PRmoment Podcast

 Ben Smith moderated a discussion between Howard Kosky and Lynsey Barry about the effectiveness of virtual versus in-office PR teams, with an emphasis on how both agency culture and leadership styles are impacted by physical location. Howard founded and ran Markettiers for 30 years and built the group to a £38m + turnover. Like most businesses it was office based until Covid and then developed a hybrid in office, virtual set up.Lynsey Barry is CEO and founder at Five not 10, a B2B PR firm with 9 employees founded in 2021.Barry, a proponent of remote-first, asserted that culture is behavior-driven and requires deliberate virtual leadership, while Kosky emphasized the value of an office as a central base for culture development, in-person talent coaching, and cultivating young talent's social skills, though both agreed that leadership is crucial irrespective of the physical setting. The speakers also explored the challenges of scaling agencies, the complexity of hybrid models, the importance of employee well-being, and how the office should be viewed as an investment rather than merely a cost. 

Ben Smith, Mark Borkowski, and Angie Moxham discussed several key topics including the difficulty of the Downing Street director of communications role and the need for a fresh perspective, Jim Ratcliffe's controversial "colonialisation" comment, and the emergence of fake AI experts.Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski analysed the Washington Post redundancies, attributing reduced war coverage to "war fatigue" and economic factors driving editorial decisions, and concluded that PR professionals have an opportunity to engage the public with entertaining and mood-lifting campaigns amidst negative news fatigue.

Elizabeth Giles and Ben Smith of PRmoment introduce its latest PR Masterclass: The intersection of PR and GEO, and large language model (LLM) optimisation, scheduled for February 25th in London with virtual attendance available.

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast. In this weekly show I'm joined by the dream team which is Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski.In the PR News Review we look at the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week there's really only 1 story in town, Peter Mandelson and whether he's going to bring down Sir Keir Starmer's government.Before we start, check out our latest PR Masterclass: The Intersection of PR & GEO, all the info you'll need is accessible from the homepage of PRmoment.Summary of this week's PR News Review:Ben Smith introduced the PR News Review, focusing on the negative implications of Peter Mandelson's association with Epstein on Keir Starmer's government, with Angie Moxham expressing dismay and Mark Borkowski labeling Mandelson as "toxic,” with Angie Moxham viewing the situation as a "slow motion car crash" for Keir Starmer, and both agreeing that public disillusionment stems from broken promises and political bickering.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This is our quarterly bonus podcast where we chat about Rajar's latest results. For those of you who aren't aware of Rajar - it was established in 1992 and operates the single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United KingdomRaja publishes the listenership figures each quarter, which is good for insight for PR, curious about how the public engages with radio and how the market is performing.On the show today, we have James Dickman, newsroom producer at Markettiers, who will discuss the latest Rajar results for Q4 2025. Here's a summary of this quarter's Rajar results highlights:Radio stayed a mass-reach medium in Q4 2025, with 50.0m adults tuning in weekly (86% of the UK 15+ population) and 1.015bn hours listened per week.Digital listening now dominates delivery. 44m adults used a digital route each week (75% of adults), and digital accounted for 75% of all listening hours. Online listening made up 30% of total hours, reflecting continued growth in app/streaming and connected devices.Within digital, DAB remained the biggest platform. RAJAR reported 757m weekly digital hours in total, split mainly across DAB (427m), smart speakers (188m), and website/apps (115m), with DTV (28m) also contributing.Listening continues to be anchored in everyday settings. Weekly listening is strongest at home (60%) and in vehicles (58%), and by share of hours it's 62% in-home, 26% in-vehicle, and 12% at work/elsewhere—useful context for daypart and placement planning.Commercial radio led the market overall, with 55.2% share of listening versus 42.8% for BBC Radio in the quarter's top-line results.Smart speakers are now a mainstream listening route: 64% of smart-speaker users use them for radio, and 21% listen to radio on a smart speaker every day. RAJAR also noted broader audio habits, with 38% listening to podcasts monthly and 19% using catch-up radio monthly.

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here, we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in the last monthAndrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.Before we start, 2 plugs:Our next PR Masterclass: The Intersection of PR and GEO - Wednesday 25th February is proving massively popular. So if you do want to come - get your ticket quick is my advice. As ever with our PR Masterclass series, it's a hybrid event so both face to face and vital tickets are available. Take a look at the full programme and some of the finest past delegate testimonials you are ever likely to see on PRmasterclasses.comAndrew summarises the PR pitch market in January:“For agencies 2025 was tougher than expected for many.  Lots of uncertainty.  Economic pressures. Squeeze on margins. Less retainers. Slow decision making.  Clients will continue to be pragmatic.  Agencies will have to learn to operate with less predictability. They will need resilience and will need to hustle.  Most importantly they will need to innovate. Standing still not an option.  Lots of opportunities to embrace AI, innovate and expand in terms of service areas, drive organic growth.  The growth is there for those able to get ahead of it.”Andrew on the PR M&A market:“On the M&A side we will continue to see continued consolidation from the holding cos as they adapt, cut costs and make themselves fit for purpose.  The M&A market remains very strong with lots of strategic deal making to allow firms to adapt and shift to client demands and tech disruption. Deals are taking slightly longer but they're happening.  The market is strong.  Supported by PE money, hungry US acquirers and a booming independent sector looking to scale in terms of capabilities and geographies. Especially around AI, data, influencer.  Corporate, healthcare and consumer remain in strong demand.”January's PR WinsWingstop appoint SmartsMcDonalds appoints Freuds and Flint Global - Freuds for corporate.  Flint Global for govt relations.Hello Fresh Group appoints Ready10 and Golin Government Media and Creative Services roster - Agencies including 23Red, AMV BBDO, Accenture, Freud Communications, Lucky Generals,  Havas UK, M&C Saatchi and VCCP.UK Finance - Lansons Animal Friends Pet Insurance appoint Havas RedMyFitnessPal appoint KindredCoca-Cola appoint BrandnationHSS ProService appoint BrandnationAndrex appoint WSpurs appoint ShookMadri Exceptional appoint Tin ManKelloggs Crunchy Nut appoint Tin ManGreat British Energy - Nuclear (GBE-N) appoint GraylingNew Balance appoint ExposureMarriott International appoint WM&APretty Green acquires PinPoint MediaJack Morton merges with Impact XMFGS Global acquires MemeticaParitee acquire Truth ConsultingRadio News Hub complete Management Buyout from AFO Group - led by Directors Stephanie Otty and Jamie Fletcher.  Followed on from Markettiers MBO at the end of last year.Strata acquire WonderlandRuder Finn acquire Missouri Creative

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast. This week I'm joined by Angie Moxham, founder of Fourth Angel.In the PR News Review we look at the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week we're talking about Fake experts and SEO masquerading as PR firms, Brand Beckham takes a "don't explain, but you can complain approach" and The relaunch of Davos.Concerns Over Fake PR Experts and SEO Firms Ben Smith introduced the first main topic of the news review, which was coverage by The Press Gazette concerning "fake PR experts" which Ben Smith and Angie Moxham agreed seemed to be predominantly problematic SEO firms. Ben Smith noted that Google updates have increased the influence of "journalistic earned media coverage," creating an incentive for SEO and digital PR firms to masquerade as public relations firms. Ben Smith and Angie Moxham discussed how the rise of media databases played a role in these "spray and prey press release distribution" techniques Angie Moxham asserted the continuing importance of strategic, face-to-face consultancy and good old-fashioned practices, such as "picking up the phone to a good journalist." Brand Beckham Ben Smith then introduced the second story concerning Brand Beckham, which they described as taking a "don't explain but you can complain approach".Analysis of Davos and Political Reputational Risks Ben Smith introduced the final topic, the "relaunch of Davos," noting that attendance, previously often regarded as a reputational risk, seemed to have changed in the past 12 months, with Donald Trump's presence contributing to its renewed power status. Angie Moxham agreed that wherever Donald Trump goes, people follow, which has "rebooted" the event. They also discussed how Keir Starmer's decision not to attend Davos, due to a trip to China, backfired, suggesting that their diary management might not have been optimal in the "grand scheme of the chess playing of politics".

Ben Smith introduced Sam Corry, CEO of Taylor Herring, discussing the agency's history, evolution from media focus to consumer PR with an "entertain or die" mantra, and its recent internal shifts following the departure of founders Kath and James Herring after 24 years. Corry emphasized that Taylor Herring's current strategy focuses on integrated, long-term brand building, and announced the launch of "Cited," a proprietary GEO tool developed with Publicis Group's Performix to leverage extensive consumer data and provide measurable ROI for clients. Corry also highlighted the rapid growth of St. Mark Studios, Taylor Herring's standalone brand experience agency, and stressed the industry's need for data tools to demonstrate measurable results.

Ben Smith welcomed Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski to the weekly PR news review on the PRmoment Podcast.On this week's show our panel discuss Farage and Jenrick, Grok's explicit AI images and alleged Wikipedia edits by Portland.Mark Borkowski criticised the Reform party's recruitment of Robert Jenrick as a "massive PR own goal," which Angie Moxham agreed was simply to get headlines."Why oh why are they (Reform) taking on these lame ducks, these Tory party failures that were kicked out by the electorate.""The public will remember Robert Jenrick dissing every aspect of Reform, and particularly Nigel Farage. Now they are buddies. They are in the same swill pit"Regarding X's delayed restriction on explicit AI images, Mark Borkowski suggested the initial delay was due to arrogance that generated bad PR, while Angie Moxham notes the controversy secured more headlines for Grok and its image tool.What does this story say about the society we now live in: where criticism of an AI tool generating explicit images of women, got derailed to become a (false) debate about free speech?Finally, Mark and Angie discuss Portland's alleged "black hat" Wikipedia editing in an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.

