White Paper: 3 steps to owning the creative idea in PR

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In 2017, PR teams are more comfortable than they have ever been in creating the big ideas and building creative structures that make them leaders in the marketing mix, but many still lag behind creative, media and ad agencies.

This does not have to be the case. As this White Paper shows, while there are challenges that still lie ahead for the industry, there has been a growth in clients that consider using PR firms as lead creative agencies and, as a result, many more PR teams are building creative capabilities within their services.

The many voices in this White Paper, from PRCA’s Francis Ingham to H+K Strategy’s Simon Shaw, have acknowledged this shift and think it’s here to stay. As D&AD Awards organisers of the PR programme have said: “Successful campaigns are no longer just crafted in the confines of creative agencies; creativity can no longer be pigeonholed in this way.”

It is why now, more than ever, PR teams should have the confidence in owning the creative idea. And with awards season coming up and creativity heavily on the mind of PR teams for 2017, here are Gorkana’s 3 steps to owning the creative idea in PR…Download here.

Refresh PR wins Gourmet Meat Club brief

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Gourmet Meat Club has appointed Refresh PR and creative agency Modern English to lead a new campaign to raise awareness of its membership-based gourmet meat delivery service.

Gourmet Meat Club

Based in Lancashire, GourmetMeatClub.co.uk works with fully-trained butchers to supply hand-cut meat delivered direct to consumers across the UK.

Refresh PR has been tasked with increasing awareness of the e-commerce brand, while also building its SEO through a back link campaign, using consumer research and targeted media relations.

Refresh PR will work alongside Manchester-based creative agency Modern English to enhance the brand’s digital offering, as well as its new website, which launches in June.

Gourmet Meat Club’s MD, Stuart Cordingely, said: “We have recently seen an increased trend for consumers demanding high-quality products and services, delivered to them in the most convenient way. From this insight we’ve created and developed an offering that provides the freshest and tastiest meat, while removing the hassle of a supermarket or butchers.

“From our early conversations with both Modern English and Refresh PR, we were impressed by the combination of what both agencies could offer, and their integrated approach in order to meet the business’ needs and online expansion plans.”

Caroline Gibson, head of consumer at Refresh PR, added: “We are delighted Gourmet Meat Club has given us the opportunity to work alongside Modern English in order to raise brand awareness and improve the customers’ online shopping experiences.

“With our extensive food and drink experience we are confident we can deliver a campaign that further bolsters Gourmet Meat Club’s reputation as a leading meat supplier, while expanding its customer base.”

Brunswick opens fifth US office with a new suite in Chicago

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Brunswick Group has announced the expansion of its US footprint with the opening in Chicago of its fifth American office.

Brunswick’s Chicago office will serve as its Midwestern hub, providing senior counsel to the Midwest’s leading regional and global companies on critical issues and stakeholder relations, including mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, employee engagement, crisis, litigation, and executive transitions.

Jayne Rosefield, previously a Partner in the New York office, will head up the Chicago office.

Rosefield said: “Chicago’s diverse network of global businesses and forward-thinking leaders make it a natural choice in which to establish a Brunswick presence. It is my privilege to open the firm’s fifth American office in such a vibrant and important market.”

Susan Gilchrist, group chief executive officer, said: “With so many of the world’s great companies based in the Midwest, we wanted to have a strong presence here too, supporting our clients on their biggest issues.”

Instinctif Middle East completes advisory role for ENBD REIT

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Instinctif Partners Middle East has completed its delivery of strategic counsel and IPO communications advice to ENBD REIT, the Shari’a compliant real estate investment trust (REIT) managed by Emirates NBD Asset Management.

ENBD REIT team

The Instinctif Partners team provided Emirates NBD Asset Management – the REIT’s manager – with a full range of services including strategic communications advice, media relations, digital content strategy, branding and content development, in addition to providing full PR support on the day of the IPO.

Samantha Bartel, managing partner at Instinctif Partners Middle East, said: “In the weeks and months leading up to the IPO, we worked closely with the ENBD REIT team to ensure seamless communications before, during and after the listing. I am very proud of the hard work our team demonstrated in working with ENBD REIT, the first IPO on a Dubai exchange since December 2014, and we look forward to accomplishing future milestones together.”

 Anthony Taylor, fund manager at Real Estate, Emirates NBD Asset Management, said: “Thanks to the dedicated work of the Instinctif Partners team, the management team was able to focus 100% on the task at hand, safe in knowledge that our communications requirements were in capable hands. The process ran very smoothly, and we are pleased to continue our relationship with Instinctif Partners, who will provide ongoing investor relations and communications counsel to ENBD REIT.”

