PRs share their favourite Olympic moments

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In the aftermath of the Rio Olympics 2016, Gorkana asks comms pros to pick their PR highlights from the event.

This month’s Olympic Games in Brazil, which ended on Saturday, attracted both positive and negative press.

Before its opening ceremony, there were stories about how the Brazilian authorities would struggle to host a successful event, whether Russian athletes would be allowed to compete after doping allegations and athletes’ health concerns over the Zika virus. In the case of the latter, some competitors even pulled out of the games citing the health issue.

Once the games began, despite some mishaps (including the water in the Olympic diving pool turning green), plenty of good news – particularly from a UK perspective – has been produced. Asked to talk about their own highlights, comms pros chose to recall their favourite athletes’ success, from the UK’s Max Whitlock winning double gold or David Katoatau’s winning dance, and successful brand partnerships as the best moments from the games. Here are their top picks:

Catherine Eastham, practice director: consulting, sponsorship & sport, at Four Communications

“Hard to pick a single PR moment from Rio 2016 and the argument could be that the sport itself provided the best PR moments e.g. Team GB women’s hockey team winning gold will do far more for recruitment, sponsorship and funding for the sport than a standalone PR campaign….

“However, Four Consulting, Sponsorship & Sports’ favourite PR moment, which highlighted the Olympic Spirit and social impact of the Games, was Big David Katoatau, from Kiribati, whose dancing each time he successfully lifted in the men’s 105kg weightlifting Group B final generated countless social and traditional media column inches. David cleverly ensured that the public knew he wasn’t just dancing for the joy of it but to draw attention  to climate change and ensure the world knows about Kiribati ‘before it sinks’.

“Truly deserves a gold medal for a simple and effective PR campaign!”

Nicola Hanley, senior account director at Ketchum Sports & Entertainment

“As a huge cycling fan, Team GB’s medal haul in the velodrome was obviously something I really relished in and spent a lot of hours watching. However, I think my real stand out moment was Max Whitlock’s performance in the gymnastics; making history as our first ever gymnastics Olympic Champion, and then going on to do it again just a couple of hours later was unreal.

“As part of our work with Nissan we were lucky enough to work with Max just before he headed off to the games, so it was nice to see him have such success after speaking to him just a few weeks before about what he thought his chances were.”

Bob Morris, partner – content and creative at Instinctif

“The Olympics has served as a salutary reminder that nothing succeeds quite like success.  In the lead up to the Games the popular narrative was of a games in disarray; unfinished stadia, the Zika virus, and a populous riven with poverty and protest.

“However as soon as the gold rush began, those reservations melted away and the story became one of triumph and international success. Compare that story arc with the international competition that preceded the Olympics, Euro 2016: a story that began with hope and expectation and descended into farce and recrimination. When it comes to sporting endeavour, winning is golden.”

David Alexander, managing director at Calacus PR

“Two moments stand out for me. On a personal level, the triumph of the Men’s Eight brought a tear to my eye. I’ve known and worked with Pete Reed since Beijing in 2008 and his recovery after a dog allergy threatened his future in the sport was magnificent. To bounce back and be part of a team that won gold, his third in successive games, is a testament to his talent and indeed the brilliance of British Rowing.

“Abbey D’Agostino and Nikki Hamblin completing the 5000m together after a collision appeared to have ended their medal dreams was a magical moment deserving of the Olympic recognition they received.”

Kieran Kent, managing director at Propeller PR

“The Gold Medal heroics of Bolt, Phelps, Farah and Trott will undoubtedly live long in the memory but after so much negativity before the Games as a result of the Russian doping scandal, the image of Hamblin and D’Agostino embracing each other after finishing the race was a poignant moment and inadvertently it represented a fantastic PR story for the IOC.”

Andrew Boocock, senior account manager at Stripe Communications

“Rio 2016 has proven once again why the Olympics remains the greatest, and most important sporting event on earth. Sure there’s been a number of high profile PR hurdles for organisers to contend with, but despite Government protests, the threat of Zika and the ongoing doping scandal, these Olympics have delivered in every sense of the word.

“One of my favourite PR moments has to be the image of Nikki Hamblin helping Abbey D’Agostino up to her feet after the pair collided in the 5,000 metres. Amongst all of the incredible record-breaking stories and history-making headlines, this act of sportsmanship will stand the test of time as representing the true spirit of the Olympics.”

