60 Seconds with GK Strategy’s Robin Grainger

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GK Strategy’s co-founding director, Robin Grainger, discusses the agency’s success, surviving in the current media environment and why you should never say “no comment”.

Robin Grainger

GK Strategy picked up the Specialist Adviser of the Year award at the Private Equity Awards recently, what’s been the secret to the agency’s success?

Always being open-minded to how products and services can be improved and being self-critical. We always try to be the first to the market with new services – this started with political due diligence and has continued with digital, ESG and cyber diligence.

GK says it is “equipped to meet the communication challenges of tomorrow”. What are some of the current challenges in corporate comms and how do you aim to combat them?

The way people consume media is ever-changing – it is more democratic and pluralised than ever before and people move freely between the forms of media and information they take in. Understanding what information influences people, where they are congregating to consume it and what methods are working to get ideas heard is our challenge.

Our commitment to clients, has and always will be, that we will invest in expertise, technology and training. The most recent example of this has been our investment in a digital and data insights team and sister agency onefourzero. It has made us think differently about how tackle problems.

GK has seen business growth year after year, how have you remained strong in a tricky economic climate?

We are not scared to diversify the services we offer and are always searching for new markets to sell them in to.

Our client retention level is really high and, thankfully, they want to work on new projects with us all the time! We listen to their needs and respond to them by developing innovative products they can’t find elsewhere.

We have only ever known a “tricky economic climate” and so have been obsessed with ensuring the work GK does becomes a critical part of a business’ commercial strategy,  directly benefiting their bottom lines.

In terms of culture, our business was started in a recession  and whilst nobody is completely downturn-proof this has instilled a certain resilience in how we tackle hard times when they come around. We are good at utilising our time if quiet periods take hold so we are ready to go again when demand starts to grow again.

How has PR changed since you began the agency with your partner Luke Kennedy eight years ago?

I think every area of communications was very narrow in its focus – decisions were made  in silos. We started as public affairs agency and now this is just one weapon within a much wider corporate communications armoury.

What are your clients currently asking you about/for advice on?

It is unsurprising that the outcome of the general election and Brexit negotiations are front of mind for clients at the moment – several prevailing issues dominate – workforce, pensions, the funding of the NHS and social care to name but a few.

What the best PR advice you’ve received?

Don’t ever say “no comment” and focus on building trust.

Fintech startup Curve names Callum McCaig as its first PR hire

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London fintech startup Curve has made its first PR and comms hire with the appointment of Burson-Marsteller’s Callum McCaig, as the business prepares to scale out of ‘beta’ and launch its digital banking platform to the mass market. 

Callum McCaig

Curve has raised £3m in seed funding from investors, including Seedcamp and the founders of Transferwise, Betfair, Azimo and Google Wallet, and plans to announce a Series A funding round later this year.

Curve launched an Open Beta version of its first product last year – a type of bank card that consolidates all cards into one, paired with a mobile app.

As PR manager, McCaig will take on a broad remit, working with the business to create a data-driven comms function, which builds brand awareness and supports the company’s growth.

McCaig was previously a senior associate and account lead at global PR firm Burson-Marsteller, where he specialised in technology and corporate PR for clients including Sony, Microsoft and Temenos.

Curve founder and CEO Shachar Bialick said: “The team has grown more than 100% in the past year, as we’ve worked on building a better way to pay. As we enter the next phase in our evolution – a platform that simplifies how users spend, send, see and save money – building a brand alongside a user base is a priority, and we’re confident Callum will bring the right skills and experience to help drive those efforts.”

McCaig added: “As financial technology increasingly becomes a mainstream issue, growing startups like Curve will be able to ride that wave of interest – but it will become harder to cut through the noise. I’m looking forward to transferring my agency experience into building brand recognition, recall, advocacy and trust, for one of the most promising startups in the world’s leading city for fintech.”

New PR lead for energy provider npower

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Energy provider npower has promoted its senior PR manager (consumer), Zoe Melarkey, to head of PR.

Zoe Melarkey

Melarkey has been at npower since 2005. She started off her career at Hill+Knowlton Strategies and has also held PR roles at MFI and Powergen.

