Start-up SalaryFinance expands brief for Clarity

/in /by

FinTech company SalaryFinance, which was co-founded by former Google UK MD Dan Cobley, has brought in Clarity PR as its retained agency to raise awareness of its service.

SalaryFinance allows working people to consolidate existing personal debt into a low cost loan, with repayments made via salary deductions.

The company initially engaged Clarity PR to support the launch of its service in the UK last year. Clarity’s retained brief will see it raise awareness of the service via a sustained media relations programme, highlighting SalaryFinance’s social purpose.

Sara Collinge, Clarity PR’s UK Director, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the team at SalaryFinance to drive awareness of its new employee benefit. Many employers in the UK are searching for truly meaningful employee benefits and what SalaryFinance delivers can make a real difference to many people struggling with debt repayments.”

SalaryFinance was founded by former Google UK MD Dan Cobley (pictured right), ex-banking consultant Asesh Sarkar (left) and entrepreneur Daniel Shakhani (centre). The company is backed by Bright Bridge, a FinTech incubator run by VC Blenheim Chalcot.

Sarkar added: “The need to reduce debt pressure on UK workers is very real  and if we can reduce employees financial worries, it will improve their health and social well-being.  We selected Clarity because of their long track record of helping innovative FinTech startups establish themselves in the UK market.”

Hartridges hires Fleet Street Communications

/in /by

Fleet Street Communications has been appointed by soft drinks family business Hartridges to launch its new brand positioning, re-design and packaging.

The agency has been briefed to raise the profile of the business to UK on-trade media, drive sales and promote the brand’s heritage and credentials.

Fleet Street is to build brand awareness through a programme of tailored activity, supported by a targeted media relations campaign.

Mark Stretton, MD of Fleet Street, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Hartridges.  With over a century of trading, it’s a business with huge heritage that upholds a strong commitment to its customers and to innovation and pride in the quality of the products that carry the family name.

“We very much look forward to helping them continue to share that message with the on-trade.”

Vivino wine app appoints Manifest London

/in /by

Vivino, which claims to be the world’s most downloaded wine app, has brought in Manifest London to handle its UK PR.

The Vivino app was created to “take the guesswork out of wine” and it allows people to benefit from a crowd-sourced database consisting of opinions from wine lovers at all level of expertise.

Users can take a photo of any label on a bottle of wine, or wine list, to determine ratings, reviews and costs, before submitting their own reviews to the database.

So far, the app has been downloaded 15 million times in 228 countries.

Manifest has been briefed to develop a comms strategy that will reach UK audiences, drive awareness and downloads of Vivino and provide press office activity.

Activity will also include a full brand messaging workshop and manifesto creation.

Courtney Quattrini, global comms director at Vivino, said: “We want to break down all the barriers around choosing great wine in an industry that was typically left to experts. Our own wine community has already built the world’s largest wine library which we want to make accessible to wine drinkers everywhere.

“Manifest’s no-nonsense approach to communications excited the Vivino team. We’re looking forward to working with them to help our users, both current and new, to discover more.”

Neil Hallmark, director at Manifest London, said: “I have been part of the Vivino community for a while, so when we saw the team was looking to work with a UK agency, we jumped at the chance to show them what we could do.

“It’s already come a long way since conception and we’re excited to expand the sense of discovery the app provides to new audiences. Wine is for everyone and we want Vivino to be the stepping stone to your next favourite.”

Weber Shandwick adopts Facebook at Work

/in /by

Weber Shandwick has become the first global PR firm to adopt Facebook’s business platform Facebook at Work, after a successful pilot programme that began late last year.

Facebook at Work lets staff create a work account, separate from their personal Facebook account, allowing them to interact with coworkers and share work, visible only to other people in the company.

The launch of the platform is part of Weber Shandwick’s ongoing effort to understand, and adopt, new comms platforms for employees and clients.

Weber Shandwick’s pilot of Facebook at Work included nearly a quarter of its staff worldwide and was set-up across teams with different organisational structures and workflows to gather a range of best-practice and insights.

Chris Perry, chief digital officer at Weber Shandwick, said: “Facebook at Work will be a player in employee engagement solutions going forward, so we’re adopting it across our company to continue to analyse and understand advantages for clients, as well as benefit from the value it brings to our own highly creative and collaborative global network.

