Kickers appoints Aduro Communications ahead of ‘Back to School’ sales window

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Kickers has hired Aduro Communications to drive awareness of the footwear brand through a media relations and influencer programme that will focus on the ‘Back to School’ sales window.

Kickers

Aduro will look to target parents of primary school children, as well as the children themselves, and secondary school pupils.

Irene Celli, head of brand activation at Kickers, said: “It was important to find a team that has a great knowledge of the Back to School marketplace and know how to reach both our audiences effectively and efficiently.

“We are delighted to have Aduro on board to support the marketing strategy and hard work of our internal team. We feel confident they will deliver results against promises and enable our growth plans over the next year.”

Poppy Lewis, associate creative director at Aduro, added: “The Aduro team all have fond memories of proudly wearing Kickers to school as kids.

“Our campaign will capture a hard working press office to secure product placement and news headlines during a key sales period but most importantly focus in on influencers; both parents and influential teens who can capture our audience in their heartland and bring to life the iconic characteristics that Kickers is known and loved for.”

Weber Shandwick’s Colin Byrne to step down

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Colin Byrne, Weber Shandwick’s UK and EMEA CEO,  is to step down from his role in early 2018 after nearly 23 years at the global agency. The firm has not yet named a successor.  

Colin Byrne

Byrne joined Weber Shandwick in 1995, rising to lead its public affairs practice as MD in London in 1997. He was named CEO of the UK in 2000, and in 2008, became CEO of UK & EMEA.

In May 2015, he was honoured with an Individual Achievement Award at the EMEA SABRE Awards for his services to the industry over the last 30 years.

Byrne will continue to work closely with the firm’s global leadership team through Q1 2018 during the leadership transition.

Andy Polansky, CEO of Weber Shandwick, said: “We are grateful to Colin for his leadership in building Weber Shandwick in the UK and across EMEA.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Colin for more than two decades. We’ll greatly miss him, his vision and his partnership.”

Byrne added: “Working at Weber Shandwick to help build our firm to industry-leading status has been a pleasure and a matter of real professional and personal pride. My thanks to our incredible colleagues and clients for two decades of partnership together.

“I will miss the people, the talent, the pace and the ambition at Weber Shandwick, but given our leading performance and award-winning status, I feel it is a good time to move on with my personal ambitions.”

PR M&A activity drop in the UK unlikely to be long-term

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Research from Results International says that despite a slight drop in M&A activity in the UK’s PR sector, this isn’t likely to be a long-term trend.

The M&A adviser shows that despite there being a rise to 14 deals worldwide in Q1 from Q4 last year, deal volumes in the UK fell from 22% of global M&A in 2016 to 14% in Q1 2017.

But, there is a caveat. Results International explained: “Discussions with buyers suggest that this is due to fewer of the larger, scaled PR assets in the UK coming up for sale this quarter rather than it being indicative of any long-term trends.”

There have been eight repeat acquirers of PR agencies since the beginning of Q1 2016, with WPP making three purchases and other multiple acquirers including IPG, W Communications and Waggener Edstrom.

The research also highlighted that M&A activity in marcoms sectors that share some of PR’s territory continues to thrive, with nine deals in Q1 2017 for content businesses and five involving social media agencies.

Keith Hunt, managing partner at Results International, commented: “It’s not just the trade buyers and major marcoms groups that are looking to invest in PR: management consultancies are keen to reinforce their links with the C-suite and PR is still seen as one of the best ways to get in front of the world’s most senior leaders.

“The traditional PR buyers themselves are looking for agencies with scale, size and client commitment, but also for those with a more integrated offering, hence the increasing interest in content and social media businesses. Yet there’s no doubt that appetite remains for investment in PR businesses both niche and generalist. We wouldn’t be surprised to see some major deals in this space over the coming months.”

Weber Shandwick wins big at PRWeek Global Awards

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At last night’s PRWeek Global Awards in London, Weber Shandwick won six awards out of 24 and was named  Global Agency of the year.

Weber won awards for Corporate Social Responsibility, Global PR Breakthrough, Issues and Crisis, Nonprofit, Global Impact, Global Agency and Campaign of the Year for its Daughters of Mother India campaign for Vibha Bakshi.

