Ministry of Sound appoints Smarts Communicate to launch fitness offering

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Smarts Communicate has been appointed to launch ‘Ministry Does Fitness’, a new fitness offering from Ministry of Sound.

Smarts’ London office will coordinate a programme of local and national activity to launch the offering including influencer outreach, social and media relations. The agency looks to break into the London fitness scene with its ‘Be Good to Be Bad’ campaign.

The agency won the account following a competitive pitch and will initially launch the first gym – The Arches – this month. The Arches will be based in London’s Elephant & Castle inside the club’s ‘previously hidden booze vault’.

Olivia Brafman, general manager at Ministry Does Fitness, said: “It was important to work with an agency that really understood the Ministry Does Fitness brand and our new take on the industry. Ministry of Sound has always been provocative and unexpected and Ministry Does Fitness is no different. We were so impressed with Smarts’ strategic approach as well as its brave creative ideas so the appointment was a no brainer.”

Helen Rainford, managing partner at Smarts, said: “We are loving working with Ministry Does Fitness. We share its no-nonsense approach and are excited by its ambition to subvert the ‘gym selfie’ culture that currently dominates the fitness industry.”

PLMR to lead on public affairs brief for Gumtree

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Westminster and Edinburgh-based communications consultancy PLMR has been appointed to lead a programme of public affairs activity for Gumtree UK.

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Fergus Campbell

According to PLMR, classifieds site Gumtree, which is owned by eBay, is visited by more than 36% of the UK’s internet population each month, and has approximately two million classified advertisements live on its platform at any given time.

The scale of its operation has provided Gumtree with insights into the way that people trade online. PLMR will work alongside Red Consultancy and social agency 1000heads to engage decision makers and stakeholders with the insights deduced from Gumtree’s data.

Fergus Campbell, head of public affairs in the UK at Gumtree, said: “PLMR is a natural fit for Gumtree as we raise our public affairs profile. It has a track record of delivering award-winning public affairs work for its clients, and its specialism in the sharing economy is strong. I am delighted to be working with the team and look forward to achieving great results together.”

Kevin Craig, CEO at PLMR, added: “Gumtree has such a positive story to tell, beginning as a London start-up and growing into a peer-to-peer marketplace that is used by so many of us. Gumtree understands the responsibility it has around trust and safety online and this programme of activity is a clear demonstration of that.”

 

Remy Le Fèvre joins Ogilvy PR as creative director

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Ogilvy PR UK has appointed Diffusion PR’s Remy Le Fèvre as creative director. He will work across several Ogilvy PR clients, including Bacardi, YouTube, Huawei, Puma and Ford.

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Remy Le Fèvre

Le Fèvre’s previous role at Diffusion PR saw him integrate the agency’s global strategy and lead its consumer PR offer.

Previously, he worked at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

In his role at Ogilvy PR UK, Le Fèvre has been briefed to drive greater creative integration across the Ogilvy Group.

He will report to Serge Vaezi, UK and EMEA chief strategy and creative officer at Ogilvy PR.

Vaezi said: “Remy has an outstanding pedigree and reputation. He shares our vision for the Strategic-Creative team approach pioneered at Ogilvy PR, a partnership and collaboration rather than a ‘pass the baton’ approach. I am delighted by his addition to our team and how his creativity and instinct for culture will enrich how we make brands matter.”

Le Fèvre said: “The infrastructure, diversity of expertise and resources that Ogilvy UK has makes it the perfect environment for creative collaboration. It’s a culture where all voices are heard and exceptional work is consistently produced.

“A dedicated focus on collaboration defines the best agencies in our industry and I’m looking forward to working with brilliant people throughout the group to deliver work that makes our clients’ brands, truly matter.”

Racepoint Global president Peter Prodromou becomes CEO

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Racepoint Global has announced that Peter Prodromou, the company’s president since 2013, will assume the role of CEO. Larry Weber, who founded the firm in 2004, is to take on the title of founder and chairman.

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Peter Prodromou

Prodromou has been part of Racepoint Global, which has its European HQ in London, since it was founded in 2004. He has served in several roles, including as the first head of its Boston office, where he created its public affairs offer.

He also opened its Washington office, started Racepoint Global’s country affairs practice and was chief global accounts officer.

Prodromou became president in 2013 when the company merged its sister company, Digital Influence Group – a social media marketing firm – into the Racepoint brand.

He also helped launch FieldFacts, an influencer marketing tool for Racepoint Global customers, and expanded the agency’s China footprint to include a Shenzhen office, which will open later this month.

Before Racepoint Global, Prodromou worked with Weber Shandwick for several years at the industry’s tech PR agency, The Weber Group.

Prodromou was also a partner in an advertising agency and before that, spent several years as part of a deal origination group at Lehman Brothers affiliate, The Boston Company Advisors.

As well as his new role as CEO, Prodromou will retain the title of president at Racepoint Global.

The agency says these moves are part of an overall strategy to double the agency’s revenue and expand its footprint over the next five years.

Larry Weber, Racepoint Global’s founder and chairman, said: “In 2013, I asked Peter to take the role of president and help me rationalise our terrific service offer into something unique to the industry. With his guidance and partnership, we have grown the organisation by one-third as measured in revenue and increased our profits significantly.