Remarkable Content to lead comms for reinsurance scheme Flood Re

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Content marketing and PR agency Remarkable Content has been selected by Flood Re, a reinsurance scheme jointly developed by Government and the insurance industry, to help encourage UK homeowners to access more affordable home insurance policies.

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Flood Re takes on the flood risk elements of home insurance to drive the cost of premiums down, helping homeowners in
flood risk areas achieve affordable home insurance.

Remarkable Content handled the consumer launch of Flood Re on April 4 and has been retained to deliver its message through digital and traditional marketing platforms, encouraging more households to get in touch with their insurers or shop around for a better deal.

In the early stages of the appointment, Remarkable Content was briefed to create a consumer look and feel for the Flood Re brand, consulting and engaging local flood groups and flood influencers, such as Flood Mary.

Key partnerships across the UK, including the Environment Agency and National Flood Forum, have also been formed to identify priority channels.

Once the outreach phase was completed, a range of collateral, including a website, social channels, leaflets and e-newsletters, have been developed and produced to push the message out as widely as possible.

Results since launch have included over a thousand visits to Flood Re’s website via social interactions, with a potential reach of more than 1.5 million people.

Brendan McCafferty, chief executive of Flood Re, said: “We were on the hunt for an agency that understood the outreach exercise required and would hit the ground running to get the Flood Re name out there – pretty much from scratch. Early on it was clear we’d made the right decision with Remarkable Content, and they’ve really been able to add value to our communications strategy with a robust online and offline approach.

“The team at Remarkable has been fantastic to work with and their work ethic and output have led to some great results.”

Julius Duncan, head of Remarkable Content, added: “To be chosen by Flood Re is a fantastic accolade. The launch was a great opportunity for the team to demonstrate how our integrated model with creative, social media and digital skills all accessible in-house delivers high quality communications within short deadlines.

“We also used our PR and partnerships team to deliver the challenging aspect of getting an array of partnerships and flood groups on-board to ensure Flood Re was effectively communicated, at volume, to those at flood risk.”

A full case study and video has been created to showcase the campaign conducted for Flood Re, which can be found here.

Heathrow Express hires TVC Group to mark 18th birthday

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TVC Group has won a three-way pitch to lead a summer campaign for Heathrow Express, with the agency involving British Olympic track cyclist Victoria Pendleton to mark the 18th birthday of the service.

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Victoria Pendleton starts her race against the Heathrow Express

TVC will implement an integrated campaign across earned, owned and paid channels, aimed at an ABC1 audience and focused on the speed and convenience of the service, which carries 16,000 passengers a day on the 15-minute journey between Heathrow and Paddington.

Activity kicked off in late July with TVC bringing former British Olympic track cyclist Victoria Pendleton on board for a campaign to mark the 18th birthday of Heathrow Express, which launched in 1998.

The former cycling champion, and more recently successful amateur jockey, pitted against the Heathrow Express from London Paddington to the airport while on board a 600cc limobike.

TVC will also use the 18th birthday as a backdrop for a business story on the history and future of Heathrow Express, including creating positive anecdotes from staff for social sentiment and securing business interviews with Heathrow Express director Fraser Brown.

The agency has also been briefed to promote a summer deal, the Summer Express Saver Return for £25.

Bea Asprey, Heathrow Express’ comms and PR manager, said: “Summer is an important trading period for us and we wanted the right agency to make the most of our milestone birthday and get the Heathrow Express name out there.

“TVC’s ideas were clever and tied into our values of speed and convenience but we also knew they would deliver results.”

James Myers, group MD of TVC Group, added: “Heathrow Express is one of the capital’s most famous travel services and we were determined to win this brief to help build on this iconic brand. We look forward to working with the team on some exciting upcoming campaigns.”

Brent Cross developers select Tavistock

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Hammerson and Standard Life, development partners on the North London regeneration scheme, the Brent Cross Cricklewood Project, have enlisted Tavistock to provide local and London-wide media relations and community consultation services.

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Plans for the Brent Cross Shopping Centre

Tavistock has been briefed to devise and implement a communications campaign to share the details of the project with the media. The Brent Cross Cricklewood Project aims to boost the area with a regenerated town centre, including the new Brent Cross Shopping Centre.

