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M&C Saatchi PR’s former global MD, Gary Wheeldon, and global executive creative director, Steve Strickland, have launched a new London-based creative comms agency, Talker Tailor Trouble Maker, for brands looking to “upstage the status quo”.
Steve Strickland and Gary Wheeldon
Talker Tailor Trouble Maker will operate as an “online shop” for brands, which includes launch client The English National Opera; the agency has been briefed to offer creative and strategic advice to ENO CEO Cressida Pollock directly.
Strickland said: “We’re looking to partner with client brands that want to cause some trouble. Behaving like a challenger is not simply the preserve of start-ups, every brand can have a little more fun with its comms.”
Talker Tailor Trouble Maker offers services centred on four key areas; creative, content, connections and communication.
It also says that it is committed to never “white-labelling” third party suppliers, or marking-up third party suppliers, brought on board to service clients.
Wheeldon said: “We are truly committed to creating a business that does not white label or whitewash. We will put mutuality at the heart of everything we do.”
With almost 20 years’ experience, Wheeldon started his career at Launch PR, spending seven years at the agency before moving to freuds.
During his six year tenure at freuds, he worked on its biggest UK consumer PR account, Asda Walmat, ran PR activity for Mars and took charge of the agency’s luxury and lifestyle team. He joined M&C Saatchi PR as global MD in 2015.
Before Talker Tailor Trouble Maker, Strickland held three creative director roles at agencies; Weber Shandwick between 2009 and 2011, freuds from 2011 to 2015, and most recently M&C Saatchi PR, which he joined early last year.
While at M&C, he was tasked with “safe-guarding” the quality of creative products globally across its ten offices.
The company is a new venture in the hotel management industry and is targeting audiences including hotel owners, investors, lenders and developers.
Rooster’s planned activity will employ thought leadership and the knowledge of THMCo’s board members, who include CEO Roddy Watt (pictured) and chairman Jeremy Logie.
It will look to generate interest in business, finance and hospitality trade titles, as well as regional media, and will also run THMCo’s Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.
Watt said: “We’ve been impressed by Rooster’s understanding of the industry, its strategic approach and its flexibility to cater to our specific needs as a start-up. The team has already shown promise and we feel confident that Rooster’s work will be pivotal in helping THMCo penetrate a crowded market and achieve its business objectives.”
James Brooke, MD at Rooster PR, added: “The THMCo proposition sets the company miles apart from competitors and we are excited about supporting this impressive board on its journey to disrupt a busy marketplace. THMCo’s tailored and hands-on approach will achieve the results its clients are looking for and we hope to demonstrate this through the placement of some compelling case studies in the not too distant future.”
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, the dedicated sport sponsorship and entertainment PR agency, has announced the launch of a new eSports offering, and a partnership with the eGames, taking place at the Rio Olympics 14-16 August.
Head of digital Haran Ramachandran will lead the new venture, providing counsel and creative activation to brands seeking to navigate the emerging industry.
Ramachandran said: “eSports is the perfect fusion of sport and entertainment, but in Europe especially brands have been reticent to get involved. We want to change that by working with brands to create compelling eSports campaigns in the same way we do for traditional sports.”
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment will provide strategic counsel and sponsorship advice in the eGames inaugural event, which will bring the world’s top players together in national teams to compete for international recognition.
“We chose M&C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment as they have a real passion for eSports,” said Chester King, CMO of International eGames Group. “They and their clients understand the potential, that being an eGames partner is a powerful alternative to traditional sport sponsorships.”
M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment specialises in rights amplification, sponsorship, PR, branded content creation and experiential production. The firm is part of the global network of M&C Saatchi, with 26 offices across 19 countries.
Missed out on this week’s PR News? Get your handy round-up of the essential highlights of PR and media stories, features and events content over the last seven days on Gorkana News.
