The week in PR (Jan 21)

‘The week in PR’ is a look at all the top stories in public relations as reported by the UK media in the past seven days. Leading the news this week is Edelman’s 2014 Trust Barometer, PR Week’s list of the best PR employers, a new and unified PR approach at Buckingham Palace, as well as the latest movements and account wins in the world of PR. 
To have your news featured here next week, please email me at [email protected]

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From Left: QVC, Story PR, Sally Osman, Edelman Study, Sarah Armitage

Leading the news

Collapse in government trust puts onus on business: Edelman by Arun Sudhaman via The Holmes Report
Edelman’s 2014 Trust Barometer reveals that trust in government has plunged to a historic low across several countries, leading the firm to call for business to lead the regulatory debate.

The findings from the PR firm’s 14th edition of the annual survey demonstrate the largest-ever gap in trust between the business and government, thanks to the former holding steady and the latter declining precipitously.

The Best Places to Work by Kate Magee via PR Week
SwiftKey, Ongo, GolinHarris, Lansons Communications and Man Bites Dog have been named the PR industry’s Best Places to Work, according to PRWeek’s annual awards scheme.

Leading royals unite press offices under Sally Osman at Buckingham Palace by Glen Munro by PR Week
The three press offices for the royal family’s key members are to merge, in a move that according to some news reports is linked to Prince Charles supporting the Queen as she decreases her workload.

The change will involve relocating the comms teams for Prince Charles, currently based in Clarence House, and his sons, currently based in Kensington Palace, to join the Queen’s team at Buckingham Palace. 

The unified operation will be led by Prince Charles’ comms secretary Sally Osman and she is expected to report to the Queen’s private secretary Sir Christopher Geidt. 

The Queen’s comms team will be headed by James Roscoe while the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry’s team will continue to be headed by Ed Perkins.

Pitch wins and movements

Donna White joins Beattie Communications via The Holmes Report
Journalist and blogger Donna White has joined Beattie Communications Group. She will be working for Beattie Communications and the group’s specialist Only Marketing boutiques including Only Web, Only Travel and Only Property. Donna was chief writer on The Sunday Mail for five years. She is also founder and author of parenting blog www.mummycentral.com.

Widespace appoints Lewis PR for comms strategy via Lewis PR
To support its UK launch, Widespace, a mobile ad firm, has appointed Lewis PR to implement its communications strategy. The campaign will see Lewis targeting UK publishers, advertisers and multinational brands. The campaign, entitled “Call for Change,” will aim to elevate Widespace above the competition and bring to life the company’s premium offering, which includes innovative mobile advertising technologies and support services.

Meigan Terry joins Virgin Atlantic as director of comms by Jonathan Tilley via Campaign UK
Virgin Atlantic Airways has appointed former BlackBerry comms chief Meigan Terry as director of comms. Meigan, who started in the role earlier this month, will oversee the airline’s external and internal comms.

She was most recently global vice-president of marketing for BlackBerry’s messaging and social network service BBM. She has held a number of other comms roles at the smartphone company including vice-president of corporate comms for EMEA and APAC and head of global advocacy.

Brand Revolution appoints Sarah Armitage as head of endorsements and brand partnerships by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK

Brand Revolution, a strategic communications and talent agency, has appointed Sarah Armitage to the newly created role of head of endorsements and brand partnerships. 

At Brand Revolution, Sarah will work directly with talent, negotiating and securing on-brand endorsement deals, and she will connect brands to talent, creating partnership, product and content campaigns. Sarah is to report into Dudley Nevill-Spencer, founder and managing director at the agency.

Story PR wins two new accounts by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Story PR, the independent food, drink and lifestyle agency, has has added two new businesses to its client portfolio including Rude Health Foods and salad dressing firm, Lucy’s Dressings.

Story PR will partner with Rude Health to support communications across Rude Health’s range of mueslis, porridges, granolas, drinks and snack brands while assisting in new product development for the company. 

PR support for Lucy’s Dressings will be in the form of an initial project to launch a new product, engage media and support further listings.

Hill+Knowlton Strategies wins three-way pitch for QVC by Priyanka Dayal via Cision UK
Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) has won a three-way competitive pitch for the public relations brief for TV shopping firm, QVC. The business is reportedly worth a six-figure sum. PR support for Lucy’s Dressings will be in the form of an initial project to launch a new product, engage media and support further listings. H+K replaces incumbent Mischief PR to help QVC ‘tell the stories behind its brands and products to people passionate about shopping in the UK,’ according to the press release. The business will be handled by a cross-sector team involving H+K’s retail, leisure and beauty and grooming teams. Rhenna Al-Jabban, associate director, will lead the account. The appointment is effective immediately.

Commentary:

Blue Monday, bad science and nonsense PR by Michael Marshall via The Guardian
Blue Monday, the name given to the third January each year, is a poor excuse for bad science and nonsense PR, argues Michael Marshall, writer and lecturer on the role of PR in the tabloid news. He pointed out how despite receiving criticism every year, Blue Monday is just one of countless examples of media-friendly bad science used to promote products.

PR Tipsheet

PR Social: Make your social PR strategy swing
2014 will be super social for brand communications and PR, and those not joining the party will be left behind. To help you get your game right, Cision has laid out an action plan underpinned by quotes from industry experts and insight from both sides of the coin – what journalists look for on social media based on our Social Journalism Study, and what top UK PR professionals currently use it for, based on research by Cision and CorpComms.