PR Agency Heads on Twitter (based on PRWeek’s Top 150 Agencies)
In August I collated a list of PR Agency Heads using Twitter.
The list was based on PRWeek's Top 100 PR Agencies - I have now updated it to include Agency Heads from PRWeek's Top 150 Agencies of 2010.
You can follow the list on Twitter IF you think you might find it useful...
I will no doubt have missed important people so let me know if you should be on the list!
Bell Pottinger Group:
Nathan Lane (@nathanlane) Managing Director, Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger
Kevin Read (@ReadKevinRead) Managing Director, Bell Pottinger Business and Brand
Weber Shandwick:
Colin Byrne (@capbyrne) CEO, Weber Shandwick (UK and Europe)
Edelman:
Jackie Cooper (@JackiePRCooper) Creative Director
David Brain (@DavidBrain) - CEO, Edelman EMEA
Nick Barron (@BrockleyCentral) Deputy Managing Director, Corporate & Financial
Marshall Manson (@Marshallmanson) Director of Digital Strategy
Robert Phillips (@citizenrobert) UK CEO
Jonathan Hargreaves (@Naked_Pheasant) MD, Edelman Tech
Cairbre Sugrue (@cairbreUK) UK MD for Tech Practice
Hill and Knowlton:
Tim Fallon (@TFALO) Managing Director, London
Andy Sutherden (@hksports) Head of Sports
Louise Watson (@Louwatson1908) Head of CPG
Candace Kuss (@CandaceKuss) Director of Planning / Interactive Strategy Director
Sam Lythgoe (@samlythgoe) Head of business Development
Gaylene Ravenscroft (@ravenscroft) Head of Digital
Citigate Dewe Rogerson:
Andrew Adie (@adiemoi) Director, Corporate Practice
Alistair Kellie (@alistairkellie) Director, Corporate Practice
Judith Massey (@judithmassey) Director, Corporate Practice
Ketchum Pleon:
David Gallagher (@TBoneGallagher) Senior Partner; President, Ketchum Pleon; and CEO, London
Fernando Rizo (@fernandorizo) Head of Digital
Engine Business:
Robin Wight (@RobinWightUK) President
Mark Pack (@markpack) Head of Digital, Mandate Communications
Grayling Communications:
Loretta Tobin (@LorettaTobin) CEO, UK & Republic of Ireland
Fishburn Hedges:
Simon Matthews (@SimonMatthews) Chief Executive
Dermot Finch (@dermotfinch) Head of Public Affairs
Fiona Thorne (@FiThorne) Managing Director
Clare Hinkley (@clarehinkley) Associate Director
James Macintosh (@jamesmacintosh) Managing Partner, Seventy Seven PR
Alan Twigg (@twiggasaurous) Managing Partner, Seventy Seven PR
Jason Nisse (@jasonnisse) Director
Fleishman Hillard:
Meredith Bradshaw (@muertemaria) Director, Digital
Red Consultancy:
Ed Staples (@edstaples) Managing Director, Consumer Brands
Helen Nowicka (@Helennow) Managing Director - Shiny Red
Matt Buchanan (@mattbuchs) Head of Consumer Brands
Burson-Marsteller:
George Hutchinson (@ghutchinson) Head of Public Affairs
Lansons:
Tony Langham (@TonyLangham) Chief Executive
Simon Sanders (@simonsanders) Head of Digital
Tonic Life Communications:
Neil Flash (@neilflash) Managing Director, London
Kindred Agency:
Max Wright (@MaxwellWright) Director, Strategy
Paul Armstrong (@munkyfonkey) Director, Digital and Social Media
Biss Lancaster:
Holly Ward (@hollyward37) Managing Director, London
Frank Public Relations:
Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) Founder and Managing Director
Alex Grier (@AlexG31) Director
Graham Goodkind (@goodkind) Chairman and Founder
Staniforth:
Rob Brown (@robbrown) Managing Director
Hotwire Group:
Drew Benvie (@drewb) Managing Director, 33 Digital
Gary Sargent (@sargeng) Public Affairs Director London, CPR
Emma Hazan (@emmahazan) MD, Skywrite
Brands2Life:
Giles Fraser (@gilesfraser) Co-Founder
Freshwater:
Steve Howell (@SteveFreshwater) Founder and Chief Executive
Golin Harris:
Matt Neale (@MattNeale) Co-Managing Director
Alexis Dalrymple (@ADalrymple) Director, UK tech practice
Portland:
George Pascoe-Watson (@GPW_Portland) Partner
Camargue:
Mike Conway (mikepconway) Director
Nelson Bostock:
