Three wins for EMERGE

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PR firm EMERGE has won three PR briefs from nutritional powdered food brand Huel, monthly femcare subscription box Pink Parcel and cactus water brand True Nopal.

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EMERGE has been briefed to raise awareness of the Huel brand, promoting its key benefits and encouraging conversation about the sustainability of food and the global impact of increased over-consumption.

EMERGE will represent Huel globally, with the UK and US leading as key markets.

In addition, in another new account, EMERGE plans to raise the profile of the Pink Parcel brand in the UK, as well as engage Pink Parcel in relevant conversations surrounding the abolition of the ‘tampon tax’ (where VAT is imposed on sanitary items).

Pink Parcel provides subscribers with femcare products to link with their monthly cycle, as well as additional offers, such as chocolate, tea, beauty products and stationary. Each month the box contains a different variety of products.

The team aims to challenge the stigma surrounding discussions about periods, and align with key influencers to encourage them to participate in the conversation.

Also, Lucozade Ribena Suntory (LRS) has appointed EMERGE to handle the launch of its cactus water brand True Nopal into the UK market.

True Nopal is the UK’s first cactus water, which claims to have half the calories and half the sugar of coconut water.

EMERGE will handle product placement and influencer marketing activity, as well as promote the health benefits of Cactus Water.

60 seconds with Chris Mostyn, Murphy

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Chris Mostyn recently joined Murphy (J. Murphy & Sons Ltd) as head of marketing and communications. He talks about his career to date, what makes a good comms team and why he loves working in PR. 

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Chris Mostyn

How did you get into corporate comms?
After journalism training, my first job was as a junior press officer at a council. I enjoyed the breadth of topics I was involved in, getting into the detail of a comms challenge and then making a difference. And I dressed up as a giant bee once! I was hooked.

What attracted you to the role at Murphy?
The scope of the role and a company that has a great reputation and goes about its business in the right way. There are some exciting challenges, but it has a solid foundation and a clear ten-year plan to build on. It is one of the most well-known brands in the UK, with over 3,500 employees, ranging from engineers, professional managers and skilled operatives.

People recognise our fleet of trucks with the iconic Murphy logo, our teams work on everything from delivering power by tunnelling right under London, to working on water, natural resources and rail projects – the breadth of knowledge and engineering expertise in-house is vast.

What do you hope to achieve with the company?
I want to make sure we deliver clear and measurable support to the company’s growth plan. There is a lot of change and we are central to that. I’d like to look back in a few years and point to a strategic approach that has delivered – and is delivering – added value comms support.

What do you like about working in-house?
A whole load of reasons – the topics, building relationships, getting close to issues. It’s a cliché, but each day is different. As my career developed in-house, I was lucky to work on a wide variety of projects in the UK and US. I also worked with great people, so the in-house association is a positive one for me.

How do you structure a good comms team?
It has to be relevant. Know your business, support its objectives and demonstrate value. I think the basis has to be scalable and flexible to support development and growth, and to quickly respond to future challenges such as new technologies.

How do you make yourself heard at board-level?
I’ve luckily worked with senior people who appreciate the value of communications, so it’s never been a huge challenge. That said, you’ve always got to demonstrate to the board that you can do a great job, get results and that you understand the commercials of a business. Persistence and patience will go a long way too!

How do you like to unwind in the evening?
I strangely find the mad rush of a 20 month-old toddler’s bath and bedtime quite therapeutic! Having been used to working (almost) 24/7 for so many years, I find it quite easy to switch off. In an ideal world, it would be nine relaxing holes of golf.

  • Chris Mostyn is head of marketing and comms at Murphy.

LEWIS digital leader promoted to US EVP role

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As Morgan McLintic steps down, Stephen Corsi will lead LEWIS’ US operations as executive vice president.

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Stephen Corsi

Corsi takes over from current EVP, McLintic – who is leaving the company after 20 years. Corsi joined LEWIS four years ago from digital marketing agency iCrossing. He has since overseen the growth of LEWIS’ digital marketing arm (Pulse) and, last year, the team reported 63% annual revenue growth.

Chris Lewis, CEO and founder of LEWIS, said: “I’m delighted that Stephen is taking up the leadership of our US operations. He is a great team leader and understands what our clients need for the future. He has the experience and skill to develop an integrated service for our clients.

“Morgan has had an amazing career with us, firstly as a PR consultant in London, and latterly in the US growing the business. Under his leadership the US operation grew from start-up to over 300 staff across four offices. After 20 years of success, Morgan felt he was ready for a new challenge. We thank him and wish him the best of luck for the future.”

