Beattie hires B&Q’s Fflur Sheppard

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Beattie has hired B&Q’s Fflur Sheppard to its corporate, B2B and crisis management team as associate director.

Fflur Sheppard

The agency has 18 corporate, B2B and crisis specialists across its nine UK offices including Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. Sheppard will be based in Beattie’s London HQ.

The team has seen growth in 2017, winning £500,000 of new business since the New Year including client wins with Carillion, RoboVent and Marks & Clerk. In addition to Sheppard, Beattie has also signed Caroline Gunter-Tate in Scotland and Steven Lambert in London, in the past month.

Laurna Woods, CEO at Beattie, said: “We decided to sign Fflur after seeing the results of her campaign to rebuild trust in the B&Q brand following a wave negative media coverage over employee benefits.

“She will be a real asset to our corporate, B2B and crisis management team where she will be working alongside Beattie veteran Chris Gilmour and Tony Bilsborough, who was corporate communications chief at Cadbury and Mondelēz International.”

Loyalty specialist Paytronix appoints Milk & Honey PR

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Corporate brand agency Milk & Honey PR has been appointed by Paytronix to launch its UK operations as the company expands globally.

Kirsty Leighton

Milk & Honey PR is responsible for launching Paytronix into the UK with a two-pronged approach to reach retail and hospitality audiences. Jo Cresswell, client director, will lead the team.

Michelle Tempesta, head of marketing at Paytronix, said: “Milk & Honey demonstrated great tenacity and passion throughout the selection process. Its response to our brief clearly demonstrated expertise in our target markets. We look forward to working closely with the team to launch Paytronix in the UK.”

Kirsty Leighton, managing partner of Milk & Honey PR, added:“We’re really excited to be working with Michelle and her team, building on the great work they’re doing in the US.

“Paytronix is another great addition for our client portfolio. It’s an exciting technology business with ambitious international growth plans and a fantastic track record in place. We will be reflecting that ambition and success this side of the pond.”

Rabobank appoints Citypress to pan-European brief

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Rabobank, the global leading food and agriculture bank, has appointed Citypress to handle its European wholesale banking brief following a competitive pitch.

The consultancy will deliver a corporate brand communications campaign, promoting Rabobank’s major debt transactions, advisory services and research through international media relations.

Citypress will support the wholesale brief on a retained basis while also being rostered to deliver projects for Rabobank’s agricultural research team, RaboResearch. This includes the F&A Next conference and agritech start-up competition taking place in the Netherlands next month.

Rishi Sethi, communications manager at Rabobank, said: “Last year, we supported some of the biggest corporate transactions in the European food and agricultural sectors. We also continued to develop our proposition in emerging areas like foodtech and agritech.

“Citypress demonstrated that they have the capability and expertise needed to generate much broader awareness and understanding of this success and to help articulate our strategic direction to a European-wide audience of stakeholders.”

Ricky Ambury, director at Citypress, added: “Rabobank and its clients are involved in tackling some of the biggest issues of our time, like food security, sustainability and trade. We’re going to be placing them at the heart of important debates by leveraging their insight and expertise with influential media commentators.

“This is a great opportunity for us to use our international reach as we enhance Rabobank’s credibility and ensure it is universally recognised for its leadership position in global food and agriculture finance.”

Finn chosen by Bio-Oil for its biggest digital campaign to date

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Finn has been chosen by Godrej UK, distributor of Bio-Oil, to deliver the biggest ever digital marketing campaign for its scars and stretch marks treatment.

Bio-Oil

Bio-Oil is a specialist skincare oil that helps improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks and uneven skin tone.

Finn aims to change behaviour by encouraging wider usage of Bio Oil.

The agency will lead an integrated digital approach across media partnerships, an influencer engagement programme and social media content, which will include video.

Timea Halmai, brand manager for Bio-Oil, said: “Following a competitive pitch process we are delighted to announce the appointment of Finn as our fully integrated agency.

“Finn delivered a compelling digital pitch which clearly demonstrated its ROI-driven thinking supported by a wealth of insight. We have big plans for the brand this year and we look forward to having Finn on board for the journey.”

Richard Rawlins, MD of Finn, added: “The team at Bio-Oil set out an exciting challenge to strengthen its brand in the digital space and, in the process, recruit a new customer base.

