Cohn & Wolfe and Burson-Marsteller merge

WPP merges Cohn & Wolfe and Burson-Marsteller

/in /by

WPP has merged Cohn & Wolfe and Burson-Marsteller to form Burson Cohn & Wolfe, creating one of the world’s largest full-service comms agencies.

Cohn & Wolfe CEO Donna Imperato will lead the combined agency and Don Baer, Burson-Marsteller’s worldwide chair and CEO, will become chairman of Burson Cohn & Wolfe. The combined group will encompass more than 4,000 employees across 42 countries.

The move will merge Cohn & Wolfe’s specialism in digitally-driven creative content and integrated comms across the consumer, healthcare and technology sectors with Burson-Marsteller’s proficiency in public affairs, corporate and crisis management, technology and research.

Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP’s CEO, said: “Our decision to merge the two agencies is driven by strong, compatible capabilities and expertise, a combined ability to deliver integrated solutions across multiple sectors and the scale to compete with the largest communications agencies in the world.”

He continued: “We have a major opportunity and the right team to take this new agency to even higher levels of success. After years of strong leadership and delivering excellent results at Cohn & Wolfe, I know that Donna will ensure the success of the combined business.”

Imperato added: “The launch of Burson Cohn & Wolfe creates a new entity in the world of communications that offers our clients unparalleled, integrated digital solutions grounded in earned media. We are energised by the fresh offerings we will bring to both our clients and our employees.”

  • Pictured: Donna Imperato
Good Relations executive director Lawrence Collis

Inside a PR newsroom with Good Relations’ Lawrence Collis

/in /by

Lawrence Collis, executive director at Good Relations, outlines why the agency uses a newsroom model for everything from news generation to crisis management.

You’re responsible for Good Relations’ dynamic newsroom model. But what is a dynamic newsroom? And how does one work?

To allow us to be as reactive and creative as possible with the right expertise, we structure our press office accounts as dynamic brand newsrooms.

We assemble bespoke teams of specialists tailored to unique challenges, whether it be in creative news generation, issues and crisis management, broadcast PR, social media, public affairs or influencer relations.

Daily news conferences allow us to react to issues and seize opportunities to turn stories into creative content for traditional, digital and social media.

How big is a typical brand newsroom team? And how are the different tasks divvied up?

The size of each team is entirely dependent on client needs. We tailor relevant expertise within the business to fit that.

When it comes to tasks, having a clear decision maker is vital to ensure discipline, keeping to (and improving) process and ensuring clear actions come from brand newsroom meetings.

What would you say are the key benefits of the newsroom approach, compared to more traditional PR techniques?

Our way of working ensures there is input from a diverse range of experts at every stage of the process. This diversity of expertise enables us to be highly reactive and seize on opportunities.

How do you measure the performance of the content your newsroom teams create? Do you believe it’s important to show the impact they have on a brand’s business objectives?

We put a huge importance on evaluation and demonstrating impactful outcomes in everything we do, as with any activity within the business. The newsroom is no different and we set (where relevant) KPIs against this to ensure that it’s a valuable addition to campaigns.

Brand newsrooms don’t just create great content fast. They also ensure your team has access to the right expertise to seize on content opportunities as they arise.

Enter your details into the form below now to download Cision’s new white paper, How to create a PR newsroom and own your story, and discover how to implement your own newsroom model in three simple steps.

Incorrect information? Clear the form.
YES, I would like a FREE demo. Please contact me.
I agree to opt-in to communications from Cision, and that I have read and agree to Cision's Terms and Privacy Statement.
By submitting the information in this form, I confirm that Cision may communicate with me regarding their products and services.
If you wish to update your marketing subscription preferences, please do so by visiting our GDPR pages

Why PR newsrooms are the future of brand storytelling

Andrew Leach returns to Hudson Sandler

Andrew Leach returns to Hudson Sandler

/in /by

Strategic comms consultancy Hudson Sandler has appointed Andrew Leach as a partner.

Leach rejoins the business after spending five years at MHP Communications as managing director, after fulfilling the same role at Hudson Sandler.

Prior to his PR roles, Leach was a specialist business journalist who covered the City’s “Big Bang” in the 1980s through to the 2008 financial crisis. He is a former associate city editor of The Mail on Sunday’s finance section.

Andrew Hayes, managing partner of Hudson Sandler, said: “We are delighted Andrew has rejoined us. He is a highly respected operator who shares our values of collaboration and long-term relationships.

“As a senior journalist he enjoyed widespread respect as one of the best in the business and he will be an excellent addition to our growing partnership.”

Leach added: “Hudson Sandler has evolved significantly over the past five years with a broader offering and established, market-leading franchises. The familiar culture of innovation, excellence and collaboration means it is very much like coming home and I am excited by the growth opportunities.”

Paul Montague-Smith joins Grayling as director

/in /by

Grayling has recruited Paul Montague-Smith as a director in its London public affairs team, with a brief to develop its existing financial services offering.

Montague-Smith is a former Bell Pottinger partner with 26 years’ experience advising businesses on politics, regulation and reputation management.

Prior to joining Bell Pottinger, he was a government relations manager at HSBC. His past clients include HSBC, Citigroup, Friends Life, Bank of Ireland, Provident Financial and Open Banking.

He will report to Jonathan Curtis, Grayling’s UK head of public affairs.

