EmPower Research PR Weekly Roundup


	World Heart Federation has appointed Weber Shandwick as its retained comms agency after a three-way pitch.
	Electronics giant Panasonic has handed a pan-European B2B PR brief to tech specialist AxiCom Cohn & Wolfe.
	Pharma giant AstraZeneca is holding a global pitch for its schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug Seroquel.
	CIPR has shortlisted the finalists for the CIPR Excellence Awards 2009, picked from over 900 submissions across the 27 award categories.
	WPP chief executive and a respected economic forecaster Sir Martin Sorrell has started questioning the resilience of the PR industry, he previously claimed as 'well placed' to weather a rocky 2009.
	After a three way pitch, World Health Federation has now decided to hold on to Weber Shandwick as its communication agency with Brian Tjugum as its head.
	Panasonic to raise its profile of broadcast and professional audio-visual products has hired Cohn & Wolfe. The agency will also support other Public Relations activities of the company.

Accounts

AstraZeneca’s Global Pitch For Seroquel, April 29, 2009

Pharma giant AstraZeneca is holding a global pitch for its schizophrenia and bipolar disorder drug Seroquel. Global sales of the drug were $4.5bn last year, making it AstraZeneca's second biggest selling drug. AstraZeneca has also hired a new product manager for the brand in the UK. The account is currently held by Hill & Knowlton. At the same time, AstraZeneca has hired Reynolds-Mackenzie associate director Tina Batchelor to join its UK team as brand comms manager for Seroquel. Previously Batchelor has been working on clients including Roche and Pfizer Oncology.

World Heart Federation Hires Shandwick, April 22, 2009

World Heart Federation has appointed Weber Shandwick as its retained comms agency after a three-way pitch. Weber Shandwick deputy director of healthcare in the UK Brian Tjugum will lead the account, reporting to World Heart Federation chief executive Dr Jeya Wilson. The Federation has nearly 200 members across the globe including the British Heart Foundation.

IPhone App Used Boston Marathon To Build Buzz, April 21, 2009

Jason Jacobs ran the Boston Marathon on April 20 dressed as an iPhone to brandishing his company's RunKeeper application for the smartphone. The campaign for FitnessKeeper's iPhone app was spearheaded by a team of students from a social media marketing class at Emerson College. The team also filmed the preparations for the race and the costume, posting videos on YouTube and its Web site. The brand is also active on Facebook. Throughout the Marathon, Jacobs Twittered and took photos with his iPhone. The application works exclusively with the iPhone at this stage, but Jacobs said there are plans to expand it to other smartphones.

Slam Appointed For Ask Jeeves Re- Launch, April 21, 2009

Ask.com has appointed Slam to handle consumer PR for the re-launch back to its former brand name Ask Jeeves. The agency has been appointed for a six-figure sum to handle PR until July. Ask Jeeves intends to continue using Slam on a project basis thereafter. Slam is implementing a strategy developed by Ask Jeeves’ in-house team, led by director of PR Nadia Kelly. Ask Jeeves is also using Specialist News Service for news story development.

AxiCom Cohn & Wolfe Lands Panasonic Account, April 20, 2009

AxiCom, the European arm of Cohn & Wolfe's global technology practice, got a pan-European B2B PR brief from Panasonic, focusing on the UK, France, Spain and Italy. Axicom will work with Panasonic's broadcast technology and professional plasma and projectors business units and will focus on raising the profile of Panasonic's broadcast and professional audio-visual products, which include cam-corders, HD cameras, plasma screens and projectors. The agency will also provide additional PR support across Scandinavia, Central Europe and Eastern Europe.

Britain's Rising Star Susan Boyle Hires DADA PR, April 20, 2009

TalkbackTHAMES has hired Scottish agency DADA PR to handle the media furore around Britain's Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle. Boyle’s performance of the Les Miserables hit 'I Dreamed A Dream' has generated 50 million views so far on YouTube. She has not only been featured all over the UK press, but is causing international interest, particularly in the US. DADA PR's account director Elaine McLaren is working with the TV production firm's inhouse press team to handle the international media.

Whiteoaks Won Account, April 17, 2009

Whiteoaks has snatched a six-figure b2b account from Fleishman-Hillard. The agency has landed the retained EMEA brief for satellite broadband company Hughes Network System Europe, following the recent appointment of the company's MD Chris Britton. Whiteoaks will work on brand positioning, media relations and trade initiatives.

