Peppermint Soda adds clients to property portfolio

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Peppermint Soda has expanded its property portfolio with three new clients including Story Homes, Till Asset Management and Artez Group.

Peppermint will develop Story Homes’ national profile as it looks to develop residential homes in key regions across the UK. It will also look to develop media relations, direct relationship sales and digital and creative advice for Till Asset Management.

The agency has launched Artez Group’s website and will also handle the contractor’s ongoing campaign.

Jean-Philippe Glaskie, managing director at Peppermint Soda, said: “These three businesses all offer bespoke property developments or investment solutions for their clients and are at the forefront of the property sector’s current resurgence. We’re delighted to be working with them at this exciting time for the sector, particularly as we’re bringing them an integrated campaign approach combining PR, creative and digital services.”

Mike Banton, founder at Artez, said: “Artez sets itself apart from the majority of run-of-the-mill construction companies by delivering quality projects for respected clients and developers. These same values attracted us to Peppermint Soda – its strong property pedigree, plus its availability to understand how we want to evolve, is compelling.”

Peppermint Soda is based Cheshire and has an established roster of property clients, including Muse and Knight Knox.

Cheapflights hires White Tiger for UK PR

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Travel search brand Cheapflights has brought in White Tiger PR to handle its UK consumer and trade PR, following a competitive pitch.

White Tiger has been briefed to raise the brand’s consumer, travel trade and travel technology media profile to support traffic growth and revenue targets.

Campaign objectives include encouraging consumers to revisit the flight search platform, encompassing both its website and an app, following a brand refresh during 2015.

The team also aims to position Cheapflights as experts on travel behaviour and trends, travellers’ rights and travel deals.

White Tiger PR founder and MD Cass Helstrip will lead the account. Activity starts on 1 February.

Phil Bloomfield, global head of comms and PR at Cheapflights, said: “We are investing for growth and comms has a key role to play. This appointment follows hot on the heels of our biggest ever above the line campaign spearheaded by the ‘flying stuntman’ TV ad, the appointment of a new MD, a brand refresh, and agency hires in Australia and South Africa. We’ve changed and we need travellers to be reminded why this brand should resonate with them. It’s White Tiger PR’s role to ensure we achieve the profile we deserve.”

Helstrip added: “Cheapflights is the pioneer of flight search, and, this year, celebrates 20 years of heritage in the sector. It’s a powerful brand with big plans. If it’s been a while since you visited, go now, the new site is travel heaven and the switch to meta data combined with the best deals puts Cheapflights in a unique position; offering the best deals and exciting inspiration to travellers.”

Andy Coulson to launch corporate comms firm

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Andy Coulson, ex-News of the World editor and a former Downing Street director of comms, has joined forces with Pitch’s chief exec Henry Chappell to launch Coulson Chappell, a corporate comms consultancy that offers “discreet” strategic comms and corporate advice.

The newly-formed agency will provide strategic comms support and corporate advice to business leaders, companies and organisations in sport and other industries. It will also provide services including speech writing and media training.

Coulson is a former Conservative Party and Downing Street director of communications. He was also editor of the News of the World between 2003 and 2007 following a long career in national newspapers.

Chappell is the CEO of sports comms specialist Pitch and has some 20 years in the sports industry.

Coulson Chappell will operate separately to Pitch although the companies will look to share resources.

Coulson said: “I’ve always wanted to establish and grow my own company and, in Henry, I have the perfect business partner. From our combined experience, Coulson Chappell can offer a unique perspective to clients looking for clear, discreet and effective strategic advice.”

Chappell added: “With Andy’s extensive experience across media and politics and a growing demand from CEOs, companies and organisations for strategic corporate and communications advice, we feel there is a real opportunity to establish a new agency in the marketplace.”

Davos 2016: how PRs can realise the true opportunity this week’s forum presents

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This week’s World Economic Forum (WEF), held in Davos and commonly referred to by its place-name, is both star-studded, including celebrities from Bono to Leonardo DiCaprio, and attended by heavyweight business and world leaders, from Draghi to Tsipras. Many key comms professionals and PRs and their clients attend, but what is the real PR opportunity Davos presents? And do you need to be at an event which could cost an individual, according to International Business Times, an average of £22,000 in the last couple of years to attend.

Gorkana asked comms experts what they thought about the opportunities the event, which ends on the 23 January this year, presents for comms professionals whether they are in Switzerland this week, or not.

