Freshwater selected to support Highway Rat Activity Trails

Freshwater selected to support Forestry Commission activity project

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The Forestry Commission has appointed Freshwater UK to manage a national PR campaign to promote the launch of its Highway Rat Activity Trails.

Freshwater will lead a national PR and blogger engagement strategy around the trails which are across England. The agency’s team will work in partnership with the Forestry Commission’s comms team to deliver social media and marketing initiatives.

The activity trails were launched in December 2017 to coincide with a Highway Rat animated Christmas special shown on the BBC, featuring the voices of David Tennant and Rob Brydon.

John Underwood, chief executive at Freshwater, said: “With a track record of developing creative PR campaigns that capture attention and drive footfall, Freshwater was more than ready to ‘stand and deliver’ on this exciting brief.”

Emily Beaumont, marketing campaigns manager at the Forestry Commission, added: “Freshwater’s response to our brief was clever and creative; we have been impressed with the results.”

Ruby Quince, MHP Communications

MHP appoints Ruby Quince as creative director

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MHP Communications has appointed Ruby Quince as creative director to support creative work and drive integrated campaigns across the agency.

Quince joins MHP from Porter Novelli, where he was creative director and developed award-winning campaigns for brands including HP, Western Digital and Pfizer. He also led the agency’s winning pitch for burger brand Rustlers last year.

Before that, he was a board director at Freuds, leading its digital practice and heading up social and content-driven strategies for brands including Pepsi, Galaxy, Tropicana and Guinness.

In 2000, he founded Itchy Guide, a series of youth city guides, websites and mobile guides. As one of UK’s first mainstream social networks, the project provided Vodafone, The London Underground and The Independent with user-generated, location-specific content.

“It’s a real privilege to join a team with so many smart and talented people,” said Quince. “There’s a real sense of purpose and vision under Alex and his leadership team.”

Alex Bigg, MHP’s CEO, added: “I’m thrilled that Ruby has joined MHP at such an exciting time for the agency. Ruby has a track record of developing successful creative campaigns for well-known brands and I’m confident that he will bolster our creative power, helping us to deliver even bigger and more impactful campaigns for new and existing clients.”

Ruth Allchurch, Cohn & Wolfe

Cohn & Wolfe names Ruth Allchurch as consumer MD

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Cohn & Wolfe has appointed Ruth Allchurch as managing director of its consumer brand business in the UK.

Reporting to Rebecca Grant, Cohn & Wolfe’s managing director UK, she will take on commercial and creative responsibility for the practice.

Allchurch joins Cohn & Wolfe from Cirkle, where she was managing director and oversaw both commercial and client development. Ruth Kieran has just been announced as Cirkle’s MD.

Prior to Cirkle, Allchurch spent eight years at Diageo. She left as head of brand PR for Western Europe and led the brand strategy for its core brands across 14 countries. She is also chairman of the PRCA Consumer Group.

“I am thrilled to be joining Cohn & Wolfe,” Allchurch said. “I have fond memories of working there a few moons ago when I cut my teeth on big FMCG, retail and consumer healthcare brands.”

She added: “I have watched with great interest and admiration the stunning performance that Scott, Rebecca and the UK team have delivered within a challenging marketplace.”

Grant continued: “I am delighted to welcome Ruth to the agency. She is a fantastic hire – a powerhouse of energy, combined with a wealth of experience from her time both client-side and within agencies. Plus, we have a shared passion for unrelenting client service excellence.”

Barry Leggetter to step down as AMEC CEO

Opinion: Measurement’s importance is now understood

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Barry Leggetter, CEO of the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), explores what earned media measurement will look like in 2018 and predicts what the year will bring for communicators. 

Nine years ago, AMEC began the first global study of the media intelligence and insights business.

Let’s remind ourselves of the playing field. Back then, the “industry” was, with a few exceptions, dominated by hundreds of media monitoring firms, some also capable of offering measurement options.

Fast forward to 2018 and it is a different ballgame.

We have seen how in the last five years the investment community has recognised the “hidden gold” in the value of the business information that AMEC members were handling, resulting in fast industry consolidation and with more acquisitions still possible.

What the investors saw was value in the intelligence; value in the data, value in the consultancy positioning that all that offered.

We are now at the point where Advertising Value Equivalents (AVEs) should be seen to be irrelevant pieces of crude “counting” by PR and communications professionals, now focused on data, how to interrogate it and how to use it in a smart way.

I have never known such a genuine excitement in data. Every business presentation I attend, data is the key agenda item. And who would want something as crude as AVEs when technology offers so much, including the Cision platform, to identify the right influencers; track their story; analyse reach and impact and from that determine what else needs to be done!

