Viktor Frisk wins the 2017 Swedish Cision PR influencer award

Viktor Frisk wins the 2017 Swedish Cision PR influencer award

/in /by

Viktor Frisk was crowned Sweden’s most influential PR consultant at the Cision PR Influencer Award 2017 last night, Cision’s Oskar Larsson reports.

Viktor is indeed the name on everyone’s lips in Sweden today. Frisk was awarded the Cision PR Influencer Award 2017 at the Spinn award ceremony in Stockholm last night. The prize went to the person whose digital channels have been most influential during the year.

Frisk is head of social media at a PR bureau, which he combines with being a successful pop star and a highly respected social influencer – which is the icing on cake.

At just 22 years old, Viktor Frisk can now call himself the most digitally influential PR person in Sweden, although this is not his first time in the spotlight.

Along with Samir Badran, he is part of the musical duo Samir & Viktor. They have taken part in Melodifestivalen twice, trying to qualify to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest with the songs Groupie and Bada nakna. Looking to 2018, Aftonbladet reports that they will be giving it a third try with a song yet to be announced.

In his capacity as a social influencer, Viktor is currently blogging at Swedish magazine Café, writing about fashion and his everyday life. His Instagram account, @Victorfrisks, has over 292,000 followers (and Sweden’s population is 10 million) and he is working together with a number of brands as an influencer.

Combining his personal lifestyle brand with consulting and his role as head of social media at Mindmakers PR is what makes Viktor unique. He represents the new generation of PR and is a living proof of someone practising what he preaches.

“This award is indeed a sign of the times, showing  how we work in an ever-changing business that never stands still,” says Alexander Mason, commercial director of Cision Scandinavia. “We have hosted this award for many years and if someone would have told me five years ago that a pop artist would win, I wouldn’t believe what I heard.

“Today, influencer marketing and PR are so tightly intertwined, you can actually do both simultaneously. And who does it better than Viktor?

“If you master various digital channels, create real engagement and are able to consult others into doing the same, you have a lot to gain. The rest of us have a lot to learn from Viktor – a pioneer that many will follow and a well-deserved receiver of this award.”

The tagline of the Spinn gala is: “If you snooze you lose, if you spin you win.” And Viktor has proven himself to spin whatever crosses his digital path.

Congratulations Viktor Frisk for winning the Cision PR Influencer Award 2017!

Higginson PR co-founders Clodagh and John Higginson

60 Seconds with Higginson PR’s John Higginson

/1 Comment/in /by

John Higginson (right), Higginson PR’s co-founder, discusses why he and his wife Clodagh (left) set up their own agency, the growth of the business and how comparable the role is to his time in journalism. 

You’ve just opened two new offices, are you surprised at how quickly the agency has grown after setting up early this year?

Yes. I knew we had a great offering but it is impossible to know how you are going to do. Predicting growth for an agency has an element of the crystal ball about it. You never really know when you are going to win the next big account.

But we’ve been very lucky: we secured great clients early on. We’ve been able to do great work, which we believe in, for them and it has led to more. Only one client has come through a competitive pitch.

Why did you and Clodagh decide to leave journalism and set up your own PR agency?

I absolutely love journalism. Both of us do. It’s in our blood. But then a point came when another general election was called and I felt weary at the thought of it instead of excited. It was at that moment that I thought I have to do something else. I learned the ropes in two great communications agencies but after a few years setting up my own firm was a natural next step.

Clodagh had spent 20 years in journalism with the last year of that getting up at 3am every morning for Good Morning Britain. We’ve got two young children who didn’t understand why their mum was talking on the TV instead of eating breakfast with them. I was able to convince her to take the leap.

You were Metro’s political editor for seven years. Which transferable skill learnt in journalism has proven most useful in your transition to comms?

The ability to spot a story and to know which publication will run it. I was quite surprised when I came over to the other side at how many communications firms have no-one in their teams that has been a journalist.

You don’t need everyone to have journalistic experience: there are some great communications professionals out there who haven’t had that experience. But if you don’t have anyone in your team who has worked as a journalist the job’s a lot harder. You’re shooting in the dark a bit.

Higginson PR has seen massive growth since you started the company in early 2017. What has been the most challenging part of growing an agency from scratch?

Bringing in the most talented people. I am very lucky to have a hugely talented team but the search for talent has been never ending. Clients want to know that you have got them the absolute best people and the only way you can do that is by searching the whole talent pool.

We’ve just moved in to expensive super cool offices in Aldgate; people assume it’s to impress the clients but the truth is the clients don’t care – it’s to help us pull in the best talent.

You have worked on several high-profile political campaigns. Which campaign do you look back on with most satisfaction?

In 2014 I co-created a campaign to limit the amount of time people spent on pre-charge bail – a form of bail administered by the police when they do not have enough evidence to make a charge. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Britain were being held on it indefinitely often for spurious reasons.

The 30-day limit we fought for was made into law earlier this year. It’s a great example of how lobbying can be a great force for good and I’m very proud of that campaign.

