This week’s PR news in brief (26 February – 2 March)
Here’s a round-up of the week’s essential PR news, featuring Good Relations’ Lawrence Collis, TechRadar’s Gareth Beavis and tips for securing the best celebrity talent.
Thought leadership
The newsroom model is what lets daily news titles work fast to fill their pages with great stories that sell papers. Here’s how you can use it to turn your comms team into a well-oiled content machine.
Abe Smith, Cision’s EMIA president, explores the importance of data-driven insights in earned media and details Cision’s success in delivering valuable insights to its clients.
Emma Usher, director of talent booking agency RunRagged and founder of The VIP Suite, gives her top tips for securing the best celebrity talent for your PR initiatives.
Interviews
Lawrence Collis, executive director at Good Relations, outlines why the agency uses a newsroom model for everything from news generation to crisis management.
Gareth Beavis, TechRadar’s interim global editor-in-chief, talks about the brand’s 10th anniversary, what tech stories he’s working on in 2018 and being caught out by Pokemon Go.
Account wins
Brandnation PR and Social has been appointed to handle PR for the launch of Nike Swim. The agency will work with key influencers and media contacts to communicate Nike Swim’s mission to “inspire and innovate in the world of water”.
Digital photo service Photobox has appointed Frank PR to support the launch of its The Crown from the Crowd photo project.
Showcase Cinemas has selected Manchester-based integrated agency Brazen to deliver a national and regional brand-building campaign.
Digital radio station Union JACK has appointed Neon Brand Communications to support the launch of a new show featuring award-winning broadcaster and presenter Geoff Lloyd.
Sterling Media will act as the official global PR and communications partner for the Commonwealth Business Forum 2018, which will take place on 16-18 April in London.
Gene therapy company Silence Therapeutics has appointed Optimum Strategic Communications as its investor relations and PR adviser.
Gemma Bell and Company has been appointed as the lead travel and lifestyle PR agency for PRINCIPAL, a collection of UK hotels, and for The Principal London, which will open on 16 April.
MissFits Nutrition has appointed K&H Comms to promote its range of protein products. K&H Comms will handle the firm’s consumer and trade press office and oversee special projects and launches throughout the year.
Agency news
WPP has merged Cohn & Wolfe and Burson-Marsteller to form Burson Cohn & Wolfe, creating one of the world’s largest full-service comms agencies.
PHA Media has rebranded to The PHA Group. The move is intended to reflect the business’s significant growth and expanded offering.
People news
FleishmanHillard Fishburn has appointed Lyndsay Haywood as director of business development in its London office. She will support new business opportunities across all of the agency’s practices.
Grayling has recruited Paul Montague-Smith as a director in its London public affairs team, with a brief to develop its existing financial services offering.
Sam Gavin has also joined Grayling as a senior account manager. Gavin is a technology specialist who has worked with clients including Ban & Olufsen and Freeview.
Clementine Communications has appointed Victoria Johns as senior PR director. She joins the agency from Bacchus and has over 12 year’s experience working with consumer brands.
Lifestyle comms agency Purple Entertainment has hired Claire Coulton as its new senior PR.
PRCA news
The PRCA has launched its Best Practice Guidelines for Recruiters initiative, to facilitate a sense of security, trust and understanding for all parties involved in the PR recruitment process. All PRCA Recruiters’ Forum members have signed up to these guidelines.
