Johnny Pitt at The Creative Shootout

Opinion: Why a PR award for creativity is what the industry needs

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Launch founder Johnny Pitt gives his views on “traditional” awards ceremonies and reveals why he started The Creative Shootout – an award that involves a live creative pitch.

Launch PR's Johnny Pitt

Johnny Pitt

It’s well documented that I’ve long felt awards ceremonies have a challenge when it comes to celebrating creativity, especially in our industry.

That’s not me just banging the drum for the sake of it, either. Given the precious commodity creativity is – and its increasing value to brands, leadership, employee engagement and share prices – the creative industry really does need platforms to shine and show off.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve nothing against PR “awards” in general.   In fact, I really enjoyed being a guest of the president at the CIPR awards this year. And, of course, I love it when my agency wins. (Who doesn’t?)

But black tie events with warm chicken, warm wine and a hundred ‘Best X’ trophies do little to celebrate the actual creative process.  They don’t promote, showcase and celebrate the act of conceiving, developing and executing great ideas…

Which is why I’ve created a PR award that does.

When did showcasing your best work become a ‘tick box’ exercise?

These days, writing awards entries is also big business. Agencies routinely outsource the chore to consultants to maximize their chances. But when did showcasing your best work become an exam, or a “tick box” exercise you’d outsource to other people?

Hosting tables is astronomically expensive, too. Many agencies send just a couple of people if they don’t think they’re going to bag a gong for their awards cabinet. And we’ve all spied losers and out-of-towners creeping out before the end at London events.

In short, the typical PR awards ceremony just isn’t geared up to properly celebrate creativity. So, a couple of years ago I decided to create one that does.

The Creative Shootout is a mix of Dragon’s Den and the Great British Bake Off. It’s a real-time creative contest that Damon Statt, Mischief’s creative director, has described as “stressful, nerve-racking, exhilarating and great fun”.

Your chance to enter a truly creative PR award

Held annually in January and done in one day, any agency (from any marketing discipline) can enter The Creative Shootout with any piece of content the judges can consume in just 60 seconds. That includes videos, infographics, direct mailers, musical jingles, apps, interpretive dance and more.

We once even received an entry baked directly into a cake!

From these 60-second entries, the judges will then select our favourite agency teams to receive a real brief from the year’s chosen charity for a live competitive pitch at the live final in January.

In The Creative Shootout’s first year, that charity was Unicef. Last year, it was mental health group Time to Change – and this year’s cause will be announced on Monday 25 September.

This year’s teams will have just four hours to work on their creative before delivering a 10-minute pitch at the British Academy of Film and Television to determine the winner.

The 2018 Creative Shootout opens for entry Monday 25 September. Visit The Creative Shootout’s site and enter before Tuesday 28 November to be in with a chance to pitch in the live final – and walk away with a very big prize.

Best of luck! I can’t wait to see your creative talent.

Powerscourt makes three strategic hires

Downing Street press officer among three Powerscourt hires

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Strategic communications consultancy Powerscourt has added political intelligence specialist Matthew O’Toole, investor relations consultant Alison Watson and corporate solicitor Fran Moran to its global team.

O’Toole joins Powerscourt as a senior consultant from 10 Downing Street, where he was chief press officer for Europe and economic affairs.

His previous roles include head of economy communications at HM Treasury and senior media relations manager at HSBC Commercial Banking.

Watson is an award-winning equity analyst with 16 years’ investment banking experience, and has been appointed as a senior consultant.

Previously head of real estate equity research at Investec Bank, she was crowned last year’s top real estate stock picker in the Thomson Reuters (StarMine) Analyst Awards.

She started her equity research career on the European real estate team at UBS Investment Bank and has also been head of real estate equity research at Liberum.

Moran has been hired as a consultant in Powerscourt’s Dublin office and joins the team from corporate law firm Arthur Cox.

While specialising as an employment lawyer, Moran has advised private and publicly listed companies on M&A transactions. He also has extensive experience advising on high profile litigation, disputes and crisis management issues.

