fat Skinny Cow brand. It has hired Icas PR to replace three-year incumbent Golley Slater on a brief that also includes its Fab, Mr Men, Milky Bar and Fruit...

Mitre takes fight to larger sports brands with Pitch.
October 7, 2005... Mitre has called in Pitch PR to position it as a high-tech sports kit manufacturer and take on bigger rivals such as Nike, Adidas and Umbro. The Freud Communications-backed agency was appointed to the consumer brief after a six-way pitch....

Arla calls in JCPR for dairy range.
October 7, 2005... Arla Foods has brought in Jackie Cooper PR to handle campaigns for brands including Lurpak, Anchor and cheese product Discovery. JCPR beat incumbent Staniforth, Kaizo and Porter Novelli to scoop the account, worth around pounds 500,000 a...

Public Sector: LGA focuses week on minority youth.
October 7, 2005... The Local Government Association (LGA) has chosen the theme of 'putting ideas into action' for the eighth Local Democracy Week (17-23 October). This year's campaign, which aims to encourage 16 to 24-year-olds to engage with the democratic...

Public Sector: DTI lures BTWholesale's Boughen as head of news.(Department of Trade and Industry)(Aileen Boughen )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) has hired the former director of comms and public policy at BTWholesale as its head of news. Aileen Boughen will take up the post on 7 November after an eight-month stint running her own agency,...

Public Sector: Norfolk councils hire Grant Riches.
October 7, 2005... Local government specialist Grant Riches Communications Consultants has been selected to audit comms for three councils in Norfolk. Grant Riches will undertake a fundamental review of comms at Norfolk County Council, Great Yarmouth Borough...

Public Sector: VisitBritain wins Premiership link.
October 7, 2005... VisitBritain has unveiled a partnership with Premiership football which it hopes will boost visitor numbers from overseas. Pitch-side advertising is being provided free to help drive people to the VisitBritain website - with matches...

Public Sector: Bradford's 'rebirth'.(Bradford City Regeneration )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The RAF Falcons parachute display team jumped into Lister Park in Bradford last week to launch the 'Birth of a new city' campaign.Bradford City Regeneration is using retained agency Brahm PR to highlight the city's strengths in business,...

Public Sector: 3 Monkeys bags Thames Uni brief.(Thames Valley University)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Thames Valley University (TVU) has hired Oxfordshire-based 3 Monkeys to oversee a root-and-branch review of its comms arm. During the three-month project, the team - led by agency chief Angie Moxham - will devise a new comms strategy to...

Public Sector: Scottish heritage in publicity effort.(Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland)(Great Circle)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland has brought in Edinburgh-based Great Circle as its first PR agency. Circle will promote a series of workshops around the UK, including one on the life and work of...

Public Sector: DfES in rejig amid junk food ban controversy.(Department for Education and Skills of United Kingdom)
October 7, 2005... The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is on the hunt for a comms chief following director of comms and strategy Michael Stevenson's move to head the newly formed technology division. The top PR post has been renamed director of...

Public Sector: Channel for local govt goes on air.
October 7, 2005... A television channel dedicated to local government has launched on Sky and over the web. The Local Government Channel is produced by HBL Media, the agency behind the Local Government Association's (LGA) conference channel LGAtv. ...

Public Sector Brief: Trafford Council offensive.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... TRAFFORD: Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council has begun a media relations offensive to remind businesses and consumers about new restrictions on the sale of fireworks. Unless people have a special licence from the fire brigade, fireworks can...

Public Sector Brief: COI completes review.
October 7, 2005... COI: The Central Office of Information (COI) has completed the review of its merchandising and promotional items roster, worth pounds 2m per year. Suppliers on the roster have been split into two categories: one for manufacturers, trade...

Public Sector Brief: Haringey 'Beacon' day.
October 7, 2005... HARINGEY: Haringey Council has showcased its community work for minority ethnic residents with a 'Beacon' open day. The event, entitled 'Getting closer to communities', featured programmes printed in Bengali and Polish - demonstrating the...