This week we're chatting to Nicky Regazzoni, co-founder & co-CEO of The PR Network and  Lesley Singleton, founder & CEO, Playtime PR about how to lead a virtual agency business.The virtual or in the office debate has become the ultimate PR conversation starter, up there with AVEs and timesheets. Everyone's got an opinion and the truth is there are some virtual agencies, some hybrid (3 or 4 days in the office seems like the norm atm) and some always in the office.Employers, employees and clients just need to find what works for them and the world will continue to turn.Both The PR Network and Playtime PR have run very successfully for many years with virtual teams.On this show we talk today about what good virtual agency leadership looks like.Nicky Regazzoni and Lesley Singleton identify that virtual leadership requires an emphasis on clear vision, intentional culture, trust, a "virtual open door policy," and clear, regular communication to compensate for the absence of physical presence and informal interactions.Lesley and Nicky discuss talent acquisition through flexible working models, client/employee relationships, and the management of large-scale virtual operations, noting that while no single right answer exists for running a virtual business, it necessitates highly organised systems and a continuous execution of strategies.

Ben Smith welcomed Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski to this week's PRmoment podcast News Review to discuss major PR stories, including "brand America" and Donald Trump's communication style, which Borkowski described as entering a dystopian age, with Moxham adding that America views life through a "Hollywood lens." The trio discuss the societal impact of the political narrative, with Moxham expressing concern about younger generations being constantly fed a frightening news narrative and a loss of faith in leadership.Borkowski and Moxham also discuss media coverage of Storm Goretti, the unprofessional performance of the English cricket team, and the implications of sports sponsorship for reputation with the rise of darts. The show concludes by paying tribute to the wonderful Bieneosa Ebite - one of UK PR's most important role models, who we sadly lost before Christmas.

Elizabeth Giles and Ben Smith discuss the upcoming PRmoment Awards, noting the final entry deadline is January 23rd, and that the awards night is scheduled for April in both London and Manchester. Ben Smith explained the robust and transparent judging process, which includes individual prescoring based on criteria like objectives, strategy, and results, available in the entry pack, and highlighted new categories, including Pro Bono Campaign of the Year and GEO Campaign of the Year. Ben Smith also provided tips for a successful entry, such as aligning with the judging criteria, avoiding grammatical errors, and including budget details for ROI context, and emphasized the benefits of entering, including independent recognition, quantitative data feedback on performance against peers, and enhanced SEO/LLM (GEO) visibility for winners.DetailsPRmoment Awards Deadline Elizabeth Giles welcomed listeners to the special podcast celebrating the PRmoment awards, noting the final entry deadline is on Friday, January 23rd.Judging Process and Criteria Ben Smith described the judging process for the PRmoment Awards as robust and transparent, with criteria available on page 21 of the entry pack, which is free to download from the PRmoment Awards microsite (00:01) (00:04). The campaign awards criteria include objectives (10 points), strategy (10 points), creativity (10 points, or 20 for the best use of creativity category), implementation (activation), and results and evaluation (10 points) (00:02). A final criterion is "why your entry should win," which offers entrants an opportunity to emphasize the merits of their work (00:03). The process involves individual prescoring by judges, followed by a cumulative leaderboard and a virtual meeting to discuss the winners (00:04).Awards CategoriesBen Smith mentioned that PRmoment keeps their award categories relatively tight, with about 30 categories, unlike some other awards that may have around 60. The categories are refreshed annually and include campaign awards across different sectors, such as B2B and automotive, and disciplines like best content, best creativity, and best influencer partnerships (00:06). They highlighted two new additions for the current year: the Pro Bono Campaign of the Year, recognizing great work by PR firms, and the GEO Campaign of the Year, reflecting the importance of large language models as stakeholders in public relations (00:07).Tips for a successful entryBen Smith provides some tips for entrants.

This week we're chatting to co founder of Signal AI David Benigson on the PRmoment podcastFrom media monitoring start-up, to $165m investment via 6 funding rounds: Signal AI founder David Benigson talks to PRmoment founder Ben Smith through its journey.In September 2025, Signal AI raised $165 million in a growth equity round led by Battery Ventures. This investment will support global expansion, product development, and strategic acquisitions. Signal AI has 220 employees and apparently 40% of the fortune 500 are clients.According to a report in City AM Signal AI reported £23 million in revenue in the year to March 2024.Before the Battery Ventures investment, the company had previously raised around $100 million investment from previous funding rounds including Aberdeen, Hearst, and Guardian Media Group Ventures.A quick plug for the PRmoment Awards, the final entry deadline is Friday 23 January. Don't miss the opportunity to shout about the work you and your team have done over the last 12 months and get an independent endorsement from the PRmoment Awards jury.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and David discussed on the show:David Benigson recounted the founding of Signal AI a decade ago in London with the initial goal of using AI to help business leaders understand real-time information for better decision-making in reputation tracking and media intelligence. Signal AI, which has scaled globally and now serves over 800 organizations by processing data from over 225 markets in 75 languages, evolved from discriminative AI expertise to integrating generative AI to create a conversational layer for clients. David Benigson and Ben Smith discussed Signal AI's six funding rounds, including a recent $165 million round, which allowed the company to reach an inflection point of profitability and self-sustainability, and David Benigson also detailed the shift in corporate communications toward data-driven practices, focusing on advanced monitoring, measurement, and "decision intelligence" for strategic risk management.

It's my twice yearly chat with W Communications founder and CEO Warren Johnson and today it's our 2025 PR Agency Review of the Year.Warren founded W Communications in 2009. It now has global revenues of £25 m and a headcount of 200, with 140 in London and 60 across the rest of the world.Over the next half hour or so Warren and I will discuss the ups and downs of PR agency life over the last 12 months.Before that, the breaking news is that the PRmoment Awards final entry deadline is Friday 23 January. Don't miss the opportunity to create proof points of the quality of your agency's work.Also, check out the speaker programme for our latest PR Masterclass: The Intersection of PR and GEO. It's another stellar line-up.SummaryWarren Johnson rated the PR agency market happiness index for Q1 as "three out of five" due to economic unease, but Q2 improved for W Communications due to diversification and a trend towards "silliness and frivolousness," while they rated Q4 as challenging due to "speurious pitches" and negative sentiment following a "disastrous budget." The discussion also highlighted the strength of corporate and B2B sectors, the volatility of consumer PR, the necessity of innovation and entrepreneurial agency behavior, and the positive impact of fractional hiring which benefits agencies by providing "phenomenally experienced ex clients." Warren predicts that 2026 will be "a real game of two halves," favouring innovative agencies, and expressed skepticism about AI's current efficiency in PR, suggesting it will allow experienced humans to do "even more work" while acting as a "real time bomb" by hindering junior development.DetailsPR Agency Happiness Index (Q1 and Q2) Ben Smith asked Warren Johnson for a hypothetical happiness index of the PR agency market at large, starting with Q1, which Johnson rated as "three out of five," characterizing it as uneasy and jittery due to negative sentiment in the wider economy. Ben Smith recalled starting 2025 positively, though political and geopolitical uncertainty soon challenged that outlook. Warren Johnson suggested that this constant disruption has become the "new normal". For Q2, Johnson noted that W Communications felt "quite good" due to heavy diversification, including spinning off their restaurant business, Chomp, and growing their influencer business, which was showing better monetisation. This period also coincided with a push in pop culture toward "silliness and frivolousness" to escape depressing global issues.Sectoral Performance and Innovation The discussion shifted to the performance of corporate, consumer, and B2B PR sectors in H1. Warren Johnson highlighted that corporate shops are having a moment, with some valuations moving them toward management consultancy models. B2B is thriving, supported by the ascendancy of LinkedIn and technology powered by AI. Consumer PR, however, is more volatile, experiencing good highs but also lows around the budget. Johnson stated that innovation is critical, as they experienced their best trading quarter ever in Q3, driven by diversification into specialized services like influencer and experiential marketing. They emphasized that agencies must be entrepreneurial and reward innovation, suggesting that clients post-COVID have increased their appetite to buy more from agencies.PR Agency Happiness Index (Q3 and Q4) and Economic Climate W Communications experienced their best trading quarter ever in Q3, predominantly driven by consumer work and specialized services due to extensive innovation. Warren Johnson noted that things started to slow down approaching the budget. Q4 was generally challenging due to "speurious pitches."

