Spring & Tonic PR bags Hippeas

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Organic chickpea puff brand Hippeas has made Spring & Tonic PR its retained UK agency following an initial four-month brief.

Spring & Tonic PR wins Hippeas

The Hippeas Van

Hippeas joins a smorgasbord of snack companies on the food and drink specialist’s roster, including including Pip & Nut, The Coconut Collaborative, Doisy & Dam and Gran Luchito.

Craig Hughes, Hippeas MD, said: “Since Spring & Tonic has been our chosen PR agency we have seen a huge lift in our branded profile across both trade and consumer channels.  Extending our trial period to a full-time agreement was a very easy decision.”

Spring & Tonic PR was founded in 2014 by Jess Armstrong and Emily Blewett.

Richmond Towers wins six-figure PR brief to promote British apples

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English Apples & Pears has handed a six-figure PR brief to Richmond Towers Communications to “put British apples at the top of the nation’s shopping lists”, following a five-way pitch.

British Apples

The campaign, which starts this summer to coincide with the key domestic apple season, will seek to make shoppers understand that British is best and create compelling reasons for retailers to stock more home-grown apples.

The campaign will also aim to put Bramley cooking apples back on family dinner tables, with an new approach to reinvent the famous British variety.

English Apples & Pears CEO Steven Munday said Richmond Towers had impressed by challenging the original brief to shake up the organisation’s approach to communications work, creating a programme packed with great ideas and a strategy to engage the target audience throughout the customer journey to the point of purchase.

“We were particularly impressed by the Richmond Towers Communications’ creativity and its confidence to use pre-pitch research that really challenged our brief.

“They have come up with an original and engaging campaign that we look forward to seeing activated ahead of and during the all-important British harvest at the end of summer.”

Richmond Towers CEO Rob Metcalfe added: “Fresh produce is in our DNA, having run many successful campaigns in this sector, including putting South African Avocados and American Sweet Potatoes on the map in the UK, while we recently won a competitive pitch to handle the consumer brief for California Walnuts in the UK.

“We look forward to helping to drive sales of British apples with a campaign that will be both fun and impactful.”

Mischief appointed by natural beauty brand Yes To

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Natural beauty brand Yes To has appointed Mischief on retainer to manage its consumer PR and social activity.

Yes To

In addition to creating brand fame campaigns, Mischief’s beauty and wellbeing division will handle the launch of Yes To’s first-to-market products in the UK, which are designed to “shake-up the skincare space”.

Most recently, this includes Yes To 2-Step Kits, which targets specific areas of the face “in need of a beauty boost”.

Mischief associate director Daniella Bertolone will lead the account and report to Victoria Young, general manager of Europe at Yes To.

Young said: “Mischief’s fresh, creative ideas and shared passion for Yes To impressed us and we’re delighted for the agency to become an extension of our team, as we continue to lead the way in innovative & on trend natural beauty.”

Bertolone added: “We are delighted to be working with Yes To, a brand that shares our playful and spirited DNA, making it a natural fit for Mischief. We are passionate about leveraging its fun personality and exciting innovations to earn attention by doing what we do best – playing with the norm.”

Madano hires Michael Zdanowski as head of energy

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Strategic comms consultancy Madano has brought in Edelman’s Michael Zdanowski as a director and head of energy.

Michael Zdanowski

Zdanowski  was UK energy lead at Edelman, where he played a strong role in developing the firm’s UK and European energy business.

Before Edelman, he worked for Hill+Knowlton Strategies in London and Moscow, focusing on major reputational issues for energy, mining and industrial companies.

During his time at H+K, he was also seconded to Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Egypt.

In his new role at Madano, Zdanowski will oversee a specialist energy practice that was first formed in 2013, with clients focused on renewables, nuclear and innovative energy technologies.

Michael Evans, managing partner of Madano, said: “We continue to expand the talent across our business and build out what is already a leading energy practice.

“By combining tailored communications expertise with data-driven insights alongside creative and digital, we can offer integrated solutions delivered by talented people who truly understand our clients’ needs.”

Zdanowski added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Madano which has one of the most impressive teams in the market dedicated to the energy sector. The expertise in the team is second to none and I look forward to leading the team as the energy market rapidly transitions to a low-carbon future.

“As new energy technologies shape and disrupt the market, the communications required to support these changes will be as important as the initiatives themselves.”

Golin launches Cara Delevingne and MOSCHINO film

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Golin has launched a film around the collaboration between ice cream brand Magnum, fashion house MOSCHINO and film star and supermodel Cara Delevingne at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, which is taking place this week.

Release the Beast

In other news, Golin  has created a film around the collaboration between ice cream brand Magnum, fashion house MOSCHINO and film star and supermodel Cara Delevingne in line with the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, which is taking place this week.

Launching today, the 45 second Release the Beast film stars Cara Delevingne and features MOSCHINO’s Jeremy Scott and a number of his iconic illustrations (the ‘beasts’) brought to life by animator Uli Meyer, who is most notable for his work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam.

Celebrating the Magnum Double, it aims to encourage people around the world to embrace and show off their wild side and live the Magnum ‘Dare to go Double’ attitude.

Golin’s sister agency, MullenLowe London, is handling competition activity for the campaign. This is the second consecutive year that Golin and MullenLowe London have worked together to launch Magnum’s multi-channel campaign.

Orla Moran, executive director at Golin,commented: “We’re thrilled to be back in Cannes launching this year’s Magnum campaign after 18 months working behind the scenes on what’s been our most ambitious activation yet for the brand.