“Through the pilot, we wanted to understand the platform’s use as a tool for engagement, communications and reputation – as well as how it helps create a more productive and connected workplace.

“After seeing how successful the pilot was, we’re excited see the collaboration that occurs when it’s used across geographies, industries and disciplines company-wide, and be able to share our findings with clients to better-inform their practices.”

Bray Leino

Wincanton selects Bray Leino for digital brief

/in /by

Logistics company Wincanton has hired creative comms agency Bray Leino to support the transformation of its digital assets and redesign its web presence.

Bray Leino will aim to improve client journeys on the supply chain giant’s website. It will also raise the brand’s visibility and awareness online.

Jon Hexter, Wincanton marketing director, said: “We were impressed by Bray Leino’s approach to integrated B2B marketing. Its knowledge and understanding of best in class solutions will support us in our next phase of marketing development and align with our business objectives.”

Sam Crocker, digital director, is leading the  Bray Leino team. He added: “This is a brilliant new partnership for us and a client that we are very proud to be working with. From the very beginning of the selection process we were excited by Wincanton’s ambitions and the opportunity for us to apply our diverse digital capabilities to their business.

“There’s a great fit between our teams and we’re really looking forward to a successful and productive partnership.”

Wincanton, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, operates and manages the supply chain for companies in the retail, construction, defence, energy and manufacturing sectors.

Senior digital appointment at FTI Consulting

/in /by

FTI Consulting has hired Hanover’s Viv Jemmett as senior director in its digital team, reporting into MD and head of digital Ant Moore.

Jemmett joins FTI’s 12-strong corporate digital team from Hanover where he was head of digital. He was previously head of online reputation management at Bell Pottinger, where he advised governments, international organisations and high-net-worth individuals.

His client experience includes Unilever, De Beers, Centrica, G4S, Tata, and Lucozade Ribena Suntory.

Moore added: “Viv is an exciting addition to our growing line-up of strong senior talent in online reputation management and corporate digital PR. His focus will be on helping to further our growth plans around providing digital strategy and services for corporates and individuals.”

Behind the Headlines with Launch PR’s Johnny Pitt

/in /by

Johnny Pitt, CEO of Launch PR, on roaring success, a very public penchant for chocolate and the worst thing anyone has said to him.

Launch PR

Before I reach the office in the morning, I’ve already…
Exercised.

You’ll mostly find emails about…in my inbox.
Ideas, results and people.

I know I’ve had a good day if…
I roar.

My first job was…
Flogging corporate hospitality to people who didn’t want a flogging.

I can tell a campaign is succeeding when…
The noise increases.

I eat….when nobody is watching.
Chocolate. A lot, when everybody is watching.

The first time I pitched to a journalist…
I was 22. He was Anthony Hilton at the London Evening Standard. I remember it vividly. He won’t say the same.

The worst thing anyone has said to me is…
“I’m not sure you can.”

The last book I read was…
The Demon Dentist by David Walliams.

I’ve never really understood why…
People over-complicate things.

If I could go back and talk to my 10-year-old self, I’d say…
Exactly what I say to my nine-year-old son. Work hard, be nice to people and have fun.

This time next year, I’ll be…
Hopefully roaring even more after 15 brilliant years of Launch PR.

Bell Pottinger appoints three partners

/in /by

Bell Pottinger has made a number of senior appointments across its global network, including, in its London office, the promotion of Philip Pank (pictured) and Paul de Bendern, and the appointment of Hotwire’s Claudia Bate, to partner.

Most recently, Bate was financial services and corporate lead at Hotwire, taking responsibility for its growth in the FinTech sector. Pank, de Bendern and Bate take up their new roles on 1 April.

Other promotions to partner level include Puneet Pal Singh in Bell Pottinger’s Singapore office.

Sam Turvey, currently the group’s Dubai MD, will relocate to Hong Kong in early May where he takes up the position of managing director. Nicola Hooper replaces Turvey as MD in Dubai. She joined the Middle East business in 2013 before being promoted to partner in 2015.

Darrell Wright joins Bell Pottinger’s Malaysia office as partner and MD from JP Morgan where he served as head of communications for the investment bank in South East Asia.