In the fifth episode of the season, Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment and Elizabeth Giles are joined by Emma Ewing, founder of Big Fish Training about resilience over the holidays. Ewing, who has previously worked with PRmoment on resilience has a unique insight as she brings her resilience expertise but also her vast knowledge of the PR sector, having provided coaching and training to PR leaders. This podcast runs through tips and advice for staying resilient during the hardest times of the year: December and January.Many thanks to our podcast sponsors the PRCA

This PR Talent Trends Year in Review podcast discusses the Public Relations (PR) job market and talent trends of 2025. The host is PRmoment founder Ben Smith and he's speaking with Dean Connelly, founder and PR recruitment director at Latte.The early entry deadline for the 2026 PRmoment Awards is on Friday, December 19th. The final entry deadline is on 23rd January.If you want more information about the best jobs available in UK PR do subscribe for free to PRmoment's weekly Top 10 PR Job updates. Finally, it's worth checking out PRmoment's new PR Masterclass: "The intersection of PR and GEO event.Key points from the discussion:Job Availability: There was a slight uptick in PR jobs in 2025 compared to 2024, specifically a 6% increase, according to Latte's data. However, this figure is still significantly down (17% less) compared to 2022, which suggests the "COVID boom" has flattened out. The years 2024 and 2025 have been "the toughest" in the last five years.Client Hiring Trends: In 2022, Latte had seven fewer clients but 17% more jobs were released than in 2025, indicating that agencies and brands were hiring at a rapid rate and more often at that time. Recruitment Levels: More roles were hired at the Account Executive (AE) and Senior Account Executive (SAE) level, making up 30% of the vacancies seen this year. 23% of the roles were at the Account Director (AD) and Senior Account Director (SAD) level.Consumer PR Senior Talent: It was a "tough year" for consumer senior-level talent but at more junior levels there are recruitment demand still outweighs supply.In-House Market: The in-house market seems to be a "slower market". Salaries: Pay increases have been relatively low for the past 12 months, which is "welcome news for business owners". Talent is no longer coming in with "ridiculous requests," and the frequency of needing to manage salary expectations in a conversation has "really dropped," likely driven by the softening job market.AI in PR Jobs: Job specifications are changing to reflect the increasing nature of AI, but not as widespread as one might think. The second half of the year saw more conversations around agencies testing candidates' AI skills and ability to prompt. Some small-to-midsize agencies have hired AI specialists whose job is to work on prompting and building a platform.Redundancies: The frequency of redundancies is about the same as last year, but bold headlines "creates fear". There is still a gap between available jobs and available talent, and good agency talent is "still getting snapped up pretty quickly". The market is more difficult for those who are in-house and want to stay in-house, as those roles are more competitive if they are for a "good brand".

Welcome to our review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here, we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2025Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.Before we start, you can now enter the PRmoment Awards. The early entry deadline is 19th December. The final entry deadline is 23rd January.Also, check out the speaker programme for our latest PR Masterclass: The Intersection of PR and GEO. It's another stellar line-up.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment discussed:Andrew's summary of the PR pitch scene in 2025“A tricky year for many agencies - stagnant economy, long lead times, rising costs, slow decision making, short in client demands and move from retainers to projects.Trading has been challenging but moving in top 2026 with cautious optimism.But. A bit of a tale of 2 agencies.  On one side - agencies taking initiative - embracing AI into workflow, refreshing proposition, energetic, sharpening their brand and their offering.  On the other, agencies standing still, leaning on past reputation and senior expertise without moving forward.  These are the ones finding it tough - complaining about pipeline and ghosting.  The ones that have adapted are picking up major wins - the industry feels split between the modern agencies and the ones getting left behind.PR has a huge opportunity. Attention grabbing is more important than ever. The role of earned media role in this is more important than ever.  PR can and should be at the centre of conversations.  GEO provides a massive opp both in terms of search visibility and rep management.”Listen to the pod for all this years biggest pitch wins and deals.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast. In today's show we're doing something a little different. We're talking about PR superpowers.You may have seen the Legends of Frank series that Frank has been running this year, to celebrate its 25th birthday,The Q&A style interviews with each Legend has been fun and informative. But today, as we reach the end of the year, I'm talking to GG to get a deeper dive into some of these Legends to identify the 10 most important PR Super Powers.I want to find out why they are legends, what is their superpower, what was behind their success at Frank, and their careers since.Before we start, you can now enter the PRmoment Awards. The early entry deadline is 19th December so do take a look at this year's categories and if you enter a few by 19th December, you'll save yourself a few quid.Here's a summary of what Graham andYou must have had some fun putting this Legends at Frank series together?Did many people get upset with them for not including them as a legend?Graham talk us through his top 10 PR super powers:"The skill to be able to talk a client into doing anything" - Bianca Lee Chang"Pub quiz team captain" - Jay Sorrels"Chutzpah, cheek, and able to talk people into anything" - Lucy McGettigan"Creativity and tattoo advice" - Graeme Anthony"Chasing down a new biz lead, never knew when he was beaten" - Flying Frank (the greyhound)"The master of puns"- Greg Double"Trying something new, being experimental, taking risks" - Sophie Raine"Doing the right thing all the time" - David Fraser"Swottiest PR" - Gemma Moroney"Pitch genius" - Frankie Cory (also Lucy Hart)"Client bravery" - Gavin Lewis"A network of contacts is crucial" - Andrew BlochGraham and Ben talk about the importance of friendship at work.Graham on how to foster a culture of fun at work.

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast. In this weekly show I'm joined by Angie Moxham, and Mark BorkowskiThis is the PR News Review where we look at the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week we're talking about rage bait.This week rage bait was named Oxford University Press' Word of the Year for 2025.Before we start, you can now enter the PRmoment Awards. The early entry deadline is 19th December so do take a look at this year's categories and if you enter a few by 19th December, you'll save yourself a few quid.  Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast. Today we're chatting to Laura Burch, founder and managing partner at Work & Class and Roxy Kalha, founder and managing partner at The Heard about the challenges of founding a PR agency as a women.Laura launched Work & Glass in 2024 and Roxy launched The Heard in 2023. Before we start, the final date to get your early entries in for The PRmoment Awards is December 16th. All the info you'll need, including a list of the categories is on the awards microsite.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here is a summary of what Roxy and Laura discussed with PRmoment founder Ben Smith:Is it harder as a female founder in PR?Roxy and Laura both give a shout out to The Lonely Female Founders Club.What are the hardest parts of being a female founder?Why does Roxy dislike the term imposter syndrome?Who are Laura and Roxy's female PR founder role models?What are the biggest barriers to women launching a PR agency?Which behaviours reduce the confidence of female employees? Described by Roxy and Laura  as “death by a thousand cuts.”What were the catalysts that made Roxy and Laura decide to launch their own businesses?What are the variables that can help more female founders launch more PR firms?

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers and acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins, mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in November 2025.Andrew is the lead consultant PR, social, content and influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.Don't forget The PRmoment Award's early bird entry deadline, on 19 December Market OverviewNovember has been a very buoyant month.The market has seen great wins and has been extremely busy on the M&A front, which is probably expected since people were trying to complete deals before the budget announcement.It is an important time of year for pitches, as agencies line up new business for the following year and clients aim to get everything in place for 2026.PITCHESWarburtons appoints Burson The UK's biggest bakery appoints Burson to handle its brand and consumer communications, focusing on building its heritage and innovation narratives ahead of the company's 150th anniversary. Burson will also manage the corporate news agenda.BAKERY79 appoints Stakked The modern food-to-go concept, established by Park Garage Group, has hired Stakked for PR support. The campaign will focus on building consumer awareness and driving uptake as Bakery79 rapidly converts forecourt concessions as part of its acceleration into the UK food-to-go market.Astrid & Miyu appoints Aisle 8 The jewellery brand, which operates 20 UK stores alongside sites in New York and LA, selects Aisle 8 (a fashion, beauty, and lifestyle specialist) to elevate its brand image and media profile.Bodyform appoints Earnies The menstrual care brand, part of the Essity portfolio, has appointed Earnies to deliver a major awareness campaign highlighting the impact and challenges associated with heavy periods.Tonys Chocolonely appoints Shook and Here Be Dragons Tony's has appointed Shook and Here Be Dragons for a creative project celebrating the chunky nature of its chocolate bars. The campaign involves using high-profile talent, like 'The World's Strongest Footballer', as well as a PR stunt marking the standardization of the brand's signature red colour.WaterAid appoints Mischief The global water charity has selected Mischief to deliver its festive campaign and winter appeal. The project focuses on raising awareness and funds to support WaterAid's mission to help communities access clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.Baller League appoints SoapBox The 6-a-side football league has hired SoapBox, a sport communications specialist, to handle its PR, event management, and press office function.Meta appoints John Doe Meta has expanded John Doe's brief to include creative communications for its wearables products, covering AI glasses, VR headsets, and other emerging technology from the Meta Wearables portfolio.The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism appoints W The Department of Tourism has awarded W a five-year contract for UK and European PR and communications. The agency will execute a strategic program covering media relations, influencer partnerships, and event activations to position the destination as a leading Caribbean holiday choice.Samsung appoints Ogilvy Samsung has expanded Ogilvy's remit to handle the brand's UK social and influencer work. This appointment builds on Ogilvy's existing relationship with Samsung, which includes B2B responsibilities across Europe.BMW Group appoints Kindred Kindred has been appointed to develop the creative communications strategy for both the BMW and Mini brands. The brief focuses o

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast. In this weekly show I'm joined by Angie Moxham, and Mark Borkowski.This is the PR New Review where we look at the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week we're talking about the budget, the Labour government continuing dreadful communications and the resulting loss of trust from the electorate.Before we start, you can now enter the PRmoment Awards. The early entry deadline is 19th December so do take a look at this year's categories and if you enter a few by 19th December, you'll save yourself a few quid.  Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Welcome to the News Review on the PRmoment podcast.If you're enjoying these shows don't forget to subscribe; we published at least one new podcast every week.In this episode it's our weekly New Review feature where we discuss the most interesting topics that we've seen in the media each week and I'll be doing that alongside my good friends Angie Moxham and mark Borkowski.It's pretty much your final chance to get your ticket to PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum which is next Wednesday 26th November.A few tickets are still available - both face-to-face and virtual.In this week's news review we talk about the UK Government Communications, the lack of trust in politics and the seismic changes we're currently seeing in the structure of the media.