Martin Bostock (@MartinBostock) Co-founder and Chairman
Lee Nugent (@LeeNugent) Managing Director
Frankie Oliver (@FrankieOliver) Head of Fever (consumer division)
Bruce McLachlan (@BruceMcLachlan) Director & Deputy Head of Fever (consumer division)
Simon Glazer (@simonglazer) Board Director, Head of Corporate, Issues & Technology
Aparna Aswani (@AparnaAswani) Divisional Director, Corporate, Issues & Technology
Nick Clark (@nick_clark) Divisional Director, Corporate, Issues & Technology
Consolidated:
Nick Clark (@prboy) Managing Director
Liz Fay (@Minttea33) Head of Consumer
Paul Borge (@PBizzle) Head of Digital
3 Monkeys:
Angie Moxham (@AngieMoxham) Managing Director
Golley Slater:
John Kinder (@jdkinder) Managing Director Digital
TVC Group:
Nicky Minter-Green (@MinterGreen) Managing Director
Adam Clyne (@adamclyne) Commercial Director
Smarts:
Fergus Reid (@fergusareid) Director (Scotland)
Eulogy:
Vicky Beaney (@vickybeaney) Director
Louisa Osmond (@Louisa_Osmond) Associate Director
Lara Leventhal (@laraleventhal) Managing Director
Way to Blue:
Adam Rubins (@adamrubins) Deputy Managing Director
Octopus Communications:
Jon Lonsdale (@JonLon) Managing Director
Sean Fleming (@flemingsean) Associate Director
Emily Wearmouth (@EmVicW) Associate Director
PPS Group:
Rebekah Paczek (@bekspaczek) Director
Andy Martin (@AndyPMartin) Director
Speed Communications:
Stephen Waddington (@wadds) Managing Director
Steve Earl (@mynameisearl) Managing Director
Helen Beavis (@hbeaver) Director of Consumer
Gerry Grewal (@GerryGrewal) Director of Technology
Nicholas Bishop (@nbishop) Corporate Director
Hanover:
James Gurling (@JGurling) Director
Waggener Edstrom:
Melissa Waggener (@melissawz) President/Founder
Shaun Wooten (@shaunwootton) Managing Director
London Communications Agency:
Luke Blair (@lukeblair) Director
Citypress:
Charles Tattershall (@charlestatt) Managing Director
Pegasus:
Stuart Hehir (@stuarthehir) Director
Paver Smith:
Martyn Best (@bestym) Co-founder and Director
Communications Management:
Pam Calvert (@PamCalvert) Managing Director
Kaizo:
Rhodri Harries (@rhodrih) Managing Director
Splendid Communications:
Andy Bellass (@andybellass) Director
Alec Samways (@alecsamways) Managing Partner
CC Group:
Richard Fogg (@TelcoGeek) (Managing Director)
Cirkle Communications:
Anne Kendall (@AnneKendall) Managing Director
BGB Communications:
Debbie Hindle (@bgbcomms) Managing Director
Wriglesworth Consultancy:
Fiona Brandhorst (@wriglesworthfb) Director
Camron Public Relations:
Neil Byrne (@neilpbyrne) Board Director
Amanda Kasper (@amandamead) Associate Director
Tangerine PR:
Sarah Halton (@Sarahhalton) Director
Sandy Lindsay (@SandyLindsay) Managing Director
Nigel Hughes (@Ear_I_Am) Creative Director
Wild Card:
Kate Wild (@KateWild) Managing Director
Nish Assomull (@Nishitata) Divisional Director
Insight Public Affairs:
John Lehal (@JohnLehal) Managing Director
James Tyrrell (@JRTyrrell) Associate Director
Luchford APM:
Kelly Luchford (@Luchford) Founder
Say Communications:
Louise Stewart-Muir (@LouiseSMuir) Managing Director
Paratus Communications:
Dominic Shales (@dominicshales) Bio Co-Founder
Amaze PR:
Liane Grimshaw (@saltygrim) Managing Partner
Sandra McDowell (@Speee) Partner
Wendy Stonefield (@wstonefield) Partner
Tetra Strategy:
Lee Petar (@leepet) Partner
Bottle PR:
Paul Sutton (@ThePaulSutton) Head of Social Communications
Noiseworks:
James Hanson (@jamesh7) MD
The Reptile Group (Chameleon PR and Komodo PR)
Steve Loynes (@steveloynes) Managing Director
Mo Elnadi (@moelnadi) Head of Digital Director
Henry's House PR:
Ginny Paton (@GinnyPaton) Managing Director
Threepipe:
Eddie May (@eddiemay) Founder
Spark Communications:
Kewal Varia (@kewalv) Managing Director
Pretty Green PR:
Mark Stringer (@StringsLondon) Managing Director
DTW:
Chris Taylor (@dtwchris) Managing Director
Wildfire:
