CNC hires Tulchan’s Buchanan as joint managing partner

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CNC has appointed Tulchan’s Tom Buchanan as joint managing partner. He will work alongside the comms firm’s Richard Campbell and Roland Klein.

Based in CNC’s London office, Buchanan will develop the global company’s offer to UK clients as well as strengthening its international network.

Buchanan has some 20 years’ experience advising corporate and financial clients globally. He was most recently a partner at Tulchan and has previously worked at Maitland and Brunswick in senior roles.

Bernhard Meising, CNC CEO, said: “Tom is one of the most experienced and respected advisers operating in the London market today, so we are delighted he is joining CNC to support our ambitious growth plans there and around the world. His expertise complements the existing team that we have in place, which has already enjoyed a great start to 2016.”

Buchanan added: “I am very excited by the prospect of joining CNC which has a very strong international brand, and a network of consultancies in the key markets across the world. I look forward to working with the team to strengthen our offer to UK companies, while leveraging my international experience to advise companies on cross border projects.”

Revolution briefed to promote Silverstone Classic

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Revolution Sports + Entertainment has been chosen to provide a consumer and lifestyle PR campaign for the Silverstone Classic, the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival.

Managed by Goose Live Events, the annual event, in its 26th year, includes three days of ‘Rocking and Racing’ with more than 1,000 classic cars taking part in a competitive race. There are more than 10,000 classic cars on display, as well as live music.

This year’s event will take place from 29 to 31 July.

Revolution Sports + Entertainment, has been briefed to raise the profile of Silverstone Classic, complementing activity of incumbent PR agency MPA Creative. A specialist in motorsport PR, MPA will continue to handle all motorsport media activity.

Nick Wigley, CEO of Goose Live Events, said: “We are committed to developing Silverstone Classic each year and with Revolution on board to help drive our consumer and lifestyle communications, the 2016 event promises to be bigger and better than ever before.”

Merrick Haydon, MD of Revolution Sports + Entertainment, added: “With an impressive line-up of classic cars and live music acts, the Silverstone Classic already resonates with car-enthusiasts.

“Additional entertainment including aerial displays, a shopping village, live demonstrations, and flat out family fun, is fast making the event a favourite British summertime fixture for families across the country.”

Forest Enterprise England tenders £800,000 PR brief

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Forest Enterprise England (FEE), part of the Forestry Commission, has put a brief out to tender for a four-year PR contract worth a total of £800,000.

FEE manages state-owned woodlands in England and says its mission is to realise “the potential of each of the public’s forests for sustainable business opportunities, wildlife and nature conservation” as well as the enjoyment and well-being of local people and visitors.

The body is on the hunt for one or more agencies to provide marketing and PR services, and “develop knowledge and understanding of forestry issues and audiences/customers”.

The deadline for tender submissions is 12pm on 31 March.

Details of the tender, which closes on 20 February, can be found here.

Behind the Headlines with MB Communications’ Maria Boyle

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Maria Boyle, founder and director of MB Communications, on gaining a sixth sense for what will and won’t work, why PRs shouldn’t hide behind emails and get on the phone, and why she’s keen to mentor more business women.

Before I reach the office in the morning, I’ve already…
Listened to the radio and got a news fix – Chris Evans or Today pending the mood, got my three daughters out the door to school having tested them on their spellings over breakfast, speed walked Bertie, our new puppy, checked emails coming in from my clients in the UK, NY and HK, and hopefully, on a good day, done a quick 5k run in Richmond Park.

You’ll mostly find emails about…in my inbox.
Clients who want my advice on live PR matters; journos from a wide range of media and geographies picking up on story pitches and wanting to go forward; social media propositions for clients’ consideration; agency friends from old who need a spot of senior consultancy parachuting in for either a pitch or to help refocus a client team; new biz approaches – all come via recommendations which I am always grateful for; news feeds; and countdown updates about a ‘Tough Mudder’ challenge I reluctantly agreed to do a few months ago (I don’t even like mud!).

I know I’ve had a good day if…
A client says thank you for a job well done and already starts talking about another brief; when I’ve pulled off a PR coup for another; when I’ve added value beyond the day job and impressed a client CEO; and when I’ve finally managed to get a table at Sexy Fish to entertain a client who is desperate to go there.

My first job was…
Selling jeans aged 14 on Wakefield market. It was my first Saturday job. It taught me the value of money, how to deal with a wider range of customers and how to sell a product. At 16, I went on to work in a makeup factory in the summer after my GCSEs. This was so monotonous that it made me realise why I wanted to go to university. I think these jobs are important to do and a rite of passage when you are growing up.

I’d like to think my daughters will do the same. I’ve always worked throughout school, university and while doing my post grad in journalism and PR at Cardiff Journalism School. A strong work ethic is something I think it’s important to have and I know my clients really appreciate it too.

