House PR re-appointed for BBC Countryfile Live’s second year

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House PR has been signed up by BBC Countryfile Live to manage a PR campaign around the four-day live event, which made its debut last year.

Pictured LtoR: Countryfile presenters Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison, John Craven, Adam Henson, Matt Baker and Tom Heap

Taking place in the grounds of Blenheim Palace from 3 to 6 August, the event showcases the best of the British countryside and offers live arena shows, hands-on activities, animal displays, debates, food and drink, and retail.

House PR was appointed without a pitch after the success of its campaign for the 2016 event, which, it says, drove a “huge volume of ticket sales”.

The new brief is to both drive sales for Countryfile Live and handle all event media output across broadcast, national and local outlets.

Working closely with the event organisers, House PR plans to enhance the value of having household name presenters at the show with John Craven, Matt Baker, Adam Henson, Tom Heap, Anita Rani, Ellie Harrison and Charlotte Smith due to attend.

The event is produced by SME London Ltd under licence from BBC Worldwide.

Tom Clarkson, SME’s marketing director, said: “Having worked with House PR for the inaugural event last August, we’re delighted to be working with them again. While last year our focus was very much on announcing the event with a bang, our aim this year will be to take Countryfile Live to the next level by cementing it as Britain’s best day out in the countryside for all the family.”

Ginny Paton, MD of House PR, added: “House PR has a long history in supporting successful live events. We know how to squeeze every last bit of collateral out of a show or an event. It’s a joy to be working once again with such a successful event as Countryfile Live – and to be reappointed based on the results we delivered last year is really gratifying.”

In October 2016, House PR was acquired by W, as part of an ambitious expansion strategy that has already seen the company open offices in Singapore and Amsterdam.

Ian Twinn to retire as ISBA’s director of public affairs

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Ian Twinn, director of public affairs at the not-for-profit membership body for British Advertisers ISBA, will retire after 18 years of service.

Ian Twinn

Phil Smith, director general at ISBA,  said: “For almost two decades, ISBA and our members have benefited from Ian’s tremendous political acumen and nous as well as his serious negotiating skills. Over the years, he has helped us tread a careful path through tricky issues for advertisers such as food, drink and children both at a UK and EU level, showing great leadership and helping us drive the agenda in an increasingly complex landscape.

“ISBA members and staff as well as the whole sector will miss him and wish him every success in this next stage of life”

Ian Twinn added: “I have had an amazing 18 years working for our UK advertisers, helping to steer a path between attacks on advertising and the very real need for responsible, consumer-facing, rules. I have every confidence that ISBA will go from strength to strength in the years to come.”

Why taking ‘calculated risks’ helps brands stand out at trade shows

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At this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) the brands that broke convention were the most successful and achieved most cut-through, according to Hotwire’s UK MD Matt Cross. With insights from Hotwire’s research around the event, Cross highlights what PRs might learn for future event-planning.

Mobile World Congress 2017

Traditionally the conversation at MWC has been dominated by brands such as LG and Samsung launching new products. This year, social media analysis by Hotwire’s Insights and Analytics team shows that the top three most talked about brands at MWC included Nokia, Intel and Huawei – untraditional candidates for leading the conversation at the event.

MWC 2017 received 196,684 mentions on Twitter overall. Nokia received 6,730 Tweets in relation to the event, Intel received 4,420 and Huawei received 3,831.

Cross said: “This year, the whole industry realised that MWC isn’t just about mobile anymore. No one is surprised by major mobile manufacturers’ presentation so the conversation took a different turn.

“Samsung decided not to launch its new phone during the conference, and that may have been a good decision as most of the attention wouldn’t have been on them as everyone was excited by key trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G.”

Successful brands incorporated lateral discussions

The top trending topics around the event didn’t include launches. In order, the top trending included IoT (16,927 Tweets), 5G (10,285 Tweets), Mobile (6,036 Tweets), Robotic cars (2,999 Tweets) and AI (2,337 Tweets).

“Leading the conversation around 5G worked well for Huawei and Intel. The technology has been on the agenda for a long time, but 2017 was the year 5G stepped out of just being something the industry talks about and both those brands were pioneering the conversation around how it will actually benefit us on a daily basis,” said Cross.

He added: “Both Intel and Huawei were aware that the conversation around 5G was developed enough for people to really understand its potential impact and launched products to show the technology in practice. The timing was perfect, reinforced by the fact the chancellor announced a 5G strategy in the Spring Budget this month, showing that when it comes to 5G everyone is putting their money where their mouth is.”

Nokia reigned supreme by tapping into human emotions

By far, the conversation was led across media and social by Nokia after it re-launched its retro product the 3310.

Cross said: “The key to success is to know who your audience is and what they are looking for. Nokia emerged as king as we were all reminded why we used to love it. The decision to launch the Nokia 3310 with a great sense of nostalgia, meant they were one of the biggest names from the conference this year, pushing the usual future-gazing gimmicks to the bottom of the pile.”

For future events, Cross advises: “It isn’t just about product announcements anymore, there will be opportunities for PRs to use the conference to lead industry conversations around related by new topics. Thinking about Nokia’s nostalgia strategy, it’s clear that in 2018 PRs should be looking to take calculated risks and tap into human emotions, needs and wants to ensure they don’t blend into the background.”

  • Matt Cross is Managing Director of Hotwire UK and is responsible for strategic leadership and client counsel it gives business-to-business and consumer clients.

Simpatico PR expands into US with account win

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Simpatico PR has won Adloox, an anti-advertising fraud technology company, as it launches a US practice in New York. Dori Pasternak-Busell will lead Simpatico’s US business.

Patrick Barrett

With previous roles, including an in-house position at Visa and agency-side roles at MWW Group and Ogilvy, Pasternak-Busell has more than 15 years of experience across B2B and consumer public relations.