As head of PR, Melarkey will take on day-to-day responsibility of npower’s PR activity across all of the company’s main business units – Domestic, npower business, npower business solutions and Energy Services.

She will also lead the development of the company’s PR strategy with a brief to build trust and drive consideration among consumers.

The role will encompass rolling out integrated brand campaigns, stakeholder engagement and driving awareness of community projects and partners.

Guy Esnouf, director of comms at RWE npower, said: “Zoe not only has immense experience of the industry but brings great passion and enthusiasm which make her a much respected part of the npower team.

“As a business we have made real progress over the last 12 months, but there are many challenges ahead, for both the company and industry, that will require skilful leadership. I am confident Zoe will bring strong leadership, insight and strategy to the communications team.”

Portland hires Daily Mail’s Zoe Brennan as head of writing

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Portland has hired Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph journalist Zoe Brennan as partner and head of writing.

Zoe Brennan

Brennan will lead on speech-writing, drafting op-eds, and writing narratives for clients, as well as messaging across the agency. She will work with and report to Mark Flanagan, managing director of Portland’s corporate team.

Brennan brings a wealth of experience from a career that spans over twenty years, working as Westminster correspondent at The Sunday Times, European correspondent at the Press Association, City reporter at the Daily Express and – most recently – senior feature writer for the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph.

Flanagan said: “I am delighted to welcome Zoe, whose breath of experience and skills make her a perfect fit for Portland. Her media knowledge and her ability to create compelling stories will add real value across the wider business. She brings a new dimension to Portland’s existing senior leadership expertise allowing us to continue providing invaluable insights to clients.”

Brennan added: “I am thrilled to join Portland at this exciting time for the company, as it grows globally. My extensive newsroom experience and work in political journalism will inform the strategic advice we offer, and I will bring my writing skills to high-profile campaigns. I look forward to working alongside the best in the business at Portland.”

PHA Media hires Marlin PR’s Jasmin Prichard

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PHA Media has hired Marlin PR’s Jasmin Prichard as senior account manager.

Jasmin Prichard

Prichard’s move is motivated by wanting to move away from tech PR and into a more business focused role, according to the agency. She will be working in the Entrepreneurs and Business team, dealing with business leaders and their companies.

Prichard said: “PHA Media’s Entrepreneurs and Business team has a fantastic set of clients with brilliant stories to tell across various industries. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and working with the team to generate strong results that deliver impact.”

PlayStation UK hands PR brief to The Romans

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PlayStation UK has appointed The Romans as its retained PR agency, following a three-month competitive pitch process.

PlayStation UK

The brief, which will span both hardware and software, includes press office, influencer relations, content creation and PR–led experiential activity.

As well as focusing on brand-led campaigns to take PlayStation 4 to new audiences, The Romans will lead on delivering launch activations for upcoming PlayStation-exclusive titles, including Uncharted: The Lost Legacy and God of War.

Jo Bartlett, head of comms at PlayStation UK, said: “The Romans demonstrated two things very clearly: stand-out creative ideas and the team needed to deliver them. We’re really excited about the potential of the campaigns they presented at pitch.”

Misha Dhanak and Joe Sinclair, founders of The Romans, added: “We’ve built a gaming area in the office next to the beer fridge and cancelled all our evening plans. Reckon you can take us on? Our PSN is @LoseToTheRomans.”

The Roman’s associate director Tom Winterton will lead the account.

Finn appointed for PPA Festival 2017

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The Professional Publishers Association (PPA) has appointed Finn to provide PR and communications support for the PPA Festival 2017.

Finn’s Media Practice, headed up by partner and director Matt Bourn, will provide specialist services for the media industry event which takes place at London’s Tobacco Dock on May 10.

The Festival has a speaker line-up from publishers including Time Inc UK, Hearst Magazines UK, Future and Dennis Publishing and brands such as The Week, Empire and The New European.

Barry McIlheney, CEO of the PPA, said: “This year the PPA Festival has a new home at the Tobacco Dock and is set to be our largest event to date. Our appointment of Finn as PR and communications partner will help us highlight the fantastic content and insights being showcased across six stages on May 10.”