The PR firm will also support Hammerson and Standard Life in planning permission negotiations and project delivery.

Mike Bartlett, associate director at Tavistock, will lead the account team, and report directly to Hammerson’s development manager Ben Littman and Standard Life’s John Brophy.

Paddy Power’s former head of PR joins Lyst

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Online fashion site Lyst has brought in Paddy Power’s former head of PR, Rory Scott, as VP of communications.

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Rory Scott

Launched in London in 2010, Lyst says it connects more than 40 million shoppers globally with over 12,000 designers and stores, including Burberry, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Harrods and Neiman Marcus.

Scott’s hire is the first high profile appointment by Lyst CMO Christian Woolfenden, the former MD and CMO at Paddy Power, who joined the fashion site in 2015.

Scott and Woolfenden worked together for three years at the betting company. Together they delivered some of the industry’s “most mischievous campaigns”, including sponsoring NBA legend Dennis Rodman’s ‘basketball diplomacy’ trip to North Korea, Paddy’s attempt to dethrone Sepp Blatter as FIFA President and kick-starting the Rainbow Laces campaign to ‘get behind’ gay footballers.

Woolfenden said: “Rory was responsible for delivering some of the biggest and boldest campaigns ever to come out of Paddy Power, and we’re looking forward to bringing this disruptive energy to the fashion space. I see Rory’s appointment as a key step towards Lyst becoming a global household name.”

In his new role at Lyst, Scott will lead on comms strategy and campaigns in the US, the site’s principal market.

Scott said of his appointment: “The team at Lyst have spent years perfecting the product and honing the shopping experience so I’m delighted to be joining at a time when marketing the brand will take centre stage. Working again with Christian is very exciting and I’m really looking forward to straddling both New York and London to help drive the brand forward.”

Polygon PR promotes Hearts in Harmony

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New aid agency Hearts in Harmony, which aims to help raise money to fight heart disease in both children and adults through classical music events, has appointed charity specialist Polygon PR to handle its PR.

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Tasmin Little and the Orpheus Sinfonia

London-based property entrepreneur Shan Liew founded Hearts in Harmony earlier this year. The organisation hosts regular events that combine classical music, art and culture to raise money for multiple heart organisations.

Polygon has been briefed to increase the charity’s profile in the UK’s lifestyle, consumer and national press. The agency has also been tasked to help promote events through London, regional and music media.

Liew said: “Polygon is an ideal PR agency for Hearts in Harmony, as the team shared our vision from the start; to spread our love for music and to save lives in the UK and beyond. Polygon deeply believes in our vision and will deliver us the creative ideas we need to grow.”

Activity has already started for Polygon, with an inaugural classical music event, Tasmin Little & Orpheus Sinfonia, in London on Thursday 23 June 2016.

The agency helped raise awareness to sell tickets, resulting in raising £8,888 for Great Ormond Street Hospital. Funds are to be spent on a new heart defibrillator.

Mark Southern, co-founder of Polygon, added: “We are ecstatic to be working with Hearts in Harmony. We view this visionary charity’s unique aim, of uniting music and heart causes, as bringing happiness to many lives, through their magical fund-raising events and festivals planned over the coming months. Watch this space.”

60 Seconds with Rachael Sansom, MHP Communications

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Rachael Sansom, head of brand at MHP Communications, tells us about the blurred line between corporate and consumer PR, the importance of engaging content in relation to brand image and her surfing challenge.

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Rachael Sansom

What’s the first thing you do when you get into work in the morning?

Say good morning to the team, check in with them and get a cup of coffee (in that order). I then look at my feeds to see what’s going on in the world and look out for anything really innovative in the communications and content arena. After that, it’s nose to the grindstone.

Why is it important for companies to monitor their brand image?

The ability for brands to tightly control their image through the traditional channels of bought and earned media has shifted dramatically in the digital age. What consumers say, think and share now makes up a brand’s image, that’s the new reality. It’s also why social listening is becoming a critical tool for insight, engagement and strategic planning but, most importantly, for managing a situation as it happens.

If an individual had a poor customer experience a decade ago they’d tell their neighbour or their colleague. Now they can capture that experience as it is happening and share it across social media. Within seconds someone anywhere across the globe could see that, and companies have to tune into this fact.

