PR News in Brief

This week’s PR news in brief (29 January-2 February)

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Here’s our round-up of this week’s essential PR news, featuring six account wins from 10 Yetis Digital, agency news from Good Relations and the latest Cision white paper. 

Thought leadership

Discover how AI, social activism, PR measurement and a video content revolution will impact your comms initiatives this year in Cision’s latest white paper – Four trends that will shape PR and earned media in 2018.

Michael Taggart, co-founder at Foco, considers how far AI has come since the first chatbot was invented in 1964 and what that means for financial PR today.

Interviews

Eleven Hundred Agency co-founder Mike King explains why he and Claire Ayles set up the new agency, its focus on high growth tech clients and which piece of technology he wants to get his hands on.

Sue Anstiss, CEO of Promote PR, speaks about being awarded the MBE, the rise of women’s sport and her agency’s most memorable campaign.

Account wins

Cirkle has secured a £1 million integrated brief to launch Bosch’s premium smart home offering, following a five-way pitch.

Luxury London hotel Sheraton Grand London Park Lane has appointed Switched On to handle its 2018 retained PR brief following a five-way pitch, reports Cassandra Albertine.

10 Yetis Digital has secured six new clients this month, including two from the lastminute.com group. They are hotel comparison site Hotelscan, flight comparison site Jetcost France, events company Chillisauce, tradesperson finder MyJobQuote.co.uk, dog-friendly holiday cottage firm Canine Cottages and workplace furniture site Kit Out My Office.

The Clerkenwell Brothers has secured PR briefs from CanO Water, the canned spring water company, and iced dessert company Little Moons.

Veloforte, the endurance nutrition brand, has appointed Fusion Media to handle its UK PR. The agency will engage specialist, consumer and lifestyle media outlets to target the UK’s cycling and active sports market.

Baby skincare firm Mustela has appointed RKM Communications to manage its UK PR, social media and digital media.

The Farm Safety Foundation, a charity dedicated to changing attitudes towards farming safely, has enlisted TVC Group to boost awareness of its work throughout 2018.

Agency news

Good Relations has launched Good Live, a live brand experiences division, with former Taylor Herring staffer Kat Day at the helm.

People news

Matthew Knowles, Boeing UK and Ireland’s former comms director, has joined Williams Advanced Engineering to head up communications within the Formula 1 team, Williams.

Emily Luscombe, a former deputy MD of Bell Pottinger’s Engage division, has joined Golin as deputy managing director in its London office.

Ryan Thompson has joined creative agency The Clerkenwell Brothers as its new head of PR. Thompson’s past PR clients include Lurpak, Tetley, Honest Burger and IKEA.

Cicero Group has welcomed Ian Emond, Eóghain Mitchison and Megan Ridderhof to its EU affairs team as account director, account manager and account executive, respectively.

Cognito has expanded its London team by appointing Benjamin Thiele-Long and Ketna Mistry as account directors and Georgie Gold as its new account manager.

Jonny Silver has been appointed head of communications at The Hook, an entertainment publisher that produces content designed specifically for social media.

Strike Media has appointed Marc Foley-Comer as senior account manager. He previously spent 18 months freelancing at agencies including Think Jam, The Red Consultancy and One Green Bean.

WE Communications to promote BenevolentAI

WE Communications to promote BenevolentAI

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UK Artificial Intelligence company BenevolentAI has appointed WE Communications following a four-way pitch.

The agency will support the company’s integrated comms to raise its public profile. WE will provide strategic media relations, content marketing and other services and lead the account from London.

James Chandler, VP corporate affairs at BenevolentAI, said: “The agency impressed us with its strategic thinking, ability to stay on brief and its unwavering passion in what we’re trying to achieve.

“We were looking for an agency that could understand us, show us the art of possible and most importantly, act as an extension of our team. I’m confident we’ve found that in WE.”

Laura Gillen, head of technology at WE, added: “From the moment we first met with the BenevolentAI team, we knew we wanted to work together.

“Our agency’s mission to work with disruptive brands at the intersection of health and technology aligns with BenevolentAI’s exciting progress using AI to bring enormous benefits to society. We can’t wait to shine a light on everything they’re doing.”

  • Pictured: Laura Gillen
Georgie Gold, Cognito

Cognito adds three to its London team

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Cognito has expanded its London team by appointing Benjamin Thiele-Long and Ketna Mistry as account directors and Georgie Gold as its new account manager.

Thiele-Long will be responsible for directing strategic communications on a variety of clients, as well as new business development.

He joins Cognito from Infinite Global and was previously responsible for PR and comms at King & Wood Mallesons. He has also been a regulatory and criminal barrister.