“His ability to translate my vision into action, along with his own ability to intuit the future of the industry, has been a critical asset underpinning our great growth.”

Prodromou added: “My time with Larry Weber and the Racepoint family has been dynamic, thrilling and constantly fresh. We share a rare symbiotic vision and approach that reflects what the industry needs and clients want.

“Our ability to execute on this has fortified growth and profitability that exceeds industry norms. We expect that as Larry focuses on increased thought leadership and I on growth strategies, we will continue to beat our peers and be a leader.”

Chris Calland rejoins Hanover

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Chris Calland has rejoined corporate and public affairs consultancy Hanover as part of the leadership team for its corporate practice.

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Chris Calland

He previously worked as a senior account director at Hanover for three years, before joining Freud Communications in June 2016.

Gavin Megaw, managing director, corporate and brand at Hanover, said: “Chris was a great loss to the agency, so we are delighted to get him back as we expand our breadth and depth.

“Our aim is to build the pre-eminent corporate practice for organisations looking to build their profile and successfully navigate major operational and reputational challenges.”

Calland is co-chair of the PRCA’s Crisis Group, and a member of its PR & Communications Council.

PR Case Study: The Real Mr Darcy

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TV channel Drama wanted to create a PR campaign to promote its Jane Austen season, which would launch on 12 February. To fire up media attention, UKTV’s in-house PR team, in partnership with Taylor Herring, decided to find out what Jane Austen’s beloved character, Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, really would have looked like…and there’s not a Colin Firth look-a-like in sight!

The “real” Mr. Darcy, by artist Nick Hardcastle

Campaign: The Real Mr Darcy
Client: UKTV – Drama
PR Team: Taylor Herring
Timing: February 2017

Objectives

The objective of the campaign was to come up with an exciting, sharable story that would generate news coverage and engage the general public, creating a topical conversational point and drawing attention to the key messaging of Jane Austen season with TX details encouraging viewers to tune-in to the season programming and to catch-up via UKTV Play.

Strategy

The campaign involved commissioning two leading academics, Professors John Sutherland and Amanda Vickery, to uncover what Mr Darcy would have really looked like when Austen was writing Pride and Prejudice. The academic team then worked closely with illustrator Nick Hardcastle to bring to life the research in the first historically accurate portrait.

A video was created to be released alongside the news story, featuring behind the scenes of the illustration process, interviews with spokespeople and the key findings from the academic research. The video was devised to amplify the research news story and imagery for online media, as well as to ensure crediting back to Drama and UKTV Play.

The illustrations and video were released to national media the week ahead of Jane Austen season starting on Drama, in order to draw attention to the launch and programme schedule.

Results

The campaign took off like wildfire, with over 400 pieces of coverage across the campaign, which linked back to Drama’s Jane Austen season and included broadcast details.

The story trended on Twitter and Facebook and included several ‘Twitter moments’ as fans of Mr Darcy were shell-shocked to discover what a historically accurate Mr Darcy would have looked like.

Coverage included key quotes from our academics linking back to the Jane Austen season and the consumer video was also used widely, alongside delivering key messaging and TX details.

Drama’s Austen season launched up on slot, and UKTV Play experienced its highest ever day for Drama viewership.

Social media timelines were ablaze with the illustrations and video as the news coverage spread internationally, with prolific tweeters such as Mail Online, BBC News and New York Times all tweeting about the research.

It also featured across broadcast outlets, including BBC News, Sky News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 2 and international radio stations.

The creative story trended for the majority of the day on the day of release and totaled an incredible 153 million social impressions.

Coverage breakdown:

• 11 national print pieces
• 16 national online pieces (seven including embedded video)
• 33 consumer online pieces
• 41 regional pieces
• 26 international print/online pieces
• 273 broadcast pieces

  • Got a cracking campaign with impressive results that you’d like to showcase? If so, please email [email protected]

firstlight hires associate director

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Teneo Blue Rubicon’s Sam Bevans  has joined London-based comms consultancy firstlight as an associate director on its corporate team.

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Sam Bevans

Prior to Blue Rubicon, Bevans worked as an associate director at Freud Communications.

Paul Davies, managing director at firstlight, said: “Sam’s arrival adds another senior practitioner to our team and demonstrates our ongoing investment in our offer and our leadership team.”

Bevans brings 15 years of agency experience consulting for healthcare, automotive, financial services, infrastructure, FMCG, technology and utilities brands.

He added: “I’m delighted to join a team of high-calibre, like-minded people, and look forward to helping firstlight grow and develop its offer to the market over the next few years. The agency is at an important stage in its journey and the chance to work with Paul and the team is one I couldn’t pass up.”

Heather Blundell named MD of Weber Shandwick Manchester

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Weber Shandwick has appointed Heather Blundell as MD of its Manchester office. Blundell has been acting MD of the agency’s Manchester office since March 2016 and replaces outgoing MD Jo Leah.

Blundell has been acting MD of Weber Shandwick's Manchester office since March 2016

Heather Blundell

A strategic comms, corporate PR and issues management specialist, Blundell has been promoted into the role having led the agency’s corporate and B2B team to achieve 54% growth last year. Overall the agency grew by 19% in 2016.