James Henderson, Bell Pottinger’s group CEO, said: “I am delighted to announce these promotions and appointments. They are testament to our ability to attract and nurture brilliant talent which contributes to the continued success and growth of our international business.”

Rich Leigh & Company partners with Foodinate to tackle food poverty

/1 Comment/in /by

Consumer PR agency Rich Leigh & Company is providing pro bono PR support for new social enterprise Foodinate, which provides free meals to the homeless by working with local restaurants.

Rich Leigh

Foodinate is a social enterprise designed to make a reduction in UK food poverty “as easy as dining at your favourite restaurants”.

Every ‘Foodinate’ branded meal sold results in a meal for a local person in need. A participating restaurant agrees to cover the cost of the donated meal when a customer orders a meal from its menu that’s been marked with a Foodinate sticker.

Foodinate has partnered with several food outlets in Manchester, including George’s Dining Room and Bar, owned by Ryan Giggs, to deliver the scheme that lets restaurants choose at least three meals to brand as a ‘Foodinate’ option on its menus.

Foodinate then matches each restaurant with a food-giving charity in the same area, so the meals funded by each restaurant are served to people in need in the same community.

Rich Leigh & Company’s Manchester office, led by Emily Urban-Smith, will provide pro-bono PR support for Foodinate through social media support, brand strategy, media relations and creative campaigns.

The work follows a four-week trial, which generated 1020 meals for local homeless people.

Caroline Stevenson, founder of Foodinate, said: “I hoped to work with a PR agency that has experience in both charity and food PR, but as a new social enterprise with an incredibly limited budget, knew that was a big ask.

“As soon as I was introduced to Rich Leigh & Company though, their experience and excitement for the idea shone through and, on hearing the agency’s commitment to providing pro-bono support for one charity partner in each office, was so happy when they said they’d like to help Foodinate.”

Urban-Smith added: “I think Foodinate is going to be a huge success. It offers a quick and easy way for dining businesses and the public to support a cause and, frankly, is a win-win for everybody involved, from the restaurants through to the homeless communities it benefits.

“Of course, our time is limited, but even at this early stage in the agency’s life, we want to support and help charities that help communities at a local level. It just so happens that Foodinate has the potential to do that, but in an incredibly scalable way and we’re proud to be partnering with them to help.”

4media Group promotes London Motor Show

/in /by

The London Motor Show has appointed agencies Stature PR and 4mediarelations, both part of 4media Group, to handle the PR around its May event, following a competitive pitch.

Held at Battersea Evolution from 5 to 8 May, the event will be the first London 4mediagroupMotor Show since 2008, and will showcase a range of new cars, guest talks from celebrities, and family-friendly areas with games and entertainment for children.

Twenty-three car brands and 130 models will feature, with prices ranging from £8,000 to in excess of £60,000. The show will focus on a number of major motoring issues, including hybrid and electric cars.

Stature PR will raise awareness of the event across consumer and lifestyle press, with a brief to encourage engagement amongst exhibitors and invite press and VIPs to attend.

4mediarelations will manage all broadcast activity. A radio day will be scheduled in advance of the show.

Stature PR’s MD, Duncan Purves, will direct the team and associate director, Laurence Bray, with day-to-day activity managed by senior account executive Tash Winslade and PR assistant Ellis Ballard. Darren Ryan, associate director at 4mediarelations, will manage all broadcast activity.

The team will report to Chris Wakley, The London MotorShow’s PR director.

Stephen Maitland Oxley, events director at The London Motor Show, said: “We’re really pleased to be working alongside Stature PR and 4mediarelations to orchestrate the new London Motor Show. It’s a hugely exciting time in the automotive calendar and we believe The 4media Group is best placed to deliver our objectives across print and broadcast media.”

Duncan Purves, MD at Stature PR, said: “We’re delighted to have won the London Motor Show. It’s an iconic event that hasn’t taken place in the capital since 2008 and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to bring it back. It’s a renowned event in the automotive world that excites both media and consumers alike.”

Darren Ryan, associate director at 4mediarelations, said: “The show is most certainly coming to town and between us we’re looking forward to delivering memorable and exciting coverage across all channels from now until the doors open to the public.”

HRH Prince Michael of Kent, The London Motor Show’s patron, will open the event.