Podcasts about uk pr

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

Transparency - around salaries and parental leave policies at PR agencies - is the theme of PRWeek's latest podcast.PRWeek UK editor John Harrington and deputy editor Siobhan Holt are joined by Elena Lewis, data editor at PRWeek and sister title Campaign, to look at the big trends based on recent research.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting comms and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.The team discusses a new study by PRWeek that found only around one in four of the UK's biggest PR agencies post salaries on their job ads.They look at separate, newly-released research by PRWeek, as part of the UK Top 150 Consultancies project, into the proportion of agencies that have disclosed whether they pay the Living Wage or the London Living Wage.The Top 150 questionnaire also asked agencies to declare their parental leave policies - the trio discuss how many did, and examine some of the big trends in the policies.On the topic of transparency, UK PR agencies can submit their data for the upcoming Pay Gaps Report from PRWeek and People Like Us - click here for more information. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's it like looking for jobs in PR at the moment? That's the topic of PRWeek's latest Beyond the Noise podcast episode. This week we hear from two people with recent experience of the PR job market from the point of view of candidates.Our guests are Deekshima Khanna, who is about to complete an MA in Public Relations at the University of Salford, and is looking for her first job in UK PR having worked in comms in India; and Patricia Mihail, who has worked both agency-side and in-house in comms for 15 years and is seeking her next move.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting comms and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, our guests discuss their recent experiences of dealing with recruiters and comms employers directly.They talk about LinkedIn as a recruitment tool; the weight given to comms degrees; and how the market can seem ‘closed off', especially to people who didn't grow up in the UK.The duo discuss their experience of being ‘ghosted', and other poor practices, alongside examples of when the process has worked well for both sides.Our guests also give their take on new research by PRWeek, showing that only around one in four UK PR firms disclose salaries on job ads. They discuss the impact that AI might be having on PR recruitment and emphasise the importance of networking and "resilience" when job hunting.An earlier Beyond the Noise podcast looked at recruitment from the point of view of PR employers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The recent acceleration in CEO and MD departures and arrivals at major UK PR agencies is examined in PRWeek's latest Beyond the Noise podcast.The past few weeks have seen changes at the top of the UK or EMEA operations of big agencies including Edelman, MSL, FTI, Weber Shandwick, FleishmanHillard and Hotwire.Joining PRWeek's Siobhan Holt and John Harrington to discuss the trend is Amy Hayer, a partner at Hanson Search, a headhunting consultancy that specialises in recruiting C-suite comms leaders.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting comms and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.The trio talk about why the current trading climate may be fuelling the rate of change among senior leadership teams, and what skills and career experience agencies and holding companies want for their UK bosses.They also look at the extent to which bosses themselves may want to leave to try something different.The issue of agency leaders being recruited from in-house roles, and the counter-trend of agency chiefs moving client-side, is discussed. So too is the question of whether promotions from within have become less common and why there may be a generational shift. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Welcome to the latest PRmoment podcast. On the show today we're talking to Heather Blundell, the UK CEO of Grayling. Heather joined Grayling in late 2023 after a brief spell at Ketchum as deputy UK CEO. Before that she'd headed up Weber's Manchester office and been part of the leadership team at Weber in London.On the show today we're going to talk through Heather's career story, from her time as a trainee at Edelman, which she describes as “like SAS training” through to her MD role at Grayling today.Grayling has global revenues of £40m with about half of those in the UK. It has 30 offices globally.Clients include Visa, Birmingham Football Club and Grindr.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?How to build and scaling AI-powered PR toolsThe legal implications of AI in your communicationsThe intersection of PR and AI for in-house communicatorsHow to move from AI experimentation to implementationCheck 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 early bird entry deadline is Friday 16th May.Here's a summary of what Heather and PRmoment founder discussed:3 mins Heather on the current health of UK PR would you say?“The agency model and way of working is continuing to evolve.”“We're seeing clients be cautious.”“Pitching is more aggressive than ever.”8.30 mins Heather started her PR career at Edelman. Looking back, is that where she learnt how to be good at PR?“There was a high level of expected excellence. I've tried to emulate that throughout my career. It was a high challenge, high support culture.”15 mins How did Heather make the move from Edelman in London to Weber Shandwick in Manchester?16 mins Heather talks about the role Colin Byrne and Jon McLeod played in her becoming MD of Weber Shandwick Manchester aged 29.“Agencies must be a meritocracy, not a test of longevity.” Ben Smith19 mins How Heather and her team turned around the fortunes of Weber Shandwick in Manchester to have a fee income of about £5m and 40 odd employees in 2014.24 mins Heather and Ben reminisce about the PR legends that were Colin Byrne and Robert Phillips.Here is the link to the PRmoment Podcast with Colin Byrne, referenced in the show.28 mins Why did you leave Weber to go to Ketchum?29 mins What did Heather learn from her time at Ketchum?31 mins Heather on why she moved to Grayling.“Grayling is the first PR firm I've worked at where the UK business is bigger than the US. That makes a difference.”Here is the link to the PRmoment Podcast episode with Sarah Schofield reference on the show.35 mins In some ways, the defining trend of the l

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.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?How to build and scaling AI-powered PR toolsThe legal implications of AI in your communicationsThe intersection of PR and AI for in-house communicatorsHow to move from AI experimentation to implementationCheck 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 early bird entry deadline is Friday 16th May.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Here is this month's run down of the biggest PR pitch wins in April 2025:“Brands are hiring for what agencies can do, they are less fussed about who the agency is.”Here is a link to Ben Smith's podcast with W's Warren Johnson that was referred to in the show. Toyota and Lexis GB appointed Hope&Glory - Another big win for the UK consumer independent PR firm, it's a strategy and creative development brief.Heineken UK appointed  Blurred – Oversee corporate social impact strategy.Tik Tok appointed  Ready10 – Consumer PR for TikTok and TikTok Shop amidst security and content moderation concerns.Tesco appointed Pretty Green and Tin Man – New creative agency roster for consumer PR.Russell Hobbs/Remington appointed B The Communications Agency – PR, influencer, and social media for a 3-year contract.Dunelm appointed  Tin Man – Consumer and influencer PR to increase brand awareness.Channel 4 appointed Mischief – Launching TV series, including Handmaid's Tale final series.Plaidis Global appointed The Romans – UK savoury portfolio PR.Aperol appointed Manifest – Global PR and influencer strategy.Trip.com appointed Rooster – UK and European PR for online travel service provider.Heathrow Express appointed Splendid – Retained PR agency following a project on language masterclasses.Mountain Warehouse – Work and Class – Integrated communications account to inform customers globally.Michael Page – Words+Pixels – Consumer and B2B PR to raise the profile of the global recruiter.LNER – Brands2Life/Mischief/One Green Bean – Creative roster for the train operating company.Sky News – Mu

Show Notes:The current negative sentiment and noise around equity and inclusion can feel overwhelming. At such times it makes sense to step back and celebrate the work of organisations steadfast in their vision (there are many of them around). The Taylor Bennett Foundation (TBF) is one such organisation dedicated to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the communications industry that has been doing some stellar work to deliver on its purpose. I recently took the opportunity to invite Koray Camgöz, the new CEO of the TBF and one of the nicest people I know in the UK PR industry to talk about his priorities and focus.Koray has been a staunch advocate for building a fairer and more inclusive industry from his time at the PRCA, including championing the work of PRCA REEB and the EIAB. Always extending himself to support the cause. So, it was great to hear him reflect on his experiences including his recent stint at Ketchum and how it has shaped/prepared him for his current role as CEO. We also spoke about

How will Trump's tariff chaos impact UK public relations ? PR's H1 Review 2025 with W Communications founder Warren Johnson On the PRmoment podcast.Every six months or so I like to catch up with Warren Johnson from W Communications to talk about the financial state of UK PR.And as Q1 is done and dusted, Trump is having endless fun throwing tariffs at the global economy, and we've just finished the agenda setting PRmoment Awards season: now seems like a good time.And before we start, do check out the homepage of PRmoment. We're entering our pre summer golden events period and there is a LOT going on. We've got webinars, lunches, networking and face to face conferences and events.Everything is on the PR Calendar, which you can access from the homepage of PRmoment but do check out our next webinars:In an Era of Global Doubt: How can Brand Communications be Optimistic? On 29th April. This webinar is free to attend.And Creative Moment Creative Campaign Case Studies on 30th April, tickets are £35 + vatThanks to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Warren discussed:1.30 min How does Warren see the impact of Trump's Tariff Tax on public relations?“We are going into a tariff era… He's trying (misguidedly) to shift the burden of tax from income tax to tariff tax. Anyone who has studied economics knows that is not going to work.”“The randomness of them is going to sow quite a bit of economic uncertainty.”“I fear that just as we were starting to see quite an encouraging financial year ahead of us, I think many of us had a strong Q1, I fear that we're going to slip back into the great inertia post Covid.”4 mins Warren, PR's resident economist (he did an economics degree) gives us his insight into why tariffs are unlikely to work from an economics perspective.6 mins What are brand communicators likely to do about Trump? “Whilst there are opportunities there will be unexpected threats as well. I'm not sure where comms will net out.”“I don't think we've (PR) had more than 6-8 months to have a really good run at things since 2020."8 mins Warren reviews a very good Q1 performance for UK PR.13 mins Is the PR new business market still busy?14 mins Warren on the margin pressure currently experienced by agencies?“Constant procurement overreach, to the point of bullying.”Paid media briefs: how is paid media supporting editorial ideas?15.30 mins What PR services are clients buying?“Loads of influencer and a bespoke blend of integrated marketing services. I haven't seen a press office brief for 3 or 4 years.”19 mins Warren on the evolution of paid behind earned media creative across multiple channels, including media owners.