Pitch wins
Spotify has handed a consumer, corporate and B2B comms brief to Red Consultancy, claiming the PR agency has the “perfect team” to support its continued expansion.
Mobile gaming publisher Rovio Entertainment, creator of Angry Birds, has hired Mischief as its UK consumer PR agency, following a competitive pitch.
Hyundai Motor UK has appointed Launch PR to reach a “whole new audience” with a brief centred around innovation and technology.
Flood Re, a government-supported national reinsurance scheme cheaper flood insurance, has brought in Hanover Communications to manage its PR and public affairs.
Ad agency Telegraph Hill has been appointed by Tandem, the mobile-first bank, to launch Tandem’s crowdfunding round using video content that attracts audiences looking to own shares in the bank.
People news
Joanna de Koning
Just Eat has appointed Joanna de Koning from McDonald’s to a new role of global head of corporate communications.
The Theo Paphitis Retail Group (TPRG) has appointed Jess Littlewood, ex-senior PR manager for LIVING TV (now SKYLiving), as head of PR.
Comms consultancy Pagefield has brought in The Times columnist Philip Collins to the faculty of The Pagefield Academy, which offers clients tailored training courses.
James Clench, The Sun’s former head of news, has joined PR firm PHA Media.
Wild Card has recruited News UK’s former senior comms manager Sarah Mason as senior consultant and House of Fraser’s social media manager Will Vieri as head of social.
Legal agency Byfield Consultancy is undergoing management changes as managing director Gus Sellitto becomes chief executive and majority shareholder.
Events
Media Briefing with The Huffington Post UK The Huffington Post UK will be five years old on July 6 and, at an exclusive Gorkana briefing this week, editor-in-chief Stephen Hull, alongside the site’s global head of lifestyle Poorna Bell, talked about getting the Duchess of Cambridge to guest edit the site earlier this year, why content is about solutions, not problems, and how PRs can reach out to its “thriver” audience.
The Financial Times has appointed Victor Mallet, its current South Asia bureau chief, as Asia news editor. He will be based in Hong Kong and responsible for the FT news gathering operation across the Asia Pacific region.
Rozina Breen has been hired as head of news at BBC Radio 5 live. Rozina is currently digital editor at BBC World News, with the start date for her new role to be confirmed.
Peter Spiegel has been appointed news editor at the Financial Times and is now based in London. Before this, he was the FT‘s bureau chief for Brussels, where he received several honours for his coverage of the Greek debt crisis.
The Telegraph has appointed Bethan Holt, who has worked on fashion for The Telegraph and various other publications,as digital fashion editor.
Bauer Media will unite its UK magazine operations under the leadership of Paul Keenan, who will be responsible for all of Bauer’s UK and Nordic magazine, radio and digital operations, with immediate effect.
Helen Thomas has been appointed business editor at BBCNewsnight. She is currently European editor at The Wall Street Journal‘s Heard on the Street column.
Features
OPINION: The dynamic triangle at the heart of PR
As Aspectus explores a service model incorporating more animated videos, infographics and cartoons, Alastair Turner, the agency’s global CEO, explains how PR continues to evolve and is driven by three major factors – media, search and content.
PR Case Study: Sounds of the Neighbourhood
When IHG-owned Hotel Indigo wanted to highlight the surroundings of each of its hotels, its PR team got presenter Edith Bowman to help launch a series of #SundaySocials at three of its top locations, with the help of The Zutons’ Dave McCabe, DJ Mylo and Soul II Soul’s Jazzie B.
LaSalle Investment Management, a global real estate investment manager, has hired former FleishmanHillard Fishburn account director Lydia Eades (pictured) to lead EMEA corporate communications.
Eades joins LaSalle with more than nine years experience in communications in the asset management, alternative investment, professional services and property industries. She has been responsible for developing and protecting the reputation for some of the sector’s most well-known brands across Europe and globally.