My first PR job was…
Working for a lovely PR agency in Cardiff called Quadrant PR. The brief was to PR the World Bog Snorkelling Championship on behalf of the Wales Tourist Board. I still remember the buzz when I landed page 3 of The Independent and my absolute passion for PR was sealed on that day. Fast forward 20 years and I like to think I’ve come a long way since bog snorkelling!

I can tell a campaign is succeeding when…
I see the excitement in my client’s eyes; when media proactively email me to say well done (as we know they aren’t the most forthcoming!); when social media really gets behind the campaign and it takes on a life of its own; and when MB Communications’ social media platforms get a lot of ‘likes’ and positive comments.

In some ways though, I know if a campaign is going to fly even before it goes live. Having been in PR for so long, I feel I’ve got a sixth sense and know where the pitfalls could be and plan for these ahead of any launch.

I eat….when nobody is watching.
My daughters’ Curly Wurlys or Jelly Tots. Don’t tell them!

The first time I pitched to a journalist…
I actually felt ok. I knew my subject and thought it was interesting so that was half the battle. I remember standing up making the ‘phone call to give me courage although my no nonsense Northern attitude of getting to the point quickly was music to the ears to time-starved journalists. It worked. I’ve actually always had amazingly strong relationships with journalists as I think they like my straight-forward, get on with it, approach.

The worst thing anyone has said to me is…
Are you related to Susan Boyle? Errrr, no, I’m not but in some ways I wish I was, as I’d love to have her voice. I often say I can sing and my friends have tone deaf ears!

The last book I read was…
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes, a former journalist. I loved it. It is a complete page-turner. The next book I will be reading any day now is by my amazing client Barbara Taylor Bradford OBE. It’s called The Cavendon Luck and is out in the UK in June. I read the earliest advance copy I could get hold of in order to come up with a PR campaign that could take her book out of the book review columns and onto the front of the papers, on mainstream TV and radio.

I’ve never really understood why…
A lot of PRs are scared of speaking to the media. I’ve trained many, many PRs and a lot of them really don’t like to pick up the ‘phone and sell a story. It’s a basic requirement of the job as far as I am concerned. Give me any journo and I’ll pick up the ‘phone and get a conversation going. Too many PRs these days hide behind emails and daren’t even ask a journalist for a drink or coffee. I find this incredibly sad.

If I could go back and talk to my ten-year-old self, I’d say…
Continue to be the enthusiastic, disciplined little girl you are as it will help when you get older; consider buying a property earlier than you did as you will never lose out; follow your gut instinct – it’s a good one to follow; try and get a wine client as it will help in early parenthood. Life goes quick and it’s important to remember to have time to smell the roses.

This time next year, I’ll be…
Still super happy and excited as ever to be working in PR. I simply love it and never, ever get bored. I feel honoured to have the clients I have and get really into their businesses. I treat them all like my own, their budgets as if it was my money, and regularly ask myself would I spend x on y, and think this pays off. I never take them for granted. Once you do it’s a slippery slope.

I’ll also be keen to mentor businesses and business women. I’ve done this for a few companies and find it very rewarding. I like helping people who are energetic, enthusiastic and amazing at what they do. It’s important to remember to pay it forward I think.

Fancy featuring in a Behind the Headlines interview? Please email [email protected].

Burson-Marsteller appoints The Times’ Clark

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Burson-Marsteller UK has appointed The Times‘ Andrew Clark as a director in its public affairs team.

Clark was most recently deputy business editor at The Times, where he managed 25 journalists working across print, web and tablet editions. The department was named ‘Business and Finance Team of the Year” at the 2011 British Press Awards.

Prior to The Times, he was business editor of The Observer. He spent four years in New York as The Guardian’s US business correspondent at the height of the global financial crisis. He began his career with roles at Euromoney publications and The Daily Telegraph.

Stephen Day, COO and MD of BM’s public affairs practice, said: “Andrew’s appointment is part of our commitment to offer our clients an excellent service from a team of experts who are leaders in their field.

“Understanding the media is a key component of any public affairs strategy and in Andrew we have a heavyweight who can offer senior counsel and strategic advice drawn from his years of experience as an award-winning journalist and observer of international affairs, business and politics.”

Clark added: “I’m delighted to be joining Burson-Marsteller’s public affairs team and very much look forward to working with its top-notch list of clients.”

Augur

AVG’s Innovation Labs hires Augur

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AVG’s Innovation Labs, the internet security provider’s independent development arm, has hired Augur to raise its global profile.

Augur, which calls itself a comms agency for “unsexy tech companies”, will promote the Amsterdam tech developer throughout 2016. The 30-strong Labs team experiments with everyday tech on projects such as its Invisibility Glasses, which can ‘hide’ the wearer from camera-phones potentially.