For those of us who've worked in PR for looong time, there were 3 things you could rely on in public relations:There would be someone at every measurement conference who couldn't resist the mention of AVE to start a fight/push their personal brand. There would be an endless analysis of the pluses and minuses of PRs 2 UK trade bodies. This would take up an inordinate level of discussion amongst UK PR people.And 3, the B2B tech PR sector would keep growing.Then 2022 happened. And all of that changed. We'll leave an analysis of PR's trade bodies conversation and AVEs for another day but today on this show we are going to chat with Hoffman CC Group's Dan Miles about a very interesting report he's recently authored discussing the impact of the tech recession on B2B tech marketing.B2B tech PR grew pretty consistently for about 20 years from 2000 to 2022. There were obviously a few downturns and bubbles bursting during that time but the PR B2B tech sector proved very resilient through all of that. Until 2022. I only know 3 B2B tech agency side PR guys, who when talking about 2022-24, don't lean back in their chair, take a sharp intake of breath and look to the ceiling!It was a properly tough period. But do we really understand why? Downturns happen, they are part of professional life, but in B2B tech marketing this was a 2 year period like no other.And as the B2B tech PR sector wasn't used to recessional downturns, it was especially hard. Perhaps B2B tech PR wasn't ready for the pain?Today on the show Dan Miles is going to try to explain to what happened, why it happened and what comes next for the B2B tech PR market. Just to say, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA4 mins Dan on why he decided to write this report? 7 mins Dan talks us through the methodology for the report: 400 in-house folks surveyed across B2B tech marketing and PR.8 mins Why was 2022 - 2024 a perfect storm for tech marketers? Do we know why that tech recession happened? “11,000 tech companies laid off 260,000 members of staff between 2022 and 2024.”“Hiring freezes meant there was a sense of having to do more with less.”11 mins How quickly did the tech PR market go from “Yep, we're alright”, to: “We've got a problem.”13 mins Why did the tech PR sector suffer so badly compared to other areas of public relations?20 mins How bad was the B2B tech PR downturn?:How many PR people got laid off?By what percentage did budgets decrease?Do we know how many tech PR firms went out of business?How long did the hiring freezes last?How long did the short term, “get sales in” activity last? What were these short term objectives/ tactics?28 mins What was the B2B tech PR sector like to work in during that time?“It got to the point in 2024 when you couldn't rust the brief. Because you didn't know whether the brief would be completely changed part way through the process or if the person (giving the brief) might disappear entirely!"32 mins In terms of the recovery, we're a bit beyond the green shoots stage aren't we? When did the B2B tech PR market start to turn?“It took until March this year (now) for us to be approaching bullish about growth.”35 mins Has the B2B tech market come out as a different thing, doing different things?

How have PR agencies adapted to April's tax increases and other cost rises? How do they feel about current trading generally? PRWeek UK's Beyond the Noise podcast takes a look. PRWeek journalists John Harrington (UK editor), Siobhan Holt (news editor) and Evie Barrett (senior reporter) delve into PRWeek UK's latest Top 150 Monthly Trading Tracker to see what agency bosses have been saying about recent trading.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.As increases to National Insurance Contributions, the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage come into effect, they discuss new research from the Trading Tracker that shows how UK PR agencies have been adapting.Freezing or scaling back recruitment and staff pay rises, and reducing freelance and other business costs, are among the steps taken by some comms agencies.We also hear what industry recruitment firm Latte has to say about the impact of April's cost increases on the PR recruitment market.On a lighter note, the journalists pick out their favourite April Fools' PR stunts, and ask: should brands still bother with the annual prankfest? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 March 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.Before we start, do check out the homepage of PRmoment. We're entering our pre summer golden events period and there is a LOT going on. We've got webinars, lunches, networking and face to face conferences and events.Everything is on the PR Calendar which you can access from the homepage of PRmoment but do check out our next webinars:In an Era of Global Doubt: How can Brand Communications be Optimistic? This webinar is on 29th April. This webinar is free to attend.Also check out this Creative Moment Creative Campaign Case Studies webinar on 30th April, tickets are £35 + vatAlso, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:PITCH WINSPapa Johns appoints The Romans – culture-first PR and social retained account; 6-figure brief to elevate brand creativity.Café Direct appoints Tin Man – UK PR and social for ethical coffee brand, Tin Man further expands its food division.Horlicks appoints Tangerine – Influencer and social brief for Kids Chocoland, targeting parents.Uber Boats appoints PC Agency – Global brief to promote London river bus service, including electric ferry launch.Sudocrem appoints Brazen – Extended PR, influencer, and social content to broaden audience reach.Stock Spirits Group appoints The Remarkables – EU brief for product launches, international expansion and ESG commitments.MGM+ appoints Academy – UK/EU retained agency for streaming platform's brand and content campaigns.Verify Me appoints Academy – Age verification tech provider; brief includes US and Europe expansion.O&CC appoints Brandnation – Integrated PR, influencer, marketing, and creative brief for retail brands.Segway Navimow appoints Sprekley PR – Launch of X3 robotic lawnmower with Paris event and product reviews.Molton Brown appoints PC Agency – Hotel amenities PR to increase hotel placements, B2B and B2C focus.Tristan Capital Partners appoints Duet London – Launch of Sicilian Ave in London as dining and social destination.Health Shield Friendly Society appoints Midnight – B2B brief to position as leading employee health benefits provider.SunLife appoints Third City – Raise awareness of financial services and promote new brand image.Love Finance appoints WPR – Paid social creative across TikTok and Meta for brand awareness and lead gen.The Brain Tumour Charity appoints Evergreen PR – GP education campaign to support faster brain tumour diagnosis.Capgemini appoints Fleishman Hillard – Global comms agency for integrated support and brand reputation management.Serco appoints MHP – Strategic and corporate comms brief for outsourcing company working with governments.Experience Oman appoints Finn Partners – PR and marketing to enhance awareness of Oman's tourism.M&A activityTogether Group acquired experiential tech agencies, Imerza and Visualisation One – expanding service lines in the luxury market with VR and game-engine tech.Sauce Communications buys a majority stake in The M Collective – creating The Sauce Collective, a luxury lifestyle PR and digital agency with 50 FTEs.Finn Partners acquired Rice C

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 a d acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in February 2025.Bloch  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.He launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020 and Big Dog Talent in January 2025There's a couple of new webinars that have gone live including The World's Greatest PR Research, which is a new topic, where we highlight the insight of some of the best PR related insight we've seen recently. Also now live is our free to attend Why PR has an attention advantage on social with the folks from Tangerine. Tickets are now available for both The PRmoment Awards shows, including the London Ceremony at Park Plaza Westminster on Thursday 27 March 2025 and the Manchester Ceremony at Manchester Hall on Thursday 3 April 2025.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Bloch and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:This month's run down of the biggest PR pitches:Linkedin appoint KetchumNomad Foods appoint BursonHusqvarna appoint BursonHello Fresh/Green Chef appoint John DoeField Doctor appoint Shook IFIT+ Nordic Track appoint ShookOrdnance Survey re appoint MarkettiersAutotrader appoint Hope & GloryThe Growth Foundation appoint Words+Pixels Disaronno appoint Mercieca Oxford Landing Wines appoint FrankGu appoint Tin ManRadisson appoint WUtility Warehouse appoint Here Be DragonsTravel Supermarket appoint JBHThis month's biggest M&A activity in public relationsStagwell merged Hunter and KWT GlobalConnect Group (Strategic Comms) acquire majority stake in Linco, an Edinburgh based Public Affairs Publicis acquire BR Media Group

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 Jan 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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.There's a couple of new webinars that have gone live including The Worlds Greatest PR Research, which is a new topic, where we highlight the insight of some of the best PR related insight we've seen recently.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.1 mins Why Andrew is feeling optimistic about 2025.2 mins This month's round up of PR's biggest pitch wins:The Children's Society appoint Smarts Oxfam appoint  Hope & GloryAdidas Manchester Marathon appoint  PHASport in Mind mental health charity appoint  Work in ClassRemy Cointreau appoint LXBella + Duke (pet wellbeing) appoint Aisle 8Napo Pet Insurance appoint  Munch for PR – Flabbergast for Social mediaGenerator (global hospitality brand) appoint  Munch and FlabbergastGrenade appoint Tin ManFor Goodness Shakes appoint  Rooster National Lottery Operator (Allwyn Group) appoint M&C SaatchiAlton Towers appoint  Smoking GunHolocaust Memorial Day appoint AtalantaHublot (LVMH) appoint WYo Sushi appoint EarniesBudweiser brewing Group appoint Hanover.Air Canada appoint PC AgencyGovernment Digital Service appoint Four24 mins This month's run down of M&A in public relations:Stagwell set to acquire UniceptaStagwell acquire Create GroupMarketbridge (US marketing firm) acquire April Six – Part of Mission Group (listed holding company)Cavendish acquire Deryn

How prepared is UK PR for the AI revolution? PRWeek's latest Beyond the Noise podcast episode takes a look.Our guests this week have been looking at that question as part of a major study: Jo Sutherland, MD at comms agency Magenta Associates; and Dr Tanya Kant, senior lecturer in media and cultural studies (digital media) at the University of Sussex.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest issues affecting communications and PR. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Sutherland and Kant discuss the survey from last year of 1,100 UK-based content writers and managers working in PR, comms or marketing.The duo explain the background to the research and choose their top lessons from the study, which looks at what proportion of comms professionals are using AI, what they think of the tools, and how many have received training. The report – ‘CheatGPT? Generative text AI use in the UK's PR and communications profession' – also asks about ethical and legal concerns.Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, our guests discuss the biggest barriers to AI success for comms professionals, including an apparent lack of sufficient training.They talk about upcoming regulations around the technology, the dangers of ‘AI fatigue', and offer practical advice for PR professionals who want to get ahead. Sutherland also gives the lowdown on Magenta's experience with AI – including how the agency secured money from the Government's AI Upskilling fund, which covers 50 per cent of the PR firm's AI training.This week's episode is the second in a row on AI. Last week we spoke to Erin Lanuti, chief innovation officer at Omnicom PR Group, who discussed DeepSeek's dramatic entry to the AI market and what it might mean for the comms industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on the PRmoment Podcast we're talking to Latte founder Dean Connelly about the PR recruitment market in 2024. The reason for analysing the recruitment market in PR is that it tends to reflect the confidence of the sector. If firms are recruiting, they are feeling confident, if they are not recruiting they tend to be more concerned about the future.Latte is a PR recruiter in London and Sydney and Dean founded the firm in 2016.Before we start, we've now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications. Early bird ticket prices are available until December 20th.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite. For some more perspective on the current PR recruitment market, take a look at this Linkedin discussion.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Dean discussed:3 mins Dean outlines the current state of the PR recruitment market.“We're seeing more corporate and tech roles coming through but consumer is quiet.”“The first half of the year for us in consumer was quite busy but it's seen a steady decline.”6 mins Why the move to project income and shorter turnaround times on briefs has impacted the recruitment sector for full time employees.9 mins Which sectors are up/down in PR recruitment currently?“One consistent message is inconsistency.”“Covid growth meant unrealistic financial targets were set.”14 mins Dean runs us through his PR recruitment heat thermometer for Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.15 mins The most in demand jobs titles: Account manager to account director.17 mins Which job titles are less in demand?18 mins Dean outlines his talent trends of 2024 and predictions for 2025.

