Birmingham International’s John Morris joins Freshwater

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Independent comms agency Freshwater has appointed John Morris from Birmingham International Airport to strengthen its work in the transport and infrastructure sectors. 

Morris will provide counsel to Freshwater’s range of clients in transport, planning, infrastructure and public affairs. His appointment bolsters Freshwater’s public affairs division and will help drive new business for the consultancy. He is based in the agency’s London office.

Morris was previously public affairs director at Birmingham International Airport, where he built a broad constituency of support for a successful £70m runway expansion and lobbied for the airport to be properly served by the planned HS2 Birmingham Interchange station.

Prior to that, he led Virgin Trains’ public affairs and communications team during its launch into the UK market in 1997. He was also the MD of Virtue Solutions, which worked to launch Arriva Trains Wales and has served as the managing editor of Railway World magazine.

He said: “It’s a good time to be joining Freshwater. Its sustained growth is fuelling serious ambitions to consolidate and grow its client base across the transport sector, both in public affairs and integrated communications.

“Freshwater has a strong background in the sector and I look forward to being a part of its future progress, particularly at a time when the railways – and infrastructure in general – is enjoying a high, and growing, public profile. As the focus on infrastructure increases, so do the opportunities for communications professionals to add serious value to organisations in both private and public sectors.

“Delivering strategies to help clients fulfil their objectives is something I am passionate about, especially in a sector that so acutely impacts the country’s prosperity and affects so many people.”

Online community International Women in Mining brings in Yellow Jersey

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International Women in Mining (IWiM), a global web-based community which aims to improve the gender balance in the mining industry, has appointed Yellow Jersey as its comms adviser.

IWiM has hired Yellow Jersey to develop its growth strategy, raise brand awareness and increase its membership. The agency will focus on messaging, branding and media relations.

The account is being led by Dominic Barretto and Harriet Jackson.

Jackson said: “Our appointment by IWiM complements our mining client portfolio and extensive industry experience. The basic materials sector is one which we understand well, and we are currently ranked in the top five. We look forward to working with IWiM and developing a greater awareness around the organisation.”

IWiM supports the growth of female participation in the industry, develops international projects, increases global interaction and provides information and access to contacts worldwide.

PepsiCo hands UK corporate PR account to Headland Consultancy

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PepsiCo has briefed Headland to manage its UK corporate comms, following a pitch for its account in December.

Headland started working on the account earlier this month and partner Simon Burton is leading the brief.

It was announced last November that freuds, which had been PepsiCo’s corporate comms adviser, was stepping down from the account.

PepsiCo’s brands include Walkers, Doritos, Pepsi Max, Quaker and Tropicana.

British Gas retains Weber Shandwick for B2B and consumer work

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British Gas, the Centrica-owned energy and services company, has brought in Weber Shandwick as its retained B2B and consumer adviser, following a competitive pitch. 

Weber Shandwick will focus on developing campaigns in two key areas for British Gas. It will be involved in the nationwide Government-mandated smart meter roll-out, which the Government has targeted for completion by 2020, and through BG’s Connected Home brand Hive, it will want to exploit interest and opportunity in the ‘internet of things’.

Stuart Lambert, strategy and creative director in the consumer team at Weber Shandwick London, leads the brief. Hollie Adamson will be the client experience lead with overall operational responsibility for all campaigns.

George Eykyn, director of communications at British Gas, said: “We’re pleased to confirm that we’ve appointed Weber Shandwick as our retained PR agency, following a highly competitive tender process. We look forward to working with the agency through an exciting period ahead for British Gas and our parent group, Centrica.”

Rachel Friend, Weber London MD, aded: “It’s rare that a UK brief this exciting, touching so many people and in an industry as nuanced and significant as the energy sector comes along.

“To say we are honoured and thrilled to have been chosen would be an understatement. British Gas has a unique, incredible history and is a truly iconic British brand. We can’t wait to get started and help the brand on the exciting next stage of its journey.”

Montfort supports Northill Capital’s acquisition

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Asset manager Northill Capital, which was founded in 2010 by Jonathan Little, former Vice Chairman of BNY Mellon Asset Management, is working with Montfort to support its acquisition of a 60% stake in Capital Four, a Copenhagen-based high yield credit asset management business.

Northill announced the deal, without disclosing financial details, this Monday. The remaining 40% of the firm’s equity will stay with existing partners Sandro Näf, Torben Skødeberg and Henrik Østergaard.

Capital Four will retain day-to-day operational independence, with Northill‘s management team joining the CF board of directors. CF will remain based in Copenhagen following the deal to maintain a “favourable vantage point” on the European credit investment environment.