“Matthew is a key hire for Powerscourt in an increasingly complex and uncertain political environment,” said Rory Godson, Powerscourt CEO and founder. “Alison adds significant capital markets experience and strong contacts with both the sell-side and investor community.”

He added: “Finally, we’re delighted to have attracted someone of Fran’s calibre to the Powerscourt team in Dublin. His knowledge of the corporate market in Ireland, as well as a track record of first class delivery for clients on complex issues will be invaluable.”

  • Pictured: Matthew O’Toole

Seymour PR launches organic feminine care range Kind Organic

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Kind Organic, the UK’s first organic feminine care range for sensitive skin, has appointed Seymour PR on a two-month consumer and trade press office brief.

Carie Barkhuizen, Seymour PR’s managing director, will lead the agency’s team as it generates consumer product press coverage during Kind Organic’s exclusive launch into 444 Boots stores in the UK and Ireland.

Seymour PR will also launch Kind Organic in the trade press, communicating the brand’s unique positioning in the retail health and beauty sector.

Barkhuizen said: “This is a really exciting win for us. Consumers are increasingly looking for more natural alternatives across a broader range of products and we believe this brand should be at the centre of that conversation.

“To see a challenger brand like Kind Organic bringing this trend to the feminine care sector is fantastic and we’re delighted to be part of that journey.”

Kate Bache, Kind Organic founder and CEO, added: “Kind Organic has set a mission to make natural alternatives, in the feminine care market, more accessible. In order to do that we need to tell consumers and prospective stockists about us.

“Seymour PR is expertly placed to do this and we look forward to seeing the results.”

Text100 appoints Rod Cartwright

Text100 appoints Rod Cartwright as EMEA regional director

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Marketing comms agency Text100 has announced former Ketchum global corporate lead Rod Cartwright as its new EMEA regional director.

He will take over from Cecile Missildine, who is going on to head the agency’s global insights and analytics unit after five years in the EMEA role.

Cartwright previously spent nine years as director of Ketchum’s global corporate and public affairs practice. He also spent four years as public affairs director at Hill+Knowlton and five years as director and head of public affairs at GCI London.

A founding fellow and former board member of the PRCA, Cartwright started his career as a government relations specialist. He has advised organisations including Nissan, IBM, KFC, Toyota, IATA and Western Union.

Based in Text100’s London office, he will be part of the agency’s global leadership team, working with colleagues around the world to ensure Text100 achieves its growth targets.

“With its renowned culture and strong reputation for creativity, the opportunity for Text100 is immense in a world of convergence and integration,” said Cartwright. “I relish the prospect of joining the agency and building on the great work Cecile has done to expand Text100’s range of services and grow the profile of this great business across the region.”

Aedhmar Hynes, Text100 CEO, added: “Rod brings with him an impressive 20-year pedigree in the industry, successfully steering, shaping and transforming major brands. His arrival underlines our commitment to becoming the fastest-growing marketing communications agency that inspires in a world transformed by technology.

“Cecile Missildine has done an amazing job for us across the EMEA region and has laid the best possible foundations for her successor.”

PR Case Study: Taylor Herring – Art of the Nation

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Taylor Herring helped launch Samsung’s new TV, The Frame, by teaming up with The Culture Show’s Miranda Sawyer to reveal Banksy’s Balloon Girl as the nation’s favourite British artwork.

Campaign:  Samsung Frame: The Art of the Nation
Client: Samsung
PR Team:  Taylor Herring
Timing: June and July 2017

Summary

Samsung’s innovative new TV, The Frame, is fully customisable to display preloaded artworks or family photographs when not in “TV mode”.

Taylor Herring was tasked with launching The Frame with a creative news story that would drive mass awareness.  We devised a news story that revealed the nation’s favourite British artworks. We then released this story to the media along with a branded video hosted by The Culture Show presenter Miranda Sawyer, which revealed the survey results while also showcasing the new TV.

The story generated over 250 fully credited pieces of coverage on the launch day and became a national talking point, trending across social media.

Objectives

Our objective was to raise awareness of the launch of Samsung’s new TV, The Frame, and drive purchase intent through a creative campaign that would garner coverage in mainstream media beyond the tech press.