Great networking opportunities and content

“Davos is a networking heaven for PRs. The depth and quality of contacts there is first class and practically unmatched at any other event,” said Simon Corbett, managing director at Jargon PR. “As well as networking the value lies in the leadership gained while you are there. The calibre of talks and exec team delivering them is remarkable,” he added.

Chatsworth communications has clients attending the event. Nick Murray-Leslie, CEO at Chatsworth, said: “Despite its perceived faults, Davos remains a concentration of global leaders and, of equal import, their advisors and fixers and therefore it’s an unparalleled opportunity to communicate across borders.

“We have found the event of enormous use in terms of arranging meetings with politicians, central bankers and decision makers from states like China and Russia.”

Preparation is key and speaking opportunities add credibility to spokespeople

Murray-Leslie said: “It is not necessary to blow a stack of budget on sending a vast team. Attending is important but the preparation is key. Clients should be encouraged to send their most respected, effective and influential senior people and prepare them, and their schedules, with military precision as far as possible. It does not hurt to remember that a lot of the real networking is still done at the parties and private sessions.”

Proof Communication’s client Tokamak Energy will be at Davos this year. Joe Meaney, operations director at Proof, said: “It is easier to pitch a client as a potential spokesperson if they are at Davos and even better if they have been invited to speak there as it underlines why they are an expert voice on a specific topic. There is an argument to say that it isn’t essential for a PR to be there too as a lot of media will report on the event without being there, so you always need guys back in the office to engage with them too.”

Be selective – concentrate on the best opportunities for you and your clients

Meaney said: “It is a very crowded space, with many people fighting to be heard and associated with the great and the good, so finding the right opportunity is key – for example there’s probably no point trying to pitch briefings to tech media when Sheryl Sandberg is due to speak. And perhaps most importantly seek quality not quantity, if the coverage you secure doesn’t help to meet a client’s business objectives then it is all vanity coverage.”

Babel PR’s co-founder and managing director, Ian Hood, added: “The core of the activity, among the truly powerful (through wealth, intellect or influence) might be very interesting but few get access to those conversations. The periphery of the event has become a vehicle for shameless self-promotion and partying as far as I can see.”

Another Word Communications wins The Body Shop pitch

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Another Word Communications has been appointed by the ethical skincare company, The Body Shop, to manage its corporate and sustainability communications following a competitive pitch.

The agency is set to report to the international director of commitment and corporate communications, Kate Levine, who joined The Body Shop last year.

Lynda Redington, founder and joint managing director at Another Word which is an independent PR and digital communications agency, said: “We are thrilled to be working with The Body Shop in this area. It’s a pioneer in ethical business, corporate transparency and ethical beauty. Our aim is to help the business amplify its reputation in this area.”

Levine said: “Another Word demonstrated both strategic insight and creative thinking in tackling our brief. The team clearly understood the opportunities for our business and provided a fresh approach to our communications needs.”

The Body Shop makes and sells “naturally inspired, ethically produced beauty and cosmetics products”. It has more than 3,000 stores across 65 countries worldwide.

Collinson Group selects Citigate Dewe Rogerson

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Collinson Group, which operates brands in the loyalty, lifestyle benefits, insurance and assistance spaces, has hired Citigate following a competitive pitch process. 

Citigate will work on a “comprehensive brief” for the group’s Collinson and Intana brands which operate in the B2B insurance and corporate assistance segments, where it provides support for businesses in “challenging situations” abroad.

In addition to traditional media engagement activity, Citigate Dewe Rogerson will use its in-house research capabilities to build market insights and content to support the group’s growth ambitions.

Graham Hollebon, head of marketing & product for insurance & assistance at Collinson Group, said: “Collinson Group is in a strong growth phase, boosted by a number of recent acquisitions.

“In a competitive market, we see PR will play a significant part in driving client awareness and business growth. The team at Citigate Dewe Rogerson delivered a highly creative, broad proposal of activity and we’re delighted to be working with them.”

Jonathan Flint, Citigate MD (pictured), added: “Collinson Group has become a major player in its chosen markets, delivering a high quality service and product suite to its business and consumer client base. It has identified strong opportunities in the B2B insurance and corporate assistance spaces and Citigate will play a major part in helping the firm capitalise on this momentum.”

Collinson Group services some 800 clients in 170 countries across its brands, which include Intana, Columbus Direct, Priority Pass, Collinson Latitude and ICLP.

