PR News in Brief

This week’s PR news in brief (7 – 11 May)

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Catch up on the week’s essential PR news, featuring Mongoose CEO Chris O’Donoghue, a trio of Cultural Comms wins and the ultimate media monitoring buyer’s guide.

2018 State of the Media webinar

Fake news, declining trust in social media, search engines bypassing traditional outlets and more have transformed the media over the past 12 months.

For Cision’s 2018 State of the Media survey, we wanted to discover what these changes mean for PR professionals. So, we polled 1,355 journalists from across the globe on the big issues shaping the industry.

This webinar will explore our key findings – with expert commentary from Jack White, celebrity content director, Now, Women’s Own, Woman, Women’s Weekly and W Communications account director Sean Allen-Moy along with Cheryl Douglas, Cision’s head of media research and jobs.

Douglas will summarise this year’s key takeaways, before passing over to White as he talks about how journalists and PRs can work together to tackle the biggest challenges facing the media today. Then, Allen-Moy will draw on his experience working at Sky News and the BBC to consider what this all means for comms professionals.

Register here to join this webinar

Thought leadership

With the digital transformation of the media industry, there is now an endless trail of content for comms professionals to monitor and report to their stakeholders.

Gathering metrics, analysing the data, tracking against competitors and measuring against business objectives can be more than a full-time job.

That’s where new media monitoring solutions can help – and this digest will provide you with an overview of what an effective media monitoring service should look like for your organisation.

Interviews

Jayna Rana, senior reporter at Investment Week, discusses winning her second AIC Trade Journalist of the Year award, what makes the title unique and how she likes to work with PRs.

Chris O’Donoghue, CEO of Mongoose, elaborates on the agency’s rapid expansion, how sponsorship and PR go together and how a sporting ethos runs throughout the agency.

60 Seconds with Mongoose CEO Chris O'Donoghue

Chris O’Donoghue

Account wins

KK Communications has been appointed to launch the Margarita Loves Cointreau campaign for Cointreau and handle the brand’s Christmas activities. It will also run the press office for fellow Rémy Cointreau brand METAXA.

Royal jewellers Garrard has appointed Cultural Comms to develop its position as a British heritage brand, with a renewed focus on its silverware and trophy expertise.

Cultural Comms has also been appointed to launch the Four Seasons Residences at 10 Trinity Square in London and launch an opera house in Leicestershire for the David Ross Foundation.

The CAN Group has signed influencer Phoenix Brown, the daughter of Spice Girl Mel B, to its roster. The agency will represent Brown on a number of upcoming projects.

Phoenix Brown

Hudson Healthcare, a family-owned group of care homes, has handed a combined media relations, digital marketing, and stakeholder engagement brief to The PR Office.

Premium organic baby and toddler brand Little Freddie has selected Aduro Communications as its strategic comms lead.

Skincare brand Jan Marini has appointed RKM Communications to manage its UK social media platforms and community management.

MS International Federation has appointed Spider to handle communications for its annual Kiss Goodbye to MS campaign.

Luxury womenswear designer Geoffrey Sas has appointed Kay Flawless PR to represent his fashion label ahead of its spring/summer 19 launch during London Fashion Week.

Fitness brand Slendertone has appointed Mongoose to handle its brand activations and launch its latest line of abdominal toning devices in the UK.

Hair care brand Virtue has appointed Kilpatrick PR to represent it in the UK.

Camron PR is now representing Biennal Interieur, an international design exhibition that will take place in Belgium in October.

People news

Edelman has hired Andrew Wilson as executive director, purpose and Mark McGinn as director, brand and social purpose.

Edelman enhances its brand purpose offer with two new hires

Edelman executive director, purpose, Andrew Wilson

Haggie Partners has appointed of Nick Ravenscroft, a former BBC, ITN and Sky correspondent, as a director in its PR division.

Allison+Partners has appointed Harry Ronaldson as vice president, with a brief to grow the agency’s B2B offering. Katie Rispin has also joined Allison+Partners as senior account director.

Health sector support body Medilink North of England has hired Mary Hickey as senior PR director.

Agency news

BECG, the UK’s largest Built Environment specialist communications agency, has launched in the East of England. BECG director Ally Kennedy will lead the new regional division.

Allison+Partners has entered a strategic partnership with UK-based talent and influencer agency Beyond to enhance its consumer capabilities.

LEWIS has launched a 3D animation service in the UK, enabling it to provide clients with VR and augmented reality-based marketing solutions.

PRCA news

The PRCA has entered into an agreement with the Marketing Agencies Action Group to share back office services including office space, IT services, event management, web development, social media support and accounting services.

It has also appointed Steve Dunne as its latest Fellow. Dunne is currently CEO of Digital Drums, a digital marketing strategy consultancy.