Strategy and implementation

The campaign creative stemmed from The Frame’s unique and innovative function to display art when not in use. Taking this as our cue, we devised a news story that would look at how British tastes in artwork have changed over the years and what sorts of artwork the public would most like to display in their homes.

We engaged a panel of art editors, national newspaper writers and art publications to create an informed shortlist of top British and international artworks. We then put this list to a public vote via a representative survey of 2,000 adults.

Our results revealed that Banksy’s Balloon Girl is the nation’s favourite British artwork, beating old masters including Turner and Constable – a story we were confident would resonate with national news outlets.

Working with The Culture Show presenter Miranda Sawyer, we then produced a branded video that featured footage of The Frame in art mode as well as revealing the nation’s Top 10 British artworks. We also engaged Miranda to act as the story’s spokesperson for a day of broadcast interviews.

Results

The campaign generated over 243 million opportunities to see (OTS), reaching 62% of all UK adults and 59% of UK millennials.

The story garnered a total of 259 fully branded pieces of coverage – including 55 articles in national titles – and became a national talking point. It trended on Twitter, featured on the Mail Online homepage and was the top arts story on The Guardian website on the day of launch.

The branded video was embedded in dozens of high value news sites and social media feeds including The Sun, The Telegraph, The Independent, the London Evening Standard and the Mail Online.

Sentiment analysis showed that 99% coverage was favourable in tone, 48% was strongly favourable and 89% featured a key brand message.

Good Relations wins Lidl

Good Relations wins Lidl consumer PR brief

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Lidl has appointed PR and content agency Good Relations as its retained consumer PR agency, following a competitive pitch.

The brief will see Good Relations work alongside the brand’s wider marketing team to increase its share of voice in the supermarket industry, amplifying its “Big on Quality, Lidl on Price” positioning.

Good Relations has worked on consumer PR for brands including GAME Digital, Subway and B&Q. David Wiles, director, will lead the Lidl team.

“This is a hugely exciting win for the agency at a time when Lidl has become one of the rising stars in the sector,” he said. “There are so many more great stories to tell about Lidl and we will be working closely with Lidl’s fantastic in-house team to make sure we help the brand achieve even more success in the near future.”

Georgina Hall, head of communications at Lidl UK, added: “We were keen to enhance an already successful communications programme with expertise that positions us at the forefront of the industry.

“Throughout the pitch process, the Good Relations team demonstrated their passion, creativity, experience and understanding of our brand to prove that they are the perfect fit for the business.”

Impero wins Richmond Sausages

Impero wins Richmond Sausages digital brief

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Richmond Sausages has appointed Impero to deliver a refreshed digital strategy for the brand, following a competitive pitch.

Having already launched a new website to align Richmond’s digital property with its brand re-launch earlier this year, Impero will continue to support Richmond’s “The Nation’s Favourite” campaign message at a digital level.

The agency will also align Richmond’s online presence with the launch of a TV campaign created by ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi.

“As household names go, they don’t come much bigger than Richmond,” said Michael Scantlebury, Impero creative director. “With big ambitions and expectations following the rollout of the new packaging and messaging, we are excited to be bringing the brand to life online, all the way from strategy to execution.”

Julie Ann Twomey, brand manager at Kerry Foods, added: “It’s an extremely exciting time for the brand. We have just launched new packaging and ATL comms and Impero has developed a really strong digital strategy that we are looking forward to executing in the forthcoming months.”

Skout wins trio of B2B tech clients

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Cheshire-based B2B PR agency Skout has added a trio of new clients to its tech portfolio – Airangel, Cleardata UK and CORETX.

Airangel, a hospitality wifi provider, has engaged Skout to create a PR programme that will support its new growth strategy, increase channel-based sales and enter markets such as the expanding private rentals sector.

The agency is also developing integrated content and PR campaigns for Cleardata UK, a document management company.

Finally, Skout recently delivered a targeted campaign promoting CORETX’s IT lifecycle management services and re-launching its facility in Kent.