Debby Penton (@DebbyPenton) Managing Director
Admiral PR & Marketing:
Georgie Cameron (@GeorgieCameron) Managing Director
Stephen Waddington (@wadds) Non Exec Chairman
Bellenden:
Phil Briscoe (@philbriscoe) Director
Siren PR:
Sarah Rathbone (@SJRathbone) Associate Director
James Watts (@jmwpr) Associate Director
Marlin PR:
Jenny Tod (@JennyTod) Managing Director, Marlin PR
Wolfstar Consultancy:
Stuart Bruce (@stuartbruce) Founder and CEO, Wolfstar Consultancy
Tim Sinclair (@timsinclair) Chairman
Finn Communications:
Richard Rawlins (@Rich_Rawlins) Managing Director
*Job titles are displayed as on company websites
* Twitter profiles were sourced from company website profile info and Twitter search - if no detail was found via websites regarding staff contacts, the agency will not feature on the list.
* A number of agencies in the PR Week Top 150 have been omitted because we could not locate their senior people on Twitter
*Agency heads that have not tweeted for longer than one month have been omitted from the list
By @Harrietcrosse
When is it Justifiable to Sack a Client?
Crenshaw Communications pose a juicy question in a post published yesterday. They ask - is it ever good business to fire a client?
The article offers a list of reasons why an agency would be justified in sacking a client – amongst others, if they are a financial loser or if they are giving you a bad name.
I think in these instances, a PRs job is to stand by their client – through thick and thin - and if the shit hits the fan, we should do our best to help them re-build their reputation. Nothing worse than a fair-weather PR.
So when is it OK to fire a client?
The most interesting point the post makes, in my opinion, is about clients affecting staff morale, because this has been, and will remain an absolute justification for telling a client where to stick it.
Rude clients come with the territory and PRs are seasoned professionals in how to deal with unreasonable requests and outlandish demands. Everyone is allowed an off-day, especially the paying client – we first and foremost want to keep business sweet and get those contract renewals. But where does the buck stop?
When a client is persistently rude, negative or is bringing down a team who are trying their best to do a pretty tough job – I have and would tell them (very politely) that we no longer wish to work with them.
From what I see through social networking and relationships I have forged with other agencies, the PR community boasts a multitude of close-knit, positive and forward thinking PR teams.
As a boss, my instinct is to protect and nurture my team - and personally, I feel no client is more important than that.
Just as is true for the real world, there is no place for rudeness and life is too short for old-school “customer is always right” policies.
As my Granny always says, “Manners maketh man”
Daily National Newspaper Websites on Twitter - October
Second month of our monitoring of UK national newspaper websites on Twitter. This month we have added The Financial Times to the list which, with 216,770 followers takes it into first place.
The Guardian has increased their Twitter following by 8718 followers, by far the largest increase. Both the Telegraph and the Independent have gained over a thousand followers this month. The Metro has also had sizable growth of 813.
Twitter Followers:
Financial Times - 216,770
The Guardian - 95,549
Telegraph - 20,990
The Independent - 15,345
The Times - 13,321
Daily Mail - 9,959
Daily Star - 6,517
The Sun - 4,554
Metro - 4,167
Daily Express - 3,036
Daily Mirror - 2,488
Daily Sport - 2,552
Growth since September:
The Guardian - 8,718
Telegraph - 1,547
The Independent - 1,288
The Times - 464
Daily Mail - 510
Daily Star - 275
The Sun - 362
Metro - 813
Daily Express - 117
Daily Mirror - 104
Daily Sport - 239
Too Much Opinion and Not Enough News?