Taylor Wimpey Central London extends PR team

Taylor Wimpey Central London extends PR team

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Taylor Wimpey Central London has appointed property comms specialist Debbie Standen as head of PR and marketing.

Standen will head up Taylor Wimpey’s Central London global PR and marketing efforts to promote the division’s brand and property portfolio.

She joins from Luchford, where she headed up the agency’s property and real estate division. She brings 12 years of agency experience in property and real estate sectors, having worked with the likes of St James and St William, Berkeley, Capital & Counties (Capco), Knight Dragon’s Greenwich Peninsula, CIT, Avanton and Lendlease.

Standen said: “I am excited by both the challenge and opportunity this role represents. After 12 years in agency, specialising in property, I am keen to bring my expertise, contacts and experience client-side and develop a truly exemplary PR and marketing function within the sector.”

Christian Anderson-Ramshall joins Manifest to lead The O Collective

Christian Anderson-Ramshall joins Manifest to lead The O Collective

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Manifest has appointed Christian Anderson-Ramshall to lead its in-house content division, The O Collective.

Anderson-Ramshall is tasked with growing the agency’s creative production team to meet global client demand. He will also be responsible for integrating Manifest’s proprietary influencer network, Roger, into the creative production process and building O’s own global strategic partnerships outside of Manifest’s network.

He joins from Virgin, where he spent four years as head of digital production, working directly with Richard Branson to produce video and content-led campaigns. Prior to joining Virgin, he spent two years as an executive producer at Google’s in-house production team.

Alex Myers, group CEO at Manifest, said: “O’s continued growth – in terms of both sales and reputation – means we’re at an exciting point in the brand’s evolution. We’re confident Christian’s vast experience and excellence creative pedigree can take our content offering to the next level as the Manifest group continues to expand internationally.”

Anderson-Ramshall added: “Manifest is a leading light in the delivery of creative content across the board, and The O Collective is fast becoming known as the market leader in intelligent creative content across digital channels. As the agency grows its global footprint there’s a huge range of creative opportunities and it’s exciting to be joining the team.”

Opinion: Why you need to challenge your client

Opinion: Why you need to challenge your client

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David Morgan, executive chairman of The Mission Marketing Group, discusses why it’s sometimes important to push back against some client demands.

The best way for clients and agencies to work together is through listening to, and utilising, each other’s strengths. The client knows its business and their sector best, while the agency knows (or should know) what’s going to resonate most in the media and other external forums.

Getting the interaction and combination right can lead to some wonderful successes as a campaign takes off and a client begins to feel the benefits.

But what happens when a client is hell-bent on a certain campaign or story that the agency is doubtful of? We’ve probably all seen the scenario of an agency going through the motions on a campaign they don’t really believe in. It can be hard to excel when you don’t believe in an idea.

At best, the results will be average. But at worst, the client’s brand could suffer some damage. This can be massively amplified in today’s social media age. Advertising campaigns cancelled, marketing promotions scrapped, apologies issued – we can all think of examples, I’m sure.

The additional irony is that the finger of blame will sometimes be pointed at the agency. So, in the best interest of both parties, I believe that one of the key differentiators of a really good agency is the ability and willingness to truly challenge the client when needed.

I’m not saying that it’s easy. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things to do and sometimes you will put your credibility on the line. Neither am I saying that the client is never right – there are frequently instances in which the agency has pushed the client to do something that simply hasn’t worked.

The strength of the relationship will make a significant difference here. If you have been working together for some time and have gained their trust and confidence, it’s going to be easier to put an opposing view to them and you will know to what extent you can challenge them.

If the relationship is new, it will be harder to challenge. No one wants to look like they’re resorting straight to a defeatist attitude after all.

But if you really believe that the client’s idea is a poor one, it can prevent whole worlds of pain by speaking up at the outset and having a sensible conversation.

It’s not about just saying no and throwing the whole idea out. A constructive relationship sees you consulting the client, looking at it from different angles – and most likely finding a good idea from the original that just needs to be reworked.

Ultimately, it should all be part of the cut and thrust of a healthy, creative relationship. If you’re right and stick to your guns, the client’s respect for you will grow. It will strengthen the partnership, not weaken it.

You’ve got to handle it sensitively and be constructive. You’ve got to be brave. At the end of the day, providing that challenge is part of what we’re here for.

Edelman enhances its brand purpose offer with two new hires

Edelman enhances its brand purpose offer with two new hires

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Edelman has hired Andrew Wilson as executive director, purpose and Mark McGinn as director, brand and social purpose.

In the newly created roles, the pair will work with brands to develop purpose strategies that build trust, boost commercial growth, create stakeholder value and deliver societal change.

