This week’s PR news in brief (30 October – 3 November)
Here’s a round-up of essential PR news stories and features from the past week, including the winners of the PRCA North West PRide awards, Powerscourt and Smoking Gun’s new account wins and a personal view on London’s media habits from Cision’s Abe Smith.
Opinion
Abe Smith, Cision’s president of EMEA&I, compares how print media is viewed in Europe and America and ponders the future of the format.
Account wins
Snell Advanced Media (SAM) has appointed Platform Communications as its global agency to increase its industry presence and market leadership. Platform will work with SAM to showcase the vision and innovation of its media production solutions.
Panda Liquorice has appointed Smoking Gun to manage its relaunch and oversee social media activity in the UK. The brand will launch its new social media channels in early November.
Footasylum has appointed Powerscourt as its retained financial and corporate comms adviser as part of the company’s admission to AIM. The agency had been supporting Footasylum through its recent IPO.
Taste Portugal, an initiative from Portuguese hospitality and catering association AHRESP, has appointed William Murray Communications to promote the country’s gastronomy globally.
Agency news
Sports Marketing and PR agency Heavyweight Sport is launching a content production division called Pound-For-Pound. The division will be headed by award winning producer Myles Jenkins.
Bryan Tyson, managing partner of Newgate Australia, has joined parent company Porta’s board as executive director.
German property comms agency Feldhoff & Cie and international cross-asset management and corporate PR firm Bellier have agreed to form an alliance to support European real estate companies with international growth strategies.
W. L. Gore and Associates has partnered with digital agency AKQA to reposition its GORE-TEX brand to align with the company’s culture of innovation.
People news
Launch has appointed consumer brand specialist Robbie Platt as senior account director. Platt will work with the agency’s founder and creative head Johnny Pitt on creative development.
The PRCA has announced the 65 elected appointments to its 2018 PR and Communications Council. The elected members encompass all areas of the industry, with the Council led by chairman Jonathan Chandler. The full list can be found here.
Awards News
Weber Shandwick collected three gold and three silver awards at last night’s Chartered Institute of Public Relations North West PRide Awards ceremony.
The agency was awarded the Best Use of Social Media gold following its #LoveCarex campaign and won the Best Use of Digital and Best Event gold awards on the back of campaigns for Ferrari Land.
Smoking Gun PR also celebrated after taking home two golds and a silver, including being named Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy, while Refresh PR took gold as Outstanding Small Public Relations Consultancy.
Peppermint Soda took the silver Outstanding Public Relations Consultancy award, as well as another gold and silver, while the event also saw M&S Bank crowned as Outstanding In-House Public Relations Team and Catapult PR’s Jane Hunt named as Outstanding Independent Practitioner.
The full list of winners can be found here.
PR Events
The Back2businessship group, in partnership with Golin, is hosting a speed-dating event for women returning to the industry after taking career breaks. The group is encouraging PR and comms businesses to attend and interview possible candidates on the day. It takes place on Thursday 16 November from midday at R/GA London. More details about the scheme can be found here.