Montfort Communications has been tasked with providing ongoing communications support to the company. Montfort’s founding partner Gay Collins (pictured) leads the brief.

As of 31 December, Northill owned a majority interest in combined assets under management (AUM) of $30bn (£21bn).

Frank appoints Nexus MD Richard Medley to its board

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Former Nexus MD Richard Medley has joined Frank as a board director, with a brief to head up the agency’s corporate reputation, crisis and issues division, as well as oversee a portfolio of consumer clients.

With a career spanning more than 20 years, Medley was MD of Nexus for nearly four years, having joined the agency in 2012 from Spider PR.

Before Spider PR, he was MD of Publicis Consultants, following senior stints at GCI and Porter Novelli.

Graham Goodkind, founder and chairman of Frank, said: “I’ve known Richard for many years and I have tried to hire him before, but for whatever reason it wasn’t the right time or place. So I’m delighted that we’ve got over the line this time.

“He’ll significantly add to the dynamic and vibe of the agency and brings a wealth of experience that will help take us to the next level. Adept at dealing at senior level with clients, providing considered strategic advice, he also has a sharp, creative mind which will play out perfectly here at Frank.”

Medley said: “Not many agencies have managed to keep the creative reputation flowing so consistently as the guys at Frank have for the last 15 years. And having been envious of that from the outside, it feels pretty good to be on the inside and contributing to what comes next. I’m buzzing on this next career phase.”

Medley joins a UK board consisting of Goodkind, group MD Andrew Bloch, UK MD Alex Grier, board director Laura Jones and CFO Damon Kelly. Board director David Fraser is due to leave the business in early April.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the agency had been chosen by The Rugby Football Union to promote the HSBC London Sevens, the final tournament of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, at Twickenham in May 2016.

 

Vigo supports Rockhopper Exploration merger

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Rockhopper Exploration, a UK-based oil and gas exploration company, worked with strategic comms consultancy Vigo on its merger last year with Falkland Oil & Gas (FOGL) to create the largest holder of discovered oil resources in the North Falkland Basin. 

The boards of Rockhopper and FOGL reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended all-share merger in November last year. The deal completed on 15 January last week. The previously AIM-listed FOGL will remain on AIM but will be listed as Rockhopper.

Rockhopper’s development of the North Falkland oil basin will be boosted by the deal. The first phase of the ‘Sea lion’ drilling campaign will look to exploit some 220 million barrels.

Vigo will continue to advise Rockhopper on all aspects of its capital markets communications. The Vigo team, led by managing director Patrick D’Ancona, has been retained since 2013.

Burger & Lobster briefs Manifest London as it expands internationally

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Restaurant chain Burger & Lobster has brought in Manifest London to establish the brand internationally.

Burger & Lobster first launched in 2011, selling lobster and burgers at the same price (£20). It now has 12 restaurants and has briefed Manifest London to help educate customers about the origins and sustainability of its products.

Manifest’s New York office, which opened 12 months ago, will also support the restaurant’s US expansion.

Maisie Denning, head of propaganda and marketing for Burger & Lobster, said: “The Burger & Lobster model is easy to understand – we do burgers and we do lobsters, and we do them both well. What’s not so easy to get is why and how we do them, so we’re excited to bring Manifest on board to tell our story.

“Manifest’s passion and experience of giving brands purpose and meaning, whilst making them stand out from the crowd is exactly what we need. We want our diners to expect the unexpected in 2016 and the ideas Manifest presented have inspired us; we’re certain it’s going to be our most exciting year yet.”

Alex Myers, group CEO at Manifest, added: “When it launched in 2011, Burger & Lobster inspired a generation of restaurateurs and diners by creating a cult dining experience that spread worldwide.

“The team there wants to continue blazing a trail and aren’t afraid to take risks and that speaks to us. We’re looking forward to continuing its culinary revolution both here and in the US.”

3 Monkeys’ Craig Stockwell joins on demand concierge service Henchman as head of marketing

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Henchman, an on demand concierge service that promises to deliver “anything from anywhere” within central London, has appointed 3 Monkeys Communications’ former marketing and new business manager, Craig Stockwell, as its head of marketing.

Henchman has a team of drivers, based across London, who can collect a variety of items, including restaurant dishes, fast food, alcohol, concert tickets and dry cleaning, and deliver them to required destinations in the capital.

The company was tipped by US business magazine Forbes last month as one of three firms “set to make it big” in 2015 as part of the ‘doorstep economy’ – a response to increasing consumer demand for more goods and services to be delivered at speed.

Stockwell will oversee the development of Henchman’s marketing, PR and comms strategy, as the start-up looks to expand its service in 2016 across London and other UK cities.