Claire Lamb, director at Skout, said: “Over the last 12 months we’ve invested heavily in promoting our B2B technology expertise and it’s great to see this starting to pay off in the form of business growth.

“We have an amazing heritage in the B2B tech PR sector, which we’re now seeing more and more technology companies taking advantage of as they seek an integrated PR and marketing approach to not just to build their brand – but support lead generation, digital marketing and SEO.”

  • Pictured: Claire Lamb

Meet the Journalist: Sunday People columnist, Melanie Blake

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Following the launch of her TV review column in Sunday People and Mirror Online, Gorkana’s Yasmine Hajji caught up with Melanie Blake about her relationship with PRs, her celebrity agency Urban Associates – and, of course, her favourite shows. 

Before your new role, what has been the journalistic highlight of your career?

My first commission for Hello! Magazine was a big milestone for me as I had grown up reading it at my grandparents’ house.

I also ghosted several number one bestselling books which felt amazing because even though your name isn’t on them, you know you’ve produced successful pieces of work.

Becoming the first female TV columnist for the Sunday People in over 25 years is also quite a compliment and I’m now writing my first novel so that’s my next big challenge.

Apart from watching a lot of TV, what are the key requirements for a successful TV columnist?

We live in a multi-platform media world, so I think you need to have an eye on everything and an opinion that people find interesting to stay on top. This is because telly used to be appointment to view. But catch-up services and on-demand as well social media mean we can watch whenever we like and discuss it online at the same time.

What are your favourite TV shows?

The Real Housewives franchise, Botched, all of the soaps and random comedy like Channel 4’s The Windsors. I love crime documentaries too – my viewing is very eclectic.

My favourite show of all time was Dynasty and over at Urban Associates we are lucky enough to represent Stephanie Beacham from the show so that’s quite serendipitous.

You are founder of Urban Associates ( a boutique UK personal management agency). Tell us a bit about your business.

I set up the agency when most celebrities had separate publicists, agents and managers. When I worked in New York, I saw talent agencies providing all these services under one roof which makes it easier for the client to have control over their career.

When I brought this principle to the UK it was an instant success and we’ve been the leading boutique agency for over 10 years. Now, this method is common practise for agencies. But back then we were the first to adopt it so I think that’s why we’ve stayed at the top. We had a big head start.

In your column you crown a “star of the week”, how do you decide who gets picked?

I pick people who really stand out in the schedules. I change it weekly and it can be a presenter, actor, reality star or even a politico. If you are on telly and you create a “water cooler” moment you might well get the crown!

How do you prefer to be contacted by PRs and what is the most helpful thing they can do for you?

I love emails that it keep it simple. Five lines about a show and a link to a preview will most likely get my viewing. Also, if you do a selection of quotes and breakdown of the episode you go straight to the top of the queue.

PR News in Brief

This week’s PR news in brief (4-8 September)

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Here is a round-up of essential PR stories, people news and account wins that have been announced over the past week.

Account wins

CIPD, a professional body for HR and people development, has appointed Haymarket Media Group to provide events services for its members and people professionals.

Digital marketing firm Conversant and CJ Affiliate, a global affiliate marketing network, have appointed technology marketing communications agency Firefly Communications Group to handle proactive media relations in the UK, France and Germany.

The PR Office has today announced that it has been appointed to represent accounting and advisory firm Moore Stephens, following a competitive pitch.

Communications consultancy Foco has won its first retained public relations brief from live-in care company Elder.

Agency news

New York-based PR and brand building agency Relevance New York has rebranded itself as Relevance International to mark the opening of its new office in London.

Creative PR agency Modus Publicity has merged with integrated brand agency BPCM to form ModusBPCM.

Luxley Communications has launched a fitness, wellness and beauty division, with new clients including BodySPace and its founders Stephen Price and David Higgins, Pure Sports Medicine, WellSpoken and Secret Spa.

Racepoint Global has opened an office in Raleigh, USA, which will serve brands in Research Triangle Park and the surrounding areas.

Julie Giraud and Pete Bell have launched Lafontaine Public Relations, a “content first” PR consultancy, in partnership with creative agency gt&i.