Is there, or should there be, a difference between the way that consumer and corporate companies manage their brands?

I don’t think the issue is a difference between how corporate and consumer brands are managed. Instead, every brand is individual, requiring unique perspectives and approaches to its communications. This necessitates the ability to deploy the right mix of skills, techniques and channels.

The proliferation of digital channels means that techniques that used to be siloed as ‘consumer’ or ‘corporate’ are much more fluid. An example of this is MHP’s work for Arla in the UK, while ostensibly a corporate reputation brief, we utilise channels and techniques perhaps historically considered more consumer such as GIFs, Vines and content.

How effectively can content-led communications help a brand to improve or change its image?

The ability to be able to directly communicate with consumers via digital channels and engaging content is, as we all know, a major game changer on so many levels. Brands are no longer constrained by a third party lens. Not only can content-led communications help brand image through engagement, it can also lead consumers to direct action – and even change behaviours.

A great example of this was our Missing Type campaign for NHS Blood and Transplant which was 100% content-led and saw over 1,000 brands and organisations drop the letters of the blood groups – A, B and O – from their logos and social profiles. This unprecedented level of engagement helped spark a social media movement which, in turn, generated a record 30,000 new blood donor registrations in just 10 days of activity.

What are the major differences between working in-house and working for an agency? What are the biggest misconceptions?

The biggest misconception for agency people is to presume that they are the centre of the client’s world, and that their client’s only job is to manage the agency. The truth is that agency management is a small percentage of your time as an in-house client. As a senior in-house communicator you will work on a broad range of business critical issues, so the latest campaign execution is probably far down your list.

Having worked on both sides, I am passionate about trying to get my agency teams to understand the machinations of the client world i.e. how you have to sell to and engage internal stakeholders. I think it benefits all communications professionals to do a spell both agency and client-side to get a broader perspective.

Describe your ideal weekend
Somewhere on the south coast, desperately trying to surf (sadly I am not very good) with my kids and my husband, and some nice food.

  • Are you working in an interesting or unusual PR role? Do you have strong views on the industry that you want to share with the Gorkana community? If so, please contact Emily Andrews.

Filtering online trolls: a good or bad PR idea?

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As Twitter becomes the latest in a range of social platforms to limit negative comments on its posts, Gorkana asks comms pros from Bell Pottinger, Cirkle and MHP if limiting social media activity, particularly on brands’ own channels, is helpful or harmful.

Social platforms consistently face pressure to act on negative comments, or ‘trolling’. In response to some of this pressure, Twitter has introduced ‘quality’ control features and filters which can prevent users seeing negative Tweets. Users can now adjust notification settings and limit alerts to only people they follow.

Recently, The Washington Post has reported that Instagram might also be looking into ways of allowing its users to filter comment streams.

However, limiting negative activity on social media is not as straightforward as it sounds.

For instance, Instagram may allow big brands and popular accounts the opportunity to block negative commentary first, but the backlash from users following a story, which may or may not be true, about pop-star Taylor Swift allegedly blocking comments on the platform after a spat with celebrity Kim Kardashian, shows how sensitive the subject is.

So, looking at owned media channels in particular, how should PRs advise brands to act in this area while remaining authentic? Comms pros from Bell Pottinger, Cirkle and MHP discuss.

Ignorance is not bliss

In terms of customer service, ignoring negative comments can hinder your business, as Claire Twohill, head of digital at Cirkle, tells Gorkana. She notes that it has been stated that 88% of consumers are less likely to buy from companies when they discover they ignore customer complaints online. Some 42% of people will tell their friends about a good customer experience on social media, while 53% will talk about a bad one.

“As a result brands need to be very careful in where they draw the line in removing negative comments from their social media profiles. Consumers value transparency and only as a last resort would we recommend deletion of a negative comment,” Twohill adds.

James Thomlinson, Bell Pottinger’s partner and managing director of digital, agrees that brands have to keep interaction with customers authentic. He adds: “As tempting as it might be to remove negative comments, brands should aim to be ‘real’ at all costs. After all, who wants to transact or engage with a brand that’s untrustworthy, has something to hide or doesn’t listen to its customers?”