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 2024.If you haven't heard already I'm pleased to say we've now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement event. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open. The final entry deadline is on January 17th. Miss it and miss out!Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.JANUARYPitchesIceland appointed TangerineHenkel appointed BCW/BursonMinistry of Justice appointed KindredAirbnb  appointed The Romans.M&AMerger of BCW and H+K to become Burson and create a £1bn + agency.Bully Pullpit Interactive acquired Boldt. FEBRUARYPitches“This is often the hangover from the Golden Quarter Pitches that start to get announced.”Bolt appointed Boldspace.Burger King appointed The Academy.British Gas appointed Smarts. M&A SEC Newgate acquired a 70% stake (over 5 years) in Athens HQ V+O Group.Real Chemistry acquired Avant Healthcare -Havas acquired Ledger Bennett. MARCHPitchesPepsi appointed Hope & Glory.“The first change for Pepsi in 14 years. This was a big big brief.”Taco Bell appointed Earnies.“You never forget your first win'Pizza Express appointed Pretty Green. M&AMHP acquired La Plage (creative content above the line agency). First acquisition for MHP since its acquisition by Next15.W acquired Franses,Havas appointed WildernessAPRIL PitchesWilliam + Grant appointed Exposure.Shark Ninja appointed  BursonTinder appointed The AcademyCarlsberg appointed Hope&GloryEA appointed Premier.M&AAccenture bought Unlimited“In my mind one of the smartest deals that was done this year.”WPP announced that leading global investment firm KKR has made a growth investment in FGS Global.“WPP has focused on releasing cash and consolidation and they've done that impeccably well.”“The holding companies and the big private equity firms have all realised that scale is important.”MAYPitchesEDF appointed Tin Man/Lucky Generals“What we've seen in consumer PR is... the agencies who went into the year strongest, have come out even stronger.”Reebok appointed Brand Nation.Pringles appointed Mischief MHP.Unilever appointed Golin“Nothing beats the UK, no one comes close, in terms of strategic creativity.”M&APagefield sells to PPHC.JUNE/JULYPITCHESFamous Grouse appointed Pretty Green.B&Q appointed Romans.Homebase appointed Aduro.The Independent appointed W.WRAP appointed Kindred.National Grid appointed 9 agencies to a “Community Agency Framework” for next 3 years – Grayling, Cavendish, Lexington, Aecom, Arup, Camargue, Copper, grasshopper, JBP.M&APublicis acquired Influential.Havas - acquired a controlling stake in Klareco Communications.Prime Weber Shandwick – MBO. AUGPITCHESMoet Hennessy appointed Earnies - wines and spirits division of LVMH.Dept for Education appointed FourArla Foods -appointed City Press.  

A slightly different and shorter podcast today to briefly talk about Agency proof points, PR agency growth rates and The PRmoment Awards early entry deadline is this Friday 13 DecemberI've just finished some analysis of the top 100 agencies in the UK looking at the number of full-time employees they have. The source was LinkedIn, so it's not a foolproof measure, but it gives a decent indication of the employee hiring growth and decline of UK agencies.One caveat would be that I can see there's an argument that bearing in mind the increase in project income, relative to retained income, PR firms may have increased their use of freelancers compared to full-time employees. A deeper dive analysis of these stats will be revealed over the coming weeks, but one top line stat is that of the 100 largest agencies in the UK, the average full-time employee growth over the last 12 months is 2.5%.This, in a UK PR market that by and large seems to be picking up.Whether FTE growth will follow the current gentle momentum to growth of the UK's PR sector, remains to be seen. I've asked a handful of people in the last month or so, if during this golden quarter, on a score of 1-10, if 5 was normal, where are we at at the moment from a new business/pitch busyness perspective.PR agency CEOs and the like seem to put PR on a score of 5/6 currently. This time last year they'd put us PR's pitching busyness barometer at a score of 2/3. So relatively speaking, we're on the up.From PRmoment's Linkedin analysis of the number of FTE of PR firms - there are some really interesting trends when it comes to the type of businesses that are growing or plateauing and I'll be sharing that insight over the next few weeks.Which leads me on to my point about the PRmoment Awards. Some agencies have grown their number of FTE's at 15%+ percent over the past 12 months. But not many. When it comes to your PRmoment Award entries it's an opportunity for you to shout about your work.The vast majority of entries for The PRmoment Awards are campaign lead.If you've got a compelling agency of the year story, then go for it. And as per my FTE analysis, it's a different marketplace now. Across the board, relatively growth rates have been suppressed compared to the post Covid boom. But much of the work I see coming out of UK PR firms is excellent. Clients are getting integrated work across multiple channels. They are getting good value. And they are getting better strategy and creativity than at any time since I started working in the sector. (2004 if you're interested!)A number of PR agencies have reduced revenue, retained profits but they're still doing outstanding work and the PRmoment Awards can be your proof point of the quality of that work.A PRmoment Award is a proof point of that work to clients. And proof points are really important for PR agencies and indeed in-house PR teams.  If you're thinking of entering the PRmoment Awards, the early entry deadline is on the 13th of December, and the final entry deadline is on the 17th of January. If you are a regular listener of this podcast, and don't enter already, go on, take the jump and enter the awards - join many of your peers.It's also probably worth mentioning at this point that we offer an excellent feedback loop for anyone who doesn't make the shortlist. More details about how this works can be viewed on the PRmoment Awards microsite - but I'd argue this functionality alone makes entering the PRmoment Awards a uniquely useful benchmarking exercise for the quality of your work

Send us a textWelcome 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 November 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.If you haven't heard already I'm pleased to say we've now launched our PR Masterclass: The Intersection of Data, Planning and Measurement event. Attend this PR Masterclass to hear from experts on the latest techniques, tools and case studies about the use of data in modern communications.The other big news in public relations is that the PRmoment Awards 2025 are open.All the categories, the updated entry form and the 2025 entry pack can be viewed on the awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.3 mins Andrew on the current state of the PR market. How does the golden quarter compare to previous years.“Measurement is more critical than it ever has been.”PITCHES DFS appoint Red Consultancy and PR First. Teneo continues to work on financial comms.“Everyone loves a retail client.”Simply Business appoint Golin. Danone appoint Freuds.“This is a whopper… a fame making brief.”“The best agencies have had very good years organically (growth.)” Pret A Manger appoint Frank. Headland continues looks after corporate pr Levis appoint Burson – corp reputation brief  across the EU.  Stanley 1913 appoint The Romans – pr and influencer for drinkware brand (best known for Stanley cups – the quencher) UK, France, Germany, Netherlands. Product launches, brand partnerships.  Apply creative with local relevance. PG Tips appoint The Romans – retained pr and social- engaging tea lovers across UK. PG Tips now part of Liptons (formerly Unilever) Rebrand – new blends, packaging etc. previously a project client. Digital and social now a third of all biz for Romans. Cayman Islands Tourism Dept appoint Allison. Essity appoint PR Agency One.  B2B comms brief to raise the profile of the group and reinforce position as industry and category leader across brands. Fed Olsen Cruises appoint The Academy – consumer pr. Targeting new and existing passengers. Previously in-house.Tui (First Choice/Marella Cruises) appoint Ogilvy for a long term comms strategy and earned first activation. First Choice merged with TUI in 2007. Nest, the UK Government backed pension scheme, appoint H+K (now part of Burson) – Corporate reputational support services. Also work with Blurred to help promote purpose PR strategy.Uni of Warwick appoint Shook This month's round up of M&A activity:“This has been a boom month for the PR M&A sector.” Croud sell majority stake to ECI (PE) – Croud is a full service marketing company. Croud is estimated to be worth £180M+. Fee income of £23.5M.“Croud is one to watch for sure.” Coolr sell minority share to Growth Capital Partners (GCP.) Founded in 2017 by Adam Clyne. 120 full time employees (FTEs.) This acquisition will help deepen service offering and scale quicker including i

Send us a textWelcome 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 October 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, check out the programme for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum. It's on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London. Face-to-face tickets are expected to sell out, so if you want to come along, don't hang about.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA1.30 mins Andrews run down of this months biggest pitch wins“It's decent, the budget has created some uncertainty…its picked up a little slowed than I had expected post the summer but there's plenty going on.”Formula E hires Soapbox – Soapbox also look after Matchroom Boxing, Pro Darts Corporation, Under Armour, AJ, Luke Littner and Eddie Hearn.Primark hire Weber Shandwick to support global trust and reputation projects. Asos hires The Earnies for consumer comms.Typhoo also hire The Earnies G- Shock hire Kingdom Collective – National Energy System Operator (NESO) – Britain's new energy body responsible for planning Britain's electricity and gas networks – appoint Brands2Life to deliver brand strategy and Eulogy to create a national advertising campaign.Bafta film awards hire DDA Pooch (healthy premium dog food company) & Mutt hire Munch Dave's Hot Chicken hire Cut The bull Epson, the global tech company hire Kindred ESG brief for internal and external audiences. Ena Athletics, the premium performance sportswear brand hire Brand Nation San Miguel hire MSL –XIX Vodka hire Sunny Side Up. Honda hire Exposure Monopoly Lifesized hire One Green Bean.21 mins Andrew talks us through this month's biggest PR M&A deals.“There's been a lot of people trying to get things through because of the budget”Auspicious Group – A new creative services agency is formed via acquisition of 2 film companies.  Studio Yes and Blue Chalk Media.  3 businesses already have 40FTEs and $7m revenue.Run by Rachel Pendered, co-founder of Media Zoo who will be co CEO alongside Barnaby Cook co-founder of Casual Films and Mark Killik also previously from Media Zoo. Helios Global Group (healthcare comms) gets backing from Telemos Capital (PE). Berkeley Communications acquire Danebury Research – a PR survey company. Blue Communications acquire Saltwater Stone.