The cuts, the cuts – what does everyone think about the cuts?
Of course EVERYONE has an opinion – and in typically British fashion, our opinion has to be extreme – black or white – positive or negative.
The British talk in absolutes. Either we’re hitched to the stars or heading for hell in a handcart. Even Polly Toynbee, the left-wing’s media doyen, fell into the trap on Question Time by making several references to “Broken Britain”.
And the British press – on both sides - love nothing more than to stick a firework under the arse of the nation and watch us kick-off.
Some of today’s spending cut headlines:
From the left:
Guardian “Poor Will be Hardest Hit”
Independent “Osborne’s Cuts are Worst Attack on Equality for Generations”
Daily Mirror “Cheeky Fakers: Experts expose truth behind ConDem cuts con”
To the right:
Sun “Let Britain Be a World Beater…Like Maggie Did”
Daily Mail “OECD Welcomes the Osborne cuts”
But where is the middle-ground? And more importantly where are the hard facts? Imagine, for a second, switching on the television or opening a newspaper to be presented with statistics, facts, figures - news without an agenda.
The leading/only proponents of centre ground, fact-based news on this subject I could find is from Paul Mason:
I think the need for a moderate viewpoint is becoming extremely important, especially as traditional newspapers begin to feel the threat of social media. The ubiquity of the web is making the common man more informed than ever before. Access to Government policy and statistics can be found with a few clicks on the mouse.
I would suggest that with this increase in awareness there will also be a decrease in tolerance for biased reporting with an overt political agenda – of which every news network and publication is guilty of.
Written by Harriet
Citizens Vs ‘Journalists’
I can fully understand why citizen journalism frightens the living daylights out of stalwart journalists.
Quite suddenly, the doors on what seemed like a closeted and specialist profession have been kicked open by those irksome, eloquent members of the public, who're taking the liberty of using these new channels of communication to articulate their innermost thoughts, feelings and opinions.
To make matters worse for the likes of Andrew Marr, a fair proportion of the citizen journalist community, afforded the freedom that comes attached to the medium, are writing with a flair and wit that bog-standard, jobbing desk-editors simply can't compete with.
Without exaggeration, I've read citizen reviews on Amazon that have engaged me more than the bloated, self-congratulatory, vainglorious left-leaning weekend press - and I'm a Labour activist.
In his recent statement profiling the typical perpetrator of citizen journalism, Marr exhibited both a deep paranoia and a not inconsiderable knowledge deficit where digital news delivery is concerned. To me, it was an example of old-school hack protectionism at its very worst.
As I detailed last week during #CommsChat with my fellow sweaty, cauliflower-nosed reprobates (thanks for that Andrew), traditional and citizen journalism can work comfortably and harmoniously together. The citizen press acts either as the trigger that catapults readers toward traditional media - or it's applied as a reinforcing agent for those who've read the traditional version of the story and now want a second opinion.
Marr's ignorance manifests itself in his blogger/commenter confusion. His description suits a typical commenter on the lower third of a digital news piece, but not an avid or even half-hearted blogger. If this is what he actually meant, then to a certain degree I can't help but empathise. The instruction to leave a comment is often misread as "you have carte-blanche to be a bigoted, backwards-born psycho here" by those that choose to react to a digital news story.
Moreover, the vast proportion of the bloggers I've met are uncommonly beautiful.
I'm still fond of Andrew Marr - alongside Paxman and Sopel he forms a triumvirate that perpetually enlightens my weeknights and Sunday mornings.
However, as his colleagues, particularly Robert Peston and Laura Kuenssberg, continue to embrace the nuances of citizen journalism and extend their social media outreach, Marr has painted himself as something of an anachronism, and a man out of time.
Written by Dan Drage (@Dan Drage)
Why We Should Keep It Real In Business
I'm not a fan of corporate spiel - business talk - fluff - waffle.
We all know a client, contact or a colleague who does the "work voice."
Some folk change into another person when communicating on a business-level.
They start to use words which exist only in the corporate world - words which they imagine give them a professional edge - make them appear more robust.