At LaSalle, she will manage the firm’s EMEA communications strategy, reporting directly into LaSalle’s director of marketing, Anna Buxton, while working closely with Europe CEO Simon Marrison.
Buxton said: “Given the importance of EMEA within LaSalle’s global business, coupled with the strong performance of the region, I am delighted to welcome Lydia to the team to continue to develop the profile of our global business within Europe. We recognise the importance of strong cohesive communications to reflect LaSalle’s strengths in the region, and Lydia’s pan-European expertise and diversified skillset will be an invaluable addition and we are delighted to have her on board.”
Eades commented: “I am very much looking forward to this new opportunity and working with my European counterparts to grow our EMEA profile and highlight our global business in Europe. LaSalle is one of the most respected names in the industry and I am proud to be a part of its acclaimed team at a time where the company is experiencing such strong growth.”
LaSalle manages approximately £40.5b of private and public equity and private debt investments (as of Q4 2015).
PR agency W Communications has been appointed by Y.CO, a luxury yacht charter and sales platform, to handle its communications.
VERTIGO for charter by Y.CO.
Y.CO provides charter, sales, management and new build services to the global yachting community. The company is based in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Specialising in marketing, social, corporate, and crisis communications, W will manage Y.CO’s brand and business PR as it seeks to raise its global profile among an international luxury audience.
Warren Johnson, founder & CEO of W, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with such a pioneering brand. We feel a great synergy with Y.CO, which is the most energetic and agile brand in the superyacht market. And with our ever-growing luxury expertise, we’re in an excellent position to help Y.CO target the closely-knit community of ultra-high-net-worth individuals.”
Charlie Birkett, CEO and co-founder of Y.CO, added: “At Y.CO we take a dynamic and modern approach to yachting and wanted an agency that would share in our passion and enthusiasm. W really understands our ethos and business objectives, and we’re excited to embark on this journey with the team.”
W’s client roster also includes Princess Yachts and Boat International.
Fleet Street Communications has been brought in by organic Italian soft drink brand Galvanina as its retained consumer PR agency.
The agency has been briefed to build awareness of the brand, its heritage and credentials. A campaign has been designed to promote advocacy, drive excitement, challenge perceptions and position Galvanina as an “aspirational lifestyle brand”.
Using traditional consumer PR and social media activity, Fleet Street began the programme of activity at the beginning of April.
Activity also includes promoting the brand’s relationship with celebrity chef Aldo Zilli and identifying and supporting brand sponsorship opportunities.
Mark Stretton, Fleet Street MD, said: “We have been working hard over the last year to develop our B2C PR credentials and expertise, and we are delighted to be representing Galvanina.
“The brand is built on authenticity, craftsmanship and the very highest quality, and we’re very much looking forward to helping Galvanina to strengthen its position in a competitive marketplace, showcasing what makes this family-run company so special.”
Recruitment firm The Works Search has published findings from a survey showing a majority of PR professionals saw a rise in salary and bonuses last year.
The annual survey shows that, while some salaries also decreased within the year, 62% of the 800 respondents got a salary increase in 2015.
Of those, 63% were happy with the raise, which is a 3% boost from 2014. Furthermore, 51% of respondents believe they are “adequately” paid.
Sarah Leembruggen, MD at The Works Search, said: “With 62% of our participants having received a salary increase – a similar percentage to last year’s findings – I believe this is reflective of a sense of consistency and ongoing strength of the economy which is great news for the industry.”
She added: “Corporate communications salaries have increased across the board with the largest increases in-house at a senior level highlighting how companies are focusing on investment at the top as they continue to see the benefits of promoting and protecting their brands. There are also some healthy bonuses to be had which are based on company and individual performance – heads of communications have fared well this year.”
The corporate sector has seen the biggest uplifts in salary particularly in the upper salary ranges, according to the study. Agency staff such as corporate board directors and partners can expect an average salary of £125,000 with even higher figures shown for in-house staff.
