Radioactive PR promotes “the world’s first fully automated Instagram scheduler”

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Hopper, “the world’s first fully automated Instagram scheduler”, which allows social media professionals and users to automatically schedule and post on the social network, has appointed consumer PR agency Radioactive PR to launch the app and raise awareness of the service.

Hopper co-founders Mike Bandar and James Vardy

Hopper allows social media marketers and individuals to schedule posts that will be automatically posted on Instagram. The UK-based company believes it has already saved users more than 35,000 hours in the year.

So far, more than 2,000 customers have signed up to use Hopper.

Radioactive PR has been briefed to highlight the time and cost savings Hopper can generate for its customers – an estimated £32 million a year for marketing agencies, according to the agency.

Mike Bandar (pictured left), co-founder of Hopper, said: “We chose Radioactive because, with its tech start-up PR experience, it understands the market we are working in and media we want to be seen in. Hopper already has thousands of customers across the world because there’s a genuine need for it, through working with Radioactive PR, we hope to raise awareness of our service and the app so no more time is wasted!”

Radioactive PR’s founder, Rich Leigh, who legally changed his name to Mr Public Relations after losing a bet to a friend earlier this year, said: “I believe Hopper is going to make many more people’s lives easier. I know many who begrudgingly have to post out-of-hours for clients, but with Hopper that inconvenience is done away with.

“It has filled a serious gap in the market, especially as more and more brands are developing an Instagram presence. We’re looking forward to building Hopper’s brand awareness and establishing the service as a must-have social media tool.”

Yesterday, Instagram announced that users could now share multiple photos and videos in one post.

A blog post from the social media platform said: “With this update, you no longer have to choose the single best photo or video from an experience you want to remember. Now, you can combine up to 10 photos and videos in one post and swipe through to see them all.

The Romans duo wins UK’s Young PR Lions competition

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The Romans’ Ottilie Ratcliffe and Jack Davy have won the 2017 UK Young Lions PR competition for their ‘#TOMHARDYLIVE’ campaign for the British Heart Foundation. The duo will now go on to represent the UK at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June.

Jack Davy and Ottilie Ratcliffe

This year’s UK competition, handled by the PRCA and supported by the ICCO, saw 69 entries from teams of two under the age of 30 respond to a brief from the British Heart Foundation, which performed as the ‘client’.

Each team then had 24 hours to create a creative and effective campaign.

The judges said Ratcliffe and Davy’s campaign idea showed clarity and that the team had terrific confidence in presenting. Judges went on to say that they handled the Q&A well and had ‘the wow factor’.

Ratcliffe said: “The British Heart Foundation’s brief was a seriously challenging one: convey the sudden devastation heart attacks cause and make people sit up and think this could happen to me, any time, anywhere.

“Our solution: a stage-managed moment with huge shock value resulting in the apparent death of a major Hollywood actor. It’s fair to say we were a little nervous about how the client would respond.”

Davy added: “The reason Ottilie and I love PR is because of the creative freedom it offers – we’d hate to be confined by the restrictions of a 30 second TV spot.

“We’re hugely grateful to the PRCA and ICCO for giving us this opportunity and honoured to be representing the UK PR industry in Cannes.”

Ratclfife and Davy will go on to represent The Romans at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June to compete against representatives from more than 30 countries.

For the first time, the PRCA also awarded silver and bronze accolades. Winning silver was Weber Shandwick’s Asad Dhunna and Sarita Shah for their ‘British South Asians – Be More Randeep’ campaign. Imogen Nation and Tom Rouse from Hotwire took bronze for their ‘Dying on Stage’ campaign.

Francis Ingham, director general at the PRCA, said: “It is a great pleasure to announce Ottilie and Jack as the winners of this year’s UK Young Lions PR Competition. The team demonstrated a great amount of creativity with their campaign and should be very proud of their work. We wish them the best of luck in Cannes.”