Thank you for joining us today! Our guest is Anouschka Menzies, co-founder of Bacchus PR.Bacchus PR was founded 27 years ago and now has over 130 employees across 5 offices - London, New York, Miami, Dubai and most recently Riyadh.It works across the fashion, restaurants, hotels and real estate sectors and has a fee income of approximately £14m. Annouska describes the type of business that Bacchuss does as 70% consumer and 30% corporate.Before we start, the headline news is that The PRmoment Awards have now opened for entries.. So if you want: Independent third party recognition of your work and a compelling differentiator that attracts new clients and builds credibility, then do enter.Improved this year is our insights & feedback functionality, you now receive constructive feedback on your campaign work and agency performance, broken down by the specific judging criteria.And finally from a GEO and LLM Optimisation perspective: Every winning entry will receive a dedicated profile page on the PRmoment Awards website, which will showcase the successful submission and explain the judging panel's decision. Also, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is less than 2 weeks away. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Anouschka and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Anouschka started the business with Charlotte Lurot and, a couple of years later, Daize Washbourn joined. Has having 3 leaders from an early stage accelerated the ambition of Bacchus? Anouschka talks about PR needing to have a commercial impact and needing to generate cash for clients. How does that come through in the approach to Bacchus's work? All of Bacchus' senior staff in London have been with the business for over a decade. That creates great experience and knowledge in the business but can it result in a lack of opportunity for more junior employees?Anouschka talks about how Bacchus made the move into real estate PR? That seems quite a jump from restaurants and hotels? But that was a crucial step for the business right.How does Bacchus create an entrepreneurial culture in its business? “It needs to be a better package than anyone else is offering.”Anouschka has built an international business when lots of her peer agencies have struggled to build an international network. Why did she decide to go international relatively early in Bacchus's journey?“Corporate PR is probably easier than consumer PR!”“Any international entity coming to the UK needs to understand that our press will leave no stone unturned.”How excited is Anouschka about PR's GEO opportunity?If Anouschka had one piece of advice for young PR agency leaders out there, what would it be?“Never compete with anyone but yourselves?”Is Anouschka nervous or positive about the future of the PR agency business?

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast's weekly News Review.We're joined by Angie Moxham, founder of 3 Monkeys and Fourth Angel and Mark Borkowski, founder of Borkowski PR.In this new show Mark, Angie and PRmoment founder Ben Smith review the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective.This week we compare the communications styles of Trump verses and the BBC. Does Trumps fearless, confident style threaten to overwhelm the BBC's risk averse approach?We also talk about Labour's ongoing communication struggles. Angie and Mark discuss Rachel Reeves U-turn on a U-turn and why confused comms seems to indicate a confused government. Also a reminder that our our PR Masterclass: Then Agency Growth Forum is in less than 2 weeks. Virtual and face-to-face tickets are now available so check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers and acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins, mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in November 2025.Andrew is the lead consultant PR, social, content and influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Andrew also runs the advisory firm Andrew Bloch & Associates.Before we start, make sure you get your tickets quickly for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum . It's on Wednesday 26th November 2025, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London.PitchesVinted appoint Axe+Saw – Social media brief to manage Instagram and TikTok channels globally. Airbus appoint MHP Group – Europe's largest aeronautics and space company appoint a new retained strategic comms adviser following a formal tender process. MHP Group includes agencies MHP, Mischief and La Plage.Formula E appoint M+C Saatchi Sport and Entertainment – global brand and corporate comms brief following a 6 way pitch.Tomme Tippee appoint The Romans for a global PR and influencer brief.Alcohol Change UK appoint Shook and Shape History to deliver its 2026 campaign. Alcohol Change is the charity behind Dry January.The Investment Association appoint M+C Saatchi to deliver a cross-banking sector campaign. The Investment Association – a trade body representing investment managers and investment management firms in the UK Will lead the creative and media delivery of The UK Retail Investment campaign, which will encourage more people to become investors. Co-Op appoint Speed Communications for a joint consumer and corporate brief. Will work alongside in-house team to execute creative, insight-led campaigns through media relations, thought leadership and storytelling.Net Company appoint Cavendish Consulting for government relations and pr brief.Philips Hue appoint Tin Man for a global consumer PR brief.M&A activity for OctoberHeadland acquire Bladonmore - an international digital, brand and content comms agency. W. Bladonmore will retain its identity and has 50 FTEs in London and NY. This is Headland's first acquisition since LDC, the private equity investor which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, reinvested in the business in October 2024, having first partnered with the firm in 2021. Headlands is £33M rev in 2024. Clients include Accenture, BAE systems, Danone, KFC, OcadoGolley Slater 100% of shares sold to EOT. 130 members.Next 15 merges 5 companies to form new B2B marcomms firm Pretzl. The new business will be led by Clive Armitage, current CEO of Agent 3. The b2b marketing firms Agent3 Group, Publitek, This Machine, Velocity and Twogether will be unified. Will launch in Feb 26 - 300 employees across 12 offices in North America, Europe and APAC.

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast. Today, we're joined by Angie Moxham, founder of 3 Monkeys and Fourth Angel and Mark Borkowski, founder of Borkowski PR and PR commentator.In this new show Mark, Angie and PRmoment founder Ben Smith review the biggest news stories of the week from a PR perspective and this week we're talking about Traitors, Meghan Markle's return to acting and whether the Royal Family can survive Andrew Mountbatten Windsor's scandal in the long term. Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face-to-face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast. Today, we're thrilled to be joined by Lou Hoffman, founder and CEO of Hoffman. Hoffman is an independent US based PR firm with a fee income of approximately $30m. Lou founded the business in 1987.Hoffman specialises in tech PR and recently bought CCGroup in the UK. Hoffman has offices in North America, the UK and Asia. It employs about 460 people globally.Before we start,our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here are the key themes which Lou and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Lou talks us through the reasons for buying a PR Agency? What are the advantages of acquiring an agency versus organic growth? Hoffman has only made two acquisitions since 1987. Is that regret for Lou?  Does he wish he'd made more?  Is it sensible to use debt to purchase a PR firm, or is it better to do it from historical profit?  How do you buy a PR firm? What does the process look like? There are plenty of examples of PR agency acquisitions that haven't worked out, how do you maximise your chances of success? Practically speaking, how can you get to know agencies before you buy them?  How long should an acquisition process take, because whilst it's very important to be thorough, momentum is important? Is a perfect match ever possible?  Which professional advisors as an acquirer should you have? How does it work with the agency you're about to acquire clients? Do you talk to them pre or post the deal?  How does an earn out work for the previous owners of the business?  Post deal it can get difficult, what are the best ways to make it work?  The legal fees can be very high. So does that mean that for micro deals you either have to take a punt and be less thorough? Or is there a level of acquisition at which it's really not worth it from a purchaser's perspective?

In the fifth episode of the season, Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment give their best attempt at a spooky Halloween special episode. Earlier in the week, Elizabeth asked PR professionals to submit anonymous recruitment horror stories, whether that be a candidate of nightmares, or an terrifying interview process — we wanted to hear about it, warts and all. Dean, a willing victim, must blind react to the tales of recruitment terror. Later, the pair play a game of Recruitment Trick or Treat, where they discuss whether certain perks, benefits and workplace cultures are as good as they seem. Many thanks to our podcast sponsors the PRCA

Welcome to the PRmoment podcast. Today, we're thrilled to be joined by Lorraine Emmett, the founder and MD of the award-winning B2B tech PR agency, EC-PR.EC-PR is a boutique specialising in B2B PR for engineering, science, and technology scale-ups. They typically partner with high-growth B2B tech brands and companies with 50 to 999 employees, working with Strategic Marketing Leaders and CMOs to elevate brand awareness and influence.Today, we'll dive into her insights on how B2B companies can gain a trust advantage. Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don't hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment's TikTok content, it'll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and founder and managing director of EC-PR Lorraine Emmett discussed on the PRmoment Podcast.Why the emotion of trust is a spectrum. How does Lorraine define trust in a B2B communications environment?Is trust in B2B a function of brand and product?As communicators is it possible to create trust? Or is it a symptom of customer experience?Why is thought leadership an important tool for creating trust?Lorraine talks about Coleman Park's 7 Pillars of thought leadership in our pre show chat and why she finds them an important reference point. What are Coleman Park 7 pillars of trust?How do you build trust in a B2B market?Isn't pretty all of a PR/comms team output related to thought leadership in one way or another? The Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report consistently highlights the power of thought leadership in building trust and directly influencing the B2B purchase journey. Lorraine talks us through the finding of that report and the implications for how B2B PR and comms teams create and partner with influencers.EC PR's recent The Trust Advantage report looks at how trust is important for SMEs. Lorraine talks us through the key findings of your The Trust Advantage report. What are the outcomes of thought leadership in B2B markets? Are they both defensive and offensive?What does the best practice measurement of B2B thought leadership look like?