Top in-house financial PR staff saw the highest jump in salary, with global heads of communications earning up to £175,000. This is £25,000 more than the figure reported in 2014. Financial PR agencies also show high earners, however, with top roles such as managing directors earning an average salary of £150,000.
There were also uplifts within consumer PR agencies, with senior roles in the sector commanding an average of £100,000.
The in-house consumer sector showed recognition for the junior levels, with the average salary for a PR executive going up by 28%.
Bonuses
When it comes to bonuses, 57% of participants received one in 2015, showing a 3% increase year-on-year.
The senior roles in corporate communications fared best, with global heads of communications receiving an average bonus of £60,000 – a 3% increase on the previous year. This is slightly lower within agencies where CEOs and directors earned an average of £30,000, but senior account directors received an average bonus of £13,000 – a 27% jump from the previous year.
Financial PR agencies saw the biggest rise bonuses, with managing directors and board directors seeing a 30% jump from 2014. Here the average bonus was £50,000.
The Works Search surveyed 800 PR and comms professionals about their salaries between January-December 2015.
Frankie Oliver, co-founder and former joint-MD of consumer agency Fever, has joined Nexus Communications as MD, as the agency announces plans for future acquisitions and the launch of a new consumer comms brand in the Autumn.
Oliver will lead an aggressive new growth strategy for the company that will see her create a new integrated consumer comms brand.
Nexus will continue to operate in health, nutrition and food PR. The new agency brand will focus on integrated comms briefs.
She joins Nexus’ board, which is chaired by Jonathan Choat who founded the business in 1998. The board also includes Nicky Smith, who heads up the agency’s consumer health practice, Kevin Coles, who heads up its food and issues management practice and finance director Lesley Gilbert. The board is further supported by client services director Amanda Cryer.
Together with the Nexus board, Oliver will also look to acquire businesses that align with the agency’s new growth strategy.
Choat said: “Nexus has established itself as a specialist agency that truly understands the food and health sector. The launch of our new integrated communications brand means we will now be able to deliver real breadth as well as depth to our clients’ communications campaigns. We are incredibly pleased that Frankie has joined the business to lead this strategy.
“Not only does she have a brilliant track record, she has a compelling future vision of the communications industry that is both exciting and infectious. We need to be much more vivid, and Frankie Oliver is nothing if not vivid.”
Oliver added: “I’m thrilled to have joined Nexus. Not only does it have an incredibly strong business, successfully built up over the last 20 years, it also has significant and commendable ambition to grow and compete through-the-line. The PR agency model is evolving beyond all recognition and our strategy will enable us to credibly win integrated work.”
Oliver has worked in PR for 21 years. During that time, she has helped grow a number of PR businesses, including Larkspur (now Citizen) and Trimedia (now Grayling).
She joined Nelson Bostock Communications in 2007 after which she co-founded and launched Fever in 2010, building up the company to be a £4 million revenue business in five years.
Oliver has led a number of award-winning campaigns for a variety of clients including American Express, BBC Worldwide, Bacardi-Martini, Diageo, Disney, General Mills, HTC, OSPREY London, O2, P&O, Thorpe Park and Warner Bros. Studio Tour.
PhixFlow, a data and workflow company, has appointed KISS PR to handle its communications.
Andy Humphries, PhixFlow
A PR agency specialising in advertising, branding, digital, and strategy, KISS will initially focus on Phixflow’s media relations, thought-leadership and customer testimonials.
Based in Cambridge, PhixFlow helps its clients automate and mobilise their business processes. It serves the media, energy and utilities, financial services and insurance, healthcare, government, and retail industries.
Tracy Postill, account director at KISS PR, will lead the account.
Justine Smith, managing director of KISS PR, said: “PhixFlow is an ambitious SME that has a clear set of business objectives and an interesting story to tell. We are rapidly expanding our technology portfolio across the board and we look forward to delivering some great results for the company.”