Citizen’s Tom Winterton joins The Romans as associate director

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Creative agency The Romans, which celebrates its first anniversary this week, has appointed Citizen senior account director Tom Winterton as associate director.

In his new role, Winterton will work across clients including Samsung, Spotify, and BrewDog, and report to The Romans founders Misha Dhanak and Joe Sinclair, who worked with him when they were both at Citizen.

At Citizen, Winterton worked across its Sony and Bacardi Global accounts. Before that, he worked at Shine, launching Forever 21 into Europe, working with PlayStation across the EMEA region and running the e-Bay press office.

He was named as one of PR Week’s ‘30 Under 30’ and also nominated for the PR Week Young Professional of the Year.

Dhanak and Sinclair launched The Romans last January with backing from ad agency Mother. Dhanak was previously MD at Citizen, while Sinclair held the role of creative director.

Winterton said: “The Romans have had a phenomenal 12 months and it’s especially auspicious to be joining on its first anniversary. The client list and creative work speaks for itself.”

Dhanak said: ‘Tom exemplifies what we look for in a hire – a fearlessly creative mind and an entrepreneurial spirit. It’s great to have the squad back.”

Bottle promotes consumer director Natasha Hill to MD

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Bottle’s Natasha Hill has moved from her position as director of consumer to take up the role of MD at the agency.

Hill joined Bottle in February 2015, having spent seven years at Cancer Research UK, where she was brand and strategic marketing director.

During her time at CR UK, she was responsible for a rebrand in 2012. She also led marketing and digital activity for campaigns including Race For Life and Stand Up To Cancer.

Previously, Hill worked agency-side for Porsche, Lloyds TSB, Prudential, P&G, Great Ormond Street and NSPCC.

Will Cairns, Bottle’s founder and former MD, will take on a new, more strategic role within the agency.

Hill’s appointment comes as Bottle announces a brand refresh which includes a new positioning, visual identity and website. It has removed ‘PR’ from its name “in order to better reflect the variety of content-led work that the agency now does”.

Hill said: “Over the past year we have invested in the skills required to fulfil our vision to become a leading communication agency. With new processes, capabilities we are now able to provide all the services of a creative agency with the fast-acting dynamism of a PR agency.

“Our insight and brand led approach, coupled with a unique 7am newsroom approach, means we are first to react to the news agenda and able to recommend the best creative treatments and content for our clients.”

Cairns added: “Bottle is in dynamic hands with the appointment of Natasha. We are gearing up for significant growth following a strong 2015 performance.”

The Food Standards Agency chooses Threepipe

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The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has appointed Threepipe to help drive social reach and engagement around key consumer facing campaigns after a competitive pitch.

The first campaign, going live next month, will see Threepipe develop content and paid strategies across Facebook and Instagram to support the #WheresTheSticker campaign, which encourages consumers to look out for the FSA’s green Food Hygiene Rating Stickers.

Threepipe is also supporting the FSA by taking design elements from the social media campaign and adapting them for outdoor media as the organisation looks to drive further awareness of the Hygiene Rating Stickers.

Michelle Patel, head of marketing and consumer insight at the Food Standards Agency, said: “We were impressed by the audience understanding that Threepipe brought to our brief and the creative ideas that brought it to life.”

Jim Hawker, co-founder of Threepipe, added: “This is a very exciting series of campaigns to be involved with and plays to our strengths in terms of creating innovative content and understanding how best to target and measure its impact.”

 

 

Cogent Elliott wins creative brief from London Midland

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Train operator London Midland has handed a creative comms brief to marketing comms agency Cogent Elliott, following a four-way pitch.

London Midland operates trains through the heart of England, from London to Birmingham in the Midlands and Liverpool in the North West. It carries more than 65 million passenger journeys each year on its services.

Cogent Elliott will work with London Midland’s in-house marketing, corporate affairs and internal comms teams to deliver an integrated campaign in 2016 including national and regional activity.

Richard Brooks, commercial director at London Midland, said: “Cogent Elliott showed a thorough understanding of some of the key challenges our business faces, coupled with a strong creative route that really resonated with us.

“We will be looking for Cogent Elliott to work with us on a broad spectrum of marketing support campaigns covering both internal and external communications. These are exciting times at London Midland and it’s great to have such an enthusiastic partner on board with us.”

London Midland recently announced it had been awarded a new contract by the Department for Transport to continue to run services between London, the West Midlands and the North of England until October 2017.