Focus on the response to negativity

“It’s inevitable that brands will get negative mentions online and even companies with the best customer service have to deal with it. In today’s social landscape a brand is not judged so much on the negative criticism but the way they deal with it,” says Twohill.

She adds most customers realise that things will go wrong, but social media provides the opportunity to reassure them that any wrongs will be put right.

Adam Batstone, MHP’s digital director, agrees removing comments from a public page is a complex decision. He says: “The most important consideration is to ensure close monitoring of comments to prevent problems from arising.”

Batstone adds that more often than not a speedy response to a negative comment will resolve the matter and could turn a critic into an advocate, which is the ideal outcome as it proves the brand listens, learns from and engages with customers.

Always draw the line at abusive behaviour

When it comes to online trolls, Batstone says that it is important to remember the law. Comments posted on a public forum can be defamatory, or criminally ‘offensive’. It’s important that a brand is not associated with that kind of comment.

Cirkle had to deal with this in one case when it was running the Facebook page for a food brand. Twohill explains: “A conversation spiralled out of control about the ethical sources of beef, leading to animal welfare activists joining the page to state their opinion. When some of the comments towards the community became abusive, and upsetting images were posted, the brand decided to step in.

“Everyone within the thread was reminded that the brand encouraged discussion and debate, but personal attacks would not be tolerated. Each individual who had posted abusive comments or upsetting images was given a warning that their post contravened the house rules and would be removed within two hours.

“We were thanked by community members for taking action with many fans sending private messages with positive comments on how the brand protected them against the abuse they had received,” she adds.

Thomlinson adds that as a general rule of thumb, user experience takes priority. He says: “So if you’re trying to restrict your community’s freedom because you can’t stand the heat of the kitchen, then stay off social media. For once, we can learn something from Justin Bieber! The only exception to the rule is when the comments become abusive or threatening; then you need to take action.”

Unity handed global PR brief for ‘Kiss Goodbye to MS’ campaign

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Multiple Sclerosis International Federation has hired Unity to help strengthen its “Kiss Goodbye to MS” campaign worldwide.

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Davnet Doran

The socially-led “Kiss Goodbye to MS” campaign encourages supporters to “wear, dare and share”: wear red lipstick or something red; dare themselves or someone they know to do something outside of their comfort zone; and then share their efforts with their peers on social media.

Following its success in Australia, MSIF has chosen Unity to help empower local teams to increase success metrics in other countries.

The agency will look at ways to increase awareness and fundraising through earned and impactful ideas.

Luke Thomas, head of international fundraising at MSIF, said: “The MS International Federation is excited to be working with Unity to help grow our international fundraising campaign, Kiss Goodbye to MS.

“Every charity has its own challenges and international ones possibly more than most, but from the moment we sat down with the Unity team they listened and they ‘got it’. We have high hopes that with their support the campaign can reach whole new audiences and do remarkable things for people with MS.”

Davnet Doran, Unity MD, said: “This is a beautiful campaign that we are very excited about getting stuck into. MSIF do some brilliant work that speaks directly to our brand ethos of increasing human happiness by understanding an individual’s needs.”

Asda’s Vickie Rogerson joins Lucre

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Asda’s former head of food PR, Vickie Rogerson, has joined Lucre, as the agency looks to strengthen its food and drink offering.

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Vickie Rogerson

Rogerson has 20 years’ experience in the retail and FMCG industries. As well as launching Asda’s Wonky Veg range, she has also developed a cheese range with Alex James for the supermarket chain and brought thousands of its own label food and drink products to market.

Before Asda, she worked at PR agencies across several brands, including Pork Farms, Butterkist, Quorn, Ben & Jerry’s, Seabrook Crisps and Onken.

In addition, Ali Gwynne has joined Lucre’s London office as account manager, while Leeds-based senior account executives Brett Cullen, Lucy Kitching and Nick Horbowyj have been promoted to account managers.

In addition, three entry-level account executive roles have been created across the agency’s two offices in Leeds and London.

Tamarind Wilson-Flint, Lucre’s company director, said: “We are proud of the growth of our teams and the further expansion of our expertise at a senior level. We understand the importance of laying strong foundations, which has led to this significant growth of the lucre team in both our London and Leeds offices this year. We’re confident this will be the first of many announcements from us in the coming months.”