Wilson has 25 years’ experience helping multinational company executives develop strategic approaches to sustainable business growth.

For the past 11 years, he was a director at Corporate Citizenship, a global strategy consultancy specialising in corporate responsibility and sustainability.

McGinn has held senior positions in sustainability marketing and social impact at O2. He was also previously head of international marketing and communications for (RED), helping some of the world’s largest brands fight AIDS.

Ruth Warder, Edelman’s general manager, said: “In a world of shifting societal trust, organisations and brands need to connect better with people in ways that will build resilience, differentiate and contribute to their lives. I’m extremely excited to have Andrew and Mark onboard to help us tackle these challenges for brands.”

Wilson added: “This is a great opportunity to join a company that is setting the agenda in this area – enabling organisations to introduce business transformations that create sustainable and purposeful brands.

“The demand for companies to demonstrate their social, environmental and economic contribution has never been greater. Edelman is ideally placed to lead the way.”

  • Pictured: Andrew Wilson
Meet the Journalist: Investment Week's Jayna Rana

Meet the Journalist: Investment Week’s Jayna Rana

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Jayna Rana, senior reporter at Investment Week, discusses winning her second AIC Trade Journalist of the Year award, what makes the title unique and how she likes to work with PRs. 

You have been crowned AIC Trade Journalist of the Year for two years in a row. What does this kind of recognition mean for you personally?

As someone who joined this industry straight out of university and not knowing a thing about asset management, winning these awards has meant a lot to me.

I was given the investment trust beat simply because it was where the gap was in the team but I’ve really enjoyed learning and writing about the sector.

This award recognises the journalists who have best educated investors and financial advisers about investment companies. What’s your investment background? And how long have you been interested in the subject?

I don’t have an investment background in terms of my family but I have always been interested in the area and my parents have always been financially-savvy and taught me a lot from a young age.

I studied economics at school and was close to doing a bachelor’s degree in it but changed to English at the last minute – which sent me down the path of journalism. I am now in a role where my two interests are combined so I’m pleased with that.

You joined Investment Week as an asset management correspondent in 2015. What sets the magazine apart from other financial titles, such as MoneyWeek or the Financial Times?

Investment Week is a trade publication so it’s written purely for people in the industry. Because of that we get straight to the point and don’t need to spend time explaining things over again. We have also been around since 1995 so have a loyal readership and a good long-term reputation.

How would you describe the typical Investment Week reader? Who are they and why do they read the title?

Our audience is mainly private retail investors – wealth managers and fund managers. Our sister publication Professional Adviser is more aimed at financial advisers.

What’s your relationship with PRs like? And what sorts of stories are you most interested in hearing about?

Really good, I have a lot in common (obviously) with most of the people I have worked with in this industry so a lot of PRs have are now really good friends of mine. The ones I speak to regularly know what I cover so only get in touch if it’s something relevant and in the same way, I know exactly who can help me with whatever I need and as quickly as possible.

I am most interested in writing about investment trusts (launches, manager/structural changes, themes and trends etc.) but also write about general investment.

Of all the stories you’ve covered in your time at Investment Week, which are you most proud of – and why?

I am most proud of the ongoing coverage I did of the Alliance Trust and Electra strategic review/activist investor stories. Both trusts saw massive turnarounds and any development was huge. It was exciting when something happened and getting in touch with analysts to hear their views.

I’ll always remember my first exclusive during my first six months on the team – the launch of a highly anticipated bond fund by a star manager who had just joined the firm. He just announced the news to a room full of investors and I had just five minutes one-on-one with him afterwards. I quickly wrote the story and sent it back to the team in the office to publish. We were the first publication to break the news.

What big macro events do you predict will impact the UK asset management industry the most over the next 12 months?

The financial climate is changing now. Interest rates are going up (albeit marginally and slowly) inflation is turning around and we are potentially entering a new cycle. Then there are political developments in the UK, US and around the world. But the thing about this industry is everything – or nothing – could be impacted, you just don’t know. That’s what makes it exciting.

When you’re not writing about asset management, what do you enjoy doing to relax and unwind?

Everyone says it, but I love to travel and explore other cultures, food and people. I’ve done a lot of solo-travelling, most recently a three week trek down the West Coast of America and a trip to Mexico.

I love my music and try and get to at least three or four festivals a year, be them local, abroad, just for a day or a week long. I’m also trying to teach myself how to play the ukulele but it’s proving difficult. I’m generally a patient person but not with myself!

60 Seconds with Mongoose CEO Chris O'Donoghue

60 Seconds with Mongoose CEO Chris O’Donoghue

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Chris O’Donoghue, CEO of Mongoose, elaborates on the agency’s rapid expansion, how sponsorship and PR go together and how a sporting ethos runs throughout the agency.