Public Sector Brief: Richmond Housing wins award.
October 7, 2005... RICHMOND: Richmond Housing Partnership has won the National Housing Federation iNBiz Communications Award for its work to reduce anti-social behaviour on housing estates. It claims the campaign has reduced anti-social behaviour by 70 per cent...

Public Sector Brief: Lewisham Council survey.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... LEWISHAM: Lewisham Council is consulting residents on potential changes to the civic publication Lewisham Life. A readers survey has gone out with the October edition, an online consultation is being undertaken and focus groups will be used to...

Public Sector Brief: PRWeek Bulletin.
October 7, 2005... Sign up to PRWeek's Public Sector Bulletin at www.prweek.com/emails for exclusive weekly comment from industry experts. This week, Mori Social Research Institute director Ben Page talks about how public sector bodies are often too vague in...

Voluntary Sector: Tommy's secures Jamelia support.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Tommy's has signed up singer Jamelia as the ambassador for its fundraising T-shirt campaign. The baby charity's T-shirt was launched in the spring by actress Anna Friel, but activity will now be fronted by Jamelia, who is eight months...

Voluntary Sector: Autism charity tackles criminal justice issues.
October 7, 2005... Autism and Asperger's syndrome charity the National Autistic Society (NAS) is to target law enforcers with an awareness campaign later this month. The move comes after the NAS found lawyers, court officials and police had 'low...

Voluntary Sector: Heart Foundation nets JJB contract.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has clinched a fundraising partnership deal with JJB Fitness Clubs and become the sports centre chain's nominated charity until October 2006. A division of the JJB Sports and Leisure Group, the chain has...

Voluntary Sector: Animal cruelty group lobbies ASA over Govt ad.(Animal Defenders International)(Advertising Standards Authority)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Animal Defenders International (ADI) is preparing to lobby the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in a bid to embarrass the Government over a recent HM Revenue & Customs commercial. The tax credits ad, which features penguins and a...

Voluntary Sector: Vet body PDSA promotes speakers.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Veterinary charity PDSA is organising presentations across the country aimed at promoting its activities, raising funds and boosting supporter numbers. The group, which provides veterinary treatment for the pets of people on housing or...

Voluntary Sector: Bowel Cancer UK.
October 7, 2005... Colon Cancer Concern announced its name change to Bowel Cancer UK by parking a 50ft trailer outside St Paul's Cathedral this week. The trailer showed a man and a woman on the toilet with the slogan 'Don't blush... look before you flush'. The...

Public Affairs: Luther and Trainer in parting of ways.(Douglas Trainer )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Luther Pendragon partner Douglas Trainer is quitting the issues management consultancy after seven years to take a career break. Trainer said he would step down this month. It is thought he will seek a post in government comms in the new...

Public Affairs: Media Strategy's Glover joins Indigo.(Mark Glover )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Media Strategy public affairs partner Mark Glover has left to join local government and planning specialist Indigo Public Affairs as an associate director. Glover took up the role this week. He said he will handle clients including...

Public Affairs: Ex-Straw adviser to lead Havas London PA venture.
October 7, 2005... Havas is poised to re-enter the London lobbying scene under its Euro RSCG brand with a public affairs practice led by Ed Owen, long-time special adviser to Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Known as Euro RSCG Apex Communications, the venture...

Public Affairs: APPC slams Fells over 'cash for access'.(Association of Professional Political Consultants)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The Association of Professional Political Consultants this week condemned 'green' adviser Professor Ian Fells after a Sunday Times investigation alleged he had accepted cash to broker access to ministers. Fells is one of Britain's leading...

Public Affairs: AS Biss on charity regulator brief.
October 7, 2005... The Charity Commission has handed its public affairs account to AS Biss & Co. The agency's brief is to enable the commission to have more influence in policy development and public debate on the role and future of charities. The Charities...

Public Affairs: Wilson starts up PA consultancy.
October 7, 2005... Former Westminster Strategy account director Tim Wilson has started an eponymous PA consultancy. He said Tim Wilson & Associates would 'perform (PA) support where large-scale consultancy support or additional full-time recruitment is...