Notable wins for UK work and campaigns included the Consumer Launch award won by Tin Man for its ‘Making Single Malt Fashionable’ campaign for anCnoc and the Global Partnerships award won by VisitBritain and iambassador for the The Social Travel Summit Inverness.

Weber’s UK activity included its #BrutalCut campaign for Action Aid UK, for which it won the Nonprofit award.

Click here to see the full list of winners.

Opinion: Why PR needs to move away from the ‘holding company model’

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Aaron Petras, vice president of WE Communication’s agency and partner strategy and now managing director of The PLUS Network, discusses the marketing industry problems that The PLUS Network is trying to solve and why agencies need to move away from the ‘holding company model’.

Aaron Petras

Choice. As consumers this is something we’ve become used to. We make choices on the content we consume, the platforms we use, the devices we live our lives through (except if you’re an Apple customer), the products we buy and the clothes we wear. In fact, digital and social media has given us more choice and opportunity to be ourselves and express our individuality more than ever before.

However, flip this scenario to the world of communications and the concept of choice can often become a complex and difficult barrier to success. If you are a brand manager that needs to deliver a truly 360 degree brand experience that encompasses an entire suite of disciplines then you can end up with too much choice – which PR, point-of-sale, paid media, experiential, brand or search agency should you use?

It was no wonder that many large, global brands shifted to the holding company model. Why stress over short-listing multiple agencies across multiple disciplines, which could leave you with numerous agencies to choose from, when you could have access to a single point of contact, single point of billing network that provides you with all the services you need, as and when, without the hassle of setting up a network yourself. Sounds perfect doesn’t it? Well, kind of.

The benefits of the traditional holding company can fail at many moments in the lifetime of a client relationship.

For example, some clients are forced to utilise an agency that does not fit their needs. In these instances, rather than turn to the holding company to find the right partner for their needs, they are stuck with an unsuitable agency because it is the holding company’s only offer in the area where expertise is needed.

Or when holding companies are working with so many brands in one market or category, many clients end up being served a campaign or idea that was likely pitched (unsuccessfully) to a similar or competing brand. In this instance brands can not only risk ending up with a half thought through idea, it’s likely to be one where the insight was shoe-horned in to fit the brand just because the thinking had already been done previously.

And for those clients operating in multiple markets and across multiple disciplines, the holding company structure can often get financially inhibitive. With some many agencies and disciplines to support, the holding company clearly has many (expensive) salaries to pay which in turn leads to over-inflated fees and campaign costs. Why pay over the odds for expertise when there are many agencies out there that offer the same skills and capabilities at a fraction of the price.

Whilst the holding company model can offer large multi-national brands many benefits, the marketing and communication landscape is changing. Brands needing to move at the speed of light to match the motion of their stories will need to operate in an environment where they have the greatest level of flexibility and speed.

In these instances a new approach to the holding company model is needed – one where clients can dial up and down expertise as and when needed without the costs of retaining multiple agencies. They need a network that isn’t shackled by bureaucracy and internal politics so that decisions and support can be made without the need to navigate agency egos and complex internal structures. It’s time for a change. It’s time for the non-holding company model to rise.

Dogs Trust appoints new comms director

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St John Ambulance’s Emma Sheppard has joined animal welfare charity Dogs Trust as comms director.

Emma Sheppard

Sheppard will head up an 18-strong team that will showcase the charity’s expertise in dog training and behaviour. The team will also promote the rehoming of dogs and responsible dog ownership.

Sheppard’s brief will also include internal comms activity.

She joins from first aid charity St John Ambulance, where she was head of brand and comms, having previously been head of PR and PR manager.

During her time there, Sheppard was responsible for a new refreshed brand, introduced social media to the organisation and led on campaigns such as The Chokeables, which taught parents how to help a choking baby.

Before St John Ambulance, she was a senior media relations officer at the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, and has previously held a trustee role at mental health charity Open Door.

Sheppard said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be joining Dogs Trust. It’s a fantastic cause and I’ve always admired its upbeat brand positioning. It stands out among other animal welfare brands, focusing on the positive success stories. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in – as well as appreciating the office dog policy.”

Raindance Film Festival appoints Mason Williams

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Independent film festival Raindance has chosen consumer lifestyle communications agency Mason Williams to help celebrate its 25th anniversary.

Raindance Film Festival

A team split across Mason Williams’ London and Manchester offices will highlight the festival’s greatest achievements to date.