Call me weird, but when I'm dealing with a client or work contact, I want to feel as if I'm communicating with a human being - not someone's strange, fabricated business guise.
Clearly I'm not condoning the idea of treating clients as you would your friends - there needs to remain a level of professionalism in any business environment.
But does our business-self have to differ so greatly to our real-self?
Or can we not use our personalities to communicate in the business world?
The projection of these "business-selves" is no more evident than via social media platforms like Twitter.
People are putting a lot of energy into creating these corporate Twitter characters, and trying overly hard to be a constant source of industry information and influence.
Of course there will always be a level of self-promotion to Twitter - let's be honest, we're all using it to make contacts, potential business and gain influence.
I've met a lot of people from the PR Twitter community. I've been to tweet-ups, socials, PR drinks - and the people I rate the most are the ones who aren't that different in "real-life" than they are on Twitter. They are relaxed and comfortable, sociable, affable - they retain a sense of humour.
They are the people who keep it real - and are also the people I have chosen to do business with.
Written by Harriet
Daily National Newspaper Websites on Twitter
Ever wondered how effectively national newspapers are engaging with their audiences on Twitter?
The Guardian has the most followers by a large margin (as of 20/09/2010).
The Guardian - 86,831
Telegraph - 19,443
The Independent - 14,057
The Times - 12,857
Daily Mail - 9,449
Daily Star - 6,242
The Sun - 4,192
Metro - 3,354
Daily Express - 2,919
Daily Mirror - 2,384
Daily Sport - 2,313
By @oliconner
‘Failed’ Journos & PR
I felt compelled to voice my opinion after reading a number of recent articles, posts and tweets on the slightly touchy subject of why some journalists fail to make it in PR.
After carrying out detailed research before commencing my piece I discovered very few, if any of those who have been particularly vociferous on the subject, have made the leap from one side of the fence to the other.
One piece I found, the author of which I will not credit with a mention, described how 'When the going gets tough in PR - the highly paid journo gets going', which made me laugh out loud.
I know from experience PR can be tough.
But is it tougher than an editor, whom you are trying to impress, standing at your shoulder right on deadline, calling you all the names under The Sun because he wants a 500 word summary of Dr David Kelly's career written for edition in seven minutes?
I imagine it can be, but I wouldn't know, the same as a PR person who hasn't stood in my shoes wouldn't know.
To balance that, other posts such as one by our own Harriet Crosse made interesting reading, and was certainly not without substance. Harriet claims 'journos don't make good PRs because they miss the buzz of a breaking story'.
Really? Well you're partially right, Harriet. Yes, it's a downside. But hacks know what they are giving up when they take a PR job, don't they?
But it goes much deeper than that.
I believe I am well qualified to have my say on this issue due to the fact I started out in journalism, and after seven years took a job in PR.
I returned to newspapers because my contract ran out. Not because 'the going got tough'. In fact 'the going' became considerably easier the longer I was there.
After working in journalism in London, New York and Los Angeles, I am now back in PR and loving every minute.
During my time in PR, then more than now, part of the problem was a 'them and us' mentality. Hacks are as guilty of it as PR people are, let’s not pretend they're not.
'We don't need a journalist, we know what we're doing' was something I overheard in my previous PR position.
And the term 'fluffy bunny', or something equally demeaning to professionals who work incredibly hard, is regularly hurled back. But sticks and stones can break bones ... right?
Differences can be overcome - after all PR and newspapers are different, there is no getting away from that, but they are inextricably linked.
Surely, anyone who changes jobs, trades or positions is going to find things slower, faster, easier or harder (insert adjective here). It doesn't mean they can't do it.
My personal belief is that journalists can be huge assets to PR agencies.
They may from time to time be guilty of pushing a story harder than a client would like on occasion or perhaps inserting a word or two which isn't 'on message'.
But tweaking an intro, such as removing the word 'value' and replacing it with 'bargain', can be the difference between a story making the papers or being spiked.
Offering input on how a picture should be shot is invaluable and you are not going to get that sort of insight from someone who has spent their entire career in PR, no matter how much you would like to think you will.
It's the little things which make a difference. That's the way newspapers work, and that is what journalists offer.
The time a story is filed is vital. Hacks know 'the earlier, the better' is the rule, but PR people still send press releases out at 3pm.