The big talking points from the PRWeek UK Awards are the focus of the latest edition of PRWeek's Beyond the noise podcast.More than 800 people from across the industry were at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Wednesday for UK PR's biggest event of the year - view the winners here.PRWeek's Danny Rogers (editor-in-chief), John Harrington (UK editor) and Siobhan Holt (news editor) are your commentators this week to examine the stories behind the 2024 PRWeek UK Awards.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.After talking about their own experiences of the evening, the PRWeek trio examine how the awards have evolved over the years, including the growing presence of in-house teams.They look at some of the main winners this year and discuss trends around purpose, humour, AI and the role of the classic PR stunt.The journalists also give a 'shout out' to the winners and highly commended entrants in some of the agency and in-house categories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 September.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, make sure you get your tickets quick for our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum . It's on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London.“Honestly, I had one of the most fascinating and useful days of my career. I can't think of anything that needed improvement. The quality of the speakers was phenomenal. Thank you!”PR Agency, director “The best day I've spent at work for ages!”PR Agency, director “What an incredible line-up of speakers!”PR agency, founder 1 min This month's rundown of the biggest PR pitch wins Reed Employment – Soho Communications.  Corporate and consumer brief,  Soho was founded by James Henderson the former CEO of Bell Pottinger in 2018. NHS - £500M framework – will run to 2028 – for consultancy and advisory services for health. Divided into 10 lots one of which is for ‘communications, engagement and research”. 27 firms were selected. The potential of £45M value. Include agencies such as Engage Communicate Facilitate (ECF), Freshwater UK, and Lynne Group. Mars Pet Foods – Brands 2 Life will lead social across Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. Including influencer and paid. Kellanova (the new name for Kellogs, who own Pringles, Pop Tarts, etc.) appointed Tin Man for the US brand Cheez-It UK launch. Bassetts Vitamins – Tin Man – consumer PR brief for leading vitamins brand. Earned first, creative, press office and influencer. Motorway – Romans – Consumer PR brief. Fight or Flight handles corporate comms.  Nationwide – Romans: consumer PR brief to raise awareness of the financial services brand with younger audiences and families. Greggs – Here Be Dragons:  Project basis on consumer activations. Zurich Insurance – Boldspace: Corporate press office. Handled two projects earlier in the year, now retained. Gordon Ramsey Restaurants– H/Advisors Maitland– global corp comms. The plan is to build out the restaurant groups' corporate profile and engage with key audiences. World Travel & Tourism Council – Finn Partners  – global comms for the launch of the ‘Together in Travel' comms campaign. Currys – Red – Press office and creative. Increase awareness of expertise, range and relatable playful brand tone ahead of Black Fri and Xmas.  Hitachi Zero Carbon – Brands 2 Life – EMEA, APAC and N America. The brief is to increase brand awareness for this division of Hitachi, which is on a mission to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon world largely by converting public transport and commercial fleets to electric vehicles.Ellen McArthur Foundation – Kindred – Kindred will support the charity's media and comms team to develop and amplify stories across the UK, US and EU with particular focus on food and plastics projects.Kidney Cancer UK – PHA Group – The brief is to support the charity's press office and long term awareness raising mission.20 mins This month's rund

PR's pay gaps, and how to close them, are the focus of the latest episode of PRWeek's Beyond the Noise podcast.This week has seen the launch of the 2024 Pay Gaps Report from PRWeek and People Like Us, which sees UK PR agencies reveal their own gender and ethnicity pay gaps alongside analysis of the big trends.To discuss the findings are Sheeraz Gulsher, co-founder of People Like Us; Jo Carr, co-founder of PR agency Hope&Glory and president of Women in PR; and Paul Joseph, partner at PR agency Full Fat.Beyond the Noise looks at some of the biggest communications and PR issues. Download the podcast via Apple, Spotify, or listen on your favourite platform.Speaking to PRWeek UK editor John Harrington, our guests disect the big themes from the Pay Gaps Report and talk about progress in pay parity across the industry more generally.They discuss their disappointment at the continued lack of participation from the UK's biggest agencies.Carr and Joseph speak about steps taken at their agencies to close pay gaps.The guests put the findings in the context of the comms market more generally and discuss whether Labour's plans for mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting for larger firms may change the project in the future.Finally, the trio each give their top tip for closing PR's pay gaps. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 summer of 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum has now launched. It's on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London.“There is momentum building. We're going into the golden quarter.”“My observation is that the same agencies are doing very well, but there are some agencies that are struggling.”“As always, it's important to keep an eye on your margins.”“Brands are being cautious…there's a fair bit of try before you buy."“Everything is going in the right direction. The work being done by agencies is bold.”The summer's PR Pitch wins:Castore hires Pretty Green. Famous Grouse also hires Pretty GreenB&Q hires The RomansIkea franchisee Ingka Centres hires The RomansVirgin Voyages also hires The Romans The Independent hires W Communications. All Things Butter hires MunchZenDesk hires AxicomHomebase hires Aduro Jammie Dodgers (Fox's Burton Biscuits) hire FrankEvri hires CitypressBrewdog hires Ilk UK Export Credit Agency hires EulogyWRAP hires KindredOpen Table hires LaunchNational Grid hires nine agencies to its “community agency framework” for the next three years, namely Grayling, Cavendish, Lexington, Aecom, Arup, Camargue, Copper, grasshopper and JBP.The summer's M&A activityWPP exit FGS Global - KKR takes majority control - valuing the company at $1.7B$AKT Health sells to JPA Health, the US HQ full-service healthcare group. Ascential (formerly known as Emap) to be acquired by Informa - £1.2bn cash offer deal.  Ascential owns Cannes Lions and Warc, a deal which is subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. Ascential is FTSE 250 - Cannes Lions generated 131M last year with an EBIT of 55M+.  Publicis acquires Influential - a leading influencer marketing platformHavas - acquires controlling stake in Klareco Communications - 3rd acquisition this year to add to global strategic advisory network H/Advisors.Prime Weber Shandwick – MBO – Swedish creative PR agency bought ten years ago.  Will now operate as an affiliate owned by five members of the leadership team. Will remain a close partner in the network. Supreme Group (A US Healthcare and Life Science Comms and Marketing) acquires Bio Strata (a Cambridge based life science pr and marketing.)

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 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, we'd like to let you know that our PR Masterclass: Agency Growth Forum has now launched. It's on 12th November 2024, 8:30 am to 5:00pm GMT. Both face-to-face and virtual tickets are available. The event is held in central London.3 mins July's run down of PR Pitch winsMoet Hennessy appoint Earnies Pernod Ricard Champagne appoint Hopscotch SeasonBrown Forman appoint Taylor Herring and HalpernBrooks Running appoint Sunny Side UpBest Cereal also appoint Sunny Side UpDept for Education appoint Four Harvard win 16 new clients in H1 of 2024Arla Foods appoint CitypressWho Can Fix My Car appoint Hard Numbers World Travel Market appoint Davies Tanner 12 mins July's M&A Activity in UK PRWPP reject KKR (PE) majority bid for FGS Global - KKR currently owns 30% of FGS.W Communications - sells the majority of shares to an Employee Ownership Trust.Muckle Media buys Spey, which are both Scottish-based. Finn Partners acquires Claudine Collins Communications.MHP Group acquires Truva Partners.

In our twice-yearly review of the UK PR market PRmoment founder Ben Smith catches up with Warren Johnson.Warren founded W Communications in 2009. It now has global revenues of £25m and a headcount of 200, with 120 in London at W, 40 at its travel PR specialist Lotus, 25 in Singapore, and 15 in New York.Do check out the agency and in-house programmes for our new education programme PRmoment Leaders.PRmoment Leaders is our new subscription-based learning programme and community, built by PRmoment specifically for the next generation of PR and comms leaders to learn, network and lead.Thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.1. 30 mins Warren reveals why and how he has just sold his business, W Communications, to an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT.)“It's a government-backed business structure designed to help business owners pass on their business, realise some value from it…and pass it into the hands of the next generation.”11 mins Warren discusses the performance of the PR market for H1 2024.“It's a bit of a slog. The economy is still pretty weak. There is a lot of nervousness client side.”“Productivity is poor. The Brexit impact is ongoing.”“We (the UK) are managing our decline not very well.”“A lot of the top agencies are doing a great job of land grabbing from other industries.”20 mins Why Warren worries about UK PR's productivity.“Hybrid working has run its course…10% of the UK PR industry lost their jobs last year. If those people were all productive I just don't believe they would have lost their jobs.”“I don't know a single agency which hasn't reduced their headcount in the last 12 months.”“Hybrid working reduces productivity…in specialist roles, I can see how it can boost productivity in generalist roles, I question its value.”“At pace is how I build my business…I just think not being around each other breeds legacy behaviour. All businesses need to re-invent themselves at a quicker pace and if you can't work together to do that, you will become obsolete.”