So in looking ahead at industry trends for 2018 here is what I think:

  • 2018 will be the “Year of AI”, with its capacity to automate PR tasks but also in the way AI can be used to analyse and code data at scale.
  • 2018 will see the continued decline of AVEs to a tipping-point beyond which AVEs will lose any remaining credibility. We have major markets still to win over, notably Latin America and Asia Pacific but we are on our way with new guidance such as the AMEC Integrated Evaluation Framework (IEF) to effectively end the debate.
  • I expect to see a continued drive towards measuring the contribution of comms to business outcomes – which with its focus on more sophisticated data points will highlight the need for even more data science skills.
  • And yes! I do think we will see at least one major new media intelligence deal happening, in order to provide a global footprint solution to clients.

Cision is a sponsor of the 2018 AMEC Global Summit in Barcelona. Register now to ensure your attendance at the comms industry’s most insightful event this June.  

To discover more on how earned media measurement will shape the PR industry in 2018, enter your details below and download Cision’s latest white paper – Four trends that will shape PR and earned media in 2018.

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Four trends that will shape PR and earned media in 2018

Ruth Kieran, Cirkle MD

Cirkle hires Text 100’s Ruth Kieran as MD

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Cirkle has appointed Text 100 deputy managing director Ruth Kieran as its new managing director.

She is tasked with leading the agency’s next phase of growth, as well as overseeing its current client portfolio, which includes the likes of GSK, PepsiCo and Morrisons. Her role will start on February 26 and she will sit on the agency’s board.

Kieran has more than 20 years of consumer and corporate brand reputation experience and has produced a number of award-winning, integrated campaigns. She has worked with clients such as Microsoft, Pizza Hut, Whitbread and The National Lottery.

Caroline Kinsey, Cirkle chairman, said: “Ruth joins Cirkle at a pivotal time in our evolution. With her exemplary new business win rate and a proven track record in exceeding KPIs, we look forward to Ruth spearheading our continued new service innovation and growth trajectory.

“Ruth’s big brand, multi-channel campaign experience means she perfectly complements our already robust team.”

Kieran added: “I’ve watched Cirkle’s achievements with admiration and I am extremely excited to join an agency with such a talented and ambitious team. I look forward to working together to unlock further opportunities and continue its successful journey.”

Louie St Claire Harvard

Opinion: Why brands need PR to make technology personal

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Louie St Claire, Harvard’s Group CEO, argues that tech brands must invest in PR to connect with their audiences and outlines four simple steps to engage tech consumers.

Whether for work or play, our connection with tech brands has become increasingly emotional and social. Our smartphones, tablets and laptops are extensions of our personalities, allowing us to be connected every minute of every day.

Tech is an integral part of the underlying narrative for almost every major new story too, from the role social media played in the election of Donald Trump to Ryanair’s scheduling problems.

This means there’s a huge opportunity for tech brands to create more meaningful connections with their audiences. But consumers are more demanding and unpredictable than ever.

Harvard’s latest research show that 84% of people think it’s more important for a tech company to be useful than liked, while only 57% are loyal to any particular brand. What’s more, consumers want tech brands to do more than just make things – 60% want to have their ideas heard in the product process, while 54% think tech companies should give back to society.

So what does this mean for PR?

In this always-on and socially connected world where shared experiences and opinions are the norm, it’s time to put PR at the top table.

This is about persuading your audience to buy from you, work for you and give you “license to operate” in society. People want to understand a tech brand’s purpose and motives, and the only way you can do that is with the right comms in place.

As a tech PR team there are four key steps you should be taking to engage with your audience more effectively.

1. Understand your audiences

Different audiences want different things. For example, reliability in tech is important to older people, while younger people care more about the attractiveness of what they buy.

Tech companies need to understand what their audiences are looking for and communicate these attributes in the right way. Consider separate comms campaigns for different groups, taking the time to understand the elements of tech products that are unique to them and honing in on those.

2. Don’t expect consumers to come to you

In today’s crowded marketplace, tech brands need to fight for attention and actively seek out their audience. To do this you need to be personal. Know what your audience wants and personalise your approach to keep them engaged.

3. Help people tell their own stories

People want things and experiences they can talk about with their friends and their social networks. Give your audience a platform to tell their own stories and use this to understand and build relationships with them, helping to feed this back into the business.

4. Be teachers, mentors and agents of change

People like it when tech companies give back to society and put people’s interests ahead of their own. You need to define the cause that is intrinsically linked to the brand’s beliefs. This will allow you to drive positive change and be genuine in your message.

