Genfour selects The CommsCo for global PR brief

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Robotic Process Automation and Artificial Intelligence tech company Genfour has chosen The CommsCo as its retained PR and social media partner.

Headquartered in the UK, Genfour supplies “digital workforces” to its blue-chip customers, using robotic process automation software, cognitive technologies and desktop automation.

Genfour has briefed The CommsCo to drive its presence both in the UK and internationally.

James Hall, founder and CEO at Genfour, said: “We’re a UK company operating on a global scale. We’re looking to extend our reach and improve our agility, and The CommsCo is the perfect partner to help us make the most of these opportunities.

“The CommsCo understands our brand positioning plans and business objectives, and its integrated approach will ensure that we capture the right audiences and influencers with our message.”

Ilona Hitel (pictured), founder and MD at The CommsCo, added: “There is an exciting amount  of interest and uptake in this industry, and the market for robotics and AI is huge. Genfour is really well positioned within this space with some fantastic customers, and we look forward to working with the team to develop its brand and maximise exposure.”

Student business network appoints London PR

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The National Association of College and University Entrepreneurs (NACUE), a network that helps students to launch businesses once they’ve left university, has brought in London PR to raise its media profile.

This is the first time that NACUE, which works with some 32,000 students every year across 260 UK colleges and universities to promote exposure to “enterprise and entrepreneurship”, has appointed an external PR agency. Previously, the network ran its comms work in-house.

London PR will raise the profile of NACUE with national media. The agency was chosen following a successful media campaign for London School of Marketing which gained coverage on BBC Breakfast and Channel 4 News.

Johnny Luk, CEO of NACUE, said: “This is a really exciting time for NACUE and we look forward to working with London PR to raise awareness of our organisation. We are in the process of increasing our network to more universities and we are keen to promote our ideal of encouraging young people and students to start their own businesses.

“Having our message out in the public domain is something that really excites us as we are looking forward to seeing the media coverage come through.”

Steve McComish, London PR MD, added: “We are very lucky to have some incredibly gifted students here in Britain yet many of them rule out the idea of starting their own businesses. We are thrilled to be working with NACUE to help spread the message that entrepreneurship is a viable career path for graduates.

“NACUE is a fantastic organisation that has already achieved so much. We are delighted to be part of the next chapter.”

The Gorkana Weekly Industry News Brief: 30 January to 5 February 2016

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Pitch Wins

Leading out-of-home advertising business, JCDecaux, has brought in Propeller PR to raise its UK profile and increase awareness of its data and digital offering.

Retail business Costcutter Supermarkets Group, which owns Costcutter and Kwiksave, has appointed MCG to deliver an “extensive” trade and corporate PR programme.

Lucre has had its PR brief with Stonegate Pub Company expanded to include the company’s entire branded bar division, which includes Yates and Flares, following the agency’s work with the Slug and Lettuce chain in the past eight months.

Vision Express UK has appointed brand PR agency Launch PR to help raise awareness of its range of glasses frames.

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Beatrix Potter

Penguin Random House has hired creative brand comms agency Taylor Herring to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Beatrix Potter, British author, illustrator and creator of children’s characters including Peter Rabbit.

Independent agency Vigo supported CityFibre, a designer and builder of fibre optic infrastructure in the UK, on its acquisition of national infrastructure assets and a placing to raise £80m.

People News

 

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Mike Love

Burson-Marsteller has announced that its chairman, Mike Love, is to step down with immediate effect. He will remain an employee of the agency, providing senior advice to clients and colleagues.

Ryanair has appointed Shane O’Toole as head of investor relations. He moves from his current role as an accountant in the airline’s finance team.

Financial services comms specialist MRM has hired Sophie Mayall as a consultant in its corporate and consumer team.

Kwittken London, the UK arm of international PR agency Kwittken, has appointed David Taylor, former head of comms for Orange-France Telecom Europe, and Gary Wilson, a consumer tech PR specialist, to its management team.

Seven Dials has boosted its luxury credentials with the appointment of Tash Vickers to the newly-created role of head of luxury. The agency has also won a UK consumer comms brief from premium French champagne brand Charles Heidsieck.