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 June 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start,a reminder that the final entry deadline for the Creative Moment Awards is coming up on Friday, June 28th. So you need to get a wriggle on if you've got good creative work that you want to enter this year.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment podcast founder Ben Smith discussed:“It feels like confidence is building and returning, especially in the consumer sector.”5 mins Andrew updates us on Jumnes biggest PR pitch wins:  The Academy wins Fullers London Pride Alfred wins Perfect DraftHere Be Dragons wins Koppaberg Premier win Wireless Festival - (Live Nation)Tin Man win Blue Light CardStakked and Munch win Netflix Buying London Cast and separarelty KabutoW win Extreme EHatch win British CyclingTin Man/Lucky Generals win EDF“This was an integrated pitch where the client wanted the PR agency and the ad agency to come together at the outset to create a campaign that had earned at its heart.”The Earnies win The Royal Academy of Engineering Brand Nation win reebok Wild Card win Ask Italian - TrunkBBI win MoonpigUnlimited Group win National Highways Coolr win BritvicPitch win global brief for les MillsMischief MHP win PringlesShook win SoareThe Heard - Monster EnergyGolin win Unilever 36 mins This month's M&A run down:Pagefield sells to PPHC Candid (a Netherlands-based marketing and comms group) acquires Houston PRLewis acquires Tayburn

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast. On the show today, we're chatting with Michael Murphy and we're going to talk about Michael's guide to buying, selling and growing your PR firm.Michael is an advisor and non-executive for a range of PR firms. Notably, he's helped WE since 2014. He also currently works with Coverdale Barclay, Alfred, and Lodestone, amongst others. Previously, he was CEO of APAC and CEO of International at Weber Shandwick from 1993 – 2000,  CEO of Trimedia International from 2004 – 2009 and Global CEO of Grayling from 2009 – 2013.Before we start, a plug for our new subscription training service for senior folks within agencies' PRmoment Leaders. The line-up of speakers for the first semester is now complete. Do take a look - I think you'll be impressed!Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here is a summary of what Michael and I discussed:2 mins What advice would Michael give to PR agency owners who are thinking of selling their business?“Most business owners believe their business is worth more than it often is…many have inflated ideas of their worth.”“No offence to the trade media, but often the maximum possible price (the earn-out figure) is talked about as the price in the (article) headline.”“I know lots of agency owners who have sold their business and it has been a success. I know others where it has been an unmitigated disaster. You have to remember, you're giving up your baby. You're giving up your freedom. “You're likely to only sell your business once in your life, so you better get it right.”6 mins Why do PR agency owners want to sell their businesses?“The (PR agency) market is littered with small and medium-sized firms.”“You need to build around you people who will challenge you.”“PR is a tough game. If you don't enjoy it - get out.”12 mins What are PR firms' owners' exit options? Who are their likely buyers? Michael gives us an insight into the advantages and disadvantages of each.“There's never been a better time to sell your business. There is so much interest in the sector. So much money.”13 mins What's the rough ratio to profit that PR agency owners can expect to get upfront, compared to what they get in an earn out?“The cultural fit of who you sell to is at least as important as the cash.”“Private equity is much more prevalent in the sector than it used to be.”PR owners exit options are:Trade buyersPrivate equity buyersManagement Buy Outs (MBO)Employment Ownership Trusts (EOTs)Don't sellBecome an acquirer of other PR firms.“So many people think about selling, don't do it and wait until it's too late…they have something that's worth a pittance to what it was worth a few years ago.”23 mins What skills should agency owners look for when they choose an advisor for a sale?25 mins What do PR agency acquirers look for when purchasing? Or, conversely, how can you prepare your PR agency for sale?29 mins How do you get to a sensible valuation of your PR firm?31 mins The likes of W Communications and The Romans are UK PR firms trying to increase their international offer, but Michael remains surprised that more UK firms don't utilize the UK's access to finance to more aggressively to scale their businesses globally.“We're (the UK) is the number two centre for comms and PR and public affairs outside North America - we're renowned for our scale, our expert

Welcome to our April 2024 Review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch, where we will discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in April 2024.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, a plug for our new subscription training service for senior folks within agencies' PRmoment Leaders. The line-up of speakers for the first semester is now complete, and even if I say it myself - it's almost perfect! Do take a look at this semester-based career development programme, details are on the homepage of PRmoment.Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment podcast founder Ben Smith discussed:2 mins April's PR pitch update:“The volume of briefs has significantly increased in the last month.”“If the tide hasn't quite turned, it's turning.” Hovis appoints Clarion.Brixton Brewery (Heineken) appoints Fanclub. Brompton Bikes appoints The Romans. 19 Crimes - part of Treasury Wine Estates Portfolio appoints Manifest.  Scottish Widows Life Insurance and Pensions provider appoints Team Spirit -and The Agency Partnership.The Macallan appoints Havas Red.William + Grant appoints Exposure. HM Treasury appoints Teneo and Lexington Renault appoints Ready 10Motorway appoints Fight or Flight - Shark Ninja  appoints Burson - Tinder appoints The Academy Carlsberg appoints Hope&Glory“One of the biggest briefs out there in consumer PR.”EA appoints Premier Hootsuite appoints Words + Pixels“A game-changing account for Words+Pixels, potentially,” Cancer Research appoints Shook  April's M&A updateAccenture buys UnlimitedWPP announced that leading global investment firm KKR has made a growth investment in FGS Global Together Group (owner of Purple) buys Frame PublicityCavendish - expand into NI and ROI with the acquisition of MCE

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast. On the show today, I'm chatting with Jules Herd. Jules is the founder of PR agency Five in a Boat, which she started six years ago. It's a tech PR firm with a fee income of about £750K. The business mainly does reputation advisory work, so it is at the more serious end of the PR spectrum. Looking to the future, Five is a Boat is looking to double in size and wants to launch in San Francisco in the short term.Five in a Boat has grown for five years since its launch, but like many tech PR firms worldwide, it has had a tougher last twelve months or so.If you're wondering, the name Five in a Boat is a nod to Jule's rowing prowess!On the show today, Jules and I will discuss whether UK PR agency founders have lost their confidence in recent times and no doubt we'll chat about a bunch of other stuff.Before we start, a plug for our new subscription training service for senior folks within agencies' PRmoment Leaders. The line-up of speakers for the first semester is now complete, and even if I say it myself - it's almost perfect!Do take a look at our latest PR Masterclass: PR and AI. I'm tremendously excited about it because we've filtered out the snake oil salesmen, the bluffers, and the AI dead ends to create it. It really is an exceptional programme of speakers. It's only been live for a couple of days but already tickets are going quickly.If you're wondering why you should attend?Well, AI is going to impact all of our businesses. Whether you've already begun your professional AI journey or if you're looking for advice on where to start - this Masterclass will help you.At this one event, 12 experts will give 10 Masterclasses on PR & AI. All the details are on the PRmoment.com homepage.Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Julia and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discuss:2 mins Why does Julia think UK PR firms have lost their entrepreneurial confidence?“There has been a reticence to take risks since COVID, work environments have changed and people have become more reliant on being able to have a better work-life balance, which I'm an advocate of. The downside to that is the sense of ambition has dissipated.”7 mins Are UK PR firms losing their ambition?“There's not this drive that there was five years ago on the sector.”“(In the UK) the younger generation…if you come last in a race, you get a medal.  If you apply that to the business world, that isn't good. Business is about elite performance.”9 mins Being aggressive in business is much easier if a) you've got lots of money in the back or b) you're spending someone else's money. Most PR agency founders in the start-up stage don't have those luxuries, do they?“Failure is not trying at all… Nothing is going to be perfect in life.”“50% our our clients are non UK clients.”“We get most of our new saints through cold calls.”12 mins The games industry made up 70% of Five in a Boats fee income 12-18 months ago. That sector has cut back on its PR spending heavily. How has Five in a Boat managed that shift from one sector to other areas of work?

Welcome to our March 2024 Review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch, where we will discuss the biggest, most seismic pitch wins and mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2023.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 launched Andrew Bloch & Associates in 2020.Before we start, here is a plug for our latest launch:  our new subscription training service for senior folks within agencies' PRmoment Leaders. Do take a look and let us know if you like it.And if you fancy joining us at the PRmoment Awards in either London or Manchester you need to get your tickets quick.Thanks also so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2.30 mins Andrews updates us on this month's PR Pitch winsPukka Organic Herbal teas appoint Grayling.Global Brands (who own VK and Hooch) appoint Prohibition.Pepsi appoint Hope & Glory.Taco Bell appoint EarniesPopeyes appoint The Romans.Pizza Express appoint Pretty GreenCook appoint Don't Cry Wolf.Carlsberg Group appoint Richmond & Towers for a global PR and social media strategy for Brooklyn Brewery brand.National Hockey League appoint Mischief.Casio appoint Kingdom Collective - (Part of Splendid group.)Nobu Hotel appoint W Communications.Franks Hot Sauce appoint Pangolin.18 mins A discussion of the state of the PR new business market at the moment.“It's not a bed of roses for everyone, but there is still business out there.”You have to show resilience and dig deep. ..running an agency is always a bit of a roller coaster. It's often a question of how quickly you come out of the dips. It's not plain sailing. Anyone who runs an agency and tells you it's a piece of cake, I'd call them a liar.”19 mins A round-up and discussion of March's M&A activity.21 mins Ruder Finn acquire Atteline - expanding its Middle East and global footprint.Woodrow has formed a partnership with Paris-based Taddeo to expand both organisations' work across the UK and Europe. Jim Donaldson, the former CEO of Fleishman Hillard, joined Woodrow as non-exec chair in February this year.Stagwell acquire Sidekick. Sidekick launched in 2021 after the merger of experiential agency Kreate and content agency Many Makers.MHP acquired creative content above-the-line agency La Plage.Havas acquires Wilderness in its second acquisition this year already.