Revenues from traditional media are declining as content moves online. Have your clients’ expectations shifted in the context of changing ways of consuming news?

The demand for video content is only going up which is why we have a superb award-winning videographer in our team creating amazing viral videos for clients. But I still get a great thrill seeing a story we are behind appearing in print. There is something magical about a printed newspaper.

Clients often prefer the digital version as it is easier to share by email. But one thing hasn’t changed: a great story is a great story. People spend too long trying to understand the medium. If the content is great it will be shared across mediums.

Finally, securing a coveted scoop is one of the best feelings a journalist can have. What is the equivalent for a PR professional?

It’s the same: securing a coveted scoop. How many scoops nowadays don’t have a communications professional somewhere in the background helping to bring that story to light? It’s just instead of being rewarded with a by-line you get rewarded with a happy client.

The niche consultancies out to disrupt the PR industry

/in /by

The largest PR firms are big for a reason. But in yesterday’s Cision webinar, consultancy and small PR agency founders Jason Nisse and Lizzie Earl argued that smaller agencies are primed to disrupt the industry.

Factors like brand and marketing clout and the perception among some companies that it’s “safer” to select big agencies still count in their favour.

But since leaving Newgate Communications to start The Nisse Consultancy, Nisse says he has found plenty of opportunities.

“I’ve seen both sides, so I feel I have some kind of insight into what’s going on in the market,” he said. “When people go out looking for an agency, they are looking for expertise. With a niche industry, what you see is what you get.”

“You can be much more of a handpicked team at a smaller agency,” agreed Earl, who founded Munch 12 months ago. “We’re just nimble in a way that I don’t think a bigger agency could be.”

The opportunity for niche consultancies

Nisse gave the example of a listed company with a large financial firm handling its comms, but a niche agency providing crisis support.

By carving out crisis comms and handing it to a smaller firm, this company is able to benefit from the greater attention and faster response times niche practitioners can often deliver – in an area where it needs them most.

He argued that larger agencies must be open to this kind of partnership to deliver more sophisticated services to clients, especially when they are being squeezed elsewhere by competition from ad agencies.

“Since I started out, what I’ve been most surprised with is the collaborative nature of the other niche agencies out there,” he said. “[Large agencies] should look to us to see how we can work together.”

Small agencies should be proud to be different

Earl opened her presentation by sharing how Munch snapped its client Music Crowns from the jaws of a larger agency that had promised a double-page spread in The Sun.

“We didn’t try to compete like for like,” she said. “We knew what we needed to do for this project and we weren’t afraid of doing something different.”

By tailoring a campaign that contributed directly to Music Crowns’ business objectives, Munch doubled the brand’s web traffic and launched artist Daisy Clark’s career by helping her knock Ed Sheeran off the top of the iTunes charts.

Positioning itself as a boutique agency that delivers results helped Munch outshine its more established competition – and you can discover more about how she did it in this exclusive Cision white paper.

Are niche consultancies disrupting the PR industry?

In this recent opinion piece, Nisse argued that big agencies are like luxury hotels, while many clients would prefer something more like Airbnb. He believes small firms are best placed to provide bespoke, highly specialised services.

“We can be a lot more entrepreneurial with our pricing,” he added yesterday. “I do a lot of campaigns where the fee is weighted to the success of the campaign.”

Ontario Teachers' appoints CNC

CNC to handle comms for Ontario Teachers’

/in /by

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has appointed CNC Communications as its PR agency for the UK/Europe and Asia Pacific regions following a competitive pitch process.

CNC will support the pension plan’s corporate and financial comms from hubs in London and Hong Kong, with additional support across Europe and Asia.

The agency’s account team will be led by partners Oliver Mann and Ben Curson and director Simon Evans – all based in London. They will work closely with Jo Taylor, the fund’s senior managing director, international, along with its corporate comms department.

Deborah Allan, managing director, communications and media relations at Ontario Teachers’, said: “We were very impressed by CNC’s insight-driven approach, creative thinking and deep understanding of corporate and financial communications, and their appreciation of our global presence and relationships. We are looking forward to getting the partnership started immediately.”

  • Pictured: Ontario Teachers’ owned London City Airport
RCNi appoints Clarion to promote 2018 Nurse Awards

Clarion wins RCNi Nurse Awards brief

/in /by

Nursing journal publisher RCNi has appointed Clarion Communications to promote the 2018 RCNi Nurse Awards following a five-way pitch.

Clarion will raise the profile of the ceremony to attract corporate sponsorship, drive attendance, boost award entries and generally promote the nursing professions.

It will support the industry awards evening, which celebrates the best nursing care, from its launch next month through to the event next July.

Lucy Swan, managing partner at Clarion Communications, said: “We’re thrilled to be supporting the RCNi Nurse Awards and being involved in such a worthy cause. There are so many incredible stories of unsung nurses going above-and-beyond in the care of their patients – and we’re very much looking forward to helping tell those stories.”