Shareen Racké-Bodha, marketing lead at Innovation Labs, said: “The strategy that Augur came back with was clearly relevant to the challenges we face. But ultimately, it was the way of operating that helped it stand out from other agencies we spoke to.

“They spend time in our office with our team, they focus on clear objectives and key results – solid measurement. It is a PR agency that speaks the same language as a leading tech company like ourselves.”

Max Tatton-Brown, Augur founder, added: “This new work joins a pattern of global projects at Augur, spanning from Belgium an Sweden to New Zealand. We’d also like to thank Eric Dragt at En Serio for introducing us. The future of agencies lies in great partners around the globe connecting the right people in this way.”

60 seconds with Claire Maugham, Smart Energy GB

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Claire Maugham, director of policy and communications at Smart Energy GB, on effecting national behaviour change around the government’s complete rollout of smart meters by 2020, how to avoid “24/7 workaholism” and how she persuaded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play instruments made from old energy meters.

What media do you absorb on your way into the office?

It’s traditional media for me when I’m on the way to work – I always have Radio 4’s Today programme playing on my headphones. Looking at too much social media before the working day begins stops calm, clear thinking about the day ahead.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to your desk?

The working day in comms isn’t about 9-5 desk time any more. I have to be constantly on top of the news agenda. The challenge is benefiting from that flexibility – for example, in spending better time with my three young daughters and working outside traditional hours when I choose to – while modelling a good work-life balance and avoiding 24/7 workaholism.

How did you get into PR?

My first job was in business-to-business tech PR at the A Plus Group (now Ketchum) – I joined on the day the company was sold to Omnicom and became part of the Brodeur group. Telling compelling stories about ‘middleware’ and ‘relational databases’ was good preparation for persuading the public to take an interest in the energy meters currently gathering dust under the stairs!

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Smart meters are coming to every home in Great Britain, which means we’re communicating with everyone equally, from senior politicians to ‘hard-to-reach’ communities. The great challenge is to keep opinion-formers focused on the big prize – the vital upgrade to our national energy system – while also reaching out directly to the millions of residents and businesses who’ll benefit from new technology. What I really enjoy is being part of a brilliant team which is working tirelessly to deliver it all.

What is the biggest challenge you face at Smart Energy GB?

The smart meter rollout is the biggest consumer-facing behaviour change campaign of our generation – no small task. We have to get every consumer outlet, from House Beautiful to Capital FM, to start talking about energy meters. We recently persuaded the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to play a newly-composed ‘Requiem for Meters’ on instruments made from old energy meters at Abbey Road studios!

What is the most effective way to prompt large-scale behaviour change through PR?        

Empathise with the challenges facing people – warts and all – and empower them with ways they can take action. Nobody will trust you if they feel patronised or that a campaign is being ‘done to’ them. And don’t assume anything about the advocates people want to hear from – especially outside the Westminster bubble. I don’t think Boris is going to sway the referendum result, for example. Find ways to help real people to share real experiences.

What is the one thing that someone hoping to get into comms should know?

Make sure you have the insight and the diplomacy to get an organisation out of its own bubble – stop drinking the company Kool-Aid and understand how others see it.

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would that be?

Much of the PR industry hasn’t yet adapted to suit the new world of content. PR practitioners need to get better at telling a story in a media landscape where there’s less space for news. We have to lose the waffle and focus on telling authentic stories through engaging content. From sport to music to cooking, we need to use the things that people are actually interested in to bring the more complex issues to life.

What is the greatest misconception your friends make about your role?

That I’m a cross between Malcolm Tucker and Edina Monsoon.

How do you take off your business head?

I play violin in London’s Kensington Symphony Orchestra, one of the country’s best amateur orchestras. It’s impossible to think about work while I’m playing and it’s an incredibly powerful collective experience.

Do you manage a wide-ranging brief that demands universal coverage? Tell us about it in a ’60 seconds’ feature by emailing [email protected]

Fairtrade Fortnight cuts through with a simple message

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Launched in 1997 by the Fairtrade Foundation, Fairtrade Fortnight is at the heart of the brand’s mission to promote fair pay for farmers in the Third World and it explains to Gorkana how it is using a simple message to make the most of a mix of channels to stand-out in an overcrowded market.

The campaign, which launched today (29 February) and ends 12 March, will release two 90 second films via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter telling the stories of Fairtrade farmers and how they are able to provide food for their families throughout the year.

In addition, Instagram will be the launch platform for a 15 second film aimed at a younger demographic. This video will make the connection between typical daily breakfasts and the farmers that make those breakfasts possible. Both films will be featured on a microsite telling the story of food poverty through animated HTML pages.