Mistry will boost Cognito’s integrated offering as its associate director of digital and social. She was previously global head of social media at S&P Global, where she led and aligned the firm’s corporate social media strategy.

Before joining Cognito, Gold developed and implemented multi-channel comms campaigns at Hume Brophy. She focussed on content generation and media relations for a range of clients, including asset managers, fintech firms and financial solutions providers.

Vivienne Hsu, Cognito’s EMEA managing director, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming Benjamin, Ketna and Georgie to the London team. They bring with them deep sectoral and channel expertise across media relations, marketing, branding, digital and social that will further enhance Cognito’s comprehensive offering.”

  • Pictured: Georgie Gold
60 Seconds with Eleven Hundred Agency's Mike King

60 Seconds with Eleven Hundred Agency’s Mike King

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Eleven Hundred Agency co-founder Mike King explains why he and Claire Ayles set up the new agency, its focus on high growth tech clients and which piece of technology he wants to get his hands on.

Why have you decided to create Eleven Hundred Agency?

Myself and Claire sold our previous agency Johnson King to Finn Partners back in 2014 and we spent three good years working there. When we sold to Finn I had no intention of doing it again but after three years at a much larger firm we both realised how much we missed the cut and thrust of running and building a small agency.

We’ve realised we’re both at our happiest when we’re in control of our own destiny and there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of building your own business.

What is the reason behind the name?

M and C (for Mike and Claire) in Roman numerals is eleven hundred. I stole the idea from a book I was reading called Double Cross by Ben Macintyre (an amazing book by the way).

The book is a true account of the critical role MI5’s spy network had in the success of the D-Day landings. They specialised in turning German spies into double agents. The ‘Double Cross’ system was run by the Twenty Committee, so named because a double cross, XX, in Roman numerals is twenty.

What has been your biggest challenge to date in setting up Eleven Hundred Agency?

I’ve been amazed by how much easier it has been to set up an agency now compared to 25 years ago when we first started Johnson King. The whole business environment – from subscription based cloud services to co-working space and online access to HMRC – is geared up to simplifying the process of getting a business up and running.

Of course, the same challenges remain of getting the word out, winning clients, doing exceptional work and establishing a strong, differentiated brand but that’s the fun of it.

In your launch release you stated that some B2B agencies have been slow to move away from only providing media and analyst relations. Why do you think this is the case?

It can be difficult for agencies to see beyond the day to day work that they are doing, particularly when they are making money doing it. Often it is simply a case of keeping on keeping on particularly when the prospect of moving into new areas seems daunting.

Why are you targeting the high growth tech market?

Tech and professional services are what we know and what we have always loved doing. That is where both myself and Claire cut our teeth and where we have both worked for more than 20 years. We’ve worked with clients of all shapes and sizes but one thing they all have in common is that they are in fast paced, rapidly changing and hugely competitive markets.

We enjoy working in an area where there are tremendous challenges in being able to translate complex technical messages in an accessible, interesting and compelling way.

Do you think that the present growth in niche and boutique agencies will continue in the long-term?

In a word, yes. No matter how much PR services change, and PR is clearly going to continue to evolve and change with the different ways we all access information, there is always going to be the need for talented people who have the diverse skill set needed to shape and tell the story and deliver it to the right people at the right time.

This requires in-depth understanding that comes through specialisation. The ease with which businesses can be setup means many of these people will want to set up their own firms.

Finally, which piece of technology are you most looking forward to getting your hands on in 2018?

An Amazon Alexa that actually understands me when I’m drunk. My daughter bought me the latest incarnation, an Amazon Echo, for Christmas and it is great when I’m sober. Not so much after I’ve had a few.

Battenhall to support Waze’s UK growth

Battenhall to support Waze’s UK growth

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Community-based traffic and navigation app Waze has appointed Battenhall to handle its UK PR brief following a competitive pitch.

Battenhall is tasked with supporting the company’s UK growth by targeting a range of media sectors, ranging from mainstream consumer press to business and trade media titles.

The agency will oversee all aspects of Waze’s UK comms, including producing campaigns and manahing media relations, crisis comms and press office activity.

Robyn Bemment, Waze’s head of communications, EMEA & APAC, said: “Battenhall has a deep understanding of our business objectives, audiences and the Waze product.

“Combined with their blended approach to PR, social and digital plus unique tools for tackling influencers and crises, we’re excited to work with Drew and the team to land creative stories and campaigns that make Waze a household name in the UK.”