“This is a real opportunity to show how a new fresh, creative approach to a brief and executed as an integrated creative, media and digital campaign can help FMCG clients respond to the rapid adoption of digital by UK consumers.”

Balearic Islands Tourist Board hires Lotus

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Travel specialist agency Lotus has been appointed by the Balearic Islands Tourist Board to handle its UK PR and promote the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera as year-round destinations.

Palma Cathedral in Mallorca

The Balearic Islands is one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations, welcoming more than 3.3 million UK tourists per year. The UK is the second most popular tourism market to the Balearic Islands as a whole – after Germany – but number one in terms of overseas passenger numbers to Menorca and Ibiza.

Despite the popularity of the islands, tourism is highly concentrated around the summer months and the tourist board’s ambition is to promote visits to the destination, particularly in the spring, autumn and winter months.

Lotus has been briefed by the Balearic Island government to promote Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera as year-round destinations, with a focus on six strategic “products”: culture, gastronomy, nature, sports, wellness and business.

Lotus associate director Kate McWilliams will lead the account and be supported by account manager Tim Thackray and senior account executive Lucy Keenan.

Pere Muñoz Perugorria, MD of the Balearic Islands Tourist Board, said: “We are delighted to start work with Lotus. We felt that their comprehensive knowledge of the destination, their extensive experience working with tourism clients, and their creative and strategic approach was ideally positioned to help us deliver on our tourism objectives.”

McWilliams added: “Lotus has a long history of working with the islands on an individual basis and this win is the natural next step. Our team has extensive knowledge of the islands and understands the challenges and opportunities from a tourism perspective.

“We are very excited to work with the Balearic Islands authorities and local travel industry to encourage Brits to visit during a quieter, more authentic time of year and to inform the British traveller that the Balearic Islands are more than just a sun and beach destination.”

Wagamama hires Talker Tailor Trouble Maker as it celebrates 25th birthday

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Creative comms shop Talker Tailor Trouble Maker has been named as the newly-appointed UK consumer PR agency for pan-Asian restaurant brand Wagamama, which celebrates it 25th anniversary this year.

Talker Tailor Trouble Maker’s Gary Wheeldon (left) and Steve Strickland (right)

The agency, which won the account following a competitive pitch, will cover restaurant launches, including Wagamama’s new flagship sites in Edinburgh and London, and various seasonal campaigns.

Wagamama has also tasked Talker Tailor Trouble Maker with wider brand comms activity, as the restaurant, which celebrates its 25th birthday this year, looks to engage “gen Z” more deeply through “cool content and influencer partnerships.”

Joss Byone, head of brand at Wagamama, said: “I look forward to working with Talker Tailor Trouble Maker as we continue our expansion throughout the UK. They are helping us on our journey to become a global iconic brand.

“The team demonstrates real passion for our brand, constantly sharing new creative ideas and concepts to keep us top of mind with customers old and new.  They also get the complexity of a pioneering business like ours.”

PHA Media promotes The Oval’s historic 100th Test Match

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PHA Media has been chosen by Surrey County Cricket Club to promote the 100th Test Match to be played at The Kia Oval this summer.

Surrey County Cricket Club’s Jason Roy

The sporting venue will become only the fourth cricket ground in the world to have hosted 100 Tests when England take on South Africa from 27 to 31 July.

PHA Media’s brief is to bring to life the cultural and sporting history of The Oval since its opening in 1845.

The agency will also tell the story of Surrey’s journey from near financial ruin into a business success story, as well as its development of the Kia Oval into one of the “finest modern venues in world cricket”.

The campaign will run for the next three months.

This is the second time that the agency has been engaged by Surrey County Cricket Club, following last year’s campaign to promote the NatWest T20 Blast to a family audience.

Tim Jotischky, senior consultant at PHA Media, added: “The Oval occupies a unique place in British sport as the venue for the first FA Cup Final, the first ever rugby international to be played in the England and as the birthplace of the Ashes, but what’s really striking is Surrey’s forward-looking approach and determination to ensure the Oval has a stellar future to match its glorious past.”

M&C Saatchi PR launches new creative hub CREATE

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M&C Saatchi PR has this week launched a new strategic and creative hub called CREATE, which it says will act as a central resource for more than 50 of its clients across eight of its offices globally.

Nathan Kemp

Headed up by former director and founding member of M&C Saatchi PR, Nathan Kemp (pictured), CREATE’s offering spans strategy, creative, digital and design.