London Press Club has named four new directors: Cheryl Douglas, head of media research (UK/EU) and jobs at Gorkana; Adam Cannon, editorial legal director at The Telegraph Group; Amar Singh, chief content officer of Squawka, a London-based football digital media company, and James Mawson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Mawsonia, a global multimedia publisher.

News Analysis

The key to CSR is authenticity

Corporate reputation accounts for £790bn of the value of businesses in the FTSE 350, according to the latest UK Reputation Dividend Report. Companies have attempted to boost their public image and harness this value through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – but some, such as ex-BP chief exec Lord Browne, claim it is a diversionary tactic. We ask senior comms practitioners how companies can create and communicate effective CSR campaigns that resonate positively with the public and the wider industry.

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#charitytuesday

How #charitytuesday boosts PR

Every week large charities such as Dementia UK, the Big Lottery Fund, Heritage UK and WaterAid, use #charitytuesday to promote their causes via Twitter. As a hashtag, it regularly trends and it inspires others such as #givingtuesday, which launched in 2014.

Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award 2016

Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award names finalists 3

Suzy Ferguson

Six people have been shortlisted for this year’s Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award 2016, following a record number of nominations. The finalists are Chloe Couchman, PR director at Carlson Wagonlit Travel; Anita Glover, head of corporate comms for mhs homes limited, Jessica Huie, director at JH Public Relations, Henry Playfoot, strategy director at Claremont; Chloe Staniforth, account executive at Cream Consultancy; and Louise Thompson, marketing and PR manager for Dalton Park retail outlet

Journalist News

American actor Matt LeBlanc has been revealed as one of the new presenters of Top Gear. topgearHis appointment marks the first time the show has had a non-British host in its 39-year history.

Owen Walker has been appointed a commissioning editor within the Financial Times’ Special Reports team. He was previously based in New York as managing editor of Agenda, the FT’s specialist publication for US corporate directors.

Ben Woods has been named chief city correspondent at the Press Association. He was previously business editor at the Eastern Daily Press.

Nazia Parveen, former North West correspondent at the Daily Mail, has joined the Guardian as North of England correspondent. Martin Belam has also started his role as social and new formats editor at the paper.

LOOK style content director Gilly Ferguson has been promoted to editor at the glossy high street fashion and celebrity weekly magazine.

Seth Jacobson has been appointed international editor of The Times of London Weekly app, “a digest of the best Times journalism”. He was previously digital news editor at The Sunday Times.

STYLIST shopping editor Lucy Reber has been promoted to fashion editor at the weekly magazine.

Features

White Paper: Business issues fuel PR
Business news is no longer confined to the City pages or niche publications. In recent years, it has become a ‘mainstream’ concern and is increasingly popular. A new Gorkana White Paper explores how this trend affects communicators and PRs and what it means for corporate and financial specialists, in particular, as their work feeds into the mainstream and a more integrated news cycle.

Planning ensures PR Award entries shine
In a special Gorkana webinar this week, Red Consultancy MD Emily Morgan and Gorkana’s head of insight Paul Hender explained how to write a prize-winning AMEC Award entry ahead of the final entry deadline on 26 February.

Case Study: Head Radical Launch
Working with top tennis star Andy Murray OBE and putting video at the heart of its campaign, Radiator and the team at Head Tennis and multi-media store Pro:Direct successfully launched a new and innovative ‘Radical’ racquet range last November.

60 seconds with Tim Snowball, PHA Media
Tim Snowball, head of political strategy at PHA Media and former Lib Dem director of political comms, tells us about how he hid, with Nick Clegg, from a TV helicopter, his pride at reframing the debate around the Assisted Dying Bill and how a puppy can be the ultimate work distraction.

Gorkana meets…Real Business and Business Advice
Hunter Ruthven, editor of Real Business and Business Advice talks to Ben Spencer about championing young companies, promoting innovation across the board and asking PRs to cut out the jargon.

 

Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award names finalists

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Six people have been shortlisted for this year’s Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award 2016, following a record number of nominations.