The line between success and failure is a thin one. Sometimes a story is as much about what you omit as what you include - and bad ideas don't make the papers, EVER.
Many people generalise and declare 'Journos don't have good client facing skills'.
But some of the scariest, most formidable editors ever to hurl a cold cup of tea in news conference have gone on to make great PRs.
Clearly no problem with their 'client facing skills' then.
In my experience other frustrating issues, and remember I have been there and done it, are that journalists are used to working quickly.
They turn around one story after another and anything which lands on their desk on a Thursday feels old by Friday morning.
So yes, it is a culture shock when it takes four months or longer for an idea to finally be ready to release to the world.
They are used to a fast moving world, where you start every day afresh.
You have no idea what will happen or where you will be at 5pm; be it a wet doorstep in Hackney or Terminal Four at Heathrow waiting for a flight to Timbuktu.
So a three-week sign-off period on a 400-word piece of copy can be mildly baffling, I admit.
During my first sojourn into PR I was tasked with running the pro-active PR department of a top supermarket chain.
The remit was to increase their coverage across the board. Trade, consumer, local and national. Simple as that.
I took the job because staff cut backs at the paper meant after working my way from gruelling night shifts to much nicer day shifts was asked to go back on to nights.
From day one my new job was tough. I was given carte blanche by the hugely experienced and incredibly supportive Director of Comms to 'do it my way'.
That was when the problems began.
Immediately 'my way' was met with resistance by senior press officers who insisted faxing - yes, I said faxing - poorly written, over-branded, embargoed press releases to national newspaper newsdesks was 'how we do things here'.
And so it went on. And it was tough, as I have already acknowledged PR can be.
But the butting of heads on a regular basis didn't mask the fact that we increased our coverage almost six-fold - and I managed to render the fax machine redundant.
And I will give credit where credit is due. Eventually the rest of the team accepted what I brought to the table, and I them, and we made it work.
I feel I have been successful in both fields, but in part due to the people around me who added their experience to mine.
So for me, the PR / hack combination is one I believe can be hugely successful - but like any relationship it takes time - and a little bit of give and take.
And when people ask me now what I do for a living – I am proud to say I work in PR.
Written by Doug Shields
UK PR Agency Heads on Twitter
*Please note this list is currently based on PRWeek’s Top 100 PR consultancies (2010) however I may look to expand this in the future.
I've been engaging with the PR community on Twitter for some time now and haven't noticed a huge amount of activity from senior level PR people.
I was curious as to whether this was due to me not following enough of them - or whether it was because not many agency heads are using the social network site to communicate with their audience and peers.
So I started to sift through PRWeek's top 100 agencies in search of PR bosses - and what started as bit of research resulted in a list of UK PR Agency Heads on Twitter.
I have no doubt overlooked people who should be on the list, so let me know if you think someone should be on there.
I will be keeping an eye on the list (which you can follow here) to see if it provides valuable insight. You may or may not find it useful...
Bell Pottinger Group:
Lee Brooke (@leerobbrooke) Managing Director, Harvard PR
Nathan Lane (@nathanlane) Managing Director, Ptarmigan Bell Pottinger
Kevin Read (@ReadKevinRead) Managing Director, Bell Pottinger Business and Brand
Weber Shandwick:
Colin Byrne (@capbyrne) CEO, Weber Shandwick (UK and Europe)
Edelman:
Jackie Cooper (@JackiePRCooper) Creative Director
David Brain (@DavidBrain) - CEO, Edelman EMEA
Nick Barron (@BrockleyCentral) Deputy Managing Director, Corporate & Financial