Last year, Hotwire’s Matt Watson and Paul Stollery won the 2016 UK Young Lions PR competition for their ‘ChildLine Takeover’ campaign idea, which outlined a partnership with TFL to conduct a one day tube line takeover, rebranding the Victoria line to the Child line.

Middle East-focused investment firm chooses Yellow Jersey PR

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Yellow Jersey PR has been appointed as the retained communications adviser to Indigo Holdings, having supported the company’s NEX Exchange IPO.

Charles Goodwin, Yellow Jersey director,  is leading the account, supported by account manager Joe Burgess and account executive Katie Bairsto.

Indigo, which is targeting investment opportunities across the Middle East’s frontier markets, is initially concentrating on the e-commerce sector. It has just completed its first investment in Iranian car ride-sharing app Carvanro.

Goodwin said: “Indigo is providing investors with a rather unique chance to capitalise on the thriving number of start-ups looking to service the Middle East’s growing consumer market. It’s fantastic for Yellow Jersey to be involved with such an exciting story and we look forward to helping Indigo build its brand awareness.”

ESPGHAN appoints Spink for children’s healthcare congress

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The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) has appointed healthcare specialist Spink to manage communications for its 50th Annual Congress.

The ESPGHAN Annual Congress, which will be held in Prague in May 2017, attracts opinion leaders in the field from across Europe.

Spink will handle relations with the medical and trade press and run an on-site and online press office and social media campaign to highlight key content from the congress.

Jo Spink, director at the agency, says: “Paediatric digestive health receives limited exposure and is under-funded so we are looking forward to the opportunity of using our experience and expertise to strengthen ESPGHAN’s communications and presence in Europe, reaching out to a wider audience and extending their political influence.”

The PR Office appointed by Partnerships for Jewish Schools

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The PR Office has been appointed by Partnerships for Jewish Schools (PaJes), the largest support network for Jewish schools in the UK.

Shimon Cohen

The PR Office will focus on a media relations programme to raise the profile of PaJeS and Rabbi David Meyer, its executive director, as the thought leader on matters related to Jewish schools and education.

Rabbi David Meyer, executive director at PaJes, said: “The issues facing the Jewish community and our schools are increasingly more complex. Through our partnership with The PR Office, PaJeS can ensure it is kept updated of any developments, and that it communicates the needs of our community in an effective and positive manner.”

Shimon Cohen, chairman at The PR Office, added: “Our objective is to showcase the important work PaJes is doing for Jewish schools, as well as support it with the current challenges facing the faith schools’ sector.”

PaJes seeks to identify the areas in which Jewish schools can work together, and provide them with high quality support, services and strategy to help them achieve their goals. It works with over 100 Jewish primary and secondary schools across the UK, and its curriculum materials are taught in more than 50 schools.

Grayling promotes Joseph Zeratzion

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Grayling has promoted Joseph Zeratzion as people and development director for the UK and Ireland.

Joseph Zeratzion

Zeratzion will lead Grayling’s talent strategy, with responsibility for the learning and development of all employees. He will look to further develop a “competency and progression framework” to support and reward Grayling team members.

Zeratzion was previously EMEA learning and development manager at Grayling. Before that, he was learning and development business partner at News UK.

Sarah Scholefield, Grayling MD,  said: “We recognise that our people are our most important assets. We want to reciprocate their efforts and dedication by encouraging the development and growth of all team members across our UK network.

“Joseph’s appointment comes at a crucial time for Grayling, as we embark on a new phase in our evolution, and are actively recruiting to service our increasing client base. We want to reinforce our commitment to our talent by placing them at the heart of our business.”

Zeratzion added: “Grayling already understands the importance of managing, developing and rewarding team members. As part of our talent strategy, I will be looking to build on these foundations to create a culture that allows people to excel and grow.

“This not only benefits our clients through the work that we do, but is also a great opportunity to build on Grayling’s reputation as an employer of choice, both in and outside the communications industry.”