Now in its third year, The Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award was launched by Gorkana in partnership with Suzy Ferguson’s former employer, LEWIS. It is in memory of one of the industry’s brightest young stars, who passed away from bowel cancer in 2012, aged 31.

An inspirational person, whose work had a positive impact on clients and fellow professionals, Suzy worked tirelessly in the community outside her work, even after she was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Her spirit and talent positively influenced individuals and every organisation she worked with.

The award recognises those who have made a difference to others in the industry and aims to acknowledge individuals of exceptional character, integrity and determination. These are often the unsung heroes who bring out the best in other people, yet don’t expect anything in return.

The six nominees who have made the shortlist for the Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award 2016 are:

  • Chloe Couchman, PR director, Carlson Wagonlit Travel
  • Anita Glover, head of corporate comms, mhs homes limited
  • Jessica Huie, director, JH Public Relations
  • Henry Playfoot, strategy director, Claremont
  • Chloe Staniforth, account executive, Cream Consultancy
  • Louise Thompson, marketing and PR manager, Dalton Park retail outlet

“This year we had a record number of nominations from all over the country, across a broad spectrum of the communications industry. The judges were very impressed with the quality and calibre of those nominated,” said Sally O’Neill, VP at LEWIS and one of the judges. “It’s clear there are some truly inspirational people who are not only good at their job, but also go the extra mile to bring out the best in others and support their local community. We’re excited to meet them all personally at the next round.”

The six finalists and their nominators will meet the judges on 19 February and the winner will be announced at a special ceremony on 18 March. Follow @suzyspiritaward for the latest news and updates.

Last year, Nicola Green, director of comms and reputation at O2, was the unanimous choice to win the 2015 Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award. The inaugural award winner in 2014 was Rosie Warin, who worked at Forster Communications at the time, and has since taken over the reins of Global Tolerance.

Unity offers a day’s free consultancy on 29 February

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Unity has launched a Leap Day creative competition to offer a brand a full day of the entire agency’s time on 29 February.

To win the competition, a brand, large or small, will need to “woo” Unity with an overview of a marketing issue they need strategic and creative muscle on.

Brands will need to pitch the brief or problem to [email protected] before 20 February in order to be in with a chance to win.

Unity co-founders Gerry Hopkinson and Nik Govier will then select the most vibrant, challenging and diverse marketing problem to crack and the winning brand will receive a day’s free consultancy from the Unity team on 29 February free of charge.

Hopkinson said: “We are often asked to pitch for business and we absolutely love it and thought to ourselves, wouldn’t it be fun on leap year to switch things up and ask brands to pitch to us for a change?

“We’re all about increasing happiness and wanted to use this year’s extra day to do just that for one lucky marketing director.”

For more information on Unity’s Leap Day, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Mango PR wins Alila Hotels & Resorts brief

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Commune Hotels & Resorts Regional Office Asia has appointed Mango PR to handle its Brand Alila comms in the UK for Alila Hotels & Resorts. 

Alila is a collection of 11 hotels and resorts across Indonesia, India and Oman.

Along with regular news and story updates, Mango has been briefed to support Alila with press enquiries, press trip arrangements and will act as a first port of call for Alila announcements.

The appointment comes as Alila plans to open six new hotels and expand into two new countries; Cambodia and China this year.

The account will be led by Mango PR MD, Clare Corry, who will be supported by senior account manager Emma Gates.

The key to CSR is authenticity

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Corporate reputation accounts for £790bn of the value of businesses in the FTSE 350, according to the latest UK Reputation Dividend Report. Companies have attempted to boost their public image and harness this value through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – but some, such as ex-BP chief exec Lord Browne, claim it is a diversionary tactic. We ask senior comms practitioners how companies can create and communicate effective CSR campaigns that resonate positively with the public and the wider industry, writes David Keevill.

In a keynote speech at last week’s Advertising Association’s Lead 2016, ex-BP chief exec Lord Browne condemned CSR as the “plaything” of business, adding that it had become the “very dangerous crutch” of companies.