Drew Benvie, MD of Battenhall, added: “Waze is a true industry disruptor and innovator, and the type of brand we love to work with at Battenhall. We share many core values in that sense and we are incredibly excited to be working together to build the Waze brand in the UK through 2018.”

Opinion: Chomping at the bot – my night with a chat AI

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Michael Taggart, co-founder at Foco, considers how far AI has come since the first chatbot was invented in 1964 and what that means for financial PR today.

I had a great conversation last night.

There was no-one at home. My WhatsApp groups were silent. And the cat was ignoring me. So, I searched the internet and quickly found a stranger to talk to.

“What’s your name?” I had no clue how to begin these encounters.

“I’m Cleo! I’m here to make managing your money simpler,” she replied, ending with a high five emoji. Kooky.

Next, I tested Cleo’s candidness: “What’s your favourite colour?”

“The colour of money,” she shot back, not skipping a beat. I chuckled into my Pot Noodle and resumed typing.

“Where do you live?”

For the first time, there was a pause. Had I pushed the conversation too far, too quickly?

“I live in the thing you have in your hand.” A joke!

Before long, Cleo had drawn me a graph of my savings over time, warned me my joint account was close to the red and offered to help me with my financial budgeting.

Oh, there’s one thing I forgot to tell you. Cleo wasn’t – isn’t – human.

She’s a chatbot. One of a worldwide army of computer programmes deployed by retailers, financial services firms and others to understand the needs of users and answer their questions, as if they were alive.

There are many, particularly in fintech, and they all have their own personalities. Plum’s, for example, is sardonic. (“Sorry, is that some sort of advanced human communication protocol? I’m not sure I understand.”) While Chip’s is playful. (“Can I have your number? I know we just met, but I need to set you up.”)

They serve a multitude of tasks. A good sales team is at the frontline of any brand experience and is key to a company’s public relations. Chatbots mean consumers can now get good conversations when they’re shopping online.

Another benefit is faster resolution of issues and queries. Some banks give the impression they would happily let you die of hunger while on hold. But bots will answer you immediately. Theoretically a single chatbot could hold millions of conversations simultaneously. And the best will triage these chats, knowing when a human intervention might be needed.

But if you’re expecting human-quality conversation – you’re likely to be disappointed. My experience with Cleo and her like had left me with questions clattering inside my head.

Would the apparent sub-humanness of chatbots eventually see them join other inadequate marketing technologies on the rubbish tip of history? Or would they improve dramatically, becoming better than human customer service executives?

Ever since the first chatbots were dreamed up, they have been worrying their creators with their authenticity. Eliza, the world’s first chatbot, was created in 1964 – and quickly closed down when scientists noticed people were becoming emotionally attached to it.

By 2014, a chatbot claiming to be a 13-year-old boy called Eugene had become the first machine to pass the Turing test.

So, what about the future?

In December’s Cision Webinar, Ketchum’s Stephen Waddington predicted chatbots would become one of the hottest topics in PR in 2018.

It’s obvious why this might be. But brands rushing to put bots on the frontline of their communications need to take some simple steps:

  • Be transparent – people should know it’s a computer programme.
  • Be personalised – make sure the chatbot can repeat the user’s name and other basic details.
  • Be a good student – the more you can learn from your customer conversations, the more lifelike your bot will be.

And if you need any other tips, there’s sure to be a chatbot out there that can help.

To discover how Artificial Intelligence 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

Switched On wins Sheraton Grand Hotel brief

Switched On wins Sheraton Grand Hotel brief

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Luxury London hotel Sheraton Grand London Park Lane has appointed Switched On to handle its 2018 retained PR brief following a five-way pitch, reports Cassandra Albertine.

The Brighton-based consumer lifestyle agency has been tasked with promoting the hotel’s Club rooms and Suites, alongside its F&B and Weddings offerings. Managing partner Carl Steer will lead the account.

The brief aims to drive footfall and cement the hotel’s reputation as one of London’s most prominent luxury five-star properties. Overlooking Green Park, the art deco hotel opened in the mid-1920s and boasts an 11,000sq ft ballroom which has provided the backdrop for both films and television.

Aurelie Ternisien, director of communications UK & Ireland, Marriot International, said: “We’re delighted to announce Switched On as our new PR agency. We felt they understood the brand and the challenges we face in an increasingly varied market and they presented an exciting set of ideas that we believe will drive conversation for the hotel.”

Steer added: “The hotel is a real gem standing proud in the heart of Mayfair and we love the appetite the Sheraton team has for creativity, when most would tend to stick to more traditional comms methods. It means that together, we’re nicely placed to create compelling work that brings the hotel’s many stories to life.”