Healthcare: Amgen names UK and Ireland head of comms.
October 7, 2005... Amgen has poached a UK PR man from Anglo-Swiss seeds and crop science group Syngenta to bolster its comms in Britain. Nigel Thornton started at Amgen, the world's biggest biotech firm, this week in the role of UK and Ireland head of...

Healthcare: CPR founder Carroll in Avenue/Servier roles.
October 7, 2005... CPR Worldwide co-founder Steve Carroll has joined Avenue HKM as a consultant. He is advising clients including Reading-based Archimedes Pharma, and helping win new business, in a three-day-a-week freelance role. Carroll is also working...

Healthcare: Hopkins takes Athena interim director position.(Tessa Hopkins )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Athena Medical PR has called in healthcare comms veteran Tessa Hopkins to the role of interim director. Hopkins is a former director and healthcare chief at Burson-Marsteller in London. She has also held senior jobs at Merck, Sharp & Dohme...

Healthcare: NHS tops agenda at pharma events.
October 7, 2005... Pharma firms' relations with the NHS will top the agenda at a brace of forthcoming healthcare sector conferences. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry's annual conference is a two-day event taking place from 3-4 November...

Healthcare: At a glance - Government targets kids with flu-jab campaign.
October 7, 2005... What's happening? For the first time the Department of Health's annual flu vaccination campaign is targeting parents of 'at-risk' children. Half of the kids in this category - aged over six months with asthma, diabetes or weakened immunity...

Healthcare: Pfizer calls in TLC for Lipitor med ed.
October 7, 2005... Pfizer is using Tonic Life Communications (TLC) to handle UK medical education work for Lipitor, the world's biggest-selling drug. The agency is managing an 'investigator meeting' - a gathering of experts and physicians who have been...

Healthcare: Lidco in agency hire for blood monitoring device.
October 7, 2005... Lidco Group, a medical equipment minnow, has called in agency support to promote its new blood monitoring device. It claims the system could ensure a sharp reduction in hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA and save the NHS millions of...

Healthcare: Irish drugs body enlists ex-journo.
October 7, 2005... DUBLIN: The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association, the country's equivalent of Britain's ABPI, has hired a former journalist to handle its PR. Brian O'Grady has taken the role of comms manager at the Dublin-based body, which promotes...

Healthcare: Awareness campaign close-up - World Sight Day to call for action.
October 7, 2005... Organisation: Vision 2020 Campaign: World Sight Day PR team: In-house Date: 13 October Budget: Undisclosed The annual day, this year on 13 October, aims to boost awareness of global blindness, pointing out that three quarters of...

City & Corporate: Why Alliance gave Boots the limelight.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... News of the planned merger between Alliance Unichem and Boots was leaked prematurely in last Saturday's Financial Times, but that does not explain the different approaches to PR adopted by two sides of the biggest retail merger attempted in...

City & Corporate: Maitland and M lead with Deutche Post's Exel deal.
October 7, 2005... The Maitland Consultancy took pole position in September's Deal Watch table, replacing last month's top-ranking agency, Brunswick, which fell out of the top ten. Maitland's most lucrative deal was advising UK contract delivery company Exel...

City & Corporate: Kazakh miner in build-up to float.
October 7, 2005... Kazakh copper miner Kazakhmys is using Finsbury to handle financial PR surrounding its proposed listing on the London Stock Exchange, expected next week. The firm is seeking a London listing to access global capital and high-quality...

City & Corporate: ARM drops FD for Brunswick.(Financial Dynamics)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Cambridge-based chip designer ARM Holdings has ended Financial Dynamics' seven-year tenure as its retained agency, handing the brief to Brunswick as it seeks to bolster its position in US financial media. ARM V-P of investor relations...

Media Relations: What the papers say - Defiant Ken rides C-charge storm.
October 7, 2005... Mayor Ken Livingstone stood unrepentant over his decision to extend London's congestion charge area from 2007, despite a fierce backlash from business and transport groups, Westminster Council and London Assembly opponents. While...