Montague-Smith said: “I’m thrilled to have joined what is a strikingly great team. We’ve already won some interesting mandates in the retail financial services space and I’m excited at the prospect of us building on that.”

Curtis added: “We’re delighted Paul has joined our award-winning team. His deep experience of public affairs and reputation management, particularly in the financial services sector, will significantly strengthen our already strong offer.”

Meet the Journalist: TechRadar's Gareth Beavis

Meet the Journalist: TechRadar’s Gareth Beavis

/in /by

Gareth Beavis, TechRadar’s interim global editor-in-chief, talks about the brand’s 10th anniversary, what tech stories he’s working on in 2018 and being caught out by Pokemon Go. 

TechRadar recently celebrated its 10th birthday. How has the website evolved over the years?

We’ve gone from being a simple news site that offered a sparse amount of tips to one that spans countless buying guides, some of the web’s most in-depth reviews and long-read features that offer a view on the full breadth of tech.

However, our main change has been from a general news site to one that’s laser-focused on helping people get the most from their tech – whether that’s learning what the right thing is to buy, how to buy it or what could be coming down the road.

The tech industry has also changed rapidly over the past decade. What would you say are the biggest stories the title has covered?

For us, it’s always product-focused. So, the iPhone 6 and iPhone X have been huge stories that have had people hooked for over a year before launch.

However, the biggest surprise was the sheer impact of Pokemon Go. We’ve never seen interest in something like that before. And it was a reactive roller coaster having to constantly change to offer the top news, information on updates and ‘how to’ content on getting the best out of this title that non-tech fans were suddenly aware of.

Today, TechRadar.com receives 30 million unique visitors per month. But who is the typical TechRadar reader? And what are their interests?

We’re proud that TechRadar readers are really varied. They’re people who want to know what the latest tech is and what to buy.

We take our buying guides and reviews incredibly seriously, and write them for that audience. We don’t assume reams of knowledge. We just make sure we tell them how key products are different and arm them with the tools to make up their mind. (As well as sniffing out the best prices, as that obviously makes a huge difference over whether someone will buy something.)

Your beat is phones, tablets and wearables. Who else makes up the TechRadar team? And who looks after what?

We’ve got a large team spanning the globe now, and it would take too long to name everyone. (Although we genuinely have some of the best writers and editors I’ve ever worked with and I would love to call them out individually.)

However, myself and Marc Chacksfield, currently interim global editors-in-chief of the site, are founding members of TechRadar along with James Rivington – who is now the editor in charge of e-commerce for TechRadar and other sites within Future Publishing.

What are the big tech stories you’re looking to cover in the coming months?

We’re seeing a lot of interest in the new Samsung Galaxy S9, which will be announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where we’ll see countless other top phones launched too.

We’re also not far from E3, where we’ll see reams of games content emerging, and Apple’s WWDC. There, we’ll get our first taste of iOS 12, which we’re anticipating could bring some big changes to the way we use iPhones.

How does TechRadar like to work with PRs? And who should someone contact if they’d like to pitch a story?

We love to work with PRs. They’re the conduits for the information we need. What we like most is the personal approach – a PR that knows a story will fit our site and doesn’t just add us to a random mailing list.

We cover so few pitches that they need to be special – an exclusive take on a story, an interview that nobody else has (or access to someone that would be willing to talk candidly on a subject) or just something that’s not broken yet and is being pushed to us ASAP as a matter of courtesy.

The simple approach is the best. A dedicated email to the right channel editor with a reason for thinking something might get coverage will always go down well. (CC-ing in [email protected] will also make sure the whole team sees it.)

Cold calls about a story that was sent out hours ago aren’t going to be worth the effort. Also, we often add things to round-ups down the line. So, if a pitch isn’t taken then it doesn’t mean it’s dead, and we do consider everything relevant that’s sent to us!

Finally, what’s the best tech investment you’ve made to date, and why?

This was a long, long time ago. But I’ll always have a soft spot for my Archos 5, which was one of the first devices that could show you video on the go.

A huge personal media player that could store dozens of hours of recorded TV. Suddenly my commute became a tech-filled nirvana, but made me look like a total weirdo for watching a handheld device. Now, everybody is glued to their smartphones in exactly the same way!

FleishmanHillard Fishburn hires new business development director

FleishmanHillard Fishburn hires business development director

/in /by

FleishmanHillard Fishburn has appointed Lyndsay Haywood as director of business development in its London office.

Haywood will support new business opportunities across all of the agency’s practices.

She was previously a partner and director at Lansons. In her 17 years at the agency she directed its corporate, crisis and B2B accounts. She was also responsible for lead generation and all incoming new business enquiries.

Haywood said: “I’m truly excited to be taking on this role at FleishmanHillard Fishburn. It’s an agency known for having a brilliant culture, doing great work for great clients and having amazingly talented staff. That’s an exciting formula for any client or prospective client.”

Ali Gee, deputy CEO at FleishmanHillard Fishburn, added: “Lyndsay’s addition to our team is a real boon and a strong indicator of our ambition for 2018.”

“After a fantastic 2017 we are to keen to continue growth both for our current clients and new opportunities. Lyndsay will be vital to this process and brings a wealth of talent and experience to our team. I’m looking forward to another exciting year for us.”