This week’s PR news in brief (16-20 April)
Here’s a round-up of the week’s essential PR news, featuring Ketchum’s Erin Salisbury, a new Finn Partners division and Cision’s upcoming 2018 State of the Media report.
State of the Media
Cision will be publishing its annual State of the Media survey next week. Register for this exclusive webinar to hear Mail on Sunday showbiz editor Katie Hind and W’s Sean Allen-Moy give their expert commentary on this year’s findings.
Register for our latest Cision webinar today
Thought leadership
Ketchum’s Erin Salisbury, PRmoment’s Young Professional of the Year 2018, presents four top tips to help aspiring young leaders advance their PR careers.
We have all heard the buzz around machine learning and AI. But a term that is relatively new to many, and extremely relevant for those of us in the comms profession, is natural language processing. Cision’s Jason Edelboim looks at why you should be excited about its potential.
Interviews
Jo Parkerson, Bauer Media’s entertainment and lifestyle content director, talks about how Bauer produces entertainment content, her favourite Bauer event and how PRs can work with her.
Label PR wins BlanX brief
Account wins
Jupiter Asset Management has selected Powerscourt as its financial and corporate comms adviser following a competitive pitch.
Urban Partners, a voluntary business partnership working to regenerate the Kings Cross area, has appointed Pagefield to handle its PR and public affairs activity.
MHP Communications has been re-appointed as the British Business Bank’s supplier for media, PR and social media services. The expanded brief includes the bank’s subsidiary, The Start Up Loans Company.
Stifel Europe, the full-service investment bank owned by Stifel Financial Corp, has appointed Boscobel & Partners as its communications adviser.
Design, lifestyle and business innovation specialist Camron has been appointed to handle UK PR for Christy England, a luxury lifestyle brand for home textiles.
The Schoolwear Association has appointed Tank to help raise awareness of its organisation and to promote the benefits of school uniforms to schools, students and parents in the UK media.
Swedish oat milk brand Oatly has appointed John Doe to lead their communications in the UK as the oat drink brand expand through Europe and US
Paris Retail Week, the European global event for retail professionals, has appointed Dimoso to handle its 2018 media outreach.
Little Red Rooster has been appointed to handle UK PR activity for LPG endermologie, a French anti-ageing treatment company.
Italian teeth whitening brand BlanX has called in Label PR to manage all press and publicity for its new line of BlanX PRO toothpastes.
Learning disabilities charity Dimensions has appointed Stand Agency to develop a PR and “perception change” campaign to tackle the inequalities people with learning disabilities and autism experience.
Big Brand Ideas has won call tracking technology firm Response Tap‘s UK and US PR briefs, following a three-way pitch.
Camptoo, a sharing economy platform for owners and renters of campervans and motorhomes, has appointed Rooster PR as its UK PR agency as it prepares to launch into the local market.
Rabbie’s Tours has appointed Siren Comms to build brand awareness and drive bookings for its London-departing tours.
Pinches Medical and Wellbeing, a new luxury Cheshire-based private GP practice, has appointed Big Brand Ideas to manage its communications and brand activity.
Agency news
Finn Partners launched its Global Responsible Tourism consultancy today at the 2018 World Travel and Tourism Ccouncil summit. The service is designed to provide strategic guidance to support the global travel industry’s urgent need to develop a robust sustainable tourism strategy.
Missive has launched The Missve PR Clinic, offering free one-hour consultancy slots to early stage tech companies. The agency’s team will answer questions and offer advice to support businesses seeking to grow, raise capital, launch a new campaign or gain practical advice.
Higginson PR has changed its name to Higginson Strategy. The move is part of a rebrand designed to emphasise the breadth of services the agency provides.
Sir Martin Sorrell steps down from WPP
People news
Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP‘s former CEO, has stepped down after 33 years with the company.
Blackstock Consulting has appointed Harriet Shone, the former head of the Liberal Democrats’ international office, as a director.
Barrie Brien, the former CEO at marcomms group Creston (now Unlimited Group), has joined firstlight as non-executive chairman.
Integrated comms agency LEWIS has appointed Simon Billington as its first UK creative director.
Norwegian has appointed Philip Allport as its director of communications and public affairs in the UK and Ireland.
Mobile-only bank Starling Bank has appointed veteran The Times journalist Alexandra Frean as its head of corporate affairs.
Westbourne Communications has hired Mark Lunn, Anne Murray and Sophia Bryant as managing director, account executive and junior account executive respectively.
Empica has appointed Jo Laws as digital marketing and online manager.