Fourth Day partners with getcleantech.com

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Fourth Day has been appointed to help Canadian company getcleantech.com raise its international profile.

Danny Stephens

Aggregating information from the clean technology industry, getcleantech.com helps accelerate project adoption and financing, and matches professionals to projects in their field. Fourth Day is tasked to improve its reach within Europe’s clean energy industry.

As part of this, Fourth Day has entered into a strategic partnership with Actual Media, a Toronto-based communications and publications house with a particular focus on the infrastructure, water industry and environment sectors.

Susan Sheehan, founder of getcleantech.com, said: “Europe, and Germany in particular, is a critical market for environmental technology and developing a good connection to Europe is a crucial part of our strategy.

“A boutique company like Fourth Day, with its flexibility and international presence, is an ideal fit as we start our own process of expansion. The synergies created – from the two companies’ relative sizes and strategies – should ensure that we enjoy a good understanding and successful collaboration.”

Fourth Day is an independent PR consultancy with offices in London, Manchester, Paris, Berlin and Casablanca, supported by a network of partners worldwide

Danny Stephens, director of Fourth Day’s Berlin office, added: “We have been looking to expand our presence further in North America as the next step in Fourth Day’s strategic expansion. To be fortunate enough not only to get a partner with the credentials and standing of Actual Media, but also to find such an interesting project as getcleantech.com, in as exciting an industry as environmental technology, is a tremendous fillip.”

Lexis promotes UK business potential with the Commonwealth

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Lexis has been named as the official marketing and comms partner for Maritime Connects, an initiative which aims to drive economic growth,  job creation and prosperity throughout the Commonwealth.

Lexis MD Dominic Shales

The Maritime Connects initiative, which is spearheaded by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) and developed by AMPP Group, looks to accelerate and assist the growth of UK exports and investment across the 52 Commonwealth markets, which, with a combined GDP of $10.4 trillion (£8.3 trillion), represent a third of the world’s population.

Lexis will offer companies marketing advice, as well as a suite of services across the marketing cycle, from market-sizing and scoping through to business planning, strategy and implementation of campaigns in-market.

It kicked off activity today (22 February) with the publication of independent research indicating that the Commonwealth is significantly more open to UK trade than with other countries, with UK goods and services regarded as the most popular imports ahead of the US, Germany, Japan, China and France.

At an event at the House of Commons today, research is released, which polled 1000 consumers from Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, India and Canada, that will suggest that the Commonwealth presents a timely opportunity for ambitious UK exporters seeking to grow their businesses internationally.

Almost three quarters of respondents (72%) overall feel they have more shared cultural values with the UK than with any other countries in Europe, while 84% of Indian respondents share this opinion.

The majority of respondents feel positive about the future of their country’s relationship with the UK, with 59% thinking the relationship will be ‘stronger’ by 2020.

Dominic Shales, Lexis MD, said: “Increasing trade with other Commonwealth countries is a huge opportunity for UK businesses. There is a clear appetite for British products and services in the largest Commonwealth markets and this growth is what Maritime Connects aims to facilitate.

“Lexis is going to be advising businesses which sign up to Maritime Connects on all aspects of marketing and communications and it’s exciting to be part of such an important project for the future growth of the UK.”

Anthony Martin, Maritime Connects’ programme director, added: “AMPP Group is delighted to be working with Lexis on the Commonwealth’s ‘Maritime Connects’ initiative. Lexis was selected as a commercial partner to the initiative on the basis of their ability to deliver integrated PR and digital marketing campaigns for innovative, fast growth UK businesses.”

Five reasons PR has an edge in content creation

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Five PR agencies, which took part in a recent Content Marketing Association (CMA) round-table, explain why having PR at the core of their business has helped them become successful in content.

The PR industry is showing an increased interest in content. Just last year, three PR agencies won awards at CMA’s International Content Marketing Awards, showing an increasing step towards more integrated services.