Media Relations: Contact Book Update.
October 7, 2005... PRESS Damian Reece, City editor of The Independent, is to join The Daily Telegraph business desk, where he will cover investment banks and brokers. Reece was assistant City editor at The Sunday Telegraph before joining the Indy two years...

Media Relations: 2 minutes with... Raju Narisetti, Editor, The Wall Street Journal Europe.
October 7, 2005... The Wall Street Journal Europe is relaunching as a compact on 17 October. Why does size matter? Size doesn't matter for its own sake, but it makes the paper more accessible for our extremely mobile readers. It's part of our relaunch as an...

Media Analysis: Infiltrate the brave new airwaves.
October 7, 2005... The radio landscape is evolving dramatically as websites and portable music players change the way we listen. Dan Bloch investigates how PROs can turn these new broadcasting platforms to their advantage. The number of digital radio services...

News analysis: Product problem? It's in your hands.(hoe to manage product recalls)(public relations firms)
October 7, 2005... As Apple deals with consumer complaints over breakages of its new iPod Nano, Alex Black asks what PROs should do when faced with a recall. Last week Apple was forced to deal with a rather embarrassing situation. Its latest incarnation of...

News analysis: Councils prepare for ratings slide.(Comprehensive Performance Assessment)(county council services)
October 7, 2005... Local council give their views on the Audit Commission's tougher performance criteria. The Audit Commission - charged with ensuring services such as education and environmental management are improving - is raising the bar of its...

Profile: News junkie - Martin Paterson, director of comms, The Food and Drink Federation.
October 7, 2005... This year's Labour Party conference will be remembered for two things: 82-year-old Walter Wolfgang being bundled out by burly security guards, and Ruth Kelly's war on junk food. A ban on fizzy drinks, confectionery and fatty foods from school...

Opinion: Watching the PR industry come of age.
October 7, 2005... Looking back over PRWeek's 21 years, as one inevitably does on anniversaries, it was sobering to realise that I have been involved with the magazine for almost a decade now, and with the PR industry one way or another for even longer. OK,...

Opinion: Tory contenders inherit old image problem.
October 7, 2005... Holding their conferences in working-class Blackpool has done little to change the Tories' image, it seems. They are still seen as Volvoowning, bulldog-breeding folk who live in farmhouses. These are the findings of an extensive survey...

Editorial: PR has grown beyond comedy caricatures.(Editorial)
October 7, 2005... As PRWeek today celebrates its 21st anniversary, it's worth asking how much PR, or at least the perception of PR, has changed over the years. For many people, including some senior journalists unfortunately, PROs are still Bolly-swigging,...

Opinion: My Best Hire - Jo Sensini.(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Jane Howard, joint MD of Republic PR, on the 'totally dedicated' Jo Sensini 'Jo started her career as a business trainer, but joined Republic in 1995 as an account manager. She stood out because of her ability to build client...

Letter: Regional briefs best served by local teams.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2005... So PR for Manchester's International Festival has been awarded to London-based agency The Idea Generation (PRWeek, 23 September). For a festival intended to showcase the best of what one of the UK's greatest cities has to offer, it seems...

Letter: Public sector PR gets deserved recognition.
October 7, 2005... It is good to see PRWeek recognising public sector PROs, particularly those in local government (Leader: 'Public sector PR must be nurtured carefully', 16 September). As an ex-local government PRO I understand the frustrations of those...

Letter: GMC campaigned for patient safety in UK.(Letter to the Editor)
October 7, 2005... Your article 'Simpson to boost patient protection in GMC role' (23 September) was misleading on one point. The GMC, as part of the Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe (AURE), successfully lobbied EU institutions to ensure that all health...

Campaign: Pseudo protesters woo bargain hunters - Consumer.
October 7, 2005... Campaign: Bargain Liberation Front Client: Hatfield Galleria PR team: Primal PR Timescale: April-May 2005 Budget: pounds 10,000-pounds 15,000 Objectives To draw attention to the cut-price goods and persuade shoppers to sign up...