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers and acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins, mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in October 2025Andrew is the lead consultant PR, social, content and influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, the PRCA.Here is a rundown of what Andrew and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Pitches  National Express - Block Report - Block Report launched earlier this year Founded by Chris Grimwood of Iris and Social Chain and Jack Colchester of Wonderhood. Singapore Tourist Board - Splendid - UK integrated marketing agency. This win follows an open RFI. Splendid won Heathrow Express in April. Belfast City Council -  Cavendish Consulting, Lanyon Communications (part of Consello) and Open Strategic Communications PPHE Hotel Group (formerly Park Plaza Hotels Europe) - Launch PR. Retained consumer and corporate brief. 51 properties across eight countries. Rangemaster - Stakked - Iconic cooker brand with global recognition and deep British roots. Previously in-house. BFI London Film Festival - Vamp - 69th film festival. Vamp has worked with clients inc. Disney, paramount, Netflix, Prime, C4 Apple TV etc Aardman Animation - Wonderland. New Ewe Knit it campaign invites fans to create knitted items that can be turned into blankets for the homeless in London. Toy Retailers Association - WPR. To promote the dream toys list of the hottest toys for Christmas 2025.  Butlins - Popcorn. Positioning the holiday resort as the Home of Entertainment. Popcorn is strong in consumer and lifestyle - clients include Thorpe Park, Panasonic and London Designer Outlet. Hey Dude - Words+Pixels.  Launch of new campaign with Lewis Capaldi. Acai Berry Foods - Neon Brand Communications - Neon are specialists in health, wellness and beauty and lifestyle brands (hotpot yoga, coconut collab etc.) For Goodness Shakes - Frank. Launch protein and collagen drink, Glow. Lipton Teas and Infusions - Clarion. Retained consumer pr for sub brands PG Tips and Pukka. Youngs Seafoods - Brazen. Consumer pr, social media, influencer. Frozen fish brand - supplies approx. 40% of all the fish eaten in the UK every year, apparently! Omi/Shakers/Dints - Ballou. Trio of new clients for Ballou UK. Nationwide Building Society - Popeyes, Ogi and DEBRA - Folk  Border to Coast Pensions Partnership - Apella Advisors. Appella was founded in 2019 by ex APCO UK boss James Acheson Gray - works with Aviva, KPMG and Nationwide Building societyRoyal Mint - Third City. The Royal Mint is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Monopoly Board game. Vinted – Smarts. Pan European pr, social and creator for online marketplace for selling, buying and exchanging new/second hand items. POD - Tin Man. EV electric charging provider, joins Tin Man's existing energy division - EDF, Electrify Britain, Energy GB. Changan - Woosah - Chinese auto firm launching into UK market with all electric Deepal SUV model. Paddy Power - Pitch - Addition to roster alongside Ready10.  M&A Team Lewis acquire Instinctif Partners. This deal will double the size of Team Lewis' UK ope

In the fourth episode of the season, Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment and Elizabeth are joined by Shruti Gupta, account executive at Harvard and her colleague Joe McDermott, head of enterprise technology practice at Harvard. Following Gupta's inspirational My PRmoment interview, in which she discussed having imposter syndrome after moving from India to the UK to work in PR, we asked her and McDermott how that presented at work and how effective line management helped to reduce her feelings of doubt.Many thanks to our podcast sponsors the PRCA

A recent survey by Fairtrade, with research undertaken by Kantar, finds 86% of shoppers want brands to be upfront about sourcing and more than half (55%) think businesses should take a ‘large amount' or ‘full responsibility' for protecting the human rights of workers in their supply chains.The study found that 59% of UK adults support Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislation, while just 9% oppose it, showing strong public backing for government action and responsible business practices.Sustainability and purpose matter in communications. They help you build trust and credibility, they help you attract and retain talent and they help you drive innovation in green technologies. In a special PRmoment podcast, inspired by the final deadline for the Sustainability and Purpose Awards we're chatting to The Fairtrade Organisation's Martine Parry about its Fairtrade Fortnight Research and its implications for communicators.Before we start a reminder that PRmoment's Sustainability & Purpose Awards final entry deadline is on Wednesday 15th October. Take a look at all the categories on the microsite.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Martine Parry discussed on this week's show:75% of UK adults believe their shopping habits are the most meaningful way to help build a fairer world. Martine and Ben discuss the implication of this for brand communicators.Is the value of the ‘green pound' (total ethical spend in the UK) still a relevant measure of consumer ethical and sustainability spending trends?Fairtrade's research identified 2 sustainability and purpose personas, what are they?How can brands encourage consumers to shop “fair”?It's a busy media agenda but is there still room for sustainability and purpose related stories?Define what authentic sustainability storytelling looks like in 2025?What is the Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislation and why is it important for communicators who are worried about reputation issues resulting from their supply chains?As a judge in the Sustainability and Purpose Awards, what sort of work is Martine looking forward to seeing this year?

PRmoment founder Ben Smith is interviewed by Eilizabeth Giles about the speaker line up for PR Masterclass series The Agency Growth Forum and why it has become a bit of a personal challenge.What PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum covers in one day is incredible. You get to hear the real experts talk about how to overcome the key challenges that PR firm owners are having right now when it comes to growth.As always with our PR Masterclass series, there are absolutely no sponsors. We don't believe in charging delegates for a ticket and then filling the program with sponsored slots.When, Where: Wednesday 26th November 2025Virtual tickets from £230 +VAT. Face-to-face from £460 +VAT, buy your ticket before 10/10/25 to get these early bird rates.Here's a run down of what Ben and Elizabeth talk about on the show:Why did we choose Rachel Bell to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Let's just run through Rachel's PR agency CV:Founder, ShineCo founder, Mischief Co founder, The Academy Co founder, John DoeCo founder, AdhuroNon executive chair, Cavendish Enough said?Why did we choose Jonny Bentwood to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?There's an interesting global community of about 8-10 PR firm data geeks who are at the arrowhead PR and technology. Jonny's at the tip of that arrow.No PR Agency Growth Forum event would be complete without an analysis of PR's GEO opportunity and here Jonny will update us with the latest thinking.Why did we choose Rachael Marshall to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Her firm Magic Digits has circa 30 PR agency clients and so there's no-one better to give a third party insight into the financial trends and challenges of running a PR firm today.In house panel: What do clients want?Bieneosa Ebite, GSK, head of communications and government affairs, inclusionClara Biu, Allwyn UK, head of consumer communicationsCharlotte West, Lenovo, vice president, global corporate communicationsWhy did we choose Rachel Friend to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Rachel's had success at PR firms who are part of the holding groups and she's also had success at PR firms who are independent.So she knows how to run PR agency businesses. Rachel's going to talk to us about how to re-energise your PR businesses and get your momentum back.Why did we choose Jo Carr to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?For about the last 10 years PR firms have, in the main, worked hard to improve their employer brand and to become better employers.Jo was at the start of this trend. She understood that in a consultancy business where creativity and customer service are absolutely vital, happy employees are always going to mean happy clients.Why did we choose Paul Nolan to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?As this is the Agency Growth Forum, I didn't just want a PR AI expert, I wanted the PR leader who was furthest along the road integrating AI into their agency. That's why Paul's speakingWhy did we choose Jackie Elliot  to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?If you know, you know.Independent PR agency panel: The growth challengeThis panel will give an insight into the growth challenges for independent agencies at the moment.Why did we choose Lee Beattie to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Lee is going to talk about how Joe Doe has had success in developing a culture where young people can thrive.

Thank you for joining us today. Our guest is at the sharp end of what makes a successful PR campaign tick in 2025: data and insight. She is the managing director of Censuswide, a respected international market research consultancy, who help agencies and brands write the headlines that drive media coverage.For years, PR has known that original research can fuel earned media coverage, but in the post-AI era, the need for credible, first-party data has never been more critical.And on the show today we're going to dive into the Censuswide's Voice of the CMO 2025 Report. The report is a crucial temperature check of how marketing leaders' roles and priorities are changing for 2026.This research zeroes in on the biggest tension facing the C-suite today: the massive adoption of Generative AI and the concurrent consumer skepticism about it. Nicky will help us dissect the findings that show 100% of CMOs are using AI, yet many are still struggling to connect their digital spend directly to long-term brand equity and sales growth. If you're an agency or an in-house leader looking to benchmark your strategy, understand the future of budget allocation, and learn how to navigate the complex world of brand activism, this report - and this conversation - are essential listening.What's great about this report is that it takes its research results from 500 CMOs and 2000 consumers, so you get perspectives on the same issues from both sides. The data was collected in June 2025.Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment's TikTok content, it'll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and managing director of Censuswide, Nicky Marks discussed on the PRmoment Podcast:Nicky talks us through the current AI challenges CMOs are facing?What do CMOs report are the top 5 benefits of using AI?What concerns do CMOs have about using AI?Is there a disconnect between the extent to which CMOs use Generative AI and how comfortable consumers are with it?Nicky discusses the brand discovery and consumer backlash concerns of CMOs.Why has social media become the most important brand discovery channel for CMOs?50% of consumers want brands to be proactive around issues of sustainability and purpose but 50% of consumers want brands to be neutralWhat are the issues that consumers think brands should have a voice on? And do these match the CMO perceptions?Why are customer expectations higher than ever? Ben and Nicky have a discussion on whether this is a symptom of the increasingly angry society we live in, fuelled by keyboard warriors answerable to no-one but the social media algorithms.Budget and Measurement are forever problems for CMOs, but what is different in 2025?What are the top 5 risks for CMOs right now?What are the top five priorities for CMOs at the moment? Are these different for B2B or B2C?What are the most popular KPIs that CMOs use in 2025?What are the 2025 budgetary trends for CMOs? Are PR  budgets increasing, decreasing or remaining the same?