His words follow a year of scrutiny on the projected public image of businesses and their perceived failures, impacting industries from car manufacturing to web search to telecoms. Edelman’s Trust Barometer 2016 shows business enjoying a modest increase in public faith, but is there a genuine corporate desire to do ‘the right thing’?

However, there can be no quick solutions, asserts PR consultant David Banks, and that CSR should be a “constant dialogue a company should do with is public”. He adds: “when companies chuck money at a charity or at a problem, it can have as bad an effect as doing nothing”. So how does a company communicate its CSR model effectively and what goes into creating a sustainable and, ultimately, authentic campaign? We asked a number of comms experts:

Build CSR into the core business model

“Companies need to decide which of the two types of CSR they want to engage in and communicate about”, explains Peter Gilheany, PR director at social change agency Forster Communications. “The first kind is the type rightly being called out by Lord Browne, basically a simple reputational device to deflect attention away from the core practice of a business.

“The second type is the one that is an essential part of that core business practice and is used as a tool of direct influence on it.” Effective CSR, Gilheany argues, comes from taking a long-term view and building it into an organisation’s strategy.

Ben Romney, a partner at Buchanan and the man behind the sustainability report of Saudi based water plant developer ACWA Plant, agrees that good CSR looks beyond just a PR exercise: “ACWA Power’s focus on delivering returns to its shareholders is intertwined with its commitment to CSR. The company needs the local economy to grow in order to fuel long term growth for its own business.”

Create advocates that experience CSR benefits in social outreach

For Romney, CSR is about creating a mutually beneficial environment in which there are clear advantages for both the company and the local people. In the case of ACWA, for example, it has a commitment to creating local jobs with “as much as 95% of their 3000 staff employed locally”.

Effective advocacy has to be tied up with a well-executed comms campaign, explained Steve Carman, a director at Nobull’s CSR unit, Sustainabull: “From sports clubs to SMEs and large companies, many are spending £10,000s in this area and are not even sharing these feel good factor initiatives with their employees, let alone their customers or prospects.”

Effective CSR plays to a company’s strengths

Since 2013, multi-disciplinary business consultancy FTI Consulting has worked with local schools to help students understand the economy, as part of a programme called Boom, Bust & Crunch. FTI’s EMEA comms director, Michael Rosen, sees this work aligning with the company’s core remit in making complex issues clearer. This sort of social work creates authenticity, he explains: “BB&C directly aligns with our business objectives, and uses the core skills of our employees for the wider benefit of our local community and society.”

Understanding where a company’s strengths, and sometimes weaknesses, lie is the best way to communicate trust to the public. Gilheany reflects: “The best way to counter the sceptics is to admit you are not perfect and to show your workings.

“I think companies like Leon and Unilever are very good at this, at crediting external audiences with the intelligence to understand that nobody is perfect and to ask them to engage in the vision and commitment that underpins the attempt to be better.”

MRM hires JPES Partners’ Sophie Mayall

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Financial services communications specialist MRM has hired Sophie Mayall as a consultant in its corporate and consumer team.

Previously, Mayall was account manager at JPES Partners’, a specialist asset management marketing and comms consultancy, where she worked for three years.

Within this role, Sophie was responsible for managing corporate positioning, profile raising and media placement campaigns for asset management and investment consultancy firms including Lyxor Asset Management, AllianceBernstein, SKAGEN Funds and Quantum Advisory.

Chris Duncan, MRM director, said: “We are delighted to have Sophie on board. Her experience in devising and implementing PR programmes for institutional asset managers and pension and actuarial consultancies will be invaluable as we continue to grow the business and expand our footprint in areas in which we believe we can make a real mark.”

Mayall added: “MRM has an excellent reputation as a creative consultancy that consistently delivers impressive results for its clients and I am looking forward to working with such an experienced and talented team as the business develops its full-service proposition across the financial services sector.”

London Press Club appoints four new directors

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London Press Club has announced the appointment of four new directors: Cheryl Douglas, head of media research (UK/EU) and jobs at Gorkana; Adam Cannon, editorial legal director, The Telegraph Group; Amar Singh, chief content officer of Squawka, a London-based football digital media company, and James Mawson, the founder and editor-in-chief of Mawsonia, a global multimedia publisher.