Blundell has been acting MD at Weber Shandwick’s Manchester office since March 2016 and replaces outgoing MD Jo Leah, who after nearly two decades with the agency has said she wants to pursue new career opportunities elsewhere.

The agency says that over the past 12 months, Weber Shandwick’s Manchester office has achieved its strongest performance in five years with over £1 million worth of new business and 12 new clients.

Blundell will be supported by a senior management team including consumer marketing lead Anna Varley Jones, corporate B2B lead Amy Hopkinson, creative director Owen LaBeck, and digital lead Carolina Madrid.

Colin Byrne, UK and EMEA CEO at Weber Shandwick, said: “Manchester is a hotbed of creativity and global innovation and our Manchester office embodies this culture. Heather’s extensive experience and leadership skills will enable us to further grow our world-class offering in the city. A million pounds worth of new business is incredibly exciting for the Manchester office and for us as an agency.”

Blundell added: “I am so proud to be part of this incredible team and it is our people that provide the strong foundation for the future. I will be focused on continuing the exponential growth we have experienced in the last 12 months, driving integration between our practices, strengthening our relationships with the creative community and further developing our positive, ambitious and supportive business culture.”

W wins European PR brief for Major League Baseball

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Major League Baseball (MLB) has appointed W to handle its UK and European PR, as the organisation looks to increase its efforts throughout the continent to engage with fans and cultural influencers.

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W’s brief will encompass activating handpicked partnerships (pictured: Jay Z)

W’s wide-ranging PR and social brief will encompass activating handpicked cultural partnerships, planning live events, and other efforts to showcase the sport to existing and new fans.

Working closely with MLB’s UK office, W will create initiatives focused on the MLB brand and its classic team marks over the next 12-months, as part of a multi-year growth strategy for MLB.

W won the account following a competitive pitch.

Charlie Hill, MD of MLB Europe, said: “We were impressed with W from the very first meeting. They instantly understood the job to be done for Major League Baseball in Europe and their strategic and business results-driven mentality makes them an ideal partner for us. We’re looking forward to an exciting and busy 2017 with the W team.”

Richard Tompkins, MD of W, said: “The Major League Baseball brand is one of the most historic and iconic in the world, so it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity for the agency to lead its plans in Europe. The approach will be very different to that of other US sport exports, and allow the agency to combine many of its diverse skills – from influencer to social, events to partnerships – across the UK, France, Germany and Italy.”

Opinion: A joined-up approach is key to creating top B2B campaigns

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Murray Carmichael-Smith, managing partner of integrated marketing agency bcsAgency, explains why he uses a made-up word to sum up success in B2B PR and marketing.

murray-1B2B marketing to me is all about “joined-up-ness”.

It’s a made up word but, to me, it sums up what truly great B2B marketing is all about.

All of the communications your target audiences receive need to be considered, and you need to ensure relevant, resonating messages are delivered consistently. As mobile becomes the default platform for people to view marketing messages on, it is imperative that all strategies reflect this.

Such an approach also lends itself to emails, and encourages marketers to think of more creative ways of getting the right messages to the right people. A succinct subject header – coupled with short, well thought-out copy – works well and appeals to a notoriously time-hungry business community.

Ultimately, I think it’s a very exciting time to be a PR or marketing professional in the B2B sector. I don’t see budgets changing across our client base, but I do see investment increasing in areas of a campaign that outperform others.

One of the ongoing issues we face is achieving cut-through in a fast-paced environment. I understand and adhere to an ongoing need to perform rapidly, but there is absolutely no substitute for having a well thought through, strategic plan to ensure that all messaging resonates.

It’s also important to always ask “why?” And to ensure relevance. Do not be afraid to tell your client if you don’t think something is quite right for the campaign. Sending out content that isn’t relevant will damage your relationship with the media, your target audience and subsequently your clients. In addition, be sure to keep everything iterative, and once you are in deployment, continually review performance and adjust the campaign accordingly.

For example, we recently ran an integrated campaign for one of our clients who are global data providers of vehicle data. The campaign consisted of targeted emails driving to bespoke landing pages, which contained some relevant video content integrated with great PR, social and remarketing.

We performed a soft test on a portion of the database and the final engagement results just weren’t good enough. As a result, we rapidly included a much stronger call to action with a free White Paper, which significantly improved performance.

I see it as an exciting time for the B2B sector. Organisational headcount has been reduced over the last few years, and I’m seeing no signs of HR budget increasing. As a result, our clients are very stretched and time poor, and the obvious fallout of this situation is a need for more of a partnership than a supplier relationship with PR and marketing agencies, as well as a requirement for more involvement, help and support to strategically and tactically guide marketing forward.

• Murray Carmichael-Smith is managing partner of integrated marketing agency bcsAgency. A marketing agency with an international reach, it develops multi-channel, integrated campaigns with sustained engagement that focus on customer acquisition, retention and loyalty. Its current client roster includes The Campaign for Fairer Gambling, British Canoeing, Topps Tiles, Mazars and cap hpi.