Thank you for joining us today! Our guest is here to discuss a topic that is fundamentally changing the role of a PR professional. She's the Chief Strategy Officer at Golin and a driving force behind their research looking at the intersection of LLMs, GEO and earned media.She's going to talk about Golin's Modern Communications Effectiveness Study and is here to tell us that some of PRs old approaches simply don't hold up. She'll be talking about why GEO is more important tis so important in PR right now and how we need to rethink what the activation of a public relations campaign looks like in a post GEO worldPlease give a very warm welcome to Kat Arnull.Before we start,our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don't hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment's TikTok content, it'll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Kat discussed on the show:3 mins Golin's New Earned Framework for the Post-AI Era focuses on a world where LLMs are a primary content source. Kat elaborates on the most significant shifts she's observed in a PR professional's job from a pre GEO to a post GEO PR world? What has this change meant in a media relations reality?9 mins So media relations is back in fashion? Does this impact the type of people PR firms are hiring?12 mins Does Kat worry about the current over reliance on Reddit when it comes to LLM results?18 mins Does anyone know what happens next? It's fairly clear to anyone who takes the time to test it that LLM results are currently OK, but subject to bias and hallucinations and in some cases black hat manipulation…28 mins How is Kat measuring the impact of PR on LLM results?33 mins The irony that big tech has developed something in LLMs that potentially destroys the very thing that LLMs rely upon is deliciously ironic. It's not so much biting the hand that feeds you, as eating it. Beyond a few partnerships with publishers where big tech throws a bit of relative change into the begging bowl of publishers, no one's really come up with a long term plan to create balance and value in this publisher/LLM ecosystem have they?34 mins Do you think publishers might bite back? No one's really admitted it yet but all of a sudden big tech, through its LLMs, need publishers more than publishers need search engines. The game, in theory, might be about to change. Granted digital publishers need to create a membership body and move as one, which they almost certainly won't get organised to do….

Thank you for joining us today! Our guest is Kunal Mehta. He is here to discuss how changes in B2B communications are fundamentally changing how businesses connect with their customers. Kunal is the global head of marketing, communication, and brand at DSM-Firmenich, a leading company in nutrition, health and beauty.With over two decades of experience navigating the marketing world, from iconic B2C brands like KitKat and Britannia to the complex B2B landscape, he has a unique perspective on what truly works. He is a self-described "collector of experiences" who is known for his passion for storytelling and his strategic, data-driven approach.Today, he will share his insights on the evolving nature of B2B communications, covering everything from the importance of emotional resonance in a corporate context to the power of a finely tuned marketing stack.Kunal leads marketing for animal health and nutrition at DSM-Firmenich which is a business with a 12bn Euros turnover operating in over 100 countries.Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don't hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment's TikTok content, it'll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Kunal and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Did B2B marketers and B2B communicators go down a lead generation rabbit hole for about 10 years?Why did lead gen become the priority for many B2B marketers and why did they seem to forget the importance of brand?Kunal spent 8 years at Nestle in consumer markets. He discusses the differences in how B2C and B2B organisations prioritise marketing and brand?Why has B2B marketing now reawakened? What has changed?In B2B markets, comms often reports into marketing, whereas in consumer markets it's more likely comms is a separate division to marketing. Why is that?What does a modern lead gen sales pipeline look like in a multi channel multi decision maker scenario? In an organisation like DSM where you have hundreds of products, is product marketing even possible?The B2B customer journey for a company like DSM-Firmenich is often long and complex, spanning multiple touchpoints, from digital to in-person. How do you ensure a consistent and effective communication strategy across a varied value chain?What does a global head of marketing like Kunal want from his PR firm?What capabilities does DSM-Firmenich retain in its in-house marketing and communication team and when does it use agency support?As someone with a global role, how does Kunal balance the need for a cohesive brand narrative with the necessity for content that is hyper-relevant to a specific region or market?Kunal manages teams and initiatives across numerous geographies and product lines. What are the key building blocks for a successful marketing team structure?

Following the release of Outrage Inc on BBC iPlayer Mark Borkowski comes onto the PRmoment podcast to talk about the PR Stunt.Mark is also a well-known lecturer and speaker on the art of publicity. He is a frequent media commentator on TV and radio and writes for several nationals. Mark has authored two books on publicity stunts.Outrage Inc is a journey through the archive to rediscover the creative genius, conviction and the DNA of publicity behind protest stunts.From suffragette arson to flour bombs at Miss World, Barbie dolls growling “Vengeance is mine!” to Tommie Smith's Black Power salute, the Greenham women, Led By Donkeys, and more.Outrage Inc programme asks why we forget these moments, when they so often planted the seeds of profound cultural change. Before we start,our PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don't hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment's TikTok content, it'll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Mark discussed:Mark tells us about Outrage Inc…Mark gives us a quick history of the PR StuntOf the publicity stunts artists Mark interviewed on Outrage Inc, which one is Mark's favorite?Some argue Mark is the father of the modern PR stunt. But is he now a bit over them?Consumer PR in the UK is in a good place at the moment. And stunts in various forms are playing an important role in creating that virtuous circle of attention for brands. Mark discusses the virtuous circle of algorithms, content and hype…Mark and Ben discuss his conclusions in Outrage Inc about the role publicity stunts have played in various historical moments.Mark talks about how UK's laws are making it harder and harder to do PR stunts.

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in July 2025Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.The Creative Moment Awards have sold out but we have an fascinating webinar on GEO, Misinformation and the News: The Impact of AI on Trust of the Media and a PR Planning event on October 16th.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.PITCHESCop30 appoints Edelman – Comms activity around Brazil's hosting of Summit in Nov. Account worth $834,850 from mid-July – mid Feb 26 (according to US Foreign Agent Registration Act).Tokyo appoints Weber Shandwick – $1.7m year long deal with Tokyo Metro Govt. Morocco National Tourist Office appoints Rooster – UK and Ireland brief to promote tourism in Morocco.Ethara Event and Entertainment appoints The Romans – Etihad Airways GP. 2 year b2b and b2c brief.W Hotels appoint The Romans – EMEA PR strategy for global hotel brands across the UK and Middle East.Lidl appoints Brands2Life - corporate and public affairs brief - building and painting reputation in a way that is ‘commensurate with its economic and social impact across the nation'. Media relations, give relations, leadership comms, crisis mitigation. Category defining business. 5th biggest supermarket in UK by food and drink sales. Brands2Life also looks after LinkedIn, TetraPak. Vodafone, XeroHomesense appoints Pretty Green - consumer pr, influencer and social brief.Wasabi Sushi & Bento appoints The Fitting Room - a PR, social and content.consumer comms brief across 41 stores.Itsu grocery appoints Exposure – creative comms for new rice noodle range! Innocent adds Tin Man and Pretty Green –to its roster of agencies.LEGO appoints Smarts – UK and Ireland consumer PR brief. Lego's first new agency in 8 years. Recent wins Asda and People's Postcode Lottery.Specsavers appoints Firstlight Group as its UK retained communications agency. Have worked on projects since 2021. Firstlight will work alongside Golin and Tangerine. Street Soccer London appoints The Ripple Effect.Police Care UK –appoints PHA Group –a charity for serving and veteran police officers and staff, volunteers, and their families, who have suffered any physical or psychological harm as a result of policing.Shieldpay appoints PHA GroupVinted appoints John DoeJigsaw appoints Aisle8Mint Velvet appoint EmergeHexclad cookware appoints Milk and Honey Stagecoach appoints McCann BirminghamSodastream appoints Visible This month's round up of M&A activityReal Chemistry acquire Greater Than OneGTO will gain access to Real Chemistry's services in AI driven, creative, influencer engagement, medical comms, integrated comms and market access. Real Chemistry is $665M globally of which circa $616M is in the US pushing it above Edelman as the largest US firm by revenue last year.WE Communications (formerly Wagner Edstrom) and Hopscotch merged. WE acquired Hopscotch 3 years ago.MSQ acquires Precious Media and Wooshi to expand production capabilities. Doubles M3 Labs (MSQ's production agency) headcount to 130 adding AI powered and commerce focussed production expertis

Welcome to our H1 Recruitment Year in Review PRmoment Podcast, where we discuss the PR job market with Dean Connolly, founder and PR recruitment director at Latte.We look back at the talent trends in PR for the first half of 2025. The last six months have seen a significant change in the PR recruitment market. Dean tells us the top 3 reasons why PR people leave their jobs and reveals the latest PR salary bands.If you're interested in keeping an eye on the best jobs that are out there each week, do make sure you subscribe for free to PRmoment's Top 10 PR Jobs updates each week.Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Dean and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Dean updates on the latest PR talent market in trends for the first half of 2025Are account assistants and other junior roles being impacted by AI?Are the size of in-house PR teams increasing?On the working from home debate: “39% of the PR sector are in the office 3 days a week and 30% are 2 days a week.”2025 has seen negligible salary growth in public relations

In the fifth episode of the season, Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment is joined by Nyree Ambarchian, co-founder at Jack and Grace and Ella McWilliam, co-founder and CEO at Full Fat to discuss the We Show The Salary pledge and the practicalities of making wages transparent in a PR agency. Many thanks to our podcast sponsors the PRCA1 min: Dean and Elizabeth say hello and introduce the We Show The Salary pledge4 min: "it's about progression, not perfection"5 min: Dean introduces of Ella McWilliam, co-founder of Full Fat and Nyree founder of Jack and Grace6 min: Nyree discusses why salary transparency is important8 min: Ella descirbes it as a "no brainer"14 min: "there's this shadiness in dark corners where inequality is flourishing."20 min: A framework and a scorecard for salary brackets would help eliminate unconscious bias"It would help to eliminate inflated salaries."24 min: "These things tend to reveal themselves one way or another, you get an inkling that you're not being paid fairly."27 min: agency leaders need to be "open to feedback" and create a culture when feedback is welcomed.28 min: What are the steps involved in becoming transparent with salary? 