Martine Parry, media and PR manager for mainstream consumer audiences at Fairtrade Foundation, said: “This year we will steer toward harder hitting content that tells the story of food poverty to provoke consumers into thinking more about how dependent they are on the farmers that provide our food.”

“Provocative” content is also set to be delivered throughout social channels in the form of infographics and statistics. In addition, ‘breakfast inspiration’ posts – showing the different ways people can have a Fairtrade breakfast – and user generated posts in response to the campaign will be shared around the country.

Fairtrade Fortnight, which is backed by a range of brands including Waitrose, Aldi and Cadbury, will also feature new collaborations with TV presenter Laura Jackson and TV and radio presenter Alice Levine. They both are hosting the Big Fairtrade Breakfast, which was held in London today.

Parry said: “Press stunts will bring our call to action to life, producers visiting the UK will tour Fairtrade towns, villages, schools and churches and our celebrity ambassadors will help us communicate our message in a way that is accessible for a consumer audience.”

Fighting consumer fatigue with a single message

Campaigns aimed at influencing how consumers purchase their food, where they go and what they buy are becoming increasingly frequent. Adding to the clout are government campaigns, such as Campaign4life’s latest ‘sugar smart’ initiative, which have created debate around how products in the UK should be labelled and what consumers need to watch out for.

Parry told Gorkana that to help the Fairtrade Foundation stand out, this year’s campaign will focus on a simple message across a variety of platforms. She said: “What is special about our messaging this year is that we are going out with a single, consistent call to action that will work for everyone.

“This year’s campaign is very integrated across all channels and has a single call to action around food security, whereas last year we focused on why Fairtrade matters and also on the crisis facing sugar cane farmers in the developing world.

Iredale Communications wins four accounts

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Iredale Communications, founded by former Sunday Times reporter Will Iredale, has won four new accounts, including utility bill divider Dividabill and frozen smoothie company Pack’d.

Dividabill, which allows students and professionals living in shared households to setup, divide and pay their utility bills in one bundle, has hired the agency as part of a spring initiative to rebrand the business across both consumer and business channels.

Iredale will soon unveil a consumer campaign for frozen smoothie company Pack’d, after winning a multi-agency pitch.

Mapmechanics, a London-based firm using digital maps and geographical data to help retailers and businesses increase efficiencies and profitability, has appointed the agency to raise its profile in national and trade press.

The agency is also advising beauty box company LatestInBeauty and will create a campaign to raise its profile in B2B and B2C titles over the coming months.

Will Iredale spent eight years at The Sunday Times, working on its foreign desk, before moving to home news, covering investigations, general news and business.

In 2007, he joined PR firm MacLaurin Media, where as a director he advised several UK brands, before acquiring the corporate, trade and health division of the company in 2013 to form Iredale Communications.

Lidl names W as its UK PR agency

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Lidl, Britain’s fastest-growing supermarket*, has appointed W as its UK PR agency ahead of a major expansion programme.

W, which won the account following a competitive pitch coordinated by agency-client intermediary AAR, has been handed a wide-ranging brief, which will encompass consumer, corporate and CSR activity.

The appointment comes as Lidl looks to increase the brand’s engagement with ‘aspirational’ shoppers in the UK.

Working closely with Lidl UK’s in-house team, W will have an additional focus on Scotland, with a dedicated Edinburgh-based team to support Lidl’s growth north of the border.

On consumer comms, W will promote Lidl’s own-label brands, with a particular focus on wine and fashion.

The team aims to underline Lidl’s commitment to offering customers “everything they need” for their main supermarket shop, while offering the lowest possible price.

W will also support a portfolio of Lidl’s existing corporate initiatives, including its position on the Living Wage, its support of the children and young people’s cancer support charity CLIC Sargent, and its new sustainability partnership with Keep Britain Tidy.

Georgina O’Donnell, head of comms and CSR at Lidl, said: “We feel we have found a meeting of minds with W as an agency that is both bold and considered, with a clear vision and passion for Lidl. Their expertise and skills complement the existing talent within our in-house team and will help take our brand to the next level.”

Warren Johnson, founder and CEO of W, said: “Lidl is the standout player in a rapidly evolving supermarket space, leading a revolution in the way people shop – and is a hugely significant win for us. We see something of our own spirit reflected in Lidl’s success so far and are very excited to start working together with the talented in-house team to help further grow Lidl’s share of voice, amplifying its quality, range, provenance and value for money as well its incredible CSR initiatives.”

Sitting across W’s Brand and Corporate divisions, and with additional support from W’s Scotland team, Lidl is W’s third account win so far in 2016, following its appointment by Boat International Media and Trouva earlier this month.

*According to Kantar Worldpanel, February 2016