Corsi will continue to oversee LEWIS’ global Pulse teams.

KL Communications hires Ellis Ford as account manager

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Ellis Ford

Financial PR consultancy, KL Communications (Kaso Legg Communications), has hired Ellis Ford as account manager.

Ford joins KL from MRM Communications, having worked with financial clients including Kames Capital, Man GLG, Nucleus Financial and Thesis Asset Management.

Jamie Legg, partner at KL Communications, said: “Ellis brings a wealth of experience to KL, having run many PR programmes for a variety of firms in the asset management and financial and professional services sector throughout her career. Her knowledge of the sector and impressive media contacts will be invaluable as we continue to grow and further develop our unique proposition.”

Ford added: “KL is renowned for its unique content-led business model and has a great reputation as a creative consultancy that delivers impressive results for its clients. I am thrilled to be joining the consultancy and look forward to working with such an experienced, dynamic team, as well as KL’s impressive range of clients.”

Willis Towers Watson Media Awards unveil winners

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The winners of the 11th annual Willis Towers Watson Media Awards were announced last night at a ceremony held in London.

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A Willis Towers Watson media Awards trophy

Arash Massoudi, M&A and corporate finance correspondent for the Financial Times, won in the ‘M&A Journalist of the Year’ category at the awards, which celebrate excellence in business journalism in the areas of human resources (HR), pensions, benefits and institutional investment.

Financial News journalists won in several categories: asset management editor, Mark Cobley won in the ‘Pensions – Trade Media’ category, and special writer in asset management, Elizabeth Pfeuti, won in both the ‘Institutional Investment’ category and the ‘Fiduciary Management’ category.

Ruth Emery, deputy money editor for The Sunday Times won the ‘Pensions – National Media’ category.

The Media Awards consist of nine topic-specific journalism categories. Winners are chosen by a panel of senior industry figures and journalists. In addition, three publication of the year award categories are voted for by the public.

Nicolas Aubert, head of Willis Towers Watson for Great Britain, said: “Our panel of judges were highly impressed with the quality, diversity and engaging style of this year’s media award submissions. The media plays a vital role in providing analysis and commentary on the issues that matter as well as introducing new information to the industry. This year’s winners are a great example of how the media can bring difficult and important issues to the front of people’s mind and encourage solutions to be found through analysis and debate.”

In the public vote, Changeboard was selected as the HR publication of the year, Employee Benefits as the pensions/benefits publication of the year and Professional Pensions as the institutional investment publication.

Willis Towers Watson is a multinational risk management, insurance brokerage and advisory company.

Headland appointed by retailer McColl’s

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Convenience store and newsagent operator, McColl’s Retail Group, has hired Headland to lead on its financial and corporate communications,  including the acquisition of 298 Co-Op stores, which was announced yesterday.

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McColl’s Retail Group has appointed Headland

Headland director Lucy Legh and partner Simon Burton lead the team on the account, with support from account manager Robert Walker and account executive Jamie Perriam.

Lucy Legh, director at Headland, said: “Working with McColl’s is the perfect brief for Headland’s broader advisory offer. For consumer-facing businesses the wider corporate reputation piece plays a key role in building investor and market confidence. The brief from McColl’s sits squarely in that area.”

Jonathan Miller, CEO of McColl’s, added: “We want our communications to go up a gear, in a way that’s aligned with our growth ambitions and with our wider corporate reputation objectives. Headland stood out in the process and was the clear partner to support us in our transformation journey in neighbourhood convenience.”

The Co-op Group sold 298 of its smaller food stores to McColl’s in a £117m deal.

TransferGo chooses 2Sisters PR to target UK’s Polish community

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TransferGo, a digital remittance solution for migrant workers based in London, has chosen 2Sisters PR to promote its brand to Polish people based in the UK.

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Left to right: Daumantas Dvilinskas, CEO and co-founder, Edvinas Sersniovas, marketing lead and co-founder, Arnas Lukosevicius, tech director and co-founder and Justinas Lasevicius CFO and co-founder of TransferGo

2Sisters, a Polish PR agency based in London, will also provide TransferGo with media relations in Poland. The agency specialises in promotion to Eastern European Communities both in the UK and abroad.

Ewelina Krzysztofik, 2Sisters co-founder, said: “We’re very proud to be working with one of the fastest-growing technology companies in the UK. We expect this relationship to go a long way and look forward to utilising our experience in order to build the TransferGo brand in Poland.”