Doug Wills, chairman of London Press Club and group MD of esi media, said: “I am delighted and proud that the press club has four new directors who are leading executives in the London media scene. Cheryl Douglas, Adam Cannon, Amar Singh and James Mawson each bring a distinctive expertise to the Club as well as the energy and enthusiasm for which they are renowned.

He added: “It is marvellous news for the press club that we are able to continue to attract such outstanding figures from the industry as directors to join our top flight board of editors, journalists and media executives.”

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Cheryl Douglas

adamcannon

Adam Cannon

Amar Singh. Byline

Amar Singh

James Mawson - Global Corporate Venturing Symposium 2015

James Mawson

 

 

 

 

 

The club has also taken over the organisation of the Cudlipp Lecture, with this year’s lecture being held on 1 March at the Museum of London.

Paul Charman, who has been a leading figure of the Cudlipp Fund for the past ten years, has joined the London Press Club board, Wills has also announced. It has also formed a new events committee. “I am also delighted that press club director broadcast journalist Vikki Cook has taken on a new role on the club board as chairman of a newly-formed events committee,” he said.

According to Wills, the press club had a “tremendous” year in 2015 as it established its calendar of monthly events and social gatherings: “The Press Ball was a superb success raising £30,000 for the Journalists’ Charity. At the prestigious press club awards, the speaker was the head of MI5.”

Other events ranged from headline-making debates on the jailing of journalists to increasing diversity among recruits to sports journalism.

Wills concluded: “It has been a significant year for the media and the press club has worked hard at both celebrating the brilliant journalism and providing a stage to address the many serious issues facing the industry. The appointment of the new directors will ensure the press club’s strong tradition for supporting journalism in London continues.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gorkana meets…Real Business and Business Advice

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Hunter Ruthven, editor of Real Business and Business Advice talks to Ben Spencer about championing young companies, promoting innovation across the board and asking PRs to cut out the jargon.

Business Advice focuses on providing advice to “micro businesses” in the UK. Why target this market?

While we’d been serving the SME community for nearly 20 years [with Real Business], we felt there was a definite need for a website aimed squarely at micro and small businesses. A lot has been written about the fast-growth business community, commonly referred to as startups, but less so about the millions and millions of self-employed people, sole traders, small family firms and lifestyle companies that are so crucial to the success of our nation’s economy.

We also believe that budding entrepreneurs and early-stage business builders encounter myriad obstacles in those formative years, and we wanted to be able to assist on this journey by providing useful and easy to digest advice-based pieces, looking at topics such as getting funding for your company, hiring a first member of staff, starting to build out a supply chain and sorting out insurance. We’ve had great feedback so far from our readers.

Its sister site Real Business is the most viewed SME web site, according to ABC, in the UK; what are some of the contributing factors to its success?

High-growth businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them are moving so fast that there often isn’t the time to step back and work out what is going on around you – whether it’s competitors or just general trends in the market. I think what our readers like best about our content is we plug that gap. With the pieces we are publishing on a daily basis, and then promoting via social media and newsletters, they can dip into articles on what laws and regulations they need to be aware of as well as any new government initiatives they might be able to take advantage of.Real Business

But I think what we also do well, and has contributed to our success, is that we manage to blend information pieces about subjects such as auto-enrolment with the fun and original content found in our ‘Surreal Business’ section.

What is the criteria for a business to make it onto the sites and how do you aim to help them grow?

There is no specific criteria for making it on to Business Advice or Real Business, we are just keen to hear about interesting stories and inspiring growth. While the micro business and SME community in the UK is expansive, it’s also very tight knit and supportive. We hope that by featuring a company on either site it will open the offering up a few new potential customers, an interested partner or even possible acquirer.

Young companies don’t have thousands to spend on flashy advertising campaigns, so we are only too happy to help get the name out there.

How successful does a company have to be before it appears on Real Business?

With the businesses we feature on Real Business, we generally looking for a couple of years trading, some evidence of customer acquisition and growing turnover. They don’t have to be the one every venture capitalist in the country is fighting over, it’s more about us being able to feature an innovative product or approach. We also want people to be sharing their warts and all stories, it can’t only be about the success side of things.