Clare Hill, CMA’s MD, says PRs are more frequently looking to expand this part of their business offering: “We are constantly having conversations with PR agencies who want to know more about content marketing and how we approach it.”

Five experts – from Clarity, Bell Pottinger, Hill+Knowlton, Kaizo and MWW – explain how PR gives an edge in content:

1. Subtlety
Sara Collinge, MD at Clarity, says PR pros understand the level of subtlety that’s required to create engaging and audience-relevant content that also meets a client’s broader marketing objectives.

“Too often you see content that is advertorial in nature. Our skills in understanding the client’s messaging in addition to their key business gives us a unique perspective,” she continues.

2. Storytelling
PR agencies have always been good at storytelling in a way that resonates with specific audiences, according to Victoria Naylor Leyland, head of creative and content at Bell Pottinger.

“Now we are in the position to use this ability in a wider variety of mediums and support the core message with a distribution strategy ensuring we’re getting in front of the right people on the right platform,” she adds.

3. Influencer relationships
The best PR agencies understand the need of the influencer, according to Adam Hartley, head of editorial at Kaizo. Whether they are a journalist, editor, magazine, website or a blogger, PRs are accustomed to marrying clients’ needs and desires – to get premium coverage with clear messaging out to the right people – with the needs and desires of a journalist – to create stories that are newsworthy, memorable, exclusive and shareable.

“Content is key to making this work. Certainly, in Kaizo’s field of expertise, we find that the best consumer and B2B tech PRs think and act like editors and journalists,” he adds.

4. Understanding the client
Paddy Herridge, UK managing director at MWW PR, says: “Great content production has always been a central part of what PR agencies do. If you add onto that the deep understanding of our clients, their businesses, their media and their audiences, then you have the necessary tools to create effective and impactful content marketing strategies.”

5. Insight
Alex Silcox, managing director of internal creative services at Hill+Knowlton, says the agency has a ‘robust and insight-driven’ ideation process which helps ensure everyone, whether they are PR managers, strategists, film makers, writers, designers or crisis managers, understand why an idea or creative route is strong and can explain it.

Silcox adds: “We have a behavioural science discipline and our business is organised into sector specialism. That deep sector expertise and scientific insight into consumer behaviour are just two ways we feel our content offer benefits in a unique way.

“For example, if I’m planning a content programme for a renewable energy company I have 25 energy sector experts as colleagues…that’s a distinct advantage.”

Nava Finance appoints MRM

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Nava Finance has appointed financial communications agency MRM as it launches a consumer lending platform.

Mark Pearson

After securing FCA approval last month, the new platform will be launched in early Q2 2017. MRM will help to raise brand awareness among consumers and institutional investors.

Mark Pearson, CMO at Nava Finance, said: “MRM’s financial services experience, which spans both the consumer and the corporate sphere, means it is well-positioned to help Nava build its profile among key stakeholders.

“The team’s enthusiasm for the brief and understanding and knowledge of the sector were key factors in our decision to partner with MRM. We look forward to working together to deliver an effective integrated PR and marketing campaign that helps to establish Nava as a leading provider of unsecured personal loans in the UK.”

Reporting to Pearson, MRM is working closely with the company’s co-founders and senior team to develop initiatives that raise brand awareness and deliver multi-channel communications campaigns, targeting both mainstream consumers and institutional investors.

The PR and digital activity conducted by MRM forms part of a wider multi-channel marketing and communications campaign, which includes social marketing and digital marketing at the outset before broadening to other non-digital media channels.

Chris Tuite, associate director at MRM, added: “Nava is committed to serving the more than five million mainstream potential borrowers who are unable to borrow on reasonable terms, or borrow at all, due to the strict lending criteria of traditional high street banks or penal rates of other short-term specialist lenders. The proposition is exciting and disruptive and the communications brief reflects that.”

MRM was recently appointed by asset manager RWC Partners.