Kemp said: “We produce a breadth of work for our clients that require the very best in strategic and creative thinking. From major brand activations like The House of Peroni to positive behavioural change campaigns with the CAA, to putting a free climber on the Wembley Arch for EE and an influencer programme for Foot Locker across Europe, we put strategy and creative at the heart of what we do.

“It’s great that we now have a dedicated team within the agency, whose sole purpose is to come up with brilliant creative and innovation solutions for our clients globally.”

In addition to the promotion of Kemp, a number of new senior hires have been made to build the team, including planning director Bronwyn Fieldgate and head of design Allan Bailey.

Fieldgate, formerly of Ogilvy & Mather, previously worked across global strategy and consumer PR campaigns for the likes of Guinness, Martini, Amex, Vodafone, TK Maxx and Nescafé.

Bailey previously heading up a 20 strong in-house digital design team, and has extensive agency experience, having delivered through-the-line campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Fanta and Dr Pepper.

He will be supported by a team of three designers and content producers, who will provide a suite of digital design and branding services to the agency’s consumer, corporate, social and experiential clients worldwide.

Chris Hides, MD and co-founder of M&C Saatchi PR, said: “Since launching M&C Saatchi PR in 2010, our philosophy of Brutal Simplicity of Thought and our ability to respond to the industry’s shifting needs has kept our agency delivering the best in class creative and strategic work.

“As both the agency and the market continue to evolve rapidly, CREATE is our answer to ensuring we have the head space, resources and talent to consistently deliver quality creative and strategic thinking for our clients.”

CREATE is also responsible for promoting a “culture of creativity and innovation” across the agency’s 130 consultants. Initiatives include a creative learning lecture programme called Intuition.

Designed to inspire creative thinking it sees a series of external speakers being brought into the agency to host talks on the likes of mindfulness, creative techniques and managing creative flow.

Henman Communications wins David Lloyd clubs brief to activate Judy Murray partnership

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Sports and lifestyle PR agency Henman Communications has been chosen by David Lloyd Clubs to launch its new tennis coaching partnership with Judy Murray, a former Fed Cup Captain and the mother of professional tennis player Andy Murray.

Judy Murray at a regional coach training workshop

Henman Communications was appointed at the start of March to manage media outreach and run six regional coach training workshops, hosted by Judy Murray at David Lloyd Clubs around the UK.

The agency provided a range of PR, social media and marketing activity, including regional and national media outreach, video content creation, toolkit creation, social media engagement, key messaging and ambassador liaison.

Henman Communications also coordinated the filming of a video showreel and assisted with the delivery of a Facebook LIVE social media interview with Judy.

The campaign generated 84 pieces of coverage, including regional and national print, online, blogs and local radio. Full details of the campaign can be found here.

Liz Bartlett, PR manager at David Lloyd Clubs, said: “We were delighted with the amount of media coverage generated by Henman Communications and its event management of the six coach training workshops. The PR team delivered six successful regional press campaigns and also assisted our team with the strategy and planning of the video content, social media activation and ambassador activation.

“This enabled us to maximise the value of our new coaching partnership with Judy Murray and generate ROI.”

Richard Henman, CEO Henman Communications, said: “David Lloyd Clubs is committed to encouraging all children to start playing and enjoying tennis, whatever their level or age through fun and engaging tennis coaching. It is great to see David Lloyd Clubs partner with such an experienced coach as Judy Murray and invest in building their coach work-force. I have no doubt this will help get more kids and families enjoying their tennis across the UK.”

davies tanner extends PR brief with VisitScotland

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davies tanner has extended its brief with client VisitScotland Business Events after an extensive review.

The new agreement will see the agency support VisitScotland’s business events team to attract major conferences, congresses and live events to the country through a variety of creative communications campaigns and media relations activity.

davies tanner will continue to implement a programme of stakeholder activity, media relations and campaign management as well as strategic counsel to the business events team both in the UK and internationally.

Neil Brownlee, head of VisitScotland Business Events, said: “After a very detailed review process, we confirmed that davies tanner continues to be the right PR partner for VisitScotland Business Events. It has significant experience of our sector and Scotland, the right approach, creativity, a clear ambition for our organisation and the right team, but most importantly the right connections globally that continue to make a positive impact on our business.”