Raindance founder, Elliot Grove said: “We have worked with Mason Williams on a number of partnerships over the years. We’ve been incredibly impressed by their commitment, passion and creativity and look forward to working in collaboration with them.”

Mason Williams’ director, Farah Yaqub said: “Raindance is an institute in the world of independent movies. We are thrilled to be working with the team, especially in this landmark year. We love their vision and are honoured to be part of their world.”

Metia Group appoints Matt White as CFO

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Metia Group, the B2B and technology agency, has appointed Matt White as its chief financial officer. 

White brings more than 20 years of board level experience from previous CFO roles in publicly quoted and private equity-backed international technology and media groups, including Time Out Group and Portrait Software plc.

White will take leadership of financial and commercial matters, providing strategic financial input to the Group board. In addition, Matt will also take responsibility for the Group’s support functions including IT, HR and facilities.

Andrew Martin, chief executive, Metia Group, said: “It is a pleasure to have Matt join our team. Having the best talent on board will ensure we continue to expand. With experience in global media and technology businesses, business acquisitions and international development, Matt will be an invaluable addition to the team.”

Matt White, CFO, Metia Group, said: “Metia Group has earned a reputation for being a smart agency by delivering consistently outstanding and innovative services to some of the world’s leading business-to-business brands. It’s a great time to be joining Metia when it has so much positive momentum, and I am looking forward to working with our talented team to achieve our ambitious growth plans for the business.”

Most read people news on Gorkana News

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Your bitesize update on the latest People News and Moves featured on Gorkana News:

21-year-old Ben Jeffries launches new influencer marketing platform
Influencer, a new web platform that allows brands to collaborate with social media content creators, has been launched by 21-year-old entrepreneur Ben Jeffries.

 

Hotwire Group hires Barbara Bates as CEO
Barbara Bates has been appointed as Group CEO at Hotwire, following the departure of Brendon Craigie in March. Bates was most recently North American CEO of Hotwire following the acquisition of her agency Eastwick, an integrated communications agency in Silicon Valley.

Revolut hires first global comms lead
Revolut, an app-based banking alternative, has brought in Rocket Internet’s Chad West as its global head of comms. West was previously PR and comms manager for Rocket Internet’s Hassle.com, an online marketplace for booking household services. Before that, he worked agency-side on public affairs and government relations at Remarkable Group.

Beattie appoints first MD for London and the south
Beattie has appointed its veteran London bureau chief Jacquie Boyd-Coleman as MD of its offices in London, Essex and Cornwall. Boyd-Coleman, who joined Beattie’s Glasgow office 15 years ago, has a team of 40 PR, digital and creative specialists in London and the south.

Daily Record’s Iain Pope joins Stripe Communications
Iain Pope, the Daily Record’s former head of digital news,  has joined Stripe Communications in the newly-created role of editorial director. As well as his head of digital news role at the Daily Record, he was also digital intake editor for STV and assistant news editor of The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News.

Chris SandersonChris Sanderson revealed as Cision World Tour London keynote
Renowned brand strategy consultant Chris Sanderson is to be the keynote speaker at next month’s Cision World Tour summit in London. Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, will provide his expert insights into the macro trends driving modern PR strategy and will outline how you can leverage them to create opportunities for your business, charity, agency or brand.

 

Purity hands brief to TASTE PR

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Consumer PR and marketing agency TASTE PR has been appointed by drinks company Purity to provide consumer and trade PR support, following a competitive pitch.

Purity

Purity has briefed TASTE PR to elevate its existing credentials and communicate relevant news across both its Firefly and JUICEBURST brands.

The Firefly brand launches a collaboration this month with mixologist Mr Lyan to craft a new botanical blend called Superfly, which TASTE PR will also support.

Emma Billinge, marketing director at Purity Soft Drinks, said: “We were looking for an agency that could help us deliver strategic communications in a way that matched the energy of the Purity brand. We were really impressed with TASTE’s creativity, understanding of our brief and their passion and expertise within the world of food and drink.”

Amy Thorne, founder and managing partner at TASTE, said: “Purity’s drinks are disruptive, delicious and provide plenty of potential for engaging storytelling. There’s an exciting year ahead for both the Firefly and JUICEBURST brands and we’re thrilled to be on board to help deliver some fantastic results.”