Appointments

Ged Joins Ruder Finn, April 14, 2009

Former EMEA lead consultant of digital strategies at Waggener Edstrom, Ged Carroll, had joined Ruder Finn as director, digital strategies. He will be take charge of the launching of a new digital service in UK.
This new offering will be taken up as a part of the agency's corporate and technology division, however the services will be available across the industries and geographical regions.

Lucre PR Director Quits, April 9, 2009

Adrian Johnson leaves the agency, Lucre PR, and plans to explore new opportunities. He held the position as director and was working on the Leeds-based consumer and corporate shop. Johnson had previously worked in the press office at Wakefield Council. Lucre works for clients including Little Chef, Ronseal and Pernod Ricard.

Defra Names Andrew As A Director, April 8, 2009

Andrew Whyte joins The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as director of communications. Whyte would replace Jill Rutter, who has been working as director of comms since October 2008. Previously, Whyte was working at News International and head of corporate and public relations at the BBC as deputy director of corporate affairs.

In Turbulent Time Seven Redundant Jobs At Trimedia, April 8, 2009

Siz percent of Trimedia of workforce has been made redundant. This agency works across corporate, consumer, public sector and technology PR. The management team of Trimedia wants to safeguard the agency when the economy is in turmoil and is also looking for new business opportunities to boost business in the recovery phase

Bone Leaves Fishburn Hedges To Join Hammerson, April 7, 2009

Morgan Bone joins the real estate firm Hammerson and quits Fishburn Hedges where he was a group board director. He spent nine years at Finsbury and has a background in accountancy and corporate finance. Bone has a broad experience in investor relations experience and had led many outsourced IR functions for several clients. He replaces Chris Smith, who was with Hammerson for past 19 years, and will take up the responsibility of investor relationship and corporate communications.

Industry

News International Hired Nexus, April 29, 2009

News International has briefed Nexus Communications to help it communicate better with the retailers that sell its newspapers. Nexus Communications’ immediate task is to communicate the benefits of recent changes to the way newspapers are delivered, following an overhaul of News International’s wholesaler contracts. Separately, FT has brought in Launch Group to work on a mystery project.

WPP Boss Forecasts Tough Quarters For Industry, April 29, 2009

WPP chief executive and a respected economic forecaster Sir Martin Sorrell has started to question the resilience of the PR industry, he previously claimed as 'well placed' to weather a rocky 2009. WPP revealed that PR and public affairs revenues had slumped by 6.1 per cent on a like-for-like basis compared with the same period the previous year. In contrast, advertising and media investment management fell by just 3.9 per cent. First quarter results from key rival Omnicom Group, which owns Fleishman-Hillard, Ketchum and Gavin Anderson, also saw PR suffer more than other marketing disciplines. PR revenue was down 10.5 per cent for the quarter, compared with a 4.3 per cent decline in traditional media advertising.

Staniforth's Rob Brown Launches New Social Web Book, April 29, 2009

Staniforth's MD Rob Brown is going to launch his new book 'Public Relations and the Social Web,' The book gives an overview of the social media landscape, pinpointing key moments in the history of Web 2.0, as well as discussing its role in PR. Prior to the book’s launch, Rob Brown will talk exclusively to PRWeek @PRWExtra in a live Twitter interview.

CIPR Announced Finalists Of This Year’s Excellence Awards, April 22, 2009

CIPR has shortlisted the finalists for the CIPR Excellence Awards 2009, picked from over 900 submissions across the 27 award categories. Last year’s winner Blue Rubicon has again been shortlisted for the outstanding consultancy category. London Communications Agency, Lansons Communications, Threepipe Communications, Manning Selvage & Lee and Tangerine PR are also contending for the top agency award. Finalists for the outstanding in-house team are Which?, Energy Retail Association, London Borough of Camden, World Vision, Transport for London and Asda. Short listed entrants will be invited for interview in May by a panel of judges comprising senior PR practitioners and experts from the business, media, marketing and advertising communities. The winners will be announced at the Excellence Awards Dinner at the Honourable Artillery Company Gardens in London on July 7, 2009.

Profile Plus Launches London Office, April 21, 2009

Scottish lifestyle agency Profile Plus is opening a London office to strengthen its national offering. The agency has also won accounts with The Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast, Café Fish restaurant and the inaugural Healthy Living Show in Edinburgh. Former Splash Communications associate director Lyndsey Metcalf will lead the London operation, with support from the Edinburgh office.

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