Threepipe co-founder Eddie May to lead new creative comms agency The Playbook

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Hanover Group has this week launched The Playbook, a new creative comms agency which will be led by Threepipe co-founder and former MD Eddie May. Launch clients include the NFL and the England & Wales Cricket Board.

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Eddie May

Hanover Group is made up of Hanover London, Hanover Brussels and Multiple, as well as newly-formed The Playbook.

The Playbook aims to create and deliver “game-changing” comms for clients, with a focus on sport, active health, wellbeing and technology.

May joins as MD of The Playbook, with Leigh Ireland, formerly of PrettyGreen, joining as creative director.

May has almost 20 years of experience in marketing and comms roles. At Threepipe, he worked with brands including Stella Artois, EA Sports, Siemens and The BOA, before leaving the agency in 2015.

Before Threepipe, he was UK marketing manager at Umbro.

Ireland was an account director at PrettyGreen before moving to Hanover Communications last year as head of brand.

May and Ireland are joined by Gavin Megaw, Hanover’s MD of corporate and brand comms, and a former director of marketing and comms at The Football League, who takes on the role of director at The Playbook.

Charles Lewington, Hanover Group’s chief executive, said of the launch: “Hanover’s growth during the last five years has been exceptional. The Playbook enables us to become a full-service communications group that delivers for the most exciting brands on the global stage.

“The Playbook, and the hire of Eddie May, is an important strategic investment for us. We believe there is a gap in the market for a creative communications agency that delivers deeper and more meaningful engagement for ambitious brands.”

May added: “This is hugely exciting; not many new agencies launch with a full team and big brands already onboard. Our mantra is ‘Smart thinking that moves people’. So much of what brands put out there fails to do that, often because it’s not based on a real understanding of the audience and what makes them tick. We’ll be putting insight at the heart of everything we do, allowing us to build strategies and campaigns that actually make a difference.”

Motor Sport editor to depart for automotive PR role

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Motor Sport editor Damien Smith is departing the magazine to take up an associate director role at automotive PR specialist Influence Associates in mid-September.

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Damien Smith

A journalist and editor in motor racing for 20 years, Smith has been editor of Motor Sport since 2007, running and setting the editorial agenda for the multi-platform title, which was founded in 1924.

Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Autosport.

In his new role at Influence Associates, Smith will work across several accounts in the automotive, motor racing and classic motoring sectors.

He will report to Influence Associates’ CEO, Stuart Dyble.

Smith said: “”I’ve been impressed by the rate of growth Influence Associates has displayed in the past few years and I’m excited to be joining a company that has a clear ambition to expand further. The experience I have gained during my time as a journalist and editor will stand me in good stead as I begin my new career.

“I’m looking forward to working with the clients within Influence’s wide-ranging portfolio and I couldn’t wish for a better company with which to make such a significant life-changing move.”

Threepipe boosts SEO capability by acquiring Spot Digital

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Threepipe has acquired performance marketing agency Spot Digital, as it looks to enhance its natural search and SEO capability.

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Left to right: Threepipe co-founders Farhad Koodoruth and Jim Hawker with Spot Digital founder Tony Thomas

Spot Digital, a technically driven SEO agency, was set up by Tony Thomas in 2014 and works with clients including Jack Wills, L’Occitane and Panasonic.

Thomas said: “As a start-up focussing on innovative growth hacking techniques, we always felt that Threepipe understood our technical abilities, which led us to working with them successfully for over a year now across both paid and earned media campaigns and the synergy has been great.

“Having SEO skills embedded into the agency will deliver improved performance for all of Threepipe’s clients, regardless of the marketing channel.”

The 12-strong SEO business will be absorbed into Threepipe, which now grows to 60 people working across consumer and business brands including Reiss, Sweaty Betty, Oracle and Campari.

Jim Hawker, co-founder of Threepipe, said: “PR and SEO teams have traditionally worked very separately, but we see that changing fast as most of our industry continues to move away from print-focused media.

“Embedding SEO capability into the PR teams is crucial in terms of developing effective content-led strategies to deliver both awareness and performance campaigns. PR agencies have delivered SEO impact more by accident than by design, and for a long time now people have considered the PR industry to have really failed to grasp the potential that SEO knowledge can deliver to clients.”

Farhad Koodoruth, Threepipe co-founder, added: “We have been working closely with Spot Digital for some time now by building their capability into our paid media campaigns and vice versa. This investment provides us with onsite technical skills for clients’ websites to improve navigation, dwell time and to reduce bounce rate. It also provides clients with another effective revenue generating channel in terms of driving targeted traffic.”

Spot Digital’s video seeding offering will continue to operate as an independent business.