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in July 2025Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.The PRmoment podcast will be taking a more relaxed approach over the summer. We won't be doing weekly shows but as and when pressing PR issues occur that need discussion we'll hop back on the pod.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.PITCH WINS Mars global snacking and pet care appoints Weber Shandwick Collective. Pladis appoints Headland Tin Man – Double win – Bella and Duke, pet wellness and nutrition, premium raw pet food. Lelo – sexual wellness brand, tasked with shifting the narrative around pleasure without shame. Global Flower Services appoints Finn partnersHisense appoints Ranieri Salesforce appoints Harvard Xplora appoints Brand Nation Anker Innovations appoints  Red ConsultancyEquinox appoints  MHP Glyde appoints Stacked/Munch PR Asda appoints Smarts Fish ‘N' Chips (Fox's Burtons savoury snack brand) appoints Frank. Guatemala Tourism appoints PC Agency St Pancras Hotel appoints Palm PR Ordnance Survey appoints Diffusion Global Brands (VK and Hooch) appoints Hatch Just Eat appoints EarniesPrep Kitchen appoints Words + PixelsRoyal Ballet and Opera appoints Hope & Glory St Mungo's homeless charity appoints The AcademySweaty Betty Foundation appoints  Fanclub Debenhams Group appoints Threesixty TK Maxx appoints Burson  M&A Activity Inkling merges with Eight&Four Supermetrics (leading marketing intelligence platform) acquires Relay 42 (real time customer data platform) Brave Bison acquire Mark Ritson MiniMBA

Welcome to the latest PRmoment podcast. On this week's show we chat to Rebecca Cradick who is vice president, Global Communications at Armis and leads a sizable in-house team alongside multiple agency teams. Rebecca gives us an in-house perspective in the state comms as we reach the half way point of 2025.Before we start, it's your final chance to get your ticket for our PR in AI Masterclass coming up on July 2nd. I'd urge you not to miss this event if you're interested in the future use of AI in PR. There's lots of AI insight out there, but speaker wise, this event really does separate the wheat from the chaff. The bluffers from the doers.Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.Here's a summary of what Ben and Rebecca discussed:What are the responsibilities and objectives as a modern in-house corporate communications leader?Who are the key stakeholders for in-house public relations professionals?How does Rebecca see the in-house communications position changing over the next few years?What is the risk: reward spectrum of the comms environment for brands currently? Have PR budgets become a problem? Are in-house communicators being asked to do more with a similar budget? Does the always on nature of a senior comms role make getting a good work life balance difficult?When Rebecca talks about why WhatsApp has become her most important stakeholder negotiation tool.Rebecca on why she believes: “Covid changed the expectation of employers. They expect their people to work harder.”How does Armis use agency support? Why Rebecca believes the unwritten rules of socialising in a professional environment have changed.

Welcome to the latest PRmoment podcast. On the show today we're talking to PR creative don Mark Perkins. Mark now runs his own PR creativity training scheme called Pop Creative. He's worked for a raft of PR's most creative firms including Cow, W, Frank, The Red Consultancy and MHP.Infamously his work includes the Christmas Tinner and Missing Type campaigns.Before we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually. The event is on July 3rd and themes include:How to Integrate AI into your PR WorkflowThe impact of AI on JournalismAI as a content production toolIs LLM optimisation PR's biggest opportunity of our lifetimes?Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.The other vital bit of information is that The Creative Moment Awards are now open for entries. You can see all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.The final entry deadline is Friday 20th June.Here's a summary of what Mark and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Mark tells us how his Pop Creative methodology works.“My focus has always been about having the right idea, rather than 5 or 10 good ideas.”Are there 2 types of creative directors in PR - those who come up with ideas and those who facilitate others to have ideas?What are Mark's top 3 most favourite creative campaigns he's ever worked on? Did Missing Type and Christmas Tinner make the cut? Will Mark ever return to PR as a creative director?“Having been a PR creative lead for over 20 years, I kind of felt that's a mountain I've climbed enough times.”Mark on why PR creativity has not changed in the last 20 years:“Our job, in a world of noise, is to grab people's attention.”“Great creative listens, it doesn't demand attention.”Mark on why don't we see more creative double acts in PR, in the way we tend to see creative partners in advertising?“Advertising is a different discipline…PR is story first.”Mark tells us which PR firm he enjoyed working for the most…Of the new crop of PR creatives, who is Mark a bit jealous of? Which firms' work does he like the most at the moment?Mark and Ben discuss whether earned creative is about to become the dominant creative channel.

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in April 2025Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Don't miss PR Masterclass: AI in PR on July 2ndHow to Integrate AI into your PR WorkflowHow will AI impact the agency business model?The impact of AI on journalismIs LLM optimisation PR's biggest opportunity of our lifetimes?Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.The other vital bit of information is that The Creative Moment Awards final entry deadline is Friday 20th June, You can see all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here is this month's run down of the biggest PR pitch wins in May 2025:International Wine & Spirits Competition appoints ClarionBritish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) appoints KindredLastMinute.com appoints Sunny Side UpPeoples Postcode Lottery appoints SmartsTruffle Burger appoints ChompGousto appoints The RomansBAM UK appoints Four Agency WorldwideSamsung appoints MischiefWestern Digital appoints HarvardBurson appoints CellnexIP Office appoints Lansons Team FarnerWaitrose appoints The HeardWenzels appoints WSky TV appoints Blurred Contura Orthopedics appoints Match FitAnd this month's run down of M&A activity in the PR sector:Stakked acquires RadioactiveMission Group merges Mongoose PR with Populate Social and Alive Experiential to form Mongoose Sport& EntertainmentIntinctif sells MENA operations to Excella AdvisoryPublicis acquires Capitv8M+C Saatchi  acquires Dune 23Together Group acquires OBO

Today on the show we're talking to media lawyer legend Jonathan Coad about what PR folks need to know about the law. Jonathan Coad graduated from Jesus College Cambridge with an MA in law and is one of the UK's highest profile media lawyers.His practice areas are copyright, defamation and privacy. His media clients have included Disney, ITV, Sky, Viacom, MTV, Channel 4, Sony, Huffington Post and Newsweek. He has undertaken reputation management work for corporate clients such as Amazon, Procter & Gamble, Gucci, GlaxoSmithKline and Cambridge University. He has also acted for high-profile business moguls, senior politicians, music, TV, film and sports stars and members of the Royal Family. He's had 30 years experience at the intersection of media and law and today he's going to talk about PR practitioners should know about dealing with the mediaBefore we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually. The event is on July 2nd.Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.Also, the final entry deadline for The Creative Moment Awards is 20th June. You can see all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.Here's a summary of what Jonathan Coad and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:What does the client want when a media crisis kicks off?What is the role of the corporate PR firm and what is the role of a media lawyer in a PR crisis situation?“The key tools for any PR crisis practitioner (in the UK) are The Independent Press Standards Organisation Code and Ofcom. And less important but none the less as (essential) background the law of data protection, defamation and privacy. Those are my work tools.”Why does media regulation play a vital part in crisis response in the UK?Who makes editorial decisions where contentious issues arise?  What are the criteria on which editorial decisions are made? “99 times out of 100 the editor will take the advice of the in-house lawyer.”What are the sources of perceived risk for media owners? The applicable regulation (press/IPSO, broadcast/Ofcom) or the law (privacy/defamation/date protection)?Who creates perceived risk for the media owners? Is the appetite for risk the same across the media?  Should PR folks treat broadcast and press the same?  How should PR folks treat social media crises for their clients? Where can PR folks learn more about PR, journalism and the law, including Jonathan's book, Reputation Matters.

Today on the show we're looking back at 3 of the winning campaigns from The PRmoment Awards to dive a bit deeper into what they were all about and why they won.We're looking at 3 campaigns from V&A, Greggs and Calm with Aarti Bulsara, director, Hope & Glory PR and DonFerguson, deputy MD, Hope & Glory PRWe'll be looking at the objective, strategy, creative, activation and results of the work.There is a video version of this podcast on PRmoment Youtube channel and we will be using video to bring the campaigns to live, so it may be worth checking out our Youtube channel if you're interested.Before we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually.Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.The other vital bit of information is that The Creative Moment Awards are now open for entries. You can see all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.The final entry deadline is Friday 20th June.Here's a summary of Aarti, Don and Ben's discussion:Winning Campaign Case StudyHope&Glory, CALM & adam&eveDDB - Missed BirthdaysCALM's “Missed Birthdays” was a spectacular installation designed to raise awareness of suicide. Each of the 6,292 balloons marked the birthday a young person missed because they died by suicide. It drove 220 pieces of coverage, delivering over 350 million Opportunities to See through editorial coverage. 23,000 people shared the installation on their social channels. Most of all, the installation prompted 29,500 visits to the CALM C.A.R.E. Kit microsite delivering vital prevention information and advice.The PRmoment Award judges said: “Crisp and clear articulation of what you did, why you did it and what your campaign generated - both in terms of coverage but also in behaviour shift.” Winning Campaign Case StudyNigella meets GreggsGreggs is known for its playful tone of voice and position within British culture. Its biggest challenge at Christmas is to launch its festive menu in a disruptive way (when media is saturated with high-budget launches). Step forward culinary queen Nigella. The resulting campaign generated over 1,520 pieces of coverage from start-to-finish. The “ad” was hailed a triumph and Greggs reported that Q4 like-for-like sales rose 2.5%.The PRmoment Award judges said: “A strong, unexpected idea and execution with great post-campaign data, showing the true impact of PR when done well.”Winning Campaign Case Study:The V&A - If You're Into It, It's In the V&AThe V&A has over 2.27m objects in its collection. There's something for everybody so “if you're into it, it's in the V&A”. Hope&Glory offered nine people the opportunity to advise the V&A about its collections – enhancing its understanding of modern culture. The campaign reached 87% of the core audience and, of those exposed to the campaign, 76% said the activity made them think more positively about the V&A brand. Amongst non-V&A visitors, 40% said the activity made them think it was more relevant to them.The PRmoment Award judges said: “Huge results for a modest budget. Tapped into culture. This is gold standard”