Katherina Breen, head of events at RCNi which publishes titles including Nursing Standard, added, “We’re delighted to have Clarion on board. They are the perfect partners to promote the RCNi Nurse Awards, and we feel confident that their expertise and considered approach will help us attract corporate sponsorship and really raise the profile of the awards and all the deserving nurses that are involved.”

Stir appoints Jo Vyvyan-Robinson as MD

Stir appoints Jo Vyvyan-Robinson as managing director

/in /by

Stir has appointed Jo Vyvyan-Robinson as its new managing director. She will oversee management of the agency as well as masterminding new ventures to drive growth.

Vyvyan-Robinson will use her wealth of experience to help the brand grow across the retail, FMCG and lifestyle sectors. Stir believes her desire to inject fresh thinking into client briefs will support the agency in developing strategic, audience-centric campaigns which deliver against business goals.

She joins from freuds, where she was director for its KFC account. She also previously led an 18-strong consumer press office and brand team for the agency’s Asda account.

Vyvyan-Robinson said: “Stir has had seven years of exponential growth, but still hasn’t reached its full potential, making it an incredibly exciting time for me to join.

“The agency is made up of smart, intelligent thinkers you’d expect at a big agency, but with the hunger, entrepreneurial spirit, passion and energy of a young, creative agency. I am hoping to capture and harness that spirit to drive new business wins over the next 12 months and beyond.”

Meet the Journalist: Antonella Cattaneo, Automazione Oggi

/in /by

Antonella Cattaneo, executive editor of the Italian magazines Automazione Oggi, Efficiency & Environment and Fieldbus & Networks talks to Cision’s Mario Cipriano about their B2B readerships and how multi-media can boost the role of print.

Antonella Cattaneo

Antonella Cattaneo

How did you end up as executive director for these three magazines – all published by Fiera Milano Media S.p.A.?

While at university, studying statistics, I was also attending a course to become a technical-scientific reporter. This allowed me the opportunity to work as a reporter for publisher Gruppo Editoriale Jackson.

Hired for the books section, my role required me to read and correct books that explained how to use PC software. So, I learned a lot about the topic and about how to use different software. When Editoriale Jackson was sold to Dutch publisher VNU, I had the chance to move.

I joined Automazione Oggi (Automation Today)’s editorial team as a reporter. From this, I was offered the role of managing editor both for the magazine and two supplements Fieldbus & Networks – which effectively is an independent magazine – and Soluzioni Software per l’Industria (Software Solutions for Industry).

Once I passed my journalist exam, I became editor-in-chief.

VNU, after a while, sold the Italian business unit to Fiera Milano, which created the publisher Fiera Milano Media. The company gave me a lot of trust, entrusting me with the whole Automation Area and then the exhibitions-conference, an area that I have evolved – with my team – to explore new formats and ideas.

The newest member of the portfolio is a magazine called Efficiency & Environment, covering the area of energy and environment.

All three main titles deal with niche technical topics. What makes them special?

Automazione Oggi  is a magazine on industrial automation, declining automation in all its forms, focusing on the innovation and the new ways of production – always looking toward the future.

Automazione e Strumentazione (Automation and Instrumentation) prefers automation of raw materials. So it covers a lot about oil & gas, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Fieldbus & Networks is dedicated to the world of industrial communication, while Soluzioni Software per l’Industria is dedicated to the management of business processes.

Efficiency & Environment is aimed at the world of efficiency and sustainability in industry. Let’s not forget also that our Automation Area also has two websites that complete the automation offer (automaizone-plus.it) and energy (energia-plus.it).

Journalism is changing, with digital taking precedence. So, why do you still believe in “print journalism”?

For our magazines, digital is a necessary complement to print. They go hand-in-hand. However, our readers love to browse and read their favourite articles on paper in spite of the digital age.

Whatever the case, we offer them the best of both worlds because we believe that both worlds need to harmonise together.

On Automazione Oggi we have recently implemented a form of “augmented reality”. [Using an app for mobile phones and tablets called ‘Experience Gate’ the magazine] readers can get more than just the print version.

For example, you can watch interesting videos on how to use a product or also check on constantly evolving data and information, or listen to an interview with an expert explaining the market trend. I mean, it is a tool that allowed us to ‘widen’ the paper, making our service even more appreciated and fascinating.

What challenges and excites you more about working in journalism?

I am naturally curious , as well as dynamic, with a strong desire for learning and discovering new things. I get involved in all that is futuristic and technologically advanced.

What do you look for in a press release? 

A press release must talk to me – not “naked and skinny”! By which I mean, it should be full-bodied containing relevant information and the right resources. Above all, it must tell me a story – how a product or a system works and is used, where it is used and why.

What is your relationship with PRs?

It is quite good and productive, because PR agencies are often the interface that help us get interesting technical editorial material.

What advice would you give to aspiring journalists?

Journalism is changing a lot. But what you should never change is the desire to learn, to understand, and to look for interesting stories to tell with all possible tools and media… not just with a pen.