Valentine’s Day marketing, LFW, Brand Revolution, Virgin Galactic pitch – all on ‘The Week in PR’ (Feb 17)

‘The week in PR’ is a look at all the top stories in public relations as reported by the media. Leading the news this week is a look at how brands helped users share Valentine’s Day love online, a warning by DMA on unethical direct marketing practices, a sneak peak into the world of celebrity brand endorsements with Brand Revolution, as well as the latest movements, account wins and commentary from the world of PR. 
To have your news featured here next week, please email me at [email protected].

Brand Revolution PR’d this event with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on the Johnnie Walker & Sons Voyager, 2013.

Leading the news

Interpublic CMG revenue up 7.8 per cent by Lindsay Stein via PR Week
Interpublic, the marketing services group behind Weber Shandwick and GolinHarris, has reported 7.8 per cent organic revenue growth for its Constituency Management Group (CMG), which houses its PR agencies.

Marketers mustn’t risk alienating consumers by misuse of mail and telemarketing practices, warns DMA by Jessica Davies via The Drum
The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has warned businesses not to risk alienating consumers by misusing marketing mail and telemarketing practices.

The trade body has cited “losing consumer trust” as the biggest business risk of using data unscreened against ‘do not contact’ lists such as the Mailing (MPS) and Telephone Preference Services (TPS).

London Fashion Week: the students behind the style by Libby Page via The Guardian
They might not make the front row, but students work hard behind the scenes at London Fashion Week – look out for the flat shoes and the notepads

Valentine’s Day: Brands help share the love…online by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
On Valentine’s Day, brands helped users share the love (at least on social media) with loved-up digital interactive campaigns. Here’s our selection of some of the love online.

Ovo Energy challenges the ‘big six’ with first out-of-home campaign by Ishbel Macleod via The Drum
Ovo Energy is ramping up its Feel Loved Again campaign with the launch of out-of-home (OOH) creative with Kinetic as it looks to challenge the ‘big six’ for market share.

The Big Pitch

Virgin Galactic Seeks Global PR Support by Arun Sudhaman via The Holmes Report
Virgin Galactic is seeking a PR agency to help it build broader support for its ambitious space tourism plans.

The move comes as the company faces claims that the initiative, scheduled to launch this autumn, may turn into a costly ‘white elephant’. In a new biography of Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson, Tom Bower argues that Virgin Galactic has neither the rocket power nor regulator approval to begin flights into space.      

Pitch wins and movements

Burson-Marsteller hires Stephen Day to head its UK public affairs practice by Arun Sudhaman via The Holmes Report
Burson-Marsteller has added Stephen Day to head its UK public affairs practice. Day joins BM from his role as managing director at specialist public affairs agency Portcullis, where clients included INEOS, which he advised on the recent Grangemouth industrial dispute; Standard Chartered Bank; Peugeot; and leading Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda.

Caffè Nero brings in Kazoo for PR and social media support by Mark Banham via PR Week
Coffee chain Caffè Nero has appointed Kazoo to support its internal teams on PR and social media activities.

The agency will help build awareness of the brand with news generation and a blogger ambassador programme as well as social media support for the existing in-house team, which does not have an incumbent PR agency.

Aspectus PR shortlisted in Golden HedgeHog Awards by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Aspectus PR’s financial services team has been shortlisted in the PR Moment Golden HedgeHog Awards 2014 in recognition of the campaign for the social investment network, eToro.

The Golden HedgeHog Awards that take place on 13 March, recognise and reward outstanding campaigns and exceptional talent in the PR and communications industry in the UK, and is this year sponsored by Cision. 

Commentary

Sarah Armitage: ‘Leonardo DiCaprio is next on my list’ by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
In a two-part interview with Cision, Sarah Armitage, head of endorsements and brand partnerships at Brand Revolution, tells us what it was like to work with Cat Deeley and David Bailey and why Leonardo DiCaprio is next on her wish list.

The Death of ‘Spin’ (Will It Kill The Future Of Public Relations?) by Cheryl Conner via Forbes
PR expert and founder of Snapp Conner PR discusses on the case of journalism and PR without spin.

Year of Code – PR fiasco or vital mission? by Rory Cellan-Jones via the BBC
It seems like something that everybody would support – a campaign to help transform computing education in our schools. But since its launch last week, the Year Of Code has turned into something of a PR disaster, argues Rory Cellan-Jones, technology editor at th
e BBC.

PRspective

Joanna Lennon of TC Communications by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Joanna Lennon is the head of PR at TC Communications (TCC)  discusses the importance of social media in PR, the challenges associated with it and her plans to be in the Caribbean in five years.