Justin Bieber, Francois Hollande, eBay and Manchester United – all on ‘The Week in PR’ (Jan 28)

‘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 Justin Bieber’s DUI arrest and the PR fiasco experts predict ahead; the public and media glare on the President of France, Francois Hollande’s private-affair; eBay’s six-figure consumer PR pitch review, business advice for Manchester United, as well as the latest movements and account wins in the world of PR. 
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Leading the News

Justin Bieber arrest on DUI, drag racing charges causes major PR crisis: experts by Ethan Sacks via New York Daily News
Even by Justin Bieber’s increasingly sinking standards of behavior, the pop star has hit a new low. The 19-year-old pop star’s arrest Thursday ( 23 January) morning on charges of drag racing his rented yellow Lamborghini while under the influence of alcohol and drugs threatens to test just how impervious his music career is to his mounting negative publicity.

Industry insiders say the singer may need to get help, though loyal Beliebers seem to embolden Bieber to keep up his streak of bad behavior.

President Hollande: the very public face of a private affair by Anne-Elisabeth Moutet via The Telegraph
Two weeks after rumours of the President’s relationship with an actress were first revealed, Francois Hollande has confirmed his separation from his First Lady, Valerie Trierweiler.

Pinterest set to overtake Facebook for revenue per visit in 2014, Adobe predicts by Ishbel Macleod via The Drum
Pinterest overtook Facebook in terms of revenue per visit (RPV) in the UK in 2013, and is expected to do the same in the US this year, with Tumblr reporting a 340 per cent increase in RPV year on year.

The figures, part of Adobe’s Q4 2013 Social Media Intelligence Report analysing paid, earned and owned social media trends, discovered that Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr drove an ‘unprecedented’ amount of qualified traffic to retail sites in Q4.

Eurosport owner Discovery considering Premier League TV rights bid by Mark Sweney via The Guardian
US media giant eyes UK market after fast-tracking its acquisition of a controlling stake in pan-European broadcaster.

Discovery Communications, the new majority shareholder in Eurosport, is considering using its deep pockets to take on BSkyB and BT in the next multibillion-pound war for Premier League TV rights.

The owner of the Discovery factual channel, which has a market capitalisation of $28bn (£19bn), is eying up the UK sports rights market after a deal last week to fast-track its acquisition of a controlling stake in Eurosport.

Bidding for the next three-year Premier League TV rights deal is expected to start later this year, and the Discovery Communications chief executive, David Zaslav, told the Guardian that his company is considering a bid.

London transport’s ban on anti-gay ad put in doubt by court of appeal by Owen Bowcott via The Guardian
Judge orders investigation into whether Boris Johnson acted against Christian bus ad ‘for improper purpose.’

A London transport ban on a Christian charity’s posters suggesting gay people can “move out of homosexuality” has been put in doubt by a court of appeal judgment that ordered an investigation into whether the mayor, Boris Johnson, acted “for an improper purpose”.

The Core Issues Trust had claimed that the mayor unlawfully used his position as chairman of Transport for London (TfL) to prohibit the advertisement on buses to secure support from the gay community before his 2012 re-election campaign.

The Big Pitch

eBay consumer PR account up for grabs after seven years with Shine by John Owens via PR Week
eBay and Shine Communications are splitting as the online retail giant pitches out its six-figure UK consumer PR work.

The client is understood to be holding a series of chemistry meetings with agencies, but Shine has declined to take part in the process.

Details emerged shortly after the US-headquartered giant reported growing profits, with its Q4 2013 net income of $850m (£512m) up from $751m (£452m) the previous year. 

Pitch wins and movements

CACI International engages Frank to handle consumer PR by Ishbel Macleod via The Drum
Beauty brand CACI International has appointed Frank PR to handle its consumer PR account.

Frank will be expected to handle the account for the brand’s new facial toning home use system, CACI Microlift.

Reckitt Benckiser appoints GolinHarris for food supplement launch by John Reyolds via PR Week
Reckitt Benckiser (RB) has hired GolinHarris London to handle the PR launch of its food supplement, MegaRed Omega-3 Krill Oil, marking the first time the agency has worked with the consumer goods giant.

Vegesentials appoints Diffusion PR ahead of campaign launch by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Following a competitive pitch, Vegesentials, the raw fruit and vegetable drink brand, has appointed Diffusion PR to manage its account ahead of its nationwide launch in Waitrose supermarkets.

The agency plans to implement a strategic, integrated programme across traditional and social media for the nationwide launch into 123 Waitrose stores this spring.

Carat UK promotes Matthew Hook to MD and Dan Hagen to strategy chief by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Carat UK, the Aegis-Group-owned media planning and buying specialist agency, has promoted Matthew Hook to managing director. Dan Hagen, the head of planning, is also promoted to chief strategy officer, filling Matthews’s former role.

Matthew will oversee the day-to-day running of Carat and will lead growth and diversification of the business. He is expected to collaborate with the heads of UK Dentsu Aegis Network brands such as iProspect, Isobar and Data2Decisions to make the most of the network’s capabilities for Carat’s clients.

Matthew will report into Tracy De Groose, the CEO of Carat UK.

Nilufar Fowler to head Mindshare’s global Unilever account by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Nilufar Fowler, current managing director of Mindshare Thailand, has been appointed to lead Mindshare’s Unilever account on a global level. Pathamawan Sathaporn, the current head of business planning in Mindshare in Thailand, will replace Nilufar as managing director for the region.  

Grow Movement charity brings in Rain Communications to drive awareness by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
The charity Grow Movement has brought in PR firm Rain Communications to drive awareness of its mission, which is to help entrepreneurs in Africa build their businesses. 

Rain Communications will help drive a call-out within the retail sector in order to encourage experts in the field to come on board and guide small merchants in Uganda, Malawi and Rwanda on how to run their businesses more effectively and create local jobs.

Commentary

Manchester United: brand on the run? by Stuart Jeffries via The Guardian
Once a leading global brand, Man United’s fortunes are plummeting, on and off the pitch. Stuart Jeffries seeks out some business advice on how to get back in the game to promote products.

Video Interview

HSBC comms head: ‘We need to be more careful about reputation issues’ by Arun Sudhaman via The Holmes Report
HSBC co-head of group communications Pierre Goad discusses the banking industry’s response to its poor reputation, noting that some banks are tackling issues much better than others. Speaking to the Holmes Report in Davos, Goad also confronts the “conflict” at the heart of the World Economic Forum, where the general public is excluded from discussions about its problems.