Ryan Perera, CEO and co-founder of Henchman, said: “Craig brings a host of marketing know-how, digital understanding and unbridled enthusiasm to Henchman, and I’m looking forward to him growing with the company.”

Stockwell said: “I’m really excited to take on this new role at Henchman. There’s a huge buzz in the industry about the doorstep economy, on demand services, and how they’re set to grow massively over the next few years, and it’s fantastic to be in it from the start with such a rapidly expanding company.”

Stockwell spent nearly two years at 3 Monkeys as marketing and new business manager.

Case Study: Energizer ‘Waste to Wonder’

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When Energizer approached Cirkle to launch its EcoAdvanced battery, which is made from recycled batteries, the agency created an attention-grabbing, battery-powered, a four metre high replica of Tower Bridge made up of more than 80,000 recycled batteries, which led to EcoAdvanced winning The Grocer’s ‘Launch of the Year 2015’.

Campaign: Energizer ‘Waste to Wonder’
Client: Energizer
PR Team: Cirkle
Timing: Summer 2015

Overview

Let’s face it, batteries aren’t the sexiest of products – they are often viewed more as a functional purchase with low brand loyalty and with sales often driven by in-store promotional offers. So imagine our excitement when Energizer briefed us on a technological breakthrough that represented a world first. The new Energizer EcoAdvanced is a battery made from RECYCLED batteries.

Objectives

To launch one of Energizer batteries’ most technologically advanced innovations – Energizer EcoAdvanced – which is the world’s first high performance battery made from 4% RECYCLED batteries.
To use the launch to drive awareness and sales of the overall Energizer brand.
To generate earned media which features key messages, in gold and silver tier titles.

Target audience:

Trade – multiple and convenience retailers.
Consumer – families and individuals in the 25 to 45-years-old age-range.

Strategy

Our strategic starting point was to prove to Energizer that we needed to take a disruptive approach to the battery category – moving away from the brand’s focus on traditional ‘press office’ activity in favour of making a big bang among target consumers.

We translated Energizer EcoAdvanced’s proposition of ‘taking worn out things and making them better’ into ‘RE-IMAGINATION ’ and put this at the heart of our plan. A two-phase approach was designed to (a) create a groundswell of advocacy amongst environmental, consumer affairs and business influencers; and (b) engage consumers in a compelling way that captured the cultural zeitgeist and rich media appetite for high impact stunts.

Partnering with global trend forecasters The Future Laboratory and leading sustainability campaigner Tony Juniper we created The Re-Imagination Report, looking at the future of recycling and how waste will become a premium resource. We launched it to ‘green’ influencers including science, environmental, consumer affairs and trade media at The Future Laboratory’s Shoreditch hangout.

We then created a ‘media moment’ through our showstopper that re-imagined London’s iconic Tower Bridge. The kinetic sculpture was made out of 83,000 batteries collected from recycling plants showing how EcoAdvanced turned waste products into something wonderful.

Weighing two tonnes, the sculpture was 12 metres long and four metres high. Ensuring a genuine likeness, the replica was battery operated to open and close at the same time as the real London landmark and was erected in front of the real bridge in Potters Fields.

Taking four weeks to make, the installation was unveiled by The Gadget Show’s Pollyanna Woodward, with our photocall attracting media, bloggers and consumers. Collateral included a timelapse film of the build and the installation to drive share of voice and social shares.

Unleashing the power of online influencers, we selected parenting and lifestyle bloggers from our exclusive ‘Social Inner Cirkle’ community and set them a ‘re-imagination’ challenge. Supplying them prop boxes comprising materials doomed for the bin, they were tasked with upcyling worn out items and transforming them into something new.

Results

  • At year end, Energizer’s total share increased by +3.4% in a market where brand leader Duracell’s share declined by -0.9% (source: WE 26.12.15 Nielsen).
  • Widespread national news coverage on business pages including high share of voice in the FMCG trade ‘bible’ The Grocer – reinforcing Energizer’s position as a thought leader.
  • National and broadcast consumer coverage in gold and silver tier media was gained, including the Guardian, BBC and The Mirror, generating 400m OTS.
  • We smashed our earned media KPIs by achieving 10 more pieces of national coverage versus our original target.
  • There were 300,000 shares on social media.
    Our campaign contributed to EcoAdvanced winning The Grocer’s ‘Launch of the Year 2015’

Mandy Iswarienko, marketing director at Energizer, said: “The Cirkle team is very strong, passionate and results-driven. A fabulous combo to reach the ambitious targets we needed to obtain for this campaign.”

Got a cracking campaign – with impressive results – that you’d like to showcase? Email [email protected].