Influencer marketing platform Sweet P Social hires MUNCH for UK launch

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Sweet P Social has brought in new consumer agency MUNCH to handle the launch of its two-sided platform, which allows brands, agencies and influencers to connect and collaborate in a simplified way.

Lizzie Earl

Unlike competitors, Sweet P Social claims to allow both brands and content creators to pitch creative ideas to one another, saving brands time and allowing social influencers “more control of their career”.

MUNCH has been briefed to raise awareness of Sweet P Social among its target brands and encourage content creators to join its community and collaborate on social-first projects.

Pierre-Antoine de Preux, founder of Sweet P Social, said: “We’re a business run by millennials for millennials, and so it was important we found a like-minded PR agency with the same energy, creativity and dedication to delivering results.

“The Sweet P Social team is a mix of social marketing experts, influencers and brand owners, so we understand the pain points from all sides. Our goal is to revolutionise how influencer marketing is being done.”

Lizzie Earl (pictured), founder and director of MUNCH, added: “As a PR, this campaign is of course particularly exciting to work on having watched and been part of the continued evolution of the influencer marketing landscape.

“We’re looking forward to launching Sweet P Social with a multi-faceted campaign, focused on generating tangible business results for the brand. I don’t believe in doing PR just for the sake of getting coverage. We always approach everything we do from the business objectives up, rather than the idea down. Our output is just as creative but the bottom line is, ultimately, where we evaluate success.”

Ex-Disney and Golin PR Earl launched MUNCH in March to offer brands and businesses “big agency thinking delivered with a results-focused, boutique approach”.

Cicero to offer free PR campaign for one brand in run-up to snap General Election

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Cicero Group is offering its PR services for free to one ‘challenger’ brand, as the UK heads towards a General Election on 8 June.

Kate McAndrew

The agency, which picked up the prize for Best Media Relations Campaign for its work with Ladbrokes around the EU Referendum campaign in 2016, has set up an email hotline for in-house PR teams to get in touch for assistance.

Kate McAndrew (pictured), a former Sky News executive producer and now senior counsel at Cicero Group, said: “There will be some smart, big brand campaigns as we head towards the election.

“We want to help those who don’t have deep pockets get their voice heard. We are particularly keen to hear from challenger brands, which like to kick the hornet’s nest.

“After working in newsrooms over six General Elections, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. It is an incredibly competitive time, but newsrooms love new and fun pictures. Get it right and you can be on your way to a big win.”

Cicero says it’s happy to receive a traditional PR or comms brief, but suggests arranging a “coffee and chat” as a starting point.

Brands looking for free support can reach the agency at [email protected]

The deadline for entries is 15 May.

Funeralbooker appoints first head of PR

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Start-up disruptor brand Funeralbooker has brought in Jo Ganly-Hilaire as its first head of PR and Antoni Swidlicki as content marketing manager.

Jo Ganly-Hilaire

Funeralbooker launched in December 2015. It already has 700 independent funeral directors signed up to be open and transparent about their prices.

In October last year it closed a $975k (£750k) seed round to help accelerate its ambitious strategy for long-term growth and to support the independent funeral market.

Ganly-Hilaire previously headed up PR at uSwitch.com.

In her new role, she will head up PR activity for the “independent and impartial” funeral comparison service.

Ganly-Hilaire will work alongside the company’s newly appointed content marketing manager, Antoni Swidlicki, who was previously a content marketing strategist at Greenlight Digital, where his clients included Currys PC World, Kitbag and Millennium Hotels & Resorts.

The appointments reflect the importance being placed by Funeralbooker on PR and content as “key weapons” in the battle to disrupt a highly traditional market and to win hearts and minds among its core audience of consumers and independent funeral directors.

Ian Strang, CEO of Funeralbooker, said: “These appointments reflect our determination to shake-up the industry and bring about positive change. We want independent funeral directors to enjoy a level-playing field and consumers to get the choice, service and value for money they deserve when booking or planning for a funeral.

“The current script about death needs to be rewritten and educational, informative and impactful communications will play a vital role in helping us to achieve this. Jo and Antoni bring the skills we need to help drive this change and to also set us apart from other disruptors.”

Ganly-Hilaire added: “This is an exciting opportunity to join a new challenger brand that aims to improve peoples’ experience of an industry responsible for handling a crucial event in all of our lives.