Why did you decide to set up Mongoose?

My business partner, Laura Pollard, and I originally set up Mongoose as a sponsorship activation agency as we believed there was a requirement in the marketplace for a straight talking, creative sponsorship company.

Since then we have grown quite quickly to become a fully integrated sports, fitness and entertainment comms agency, which is a joint venture with The Mission Marketing Group.

You’ve grown the agency from three employees in July 2015 to 40 employees with three international offices now. How did you achieve this?

A combination of organic growth and acquisition. The past 12 months have been huge for us following the acquisition of two businesses – first Generate Sponsorship Ltd, which at the time was the largest independent PR and sponsorship agency in the UK, and most recently we merged with the sports and fitness division of Speed Communications.

This brought a wealth of PR and digital expertise into the fold and thus created a fully integrated sports, fitness and entertainment comms agency. Both businesses were in such a strong position, each with over 15 years’ heritage in the sector and some of the best people in the industry, enabling us to merge new, fresh thinking with a trusted agency reputation.

On the geography front, our HQ is in London Bridge but we have a number of other offices – one in Ireland and one in Singapore. These offices were set up to service the needs of our clients. The clients we work with from the London office are global brands and have requirements beyond the UK so when required we will parachute ‘a Mongoose’ into the particular region to recruit and build a local team.

Why did you choose to specialise in the sport and entertainment sectors?

Sport, fitness and entertainment drive people’s passions throughout most businesses, therefore the campaigns we produce have true internal champions and motivate staff engagement which is the backbone to any successful campaign. That and the movie Jerry Maguire!

How do you handle PR in relation to sponsorship?

PR is an output of sponsorship, perhaps one of the most integral and influential outputs. Ultimately everything we do in sponsorship activation should have a PR element.

A couple of examples spring to mind, both from our work with the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team. The first was the launch of its Gridiron Grant education initiative with sponsor LGT Vestra US, which offers the chance for a JagTag or British American Football team member to apply for a full scholarship to a university of their choice.

We launched the event at the beginning of February and made sure LGT Vestra US was prominent in everything we did; the company appeared on all branding at the launch and we ensured that they were mentioned in all the press coverage that we achieved off the back of the launch. The overarching aim and outcome was to make the brand synonymous with the grant.

Secondly, we recently ran a competition with a weekly London magazine in conjunction with Ocean Holidays, Florida. The competition was a huge success and saw over 3500 people opt in to receive more information from both the Jaguars and Ocean Holidays, giving both brands a new database to target.

What do you think brands need to consider when it comes to digital in your sector?

There needs to be more awareness of integrating digital comms into the whole eCommerce journey. Comms and sales are not mutually exclusive and, when it comes to digital, there needs to be more consideration of when customers are buying online and what activities prompt them to do so. This will enable you to generate a comms campaign that not only gain the attention of your target audience, but also prompts them to take action.

The creation of the right kind of content, that your audience will find both relevant and interesting, delivered to them via appropriate social channels and often using influencers that really resonate with them, can be hugely powerful when tipping consumers in to the sales funnel.

Having a product reviews programme in place for when they’re at the consideration stage of purchase, or investigating what people actually search and making sure you capture this traffic will ensure they flow through the funnel. For instance, you may need an ad campaign to maintain ownership of your brand and reduce sales lost to third parties.

And, finally, you also need to consider that these activities are truly measurable. You need to know what is and isn’t working in live time and what’s really delivering a commercial difference to your brand.

How much does this strategy help you to win clients? Has it led to any recent wins?

It has helped hugely! When we acquired the sports and fitness division of Speed Communications we also on-boarded a continually growing digital team which is now business critical to absolutely everything we do for clients and for the agency itself.

Recent wins which the digital team was core to include the likes of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wattbike, Bannatynes Health Clubs, the Harlem Globetrotters and Wasps RFC amongst others.

What’s the best or most memorable campaign you’ve worked on?

Tough question…there have been tonnes of epic campaigns since starting the agency and some moments that have made us very proud. For example, the activation of Muller’s sponsorship of Team GB at the Rio Olympics and the launch of the UEFA’s women’s campaign #WePlayStrong.

But, probably the most memorable is the Made to Move campaign we are promoting for Lucozade Sport which features Anthony Joshua and I’m delighted to say that were nominated for Best Use of PR in the Sports Industry Awards.

Finally, given the sports focus of Mongoose, does that reflect back in the culture of your team?

Absolutely, it sounds cheesy but it’s in the agency’s DNA. Everyone lives and breathes sports and entertainment in one form or another. We even have a range of social groups including – run club, we do HIIT training together every Tuesday and our summer party is a highly competitive mixed doubles tennis tournament.