Technology has irrevocably changed the world and our expectations of tech companies have been redefined as a result. Now it’s time for tech brands and their comms to demonstrate the leadership, transparency and collaborative approach their audiences want.

To discover more about how to build a tech brand with earned media, join TechRadar’s Marc Chacksfield and Kaizo director Steph MacLeod for this month’s Cision webinar. Click the image below now to register.

Building a tech brand with earned media

Cision Insights reveals the top tech media trends from CES 2018

Cision Insights reveals the top tech media trends from CES 2018

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Alexa and Google Home made the biggest media splash at CES 2018 alongside traditional electronics products, Cision’s Barnaby Barron reports.

As the first major trade show of 2018, the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is the first big outing for technology companies of the year.

From a brand perspective, it is the first crucial opportunity to generate real media excitement and conversation, setting the tone of voice for the year ahead.

As technology continues to evolve and embed itself in every area of our consumer and work lives, the Insights team at Cision – which measures and analyses media coverage for thousands of brands and clients – has taken a look at how the major tech trends and organisations have played out in the earned media space during the event.

Perhaps surprisingly, developing technologies are still playing second fiddle to traditional electronics products. This is in spite of the hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart assistants, emboldened by Alexa and Google Home’s PR battle in the run up to the event.

In fact, 55% of media coverage discussed consumer entertainment electronics such as TVs, phones, speakers and cameras. It seems AI has struggled to gain a foothold so far this year, in many ways because it is promoted as a concept without a specific product tied to it with any authority. For example, Alexa is powered by AI, but only 24% of articles that feature Alexa actually mention AI.

One AI-enabled device that cut through the noise is Aibo, Sony’s AI-enabled robo-dog that generated a 9% share of voice among the top seven AI brands. (The other six brands are Amazon, Google, Samsung, Apple, LG and Microsoft.)

One of the most interesting peaks in coverage came from the automotive industry. Driverless cars and other automotive innovation seem to have caught journalists most by surprise at CES, having generated the largest uptick in conversation on the first day of the conference.

This has been bolstered by big partnership announcements like Volkswagen/NVIDIA/Uber, which won Volkswagen the biggest share of voice among its 12 OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) competitors, securing at 13% of their total coverage.

This is a great example of how big partnership announcements can steal the show at these events, and is reinforced by Amazon and Google’s coverage. Alexa and Google Home landed them first (Google at 23%) and second (Amazon at 18%) place for share of voice among the top seven brands at CES, largely thanks to their partnerships with other brands. (The seven brands are: Google, Amazon, Samsung, LG, Apple, Sony and Panasonic.)

Finally, a special mention this year for Apple. It managed to appear in 10% of coverage around CES despite not attending the actual event. It’s strong testament to Apple’s incredible brand prominence in the technology space!

Cision celebrates Cision Gorkana Jobs relaunch

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Cision hosted an event at its Canary Wharf HQ to mark the relaunch of Cision Gorkana Jobs and the launch of new journalist site Journo Resources last Thursday (February 1), reports Cision’s Luize Lazdane.

Central to the event was a special panel debate about the future of journalism and how to build your career – featuring Journo Resources founder Jem Collins, Dazed weekend editor and gal-dem.com deputy editor Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, PinkNews investigations reporter Jasmine Andersson and Tom Armitage, The Telegraph‘s head of talent and performance.

They spoke to a packed audience of young and student journalists about the importance of standing out in a highly competitive industry. Brinkhurst-Cuff recommended “creating your own thing, having your own platform, broadcasting your own views and always having a smile on your face” as ways to get ahead.

As for making an actual job application, Armitage explained that reading the instructions carefully is a simple yet crucial step to take. Unanimously, the panel agreed that when applying for roles job seekers should focus on quality rather than quantity.

“Think about what you actually want to do and why you want to do it,” Collins suggested.

Andersson encouraged social media, particularly Twitter, as a great way to “get publicity and start conversations with people”. Meanwhile, Brinkhurst-Cuff argued that the real factor is passion.

She said: “If you really want it, you will make it. In my experience people who have dropped off journalism are the ones who didn’t really want it.”

Welcoming guests to the event, Abe Smith, Cision’s EMIA president, acknowledged the importance of having the right talent to make the most of new technology in media – both in journalism and communications.

Ashley Richardson, manager at Cision Gorkana Jobs, agreed that even the most talented media stars need the right tools.

“It’s great to see the launch of a site like Journo Resources where young people can turn to with their questions and concerns,” she said.

A final piece of career advice was uttered by Andersson: “Start by looking at yourself and think about what you can bring to the table that no one else can.”