Adloox has appointed Simpatico PR to handle its US and UK media relations and content development. Simpatico PR will implement a strategic thought leadership programme for Adloox to increase its media visibility in the US market.

Working with media agencies and publishers, Adloox offers brand safety, ad fraud and viewability data analysis and protection in the digital market.

Marco Ricci, CEO at Adloox, said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Simpatico PR in the UK. In a very short time they’ve helped us to make a real impact in the market, so it made absolute sense to expand the programme they’ve developed for us to the US as well. I look forward to all of the great coverage they will drive for us in the market.”

Simpatico PR was founded by former Media Week UK editor Patrick Barrett in 2012. It works with clients spanning media, marketing, design and advertising technology, and operates in international markets across EMEA and APAC.

Barrett added: “We’re thrilled to be extending our agency offering to the US and to be working with Adloox as one of the practice’s founding clients. We look forward to combining our wealth of expertise with Dori to deliver a truly effective approach to business media relations and content creation.”

  • Simpatico’s MD Patrick Barrett took part in a recent Gorkana webinar on the rise of earned media. Listen and read about it here.

Simon Darby joins PLMR executive team

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Simon Darby has been hired as a senior account director at Westminster and Edinburgh-based communications agency PLMR, and will head up one of the company’s core consultancy teams.

Simon Darby

Darby joins from WA – formerly Westminster Advisers. He has spent seven years in the public affairs industry, working across sectors including housing and regeneration, consumer affairs and tax and employee benefits.

Elin de Zoete, managing director at PLMR, said: “As PLMR continues to grow, we are always looking to find talented consultants who share our ethos, to join our team. Simon was a standout candidate and he will bring valuable experience and insight to our clients. We are so pleased to have him on board.”

Darby added: “I’m hugely excited to be joining PLMR at a time when the political environment is so fast-moving and changeable. PLMR is an agency with a reputation for delivering the highest quality of work for clients and I look forward to contributing to its ongoing success.”

British leather brand Smith & Canova hires Bright Light PR

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Bright Light PR has been chosen to handle the PR for British heritage leather and accessories brand Smith & Canova.

Smith & Canova

Bright Light PR will raise the profile of the story behind the Smith & Canova brand. It began in a leather repairs shop in Leeds, founded by David Smith Senior in 1910.

Three generations of leathercraft and nearly 100 years later, his grandson, David Smith Junior, founded the brand in 1995 drawing from his family history in leather-crafted goods.

Paige Mengers, MD of Bright Light PR, said: “We are delighted to be working with Smith & Canova. Its ranges of contemporary and tech-friendly designs are breaking new ground in the British heritage market, and we are so pleased to be a part of the adventure.

“This is a really exciting opportunity for Bright Light to utilise our extensive know-how in both the luxury and digital sectors to position the brand at the forefront of rich and cultural British design, where it has always belonged.”

Canadian coffee shop Tim Hortons hands UK brief to Spider PR

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Spider PR has been handed a six-figure PR and social media brief by Tim Hortons, as the Canadian coffee shop chain launches in the UK this Spring.

Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons currently has nearly 4,500 cafe and bake shops across Canada, and claims that 60% of all Canadians visit a Tim Hortons at least once a week.

The six-figure campaign kicks off with the launch of a Glasgow café, followed by an ongoing roll out across the UK. Spider PR will target national and regional newspapers, consumer magazines, online, trade and broadcast media.

The agency won the account following a four way pitch led by Neil Littler, chief marketing officer for Tim Hortons UK & Ireland.

The account will be led by Spider PR’s director of lifestyle, Clemmie Mason-Pearson, director of social and digital, Rebecca Holmes, and account director of corporate, Thom Walton.

Sara Pearson, CEO of Spider, said: “This is right in our sweet spot and we are delighted to be awarded the contract to make Tim Hortons every bit as successful in the UK as it is in the rest of the world.”

Snell Advanced Media appoints Bubble & Squeak

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Bubble & Squeak will handle communications for Snell Advanced Media (SAM), which designs and develops solutions for the media production market.

Kula Production Switcher

Broadcast PR agency Bubble & Squeak will provide integrated communications services and support for major tradeshows to assist with positioning SAM as a technology and thought leader.

Kevin O’Meara, head of marketing communications at SAM, said: “We were looking for a partner that had the combination of communications expertise, industry and technology know-how and strong relationships within our market to work with us on the next phases of our development.

“Bubble & Squeak also had first-hand experience of helping clients to launch new products into the market, which will be invaluable as we continue to develop our portfolio of innovative new solutions.”

Sadie Groom, managing director at Bubble & Squeak, added: “With a strong heritage and recognisable brand, we are looking forward to reinforcing SAM’s message in the broadcast industry.”

SAM provides broadcasters, content owners and service providers with future-ready systems and smart, agile technology that maximises efficiency and productivity.

tpf wins PR brief for Book People

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Direct bookseller Book People has appointed independent comms agency tpf on a 12-month retained contract, following a three-way pitch.

Book People

Book People, which launched in 1988, aims to make shopping for books “enjoyable and convenient” through its website, local distributors, mail-order catalogue and events.

tpf will manage Book People’s press office, media and brand partnerships through a number of integrated campaigns and initiatives under the new agreement, which will run until March 2018.

Catrin Evans, marketing and ecommerce director at Book People, said: “We were impressed by tpf’s fresh perspective, outstanding creativity and credentials. We look forward to working with them to spread the joy of reading books to millions of people of all ages, throughout the UK.”

Nick Goodmaker, director at tpf, added: “We’re thrilled to have secured a new and exciting client in Book People. We have some great campaigns lined up which will celebrate books and drive awareness of the brand – we can’t wait to get started.”

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