Marshall Manson (@Marshallmanson) Director of Digital Strategy
Robert Phillips (@citizenrobert) UK CEO
Jonathan Hargreaves (@Naked_Pheasant) MD, Edelman Tech
Cairbre Sugrue (@cairbreUK) UK MD for Tech Practice
Hill and Knowlton:
Tim Fallon (@TFALO) Managing Director, London
Andy Sutherden (@hksports) Head of Sports
Louise Watson (@Louwatson1908) Head of CPG
Candace Kuss (@CandaceKuss) Director of Planning / Interactive Strategy Director
Sam Lythgoe (@samlythgoe) Head of business Development
Gaylene Ravenscroft (@ravenscroft) Head of Digital
Citigate Dewe Rogerson:
Andrew Adie (@adiemoi) Director, Corporate Practice
Alistair Kellie (@alistairkellie) Director, Corporate Practice
Judith Massey (@judithmassey) Director, Corporate Practice
Ketchum Pleon:
David Gallagher (@TBoneGallagher) Senior Partner; President, Ketchum Pleon; and CEO, London
Fernando Rizo (@fernandorizo) Head of Digital
Engine Business:
Robin Wight (@RobinWightUK) President
Mark Pack (@markpack) Head of Digital, Mandate Communications
Grayling Communications:
Loretta Tobin (@LorettaTobin) CEO, UK & Republic of Ireland
Fishburn Hedges:
Simon Matthews (@SimonMatthews) Chief Executive
Dermot Finch (@dermotfinch) Head of Public Affairs
Fiona Thorne (@FiThorne) Managing Director
Clare Hinkley (@clarehinkley) Associate Director
James Macintosh (@jamesmacintosh) Managing Partner, Seventy Seven PR
Alan Twigg (@twiggasaurous) Managing Partner, Seventy Seven PR
Jason Nisse (@jasonnisse) Director
Fleishman Hillard:
Meredith Bradshaw (@muertemaria) Director, Digital
Red Consultancy:
Ed Staples (@edstaples) Managing Director, Consumer Brands
Helen Nowicka (@Helennow) Managing Director - Shiny Red
Matt Buchanan (@mattbuchs) Head of Consumer Brands
Burson-Marsteller:
George Hutchinson (@ghutchinson) Head of Public Affairs
Lansons:
Tony Langham (@TonyLangham) Chief Executive
Tonic Life Communications:
Neil Flash (@neilflash) Managing Director, London
Kindred Agency:
Max Wright (@MaxwellWright) Director, Strategy
Paul Armstrong (@munkyfonkey) Director, Digital and Social Media
Biss Lancaster:
Holly Ward (@hollyward37) Managing Director, London
Frank Public Relations:
Andrew Bloch (@AndrewBloch) Founder and Managing Director
Alex Grier (@AlexG31) Director
Graham Goodkind (@goodkind) Chairman and Founder
Staniforth:
Rob Brown (@robbrown) Managing Director
Hotwire Group:
Drew Benvie (@drewb) Managing Director, 33 Digital
Gary Sargent (@sargeng) Public Affairs Director London, CPR
Emma Hazan (@emmahazan) MD, Skywrite
Brands2Life:
Giles Fraser (@gilesfraser) Co-Founder
Freshwater:
Steve Howell (@SteveFreshwater) Founder and Chief Executive
Golin Harris:
Matt Neale (@MattNeale) Co-Managing Director
Alexis Dalrymple (@ADalrymple) Director, UK tech practice
Portland:
George Pascoe-Watson (@GPW_Portland) Partner
Camargue:
Mike Conway (mikepconway) Director
Nelson Bostock:
Martin Bostock (@MartinBostock) Co-founder and Chairman
Lee Nugent (@LeeNugent) Managing Director
Frankie Oliver (@FrankieOliver) Head of Fever (consumer division)
Bruce McLachlan (@BruceMcLachlan) Director & Deputy Head of Fever (consumer division)
Simon Glazer (@simonglazer) Board Director, Head of Corporate, Issues & Technology
Aparna Aswani (@AparnaAswani) Divisional Director, Corporate, Issues & Technology
Nick Clark (@nick_clark) Divisional Director, Corporate, Issues & Technology
Consolidated:
Nick Clark (@prboy) Managing Director
Liz Fay (@Minttea33) Head of Consumer
Paul Borge (@PBizzle) Head of Digital
3 Monkeys:
Angie Moxham (@AngieMoxham) Managing Director
Golley Slater:
John Kinder (@jdkinder) Managing Director Digital
TVC Group:
Adam Clyne (@adamclyne) Commercial Director
Smarts:
Fergus Reid (@fergusareid) Director (Scotland)
Eulogy:
Vicky Beaney (@vickybeaney) Director
Louisa Osmond (@Louisa_Osmond) Associate Director
Lara Leventhal (@laraleventhal) Managing Director
Way to Blue:
Adam Rubins (@adamrubins) Deputy Managing Director
Octopus Communications:
Jon Lonsdale (@JonLon) Managing Director
Sean Fleming (@flemingsean) Associate Director
Emily Wearmouth (@EmVicW) Associate Director
PPS Group:
Rebekah Paczek (@bekspaczek) Director
Andy Martin (@AndyPMartin) Director
Speed Communications:
Stephen Waddington (@wadds) Managing Director
Steve Earl (@mynameisearl) Managing Director
Helen Beavis (@hbeaver) Director of Consumer
Gerry Grewal (@GerryGrewal) Director of Technology
Nicholas Bishop (@nbishop) Corporate Director
Hanover:
James Gurling (@JGurling) Director
Waggener Edstrom:
Melissa Waggener (@melissawz) President/Founder
Shaun Wooten (@shaunwootton) Managing Director
London Communications Agency:
Luke Blair (@lukeblair) Director
Citypress:
Charles Tattershall (@charlestatt) Managing Director
Pegasus:
Stuart Hehir (@stuarthehir) Director
Paver Smith:
Martyn Best (@bestym) Co-founder and Director
Communications Management:
Pam Calvert (@PamCalvert) Managing Director
Kaizo:
Rhodri Harries (@rhodrih) Managing Director
Splendid Communications:
Andy Bellass (@andybellass) Director
Alec Samways (@alecsamways) Managing Partner
CC Group:
Richard Fogg (@TelcoGeek) (Managing Director)
Cirkle Communications:
Anne Kendall (@AnneKendall) Managing Director
BGB Communications:
Debbie Hindle (@bgbcomms) Managing Director
Wriglesworth Consultancy:
Fiona Brandhorst (@wriglesworthfb) Director
Camron Public Relations:
Neil Byrne (@neilpbyrne) Board Director
Amanda Kasper (@amandamead) Associate Director
*Job titles are as displayed on company websites
* Twitter profiles were sourced from company website profile info and Twitter search - if no detail was found via websites regarding staff contacts, the agency will not feature on the list.
* A number of agencies in the PR Week Top 100 have been omitted because we could not locate their senior people on Twitter
*Agency heads that have not tweeted for longer than one month have been omitted from the list
Why the Media Love a List
Broadcast, print and social media – all, without exception, love a list.
Channel 4 milks this formula with its regular, late night, list-based programmes.
100 Greatest Tearjerkers…50 Greatest Comedy Characters...I enjoy these celebrity narrated TV shows - however the downside of committing to them is I’m inclined to fall asleep before the top 5 is revealed.
I did however make it to the end of their most recent “100 Greatest Stand-ups of all time” and was pleased Billy Connolly came top.
Women’s magazines love a frivolous list – “top ten make-up must haves”... “20 ways to tell if he’s the one” etc.
I loved NME’s recent list of the “Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade” - although I disagree with their top ten – apart from Radiohead who made the top ten with In Rainbows. Well deserved in my opinion.
And although I am aware that it’s mindless and chauvinistic – I can’t help but take a sneaky peek every time FHM bring out their annual “100 Sexiest women” list.
Bloggers aren’t above using the list formula either with product reviews and lists of top 20 / 50 apps etc. In fact, bloggers like lists so much - they even create lists of other bloggers.
I liked this tongue in cheek blog post from Social Collective which suggests the Top 13 ½ Buttons of all-time.
But no aspect of the media loves a list more than national newspapers.
A top 50 / 100 list can create page-lead – or even double-page spread opportunities for PRs looking to build brand awareness.
One of the reasons newspapers love lists is because, on a quiet news day, they provide an opportunity for editors to fill pages by using pictures to illustrate survey findings.
Here are a couple of examples of recent list-based news stories:
Sir David Attenborough heads lists of most honoured by Britain's universities
Top 50 Coolest Things on the Planet
So what is our fascination with lists?
A list is presented in bullet form so it's easy to digest. Readers don't need to trawl though reams of text - the information is there for them to sift through.
I think we like lists because we often don’t agree with the order they’re in – or we feel someone or something else should have made the top spot.
Everyone has an opinion when it comes to a list. Lists provide talk-value – they provoke a reaction which results in debate and conversation.
Written by Harriet
72Point Blog
72 Point are national news PR & survey specialists. Achieving daily print & online news exposure for the UK’s largest brands and PR agencies.