Welcome to the latest PRmoment podcast. On the show today we're talking to the 3 co-founders of Fight or Flight: Joe Walton, Charlie Meredith-Hardy and David Woodward. It's Fight or Flights 5 anniversary this year so we're going to chat about how this independent has gone from a start up with zero income 5 years ago to a business that now has a fee income of over £8m globally, with revenues in the US of approximately £3.7m.Clients include Oracle, Motorway and Expedia.Before we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually. The event is on July 3rd and themes include:Check out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.The other vital bit of information is that The Creative Moment Awards are now open for entries. Do check out all the categories for 2025 at the microsite creativemomentawards.co.The early bird entry deadline is Friday 16th May.Here's a flavour of what Joe, David and Charlie discussed with PRmoment founder Ben Smith.Joe, David and Charlie reflect on how the UK B2B PR market is at the moment.Why the UK B2B market has had a challenging last 12 months. What size of budget do Fight or Flight's target currently, in the UK and US?Why did Fight or Flight launch in the US so early in its life cycle?The reasons for a B2B tech PR firm to launch in the US are obvious but how have Fight or Flight managed to get £3.7m revenues in about 3 years? Why has Fight or Flight succeeded where others have failed?“We made some very big senior hires (in the US) out of the gate”“We hired the right people, we went in hard, we went in senior and it's paid off.”In the early years the positioning of Fight or Flight centred around the opportunity for creativity in B2B communications. David reflects on whether that has worked, or whether the growth of the business quickly outgrew the positioning?“If you look at the points of difference in the agency world. Quite  few of them are not defendable”“A little bit less than 5% of the B2B market is doing truly brave creative work. The work that takes you out of your comfort zone and builds fame.”For B2B PR firms, is one of the challenges the relative low seniority of some in-house B2B communicators?“We are seeing quite a few consumer PR folks coming into B2B.”Fight or Flight have grown quickly? Everyone wants to grow quickly but it's a difficult thing to do.  Joe, David and Charlie tell us how they did it.“People often ask us, ‘Do you wish you did it earlier?' My answer is: that we did it at exactly the right time.”What were the challenges of such fast growth for a PR firm?Are Joe, David and Charlie optimistic or pessimistic about the state of UK tech at the moment?Where is Fight or Flight likely to launch next?“People tend to forget the danger of doing nothing.”As “three, white, straight founders from the home counties” how did Joe, David and Charlie approach the need for Fight or Flight to have strong DE&I credentials?The implications of AI for the media, PR firms and in-house teams are significant. Where is Fight or Flight on the opportunity: threat spectrum?

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This is our quarterly bonus podcast, where we chat about Rajar's latest results. For those of you who aren't aware of Rajar - it was established in 1992 and operates the single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United KingdomRaja publishes the listenership figures each quarter, which is good for insight for PR, curious about how the public engages with radio and how the market is performing.On the show today, we have Alex Blakemore, senior producer & newsroom daily editor at Markettiers, who will discuss the latest Rajar results for Q1 2025. Before we start, two pieces of good news at PRmoment this week. The first is that the programme for PR Masterclass: AI in PR is now complete. The PR Masterclass series are hybrid events so you can attend either in person or virtually. The event is on July 3rd and themes include:How to Integrate AI into your PR WorkflowThe impact of AI on JournalismAI as a content production toolIs LLM optimisation PR's biggest opportunity of our lifetimes?How will AI impact the agency business model?The legal implications of AI in your communicationsHow to move from AI experimentation to implementationCheck out the microsite PRMasterclasses.com for all the details including the speaker line-up.Here are some of the highlights from what Alex and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Some headline stats:Radio Weekly Reach is now 50m, 87% of UK adults, Live Radio Hours – Weekly stay strong at 20.5 HoursTV Hours – Weekly watching  (Barb April 2025) 16hrsBBC Share of Radio Listening 43%BBC vs Commercial Reach – WeeklyBBC – 31.3mCommercial – 39.8m Heart is now the UK's biggest radio brand by listeners- overtaking Radio 2. Commercial Stations on the RiseTalkSPORT UP from 3,253,000 to 3,506,000Heart Network UP from 10,058,000 to 10,192,000LBC News UP from 974,000 to 1,013,000Times Radio UP from 604,000 to 622,000GB News Radio UP from 468,000 to 559,000BBC Stations on the RiseBBC Radio Berkshire UP from 34,000 to 48,000BBC Radio Newcastle UP from 215,000 to 234,000BBC Radio Scotland UP from 745,000 to 827,000BBC Radio WM UP from 185,000 to 194,000BBC World Service (UK Reach) UP from 1,184,000 to 1,210,000Trends and Insights for PR folks:1. News and speech content holds valueLBC News, Times Radio, and GB News Radio all saw meaningful increases, especially in total hours. This suggests a sustained demand for news-driven formats, particularly in uncertain political and economic conditions. 2. Online and smart speaker radio listening have hit record levels demonstrating changing listening habits as more people opt to tune in via connected devices like laptops, mobile phones and smart speakers. Total online listening to all radio has reached a record high of 28.5%. As part of that, smart speaker listening has also hit record levels, now accounting for 17.6% of total listening, up from 16.6% in the same quarter of 2024. 3. Because of choice, radio networks and stations need to know their audience - Older audiences are spending more time listening. Classic hits and news-led services performed especially well, with older listeners helping drive growth in total hours. Stations like Boom Radio, Greatest Hits, and BBC Radio 3 are examples of this pattern. The strongest percentage increase in weekly reach belongs to Heart Musicals, which increased by 61 percent, from 134,00

In the fourth episode of the season — recorded during Mental Health Awareness Week (12-18 May, 2025) — Elizabeth Howlett, editor at PRmoment and Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment are joined by Nick Morey, co-CEO at Dynamo PR who explains how taking a counselling skills course improved his leadership skills. 

Ben Smith and Jack Peat discussed Taylor Herring's report, "News is Dead. Long Live the News," focusing on PR's adaptation to evolving newsroom structures and social media's transformative role in news generation and distribution. The report highlights the need for platform-specific content strategies, emphasizing authentic, visually engaging content tailored to algorithms and social newsroom preferences, moving away from a one-size-fits-all approach. Next steps include further exploring the implications of these trends and developing tailored PR strategies for different social media platforms.DetailsTaylor Herring Report Overview: Ben Smith and Jack Peat discussed Taylor Herring's report, "News is Dead. Long Live the News," which examines how mainstream publishers' editorial teams are structured and whether PR teams are adapting. The central premise is that PR firms are slow to mirror changes in modern newsrooms. They also discussed upcoming PRmoment events, including the PR Masterclass on AI in PR.Social Media's Transformative Role in News: Jack Peat highlighted social media's shift from a news distribution platform to a source and generator of news. They emphasized how social media upends every stage of the news cycle, with user-generated content playing a significant role.Evolving Relationship Between Publishers and Social Media: Ben Smith and Jack Peat explored the change in how publishers view social media, from using it for traffic to their digital platforms, to becoming a central source of news and audience engagement. They cited examples of publishers prioritizing social media channels with growing teams and significant investments.Platform-Specific Content Strategies: The report revealed that different publishers excel on different platforms. This highlights the need for tailored content strategies rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to PR. The success of publications like Lad Bible and Joe on TikTok and the Economist on X exemplify this.The Algorithm's Influence on Content Creation: Jack Peat noted that algorithms, rather than editors, are increasingly important, requiring PR to tailor content to specific platform algorithms. Editors, however, remain crucial in understanding their publications' voice and how to optimize content for their target platforms.The Shift from One-Size-Fits-All PR: The discussion emphasized the end of the "one-size-fits-all" PR content era, as social news desks seek authentic content tailored to their specific platform and audience. Sending lengthy press releases without visual assets or opportunities for the social news teams to create their own content is no longer effective.Types of Video Content Sought by Social Newsrooms: The podcast explored the type of video content preferred by social newsrooms; it's authentic, live-in-the-moment content, often shot on camera phones. The idea of providing "B-roll" footage that social newsrooms can then tailor to their own platform's style was suggested.The Growing Importance of Creators in Newsrooms: The conversation highlighted the shift in newsroom staffing, with a growing emphasis on creators who possess deep platform-specific knowledge rather than traditional journalism training. This trend is driving a change in the relationship between PR and publishers.Publishers' Evolving Commercialization Models: The discussion included the evolution of publishers' commercialization models on social media, moving from legacy platforms that rely on ad revenue and referrals, towards platforms like TikTok and Snap that use a "walled-garden" approach, and finally to the trend of publishers owning their audiences through subscriptions rather than renting their audience through advertising.