Welcome to our February 2024 Review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch, where we will discuss the biggest, most seismic pitch wins and mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2023.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 was also co-founder and managing partner at PR agency Frank, before stepping back in 2020 to found Andrew Bloch & Associates.A quick mention about the relaunch of PRmoment. If you take a look at PRmoment.com, you'll see a brand new design with lots of new features, hopefully, easier navigation and also the launch of our new subscription training service for senior folks within agencies' PRmoment Leaders. Do take a look and let us know if you like it.Thanks also so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins Andrew talks us through this month's biggest PR pitch wins in the UK:Tortilla, the Mexican fast food restaurant,  appoints PR agency Houston.Orlebar Brown - a luxury swimwear brand owned by Chanel - appoints PR agency W.Bolt appoints PR agency BoldspaceBurger King appoints PR agency The AcademyVersuni (Philips brand owner) appoints PR agency Smoking Gun.(Ketchum continues to partner with Philips. Tin Man continues to handle global comms.)Heineken's trade PR goes to food and drink  PR specialist Fleet StreetBallantines Whisky appoints Pangolin on a global brief.M&C Sport and Ents retain the global music brand strategy brief and Firstlight Group handle corporate comms.Four Seasons appoints Red - replaces PRCO after a 30-year client-agency relationship.Greggs appoint That Lot for a social media brief.Santander appoints two agencies - Lansons Team Farner for its consumer PR and MHP for its public affairs work.eToro appoints Lansons/Team Farner on a combined corp and brand brief.British Gas appoints Smarts for a consumer PR brief. (Working alongside BCW)“If there is a lack of long-term client commitment you have to adjust your cost base accordingly. The great agencies do that.”“We don't do this for fun. There is no point running an agency that doesn't make any money.”16 mins Andrew talks us through February's M&A activity:Faith Brand Communications is acquired by Fantastic MediaSEC Newgate acquires a 70% stake (over five years) in Athens HQ V+O Group.Real Chemistry acquires Avant Healthcare.Havas acquires b2b marketing specialist Ledger BennettCognito, an independent global PR agency, has completed the majority acquisition of its German operation Cognito DACH.

Welcome to our January 2024 Review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch, where we will discuss the biggest, most seismic pitch wins and mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2023.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 was also co-founder and managing partner at PR agency Frank, before stepping back in 2020 to found Andrew Bloch & Associates.Before we start, a plug for our latest webinar launch; the topic for this one is “How to track the success of an earned media campaign." tickets are free and we're putting this one on in partnership with our good friends at Carma. The event is promoted on the homepage of PRmoment.Thanks also so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.2 mins We kick off with some thoughts from Andrew and I on WPP's merger of BCW and Hill&Knowlton“It's really nice that they are honouring Harold Burson.”“It's potentially going to be the biggest PR agency in the UK… taking them ahead of Brunswick.”“You rarely merge two firms together because they are doing so well.”“It's been reported that both of these firms had a tougher time in America; they've had a better time of it in the UK.”“It just makes sense. You don't need that many agencies in one group, especially when they have that much overlap.”7 mins A discussion of January's biggest PR pitch wins:The Dept for Science, Innovation and Tech appoint Unlimited and Pablo as lead creative and strategic partners, with Nelson Bostock Unlimited providing the PR support. Andrew pays tribute to Nelson Bostock co-founder Roger Nelson, who passed away recently.Iceland appoints Tangerine for creative consumer, corporate, sustainability, crisis and social.“A massive win for Tangerine.”The Savoy hires the PR agency Fox Communications to handle media relations, digital media, and influencers.“A lot of specialist agencies have done extremely well in the last few years.”Sudocrem appoints Brazen.Kidney Cancer and UK Reflo, the sustainable performance wear brand, appoint PR agency PHAOatley appointed Blurred for consumer, corporate and public affairs work following a 6-way pitch.  Nest - Britain's largest pension scheme backed by govt - also hire Blurred. Henkel appoints BCW (soon to be Burson!)  The Ministry of Justice appoint Kindred on £1.3m Luke “The Nuke” Littner -the teenage dart sensation who reached the final of the world championships, has appointed Soapbox London.Airbnb appoints The Romans. Previously, Hope&Glory has held the Airbnb account for nine years, and Andrew and Ben pay tribute to that body of work.Giff Gaff appoint Splendid for a strategic and creative comms brief.Stonegate Group - Pitch. The UK's largest pub company, operating nearly 5,000 pubs, includes brands like Slug & Lettuce and Walkabout. “It's busy and this time of year is always busy. We're still facing some of the challenges we saw last year...which is delaying decisions.”"Whenever there is a lack of confidence in the economy, there is a lack of confidence in making appointment decisions.”30 mins A round-up of PR's January's M&A activity“2024

Welcome to our 2023 Year in Review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch, where we will discuss the biggest, most seismic pitch wins and mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in 2023.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 was also a co-founder at PR agency Frank PR, where he is still a shareholder.Before we start, The PRmoment Awards 2024 are now - OPEN! The final entry deadline is on Friday, 26th January.There are some exciting changes this year; we've tweaked the categories, refined the entry form and launched a regional champions scheme with no additional entry fee to reach the work across the UK.Do check out the PRmoment Awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Finally, thanks to PRmoment's data and insight partners, Meltwater, for supporting the show.2 mins Andrew talks about December's M&A activity: PHA acquired Leeds-based creative comms consultancy MCG.Premier acquired Edinburgh-based The Corner Shop PR. It will be renamed Premier Scotland.Brands2Life was acquired by the Scandinavian holding company Paritee. Brands2Life has a fee income of £21 million and circa 180 full-time employees.“It's not easy for an agency to remain at the top of their game for so many years, and that is what Brands2Life has done.”6.30 mins December pitch wins: 8 mins Our Review of Pitch PR Wins and M&A Review for 2023January 2023 Pitch Highlights10 mins January's PR M&A Highlights“One of the biggest M&A deals in the sector. ““Teneo will give Tulchan an international footprint.” “I don't think this will be the last acquisition we see from Teneo.” 12.30 mins February 2023 Pitch wins highlights“They become part of a roster that included Cow and Edelman...the first in a stellar year for The Romans.”“Kuoni is a big big win.”13.30 mins February's PR M&A highlights“A landmark deal for Markettiers”15 mins March's pitch wins highlights“A very significant win for MSL, who have one of the strongest social media units within the PR space.”17 mins March's 2023 M&A Highlights20 mins April's pitch wins highlights:“Supermarket comms is about as tough as it gets.”23 mins April's 2023 M&A Highlights“Goat is a very data-driven influencer influencer agency.”“This will give Camarco global reach and deep expertise in corp advisory.”25 mins May's pitch win highlights:27 mins May's M&A Highlights28 mins June's pitch win highlights29 mins June's M&A Highlights31 mins July's pitch win highlights33 mins July's M&A Highlights:.34 mins August's PR Pitch Wins35 mins August's M&A Highlights36 mins September's PR Pitch Wins37.30 mins September's PR M&A Highlights40 mins October and November's PR Pitch Win Highlights41.30 mins October and November's PR M&A Highlights

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our November review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.He 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 was also a co-founder at PR agency Frank PR, where he is still a non-executive director at Frank PR.Before we start, we've got some huuuuge news - The PRmoment Awards 2024 are now - OPEN!There are some exciting changes this year; we've tweaked the categories, refined the entry form and launched a regional champions scheme with no additional entry fee to reach the work across the UK.Do check out the PRmoment Awards microsite.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Finally, thanks to PRmoment's data and insight partners, Meltwater, for supporting this podcast.2 mins Andrew on how this year's pitch golden quarter is going!Andrew's current outlook for public relations:“Things won't really pick up pace until the second quarter next year.”“Great companies do well regardless of the economy, and it's the ones that aren't as well run, that aren't as strong, that suffer when the economy wobbles.”“I think we will see an uplift overall in (PR) industry in spending this year.”“Because we're always on…we are more protective of when we do get some shut off time.”6 mins  How does Andrew look back on the pitching year of 2023?“Not a boom year…but healthy.”“Tech's had a tough year, but coming out of it now…you're already seeing that come back. Which is great.”9 mins Andrew and Ben reflect on the sad news that Science Magic, previously The London Communications Store, has gone into voluntary receivership.“This was a sizable firm of over 100 people.”“You can look at lots of agencies and quite clearly see they are overstaffed for the level of fee income they've got.“Now you have a lot of specialists within an agency…who aren't necessarily direct revenue drivers.”“PR firms have a higher cost base now than they ever have.”11 mins This month's PR new business news:Tin Man wins Mars Pet Care (Royal Canin) and Yeo Valley.Sunny Side Up wins Majestic WineJohn Doe wins the Pernod Ricard wine portfolio and Sports Direct.Duet London wins INSHURFrank wins Lounge.tv and Not On The High StreetRed wins Toshiba TVThree Sixty wins Wizz AirThe Romans wins The Gym Group, Formula E and Tony's ChocolonelyHatch wins 365H&K wins Philips Domestic AppliancesPHA wins Alith PayLittle Red Rooster wins Hush Puppies26 mins November's PR M&A News:Life Sciences firm Eversana have acquired digital health consultancy Healthware GroupFreuds buys creative art agency Lawless StudiosUS private equity firm EagleTree Capital buys MMGY GlobalHavas buys Indian consumer firm PR Pundit.Splendid buys DIY Creative.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our October review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.He 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 was also a co-founder at PR agency Frank PR, where he is still a non-executive director at Frank PR.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.A reminder about our new event PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum.At this one event, 22 experts will give 11 Masterclasses on essential elements of managing a modern, profitable and successful PR firm. Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment founder discuss as PR enters its golden quarter!2 mins This month's PR agency pitch wins news:The Romans win DeliverooPHA win England GolfStripe win White & MackayMade by Giants win YouLendTaylor Herring win Sky Mobile and Sky BroadbandMission agencies Speed and Krow win the Post OfficeTigerbond win JustgivingPitch win EA Sports FCThird City win NespressoFour win The National Lottery Heritage FundFirstlight win Chivas BrothersCircle PR win Fairmont HotelsM&C Saatchi win Elizabeth Arden 12.30 mins Andrew reflects on the current state of the PR new business market as we enter the busy Christmas period“The markets in a decent place…there's hesitancy, but great agencies always do well despite the economy.”“The tech sector needs to realign and readjust, but it's not going anywhere - it will come back strong.”15 mins Andrew talks about this month's M&A activity“There a lot going on this month - both trade (deals) and private equity.”Havas acquires Australian Public Affairs (APA)Omnicom acquires Plus Comms and FP1 - US-based corporate PR and lobbying firms.“This is all about the run into the US presidential election.”Milltown acquire the tech policy consultancy TasoSEC Newgate aquire Wepublic, a corporate agency in the Netherlands.Tyto acquires Its a Rep, a Dutch comms agency.Farner acquires Lansons.“Farner now has about 17 agencies across Europe. Farner's fee income is about $86m globally.”“They've (Farner) have almost doubled in size in the last couple of years.”“Farner is backed by Waterland Private Equity, the same private equity firm that backed the Markettiers deal.”“The valuation of a business comes down to scale and specialist.”The way that Waterland works is that they don't like to get into bids…they want a partner. They invest time in a non-competitive process.”“It (Lansons) was an EOT, which sometimes makes it (a sale) a complex process.”“Gordon Tempest Hay (ex Teneo/Blue Rubicon) joined Lansons 18 months/2 years ago, and...he's found them a buyer.”“It's interesting that Cirkle and Lansons both sold relatively soon after becoming an Employee Owned Trust (EOT).”28 min Morrow Sodali, the US-based firm, acquires Powerscourt“I think this deal is worth in excess of £50m.”