Matt Bourn, partner and director at Finn, said: “The PPA Festival is a highlight of the year for the UK media and publishing industries. It provides the ideal platform for the sector to promote the strengths of magazine brands, discuss trends and share with advertisers how they are successfully evolving in an increasingly digital world.”

Launch adopts ‘real ideas’ positioning and hires Barbara Watson

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Launch has adopted a new ‘real ideas’ positioning  and dropped the PR from its name as Frank PR’s Barbara Watson joins as director of brand and content.

Barbara Watson

The new position looks to highlight Launch’s integrated offering, which puts ‘ideas, delivery and talent at the heart’ of the business.

Watson will lead a brand content team of 15. She will spearhead Launch’s aggressive growth in the brand and content space and work alongside Launch’s founder Johnny Pitt.

Watson said:  “I’ve loved my time at Frank, but Launch is an agency doing brave new things, with new opportunities for me.  I’m really inspired by their ideas-led vision for the future.”

Pitt added: “Launch has always strived to be first.  We were the first agency to adopt a project approach 16 years ago, we were the first independent with a developed integrated model back in 2006 and this now continues with our ‘real ideas™’ positioning.

“Real ideas centres on a cocktail of stratospheric thinking, exacting delivery and really talented people who love what they do. This is brilliantly personified by Barbara, who’s a progressive, smart ideas-led operator, as well as a great person.”

Engine launches on-site agency NuFu with Oliver’s Sam Broster

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Engine has launched a new on-site agency called NuFu in response to increasing client demand for “always-on content and design capability”. The new offer will be led by Sam Broster, who joins Engine from Oliver.

Sam Broster

Short for Nuclear Fusion, NuFu will source experts to sit within client organisations and work exclusively for them. They will provide on-site creative, strategy, design and production support.

NuFu will be led by managing director Sam Broster. He joins Engine from Oliver, where he designed agency solutions for clients including BMW, Starbucks and Vodafone.

The agency’s founding client will be TransPennine Express. A team of specialists will be stationed at the company’s headquarters in Manchester, supported by Engine’s London and Manchester offices.

Broster said: “The on-site agency model is still in its infancy. NuFu will serve as the glue between the brand, the data and the media, allowing clients to hone the effectiveness of content at a faster and more streamlined pace.”

Debbie Klein, chief executive of Engine Europe and Asia, said: “There’s been a clear shift in the market and more and more of our clients want agency insights and expertise on-site. To date, the breed of on-site agencies has been solely focused on warm bodies but we will add insight and measurement.”

She added: “NuFu will be a key part of the Engine network, complementing our existing end-to-end offering and allowing us to partner even more strongly with our clients.”

Clarion wins UK PR brief from Electrolux Group

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Electrolux Group, which includes home appliance brands Electrolux, AEG and Zanussi, has appointed Clarion Communications as its UK consumer and trade PR agency.

Clarion’s brief includes new product launch amplification for Electrolux Group’s AEG offering.

The main focus of Clarion’s UK brief includes brand building and new product launch amplification for Electrolux Group’s AEG offering across its kitchen portfolio of products.

The brief also includes press office support for Zanussi and Electrolux.

Having started in March, Clarion will be responsible for ongoing media relations and product support across consumer, trade and social media, alongside developing AEG campaigns for its ‘Mastery’ range of ovens, hobs, refrigeration and dishwashers, as well as its ‘Unprecedented Care’ range of washing machines and tumble dryers.

Vanessa Holloway, senior marketing manager at Electrolux, said: “We are delighted to have found an agency that has the relevant experience, chemistry and vision to complement our ambitious long term plans across the group.

“We were impressed with Clarion’s creative and strategic response to the brief and we are looking forward to working together as we enter a key transformation for the business.”

Matt Stokoe, deputy managing partner at Clarion Communications, added: “The Electrolux Group is a global leader in kitchen innovation and we’re genuinely excited to be working on an impressive array of ‘game changing’ new products and state-of-the-art technology.

“With a wealth of experience across food, drink, kitchen appliances and consumer technology, Clarion is the perfect partner to deliver creative and engaging campaigns to support their portfolio of prestigious brands.”

The Electrolux Group sells more than 60 million products to customers in over 150 countries every year.