“The Magnum Release the Beast creative is all about inspiring people to embody a fierce attitude to life; saying no to the naysayers and daring to go for it. We couldn’t think of two better placed people to collaborate with in Cara Delevingne and Jeremy Scott to bring this attitude to life and are proud to have got them on board and created a wealth of standout assets with them.”

EMP hands UK PR brief to instinct pr

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Consumer agency instinct pr has been appointed as the retained UK PR agency for merchandise e-tailer EMP.

EMP

Established in 1986, EMP was conceived by a small team in Germany, which set out to start a mail order business giving music fans the opportunity to get all their merchandise from one extensive catalogue.

Today, it is one of Europe’s top providers of music, film, TV and video game merchandise with more than 20,000 products available online from more than 2,000 bands and over 300 entertainment franchises, including Star Wars, Harry Potter, Iron Maiden and Guns N’Roses.

instinct pr will manage all press and publicity for the UK market. Head of fashion Suzi Spear will lead the account which will sit under the agency’s fashion division.

Key areas of focus will be brand building, generating awareness and increasing engagement around key occasions such as ComicCon, festival season and the release of the new Spider-Man film.

Jonathan Kirkby, founder and director at instinct pr, said: “We’re so pleased to be selected as the retained agency for EMP. There is a great deal of opportunity to work creatively with the brand and we are looking forward to building it in the UK and raising awareness of its extensive offering.”

Ajay Nassa, MD at EMP UK, added: “We are looking forward to working with instinct pr on raising awareness and building EMP in the UK. It approached the brief with a great deal of creativity, expertise and passion which was paramount to us in finding the right agency to work with.”

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Beattie is accelerating the growth of its UK office network with the appointment of Eileen Stretton (pictured right), former MD at Golley Slater PR North.

 

 

London Biggin Hill hires 80:20 Communications

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Aviation, travel and transport PR specialist 80:20 Communications has been handed an international trade and corporate PR brief by London Biggin Hill Airport, the only dedicated business aviation airport in London.

L-R: 80:20’s founder, Marc Cornelius, and senior AE, Heather Mullon, Biggin Hill’s marketing manager, Andy Patsalides, and 80:20 AD Kate Beveridge

Situated 12 miles from central London, Biggin Hill provides specialist aviation services to predominantly the business market.

80:20 Communications will promote Biggin Hill to business aviation and corporate travel audiences, positioning it as the capital’s premier business aviation airport of the future.

The agency will help highlight Biggin Hill’s extended operating hours, current and forthcoming expansions and attractiveness as a location for aviation maintenance businesses.

Andy Patsalides, marketing manager at London Biggin Hill, said: “We are pleased be working with a PR firm that has extensive knowledge and experience of the business aviation industry and who truly understand what we are trying to achieve.  We believe 80:20 are ideally placed to deliver on an ambitious PR campaign that will support our further growth going forward.”

Marc Cornelius, founder and MD at 80:20 Communications, added: “Britain’s building of new trading relationships post-Brexit will make it vital for London to be accessible to global decision makers. Biggin Hill’s newly extended opening hours, major investment programme and helicopter shuttle to central London make it a natural VIP gateway to the capital.

“With its ample construction space, Biggin Hill is also emerging as a preferred base for aviation maintenance businesses to locate, creating a new centre of skilled employment and export earner for the UK. We’re very excited to help tell Biggin Hill’s story at this crucial stage in its growth.”

Beattie appoints Golley Slater’s Eileen Stretton as client and new business director

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Beattie is accelerating the growth of its UK office network with the appointment of Eileen Stretton, former MD at Golley Slater PR North.

From left to right: Rachel Gladwin and Eileen Stretton

She will take on a newly created client and business development director role which will see her join Beattie Director Rachel Gladwin’s team. It is the group’s fifth major signing for 2017.

Stretton was recruited directly for the position, and will focus on maximising Beattie’s skill set nationally for new and existing clients, giving brands access to the largest regional communications network in the UK.

She said: “Beattie is a dynamic and constantly evolving integrated communications business. As well as its London HQ and track record in delivering big brand, national strategies, the Beattie set-up is hugely attractive to clients with a regional network of their own. It offers the very best people on the ground where clients need them most.

“The opportunity to work alongside Rachel and the truly talented 130-strong Beattie team across the UK is so exciting for me; I was thrilled to be approached. I am joining at a great time, when I feel my skills and background can make a big contribution to the agency’s ongoing success story.”

Gladwin added: “Many brands come to us because we are experts in creating transformational ideas that cascade from national to regional audiences and influencers.

“We are tuned in to the power of regional communications and know how to saturate every channel to give brands the edge.

“With the hire of a senior head, focused on these relationships, we are playing to our strengths and responding to the needs of our clients. Eileen’s brief is to capitalise on the runaway success of our network as we believe this is the key to our continued growth.”

Golin wins Green & Black’s brief

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Golin has been appointed by chocolate brand Green & Black’s to handle its consumer PR.

Green & Black’s

Established in 1991, Green & Black’s joined Cadbury in 2005. The brand is known for its ethically-sourced, premium chocolate and was the first Dark 70% chocolate bar in the UK.

Golin’s brief includes responsibility for its consumer press office, as well as wider brand campaign activations.

Claire Culshaw, executive director at Golin, said: “As a team of chocolate lovers, we are delighted to be taking on the challenge of keeping one of the UK’s most loved premium chocolate brands front of mind, especially during key calendar occasions or simply whenever consumers are looking for chocolate inspiration.

Gemma Flanigan, Green & Black’s marketing manager at Mondelēz International, added: “We are very excited to be working with Golin, an agency with a track record in creating standout brand activations. We wanted to thank Edelman for their work to date and we look forward to a new chapter in partnership with Golin.”