In this episode, we discuss the management of primary CNS lymphoma, secondary CNS lymphoma and CNS prophylaxis with Dr. Kate Cwynarski. Here are the shownotes: 1. ASH 2022 data on PET scan in CNS lymphoma - https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/140/Supplement%201/1334/492207/Is-It-Possible-to-Omit-Bone-Marrow-Biopsy-in?searchresult=1  2. Elizabeth Schorb ASH 2022 (MARTA) 65-80 year olds – https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/140/Supplement%201/1773/493224/High-Dose-Chemotherapy-and-Autologous-Stem-Cell?searchresult=1  3. IESLG 32 study (MATRIX) - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27132696/ and https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35562406/  4. R-methotrexate procarbazine (PRIMAIN) - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5383936/  5. RW studies: Andy Evens 500 pts >60 - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36965007/  6. LYSA PRECIS study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35834762/  7. IELSG43 study Lugano (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/hon.3163_15)  and ASH late breaking 2022 (https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/140/Supplement%202/LBA-3/493427/Effects-on-Survival-of-Non-Myeloablative)  8. Secondary CNS lymphoma 134 pts UK PR vs CR autograft - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36300776/  9. “How I Treat secondary CNS involvement by aggressive lymphomas?”-     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37702537/   

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our September review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.He 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 was also a co-founder at PR agency Frank PR, where he is still a non-executive director.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors The PRCA.A reminder about our new event PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum.At this one event, 22 experts will give 11 Masterclasses on essential elements of managing a modern, profitable and successful PR firm. Also, a reminder that the final entry deadline for the ESG Awards is 29th September 2023.Here is a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment podcast host Ben Smith discussed on this week's show:2 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of this month's PR pitch winsInstinct wins Moonpig Purple wins Yoo CapitalStir wins Dunkin DonutsCirkle wins Wilkinson SwordSocial Chain wins Holland & BarrattHope&Glory wins Vision ExpressMercia wins WembleyOgilvy wins MullerOne Green Bean wins Singapore Tourist BoardTeneo wins The AAPowerscourt wins RightmoveFrank wins CupraAxicom wins AMD “A gamechanger for Axicom”15 mins Andrew updates us on this month's M&A news:Markettier's acquisition of SassyDefinition has raised £7m debt investment from ThinCatsAn update on the $7 billion Syneos Health deal, which sees the firm go private.

Funmi Lijadu is a creative communications specialist who loves pop culture. She has both agency and in-house PR experience across a range of sectors, including art, publishing, finance, tech, real estate, and retail. Currently, she's an account executive at MSL in the UK. Recently, she finished her dissertation on a rather compelling topic that compares reality TV with classic literature. Here, she discusses her dissertation and shares the current challenges faced by her PR clients in the UK.Key Takeaways:- The similarities between reality TV and classic literature- Current challenges in the UK PR world- The perils of trying to be everything to everyone- The importance of diversity in the PR worldEpisode Timeline:1:30 What do you want people to learn from your dissertation?4:00 The differences in the US and UK versions of "Love Island"5:00 The novels Funmi included in her dissertation8:30 Romantic themes haven't changed that much over time.9:00 The disgruntled lover trope11:00 How Funmi's research applies to PR13:20 The importance of diversity in the PR world15:00 The Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad16:00 The 15-year-old test17:30 Why do female influencers wear big, floppy hats?19:00 Current challenges in the UK PR world21:30 The danger of being everything to everyone23:20 PR request hashtags25:40 Gen X vs. Millennial high-brow, low-brow battleThis episode's guest:• Funmi Lijadu• Follow her on LinkedIn and TwitterSubscribe and leave a 5-star review:https://pod.link/1496390646Contact Us!• Join the conversation by leaving a comment!• Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn!Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our July review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners advising on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Do look at the brace of new webinars that we've launched on PRmoment, including Social Media in B2B and The Contribution of Comms to ESG. 2 mins Andrew contextualises the state of the new business market in UK PR currently.“In an economy that is a bit shaky…being able to demonstrate effectiveness is more important than ever.”“Why Andrew's PR agency activity barometer is busier than ever!”8 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of PR pitch wins for July, including:Good Relations wins Starling BankFleishman wins HS1Mischief wins Team GBReady 10 wins Kind SnacksStripe wins Giggling SquidPR Network and Heathrow ExpressAzaria win VTech and LeapfrogNudge wins Kettle chipsMSL wins CurrysKetchum wins Dolmio18 mins Andrews gives us his insight into the Havas Uncommon deal.“It could be a deal that's worth up to £120m in 6 years time”“Havas already has a reputation as one of the most creative marketing services in the world…and they are doubling down on creativity.”21 mins Andrew explains the £120m valuation of Uncommon on its current fee income of £22m.25 mins Andrew reviews SEC Newgate's $100m investment from Investcorp, an alternative investment firm, for a 55% stake in the business. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and values SEC Newgate as a $250 m business.28 mins Andrew rounds us off by talking us through some smaller trade deals:The Bigger Boat acquires ScribaBulla acquires Hype CollectiveThere's a management buyout at Lucre Group which rebrands to Gold79.

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our June review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.If you haven't taken a look already - do check out all the categories on the Creative Moment Awards website, the early entry deadline is on Friday 30th June 2023.2 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of PR pitch wins for June:Alfred win Westfield Shopping CentresThe Academy win Epson Finn Partners win Tuscany Tourist BoardCow win Gilead Science JPR win Hilton Luxury BrandsTaylor Herring win UnisonBrazen win CastoreHill & Knowlton win Costa CoffeeStripe Communications win Honest BurgersMSL win The FAEdelman win Haribo Portland win Airlines for EuropeThe Romans win Mecca BingoKlaxonn win Grand Designs Life11.30 mins Andrew reveals the ideal length of a client: agency partnership.“You get the best out of people when you know them and you trust them”13 mins Andrew refutes the suggestion that the PR pitch and new business market has gone very quiet.Ben Smith: “Are things as bad as some people say?”Andrew Bloch: “No…it's a bit scrappy…things are slower to sign off.But I'm dealing with more briefs than I've ever had to deal with in my 3 years at the AAR.”18 mins Andrew gives us his M&A update for June:Brandtech Group acquire Jellyfish from Private Equity firm FimalacOne Equity Partners takes a majority stake in Smarts owner MSQ. 

Every six months or so I like to catch up with the shy and reserved Warren Johnson from W Communications on the podcast to talk about the financial state of UK PR.And to my surprise- it's that time again. The first 6 months of 2023 are basically done and dusted.My sense is that it's been a bit of a phoney 6 months or so - the PR sector has been expecting a downturn but beyond a significant tech sector-wide wobble at the start of the year, which has in the main come back, it's been OK, not stellar but OK. And in many cases surprisingly OK.But on the show today we're going to chat about some of the recent league table results we've seen in PR, what constituted good numbers last year, and how the last 6 months have been. We'll also attempt to put some predictions on what might be about to happen next.W has a fee income of £15m, with offices in London, New York and Singapore. It employs approximately 180 people globally and 150 odd in London.A reminder that the final entry deadline for The Creative Moment Awards is Friday 30th June.Thanks to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Here's a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Warren discussed:3 mins Warren reviews the performance of UK PR in the first half of the year. What's up, what's down, what's flat?“What was quite alarming...was that despite the UK agencies reporting strong growth, they were falling down the international rankings”“We (the UK) are not fully aware of our own demise at the moment and what a second-rate country we're becoming”“UK PR had a strong start to the year… and there is now some preemptive belt tightening client side”Everyone had a strong Q1 with a slight softening in Q2 as the economic outlook, which doesn't get any worse but shows no sign of recovery.”“Overall H1 was relatively robust but we all (PR firms) had to work a bit harder than we were expecting to make those numbers”9 mins Bearing in mind inflation how much did PR firms need to frow last year, to increase their profits?“Our profits grow in line with our revenue…we've not had any challenges in our margin.”“It's something Graham Goodkind once told me - he said he wanted one thing as a KPI for him as a CEO and that's a margin number”“It's harder t maintain that margin than it ever has been, there's been rampant wage inflation and a requirement to offer greater benefits than there ever has been.”“We're big advocates of in-person collaboration so we're doing as much as we can to encourage people into the office but that comes at a cost.”“The other big hidden cost is mental health - which increasingly seems to be sitting away from the government (as a responsibility) and on employers.”“We just rolled out private health care for our company and extended to private mental health care - important to do but these are all costs that chip away at the margin.”“As an industry, we are very good at being inventive…as our margin gets challenged in one area we are able to find opportunities… in certain other areas.”“I certainly get the sense that people are pitching a lot less…pitching is probably the most inefficient thing you can ever do.”“The less you pitch the better…that will hit your margin more than wage inflation”13 mins  What do clients want at the moment?