“Death is a difficult and emotive subject, but it’s an important conversation to have – it’s the only way people will start to feel empowered to make the right choices for their own needs. It doesn’t matter how much someone does or doesn’t want to spend on a funeral – what we care about is giving them impartial information and support so they can make decisions that work for them and their family.

“In the short-term we intend to use content and PR to champion the use of independent funeral directors and to encourage people to take greater control. In the longer-term we want to shift the dial on death and help people overcome one of the UK’s last great taboos.”

Next 15 launches Project Warhol to fund internal entrepreneurs

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Next 15 has launched Project Warhol, a $2 (£1.6) million fund aimed at helping employees, which includes staff at agencies such as Lexis and Text 100, develop new ideas into viable businesses, products or services by providing them with the investment and support needed to succeed.  

Tim Dyson

Ideas for products, services or businesses must be commercially feasible and appeal to a high percentage of Next 15 clients.

With Project Warhol, Next 15 aims to remain at the forefront of marketing technology innovation, investing in people and ideas that can revolutionise the industry.

Employees with potential ideas are required to submit a description of the concept and how it might work, its viability based on market conditions and the reason they think it deserves support.

The ideas are then submitted to an investment panel made up of Next 15 reviewers, including Next 15 board members and agency representatives, with employees personally presenting their ideas. Successful concepts will be taken through to stage two, where they will be paired with a business mentor in order to develop a comprehensive business plan.

Tim Dyson, CEO at Next 15, said: “Project Warhol will help drive innovation within the Next 15 group, supporting budding entrepreneurs. Along with helping employees to work on projects they’re personally passionate about, the Fund has the potential to help Next 15 as a whole, providing innovative investment opportunities and the chance to help create start-ups with a world-class team of people.

“It’s a win-win situation, with employees able to enjoy the support and resources necessary to develop their ideas, and bring some brilliant new concepts, products and businesses keeping Next 15 agencies at the forefront of marketing technology innovation.”

Eulogy adds Jack McCormick to business services team

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Eulogy has recruited account director Jack McCormick to join its business services division.

Jack McCormick

McCormick will be working with Eulogy clients, including Getty Images and Kantar Worldpanel.

His new role will see him working closely with the business services director Phil Borge and, senior account director, Richard Ware, to support and develop the agency’s creative industries client portfolio.

A Press Association-trained journalist who began his career as a regional news reporter, McCormick moved to 3 Monkeys Zeno before stints at Golin and Propeller. He has handled communications briefs for Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Trinity Mirror and a number of leading creative and digital organisations, providing strategic direction for brands looking to better engage with a business audience.

Phil Borge, director of business services, said: “Jack joins at a time of substantial growth for our whole agency. He brings expertise and passion in equal measure and his experience as both a communications practitioner and a journalist means he perfectly understands and embodies our media intelligence proposition.”

McCormick added: “Eulogy is something of an institution in the industry and is clearly going from strength to strength. Its reputation as an agency that believes in its team, the energy and excitement around recent client wins, and the impressive list of long-standing client relationships made the decision to join an easy one.

“I’ll be supporting that impressive growth – in particular around our media and creative industries portfolio – while soaking up everything I can from some of the most talented comms people in the industry.”

PRCA adds Stephen Waddington as PRCA Fellow

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The PRCA welcomes Ketchum’s partner and chief engagement officer, Stephen Waddington, as its latest fellow.

Stephen Waddington

PRCA Fellowships are awarded to individuals who have made a major contribution to the PR and communications industry. Fellows are entitled to use the designatory letters FPRCA, and are invited to help shape thinking on the future of the industry.

Waddington joined Ketchum in 2015 and remains visiting professor in practice at Newcastle University and is chairman of its Future Proof policy unit.

Having originally trained as a journalist, Waddington chose to pursue a career in public relations, during which time he has co-founded and run two award-winning public relations agencies; Rainier PR in 1998, and Speed in 2009. Also, he was president of the CIPR in 2014, during which time he helped return the organisation to its roots of professionalism as set out in its Royal Charter.

David Gallagher FPRCA, international president for growth and development at Omnicom Public Relations Group and Chairman of the PRCA Fellows, said: “Stephen is a tireless contributor, convener and provocateur on all matters social and digital, spurring efforts to innovate and evolve across the UK communications community. It’s a pleasure to see him added to the roster of PRCA fellows.”

The news follows Waddington being awarded the Outstanding Contribution Award at the PRCA’s Digital Awards earlier this month.