Who are your competitors in this space?

In the B2B digital space there are the likes of BusinessZone.co.uk, Startups.co.uk and SmallBusiness.co.uk. It’s also been interesting to see what the nationals have done to improve their enterprise sections, moving away from just writing about FSTE 100 firms and embracing the growing entrepreneurial community in Britain. However, as Real Business is the most-read site for SMEs in the UK (ABC audit figures), we like to see ourselves as leading the field.

Tell me more about your readership for both titles. How do they differ?

I think the best way to describe the difference between our audience is the level of expertise they are after. While a reader of Business Advice is looking at hiring their first member of staff, a Real Business reader is on the look out for a killer CTO or marketing whizz. While a Business Advice reader is looking to access government grants or open a business account with an overdraft, a Real Business reader is looking to venture capital or asset-based lending. While we cover the same kinds of themes (finance, recruitment, sales and marketing, legal issues and procurement), it is about the level of advice being sought.

So do you see SMEs making the leap from Business Advice to appear on Real Business?

That is one of the great things about what we’ve created. Although Business Advice is only six months old, we can’t wait to see how businesses we’ve interviewed or have accessed our content begin to grow and start looking to what we provide on Real Business. Hearing from an entrepreneur a couple of years down the road, who can tell you all about the important milestones they’ve passed in that timeframe, is one of the most rewarding parts of our job.

What does a typical day look like for the editorial team and how do they work across both titles.

The editorial team begin the day by making a big push on the news front. We want to make sure that both sites are covering the most important stories, whether it’s a government announcement, interesting survey or particular company development. Real Business has two newsletters going out each workday, so there is a constant need to make sure we have quality content for that. In the afternoon, the focus is more on longer interview-type features, thought-provoking opinion pieces and liaising with our resident experts on advice pieces.

We also like to get out of the office whenever we can, getting along to conferences, launches or just managing to meet an entrepreneur in person for a chat.

How do you and the team work with PRs?

PRs are absolutely crucial to what we do. Without them there is no way we’d be able to cover the amount we do in a day. From pitching us press releases that they know will be of interest to us to offering an introduction with a client that they believe has an interesting growth story, there are so many touch points throughout the day. While some are definitely better than others (no names I’m afraid!) I think there is a growing realisation in the B2B media space that both journalists and PRs should be helping each other more to further the cause.

What are your three top tips for PRs when pitching ideas?

(1) You’ve got to find something unique to talk about. Some of the best pitches I’ve had have made me take notice because of something unique in the business or founder’s history. One that particular springs to mind was a US-based company that was set up by a guy who had managed to get feedback from Warren Buffet on his business plan. It had very little to do with what he was up to these days, but it made me sit up and take notice as the Warren Buffett link was what the PR led with.

(2) Cut out the jargon. You have to imagine that you are explaining a business or client to someone that has no idea about that industry. Filling a press release with buzzwords doesn’t make me interested, I just switch off.

(3) At least try to make it look tailored. I’m afraid that blanket emails aren’t going to get a reply, neither will those that don’t address me by name. If you’re pitching the story to other titles, then let me know. It doesn’t mean I won’t be interested, but there’s nothing more annoying than seeing another site covering exactly the same thing that week.

And finally, which sectors are you most excited to cover in 2016 for Real Business and Business Advice?

I don’t think it’s necessarily sectors – more (like) trends. I think this year is going to be a really exciting one for a number of reasons. Small and micro businesses are finally starting to get the recognition and support each are deserved of, so I think there are only going to be more inspiring entrepreneurial stories coming out of that space. The barriers to entry are dropping by the day and, through campaigns like our Microsoft 30 Digital Champions, I’m looking forward to finding out how companies are thinking differently, adopting digital techniques and competing well against bigger and more established rivals.

Crowdfunding is another topic of interest. The second half of 2015 saw some interesting developments in the exit space, so I’m excited to see what other big success stories emerge there – alongside the inevitable failures and backlash that is going to produce.

Hunter was speaking to Gorkana’s Ben Spencer