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our May review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.If you haven't taken a look already - do check out all the categories on the Creative Moment Awards website, the early entry deadline is on Friday 26th May 2023.2 mins Andrew brings us news of wins for:Words + Pixels win GrazePHA win The National GalleryFreud and Pizza ExpressTeneo and EasyjetKingdom Collective and Doc MartinHouston and DominosThe Herd and W Hotels11 mins Andrew reviews this month's PR mergers and acquisitionsPearl acquires KineticDefinition acquires OTM, its sixth purchase since 2020.Here's the link to the article mentioned in the podcast from Heather Baker, CEO of Definition Group, discussing why agencies benefit from joining forces.News of a huge potential private equity deal for Syneos Health 

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our April review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Don't miss our trio of webinars that are currently live on the homepage:LinkedIn as a Marketing ChannelWhat are the implications of generative AI for public relations?The March of PR: The increasing dominance of earned media ideas in integrated marketing2 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of April's biggest PR pitch winsKingdom Collective win the PR brief for the energy drink Relentless.Mind + Matter win SuperdrugHope&Glory win PowerleageueRichmond Towers win Calrsbeerg Marston brief Shipyard, Wainrights and Hobgoblin beersFrank win Revel and CrockpotFull Fat win PuttshackSpeed win Haven HolidaysVisible win Flying TigerKetchum win IcelandReady 10 win BrewdogPitch win AutotraderAdhuro win Tetley and Tea Pigs12 mins Andrew gives us his monthly rundown of the most significant PR mergers and acquisitions in April, it's mainly trade deals this month:Edelman buy Landmark Public Affairs in BrusselsWeber buy Diverse InteractiveWPP buy the influencer agency GoatAPCO buy CamarcoKKR buy FSG GlobalSWNS buy Pinpep

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our March review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Tickets are now on sale for The PRmoment Awards in London on Thursday 20th April and in Manchester 25th April 2023.2 mins Andrew gives us his PR pitch wins updateNews of wins for The Academy with Peroni and Marie CurrieMaven wins The Perfume shopForster wins Transform (a public/private partnership)Full Fat wins a raft of festival briefPHA win Lucozade, Ribena and OranginaMSL win Renault's social media brief10 mins Are PR firms winning more social media briefs from their social media agency peers?“PR agency's should always have an edge when it comes to generating engagement”“There are noticeable differences in the way different (types) of agencies approach it from a strategic perspective”“9/10 the creative I see coming out of PR agencies is right up there with the best in the world, it's the other elements that sometimes let them down”14 mins Andrew talks about what the future looks like for influencer marketing agencies16 mins Andrew completes his review of this month's pitch wins Hope&Glory win TrainlineThe Romans win Candy CrushTin Man wins Smart Energy GB18 mins Andrew's PR M&A updateFinn Partners acquire HyderusJIN buy Opinion ActNews of Martin Loat's exit from Propeller

In this episode, HBW Insight chats with UK PR firm Kaizo's associate director Kerry Lennox about consumer healthcare marketing in the post-pandemic context. With consumers bombarded by healthcare messaging and increasingly anxious about their health and wellness, Lennox explains how OTC firms can play a key role in supporting them to self-care responsibly. With trust shifting away from governments and scientific experts towards frontline healthcare professionals like pharmacists, OTC brands are becoming more important to consumers, helping them “tune back in” to science-based health and wellness while supporting this crucial part of the healthcare ecosystem.

 Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast. Welcome to our February review of PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now Head of PR at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies. Thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Here are a few of the highlights that Andrew and I discussed:2 mins News of big wins for Citypress with Siemens, The Romans with Heineken and BCWwith Swissair.“The best corporate agencies think with a consumer lens”PHA bag a couple of wins Andrew talks us through wins for Ranieri and Stir.“It's a never-ending journey between appointing specialists and consolidating agencies”12 mins Finn Partners win Wagamama's and Greater Palm Springs.14 mins Good Relations wins the Kuoni account.15 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of this month's PR M&A activity, including the big Markettiers deal.16 mins Andrew explains the Social Chain deal.18 mins Clarity continues its acquisition strategy by purchasing Australian agency Sefiani Communications.20 mins Andrew talks about ANM's vertical acquisition strategy.21 mins Spider buy a Tiger!

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.Welcome to our January review of  PR Pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch.Andrew is a co-founder and non-executive director at Frank PR and is now Head of PR at the new business consultancy firm AAR. He is also a partner at PCB Partners where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.Before we start the final entry deadline for the PRmoment Awards is on 27th January - check out PRmomentAwards.com for all the info you need, including downloading this year's updated entry form.Finally thanks to our PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Here's a summary of what Andrew and PRmoment podcast host Ben Smith discussed on the show:2 mins Andrew gives us his rundown of this month's biggest pitch wins in UK PR, including:Premier PR and the Booker PrizeOrganic and The Apprentice (with a shout-out to Taylor Herring's long-term work with the Apprentice.)Splendid and Flock win the Ginster's briefMHP and The Royal Mint (again with a shout-out to Hope&Glory's work on the account over the last 10 years)H&K Strategies and Hills Pet NutritionCapture PR win Gala and Foxy Bingo Praytell and Sonus“The average decision-making period for a decent size pitch is about 6 months.”“A real lesson for me was that…the period between the pitch and the decision is so critical - show your hunger and determination.”“It was a 30 agency pitch…that is a huge amount of agencies. You have to be respectful of the agencies' time… it's all about the size of the prize at the end.”“Making sure the (pitch) process is fit for purpose, respectful and informed”12 mins A discussion about whether the of trend clients consolidating the number of agencies they use will continue.13 mins Pitch wise “this is the busiest January I can ever remember.”  Andrew talks us through why there is so much new business activity in the PR market at the moment.15 mins A discussion about the Tulchan Teneo deal - which saw Teneo acquire UK financial PR specialist Tulchan in a reported £65m deal.“Teneo gives Tulchan an international footprint.”16 mins Andrew talks us through how the Tulchan deal is likely to be structured and how the ratio of profit to revenue is important in a valuation of a business.“Tulchan is obviously a very, very well-run company.”“We're seeing consolidation, the importance of scale and building a global footprint”“The right time to sell is not when you've reached your peak, it's when you feel you've got great growth.”21 mins We chat about Penta's acquisition of Dublin-based corporate PR firm Hume Brophy.“For Penta, this deal gives them global reach”24 mins Andrew predicts that 2023 could have a lot of trade deals in the M&A space.“There are a lot of big trade organisations and holding groups which are sitting on piles of cash and they need to spend it…to keep their share prices high (acquisitions will bring them growth.)”

Welcome to the PRmoment Podcast.This week we're chatting with Zoe Ward Waring from Sunny Side Up and John Higginson from Higginson Strategy about how and why their respective organisations have become a BCorp.On the show, we talk about what being a BCorp is all about and what the process to becoming BCorp looks like.To put the discussion into some context in the UK there are 1375 BCorp organisations, in the US there are 2226 and globally there are 5711. So it's predominantly a UK and US scheme.21 UK PR agencies are a BCorp including Freud's, Third City, Don't Cry Wolf, Sunny Side Up, Higginson Strategy, Milk & Honey and Kindred.Being a BCorp is about transparency and if you are interested you can view any organisation's BCorp results on the BCorp website.There is also a useful How to become a BCorp handbook that you can buy. The PRmoment Awards 2023 are now open for entries - do check out the awards site PRmomentAwards.com - there are lots of new categories this year and an updated entry form with added criteria. Thanks to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, The PRCA.Here's a summary of what Zoe, John and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discuss:2 mins For anyone out there who is not aware of the BCorp scheme - Zoe and John explain what it is all about.4 mins Why are organisations becoming BCorps?7 mins How difficult is it to become a BCorp?“Anyone can go on (the BCorp website) and begin to self-assess”“Once you go through the process you get an assessment report”“There are 5 sections: Governance, workers, community, environment and customers”“It's really important to get the whole business behind it.16 mins John talks to us about the process to become a BCorp. 18 mins How long does it take?“I'd say (the application process) took about 100 hours”20 mins Is the PRCA's Consultancy Management Standard a useful starting point for a BCorp application?20.30 mins How much does it cost to become a BCorp?

This week, Aidy catches up with Georgie Bentinck & Dan Belmont. Georgie is Head of UK PR & Communications at Campari Group and Dan has founded his own retailer called Good Wine x Good People, home of the Personal Somm Questionnaire & New York Bottle Shop. Aidy also gets a chance to interview Matthew Bulcroft, the Sales Director at Franklin & Sons. Thank you to Franklin & Sons for sponsoring this podcast. Creating remarkable, great-tasting drinks that turn the ordinary moment into an extraordinary one.