News & Views

We have a vacancy in our digital division for a digital developer. This is a great opportunity for an ambitious developer to join a small yet growing team.

Working alongside our branding and design team and reporting to relationship directors, the successful candidate will work on a range of client digital assignments from website and blog development, emarketing campaigns and social media coding. (more…)

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The first Government-funded PR apprenticeship scheme for non-graduates announced recently (to be run by the PRCA) should be applauded throughout the industry. Hopefully, it will result in a higher calibre of young professionals coming through the ranks.

Sadly, the current system involves too many PR graduates coming straight from university into the working environment without basic skills. True, employers have a duty to train and develop their people in the workplace, but much more should be done to prepare graduates for the technically demanding world of PR and communications.

The solution could lie in a post-graduate training programme focusing on the development of practical skills and knowledge. It could operate in a similar way to the one for young solicitors, who must complete a training contract before becoming a fully-qualified solicitor.

Just like the accountancy and legal sectors, PR is a professional service. However, there are no formal entries to market, either as a person or agency. This means it is essential for the industry to find more and better routes to professionalise and improve standards. (more…)

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Simon Turner

Preston PR and marketing communications consultancy, Freshfield, has recruited Mark Wilson as its branding and design team continues to grow.

Mark has joined the firm as a branding and design executive from Blackpool and the Fylde College, where he was an in-house designer overseeing on the College’s external marketing collateral.

Freshfield managing director, Simon Turner, said: “Many companies have been reviewing their brand positioning and marketing strategies over the last 12-months, which has led to us securing a substantial amount of new branding, design and digital projects.

“Mark brings an established skill set in brand development, marketing collateral and digital design and compliments our full service offering.” (more…)

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Facebook users everywhere are bracing themselves for the biggest change yet to the social network.

A new Facebook development, titled ‘Timeline’, will allow users to tell their life story by giving them a new vertical timeline of photos, events and status updates

It’s another masterstroke by Facebook as it will encourage users to spend more time on personal profiles, freely giving in-depth personal information, and could potentially prove inviting to brands wishing to maximise advertising potential.

Big brands will already be planning how they can capitalise on the Timeline feature. However, it has ramifications for any company with Facebook pages as they could find themselves lost within the social network if they do not familiarise themselves with Timeline’s elements before it is fully rolled out. (more…)

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Emma Booth

So the Localism Bill is now law. Developers will need to be fully acquainted with the new process, and what it means for them to ensure a smooth passage of their proposals for any new development.

On further scrutiny of the detail, the government is making a strong signal that decisions for local planning should rest locally and passage should be related to local sentiment, unless there is an issue of national policy at stake which can then be referred to the Secretary of State.

Local planning authorities will prepare development plans, through consultation with local communities, which set the broad framework for acceptable development in their area.

The finer detail of what is ‘acceptable’ and the need to consult locally for any ‘large scale’ developments is still unfolding, with further supporting regulation to follow. (more…)

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Paul Tustin

The full cost of the Localism Bill and what it means is just beginning to dawn for major developers.

The initial implications can be seen in the landmark case in Stevenage where the Planning Inspector rejected an appeal for a development by Cala Homes as part of a major 9,600 homes extension to the west and north of Stevenage.

In the end, the plan was deemed to be ‘unsustainable’ in the light of new powers and North Herts decided to start working on its own plans to meet the new legislation.

The shift from central to local government is quite extreme when you examine the finer detail of the Localism Bill. (more…)

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Paul Tustin

Freshfield has recruited Danny Hooton to its branding and design team following a host of new instructions.

Danny has joined the firm as a branding and design executive from PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he occupied an in-house design role in Vancouver, Canada.

Freshfield managing director, Simon Turner, said: “We’ve been working with a lot of organisations in the last two years on brand repositioning and development and this specialist aspect of our business continues to grow.

“Danny has a real grasp of the strategic importance of design and his sector experience is a good fit for us.” (more…)

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The power of social media nearly blew us off our Manolo Blahnik’s last week.

Our work saw over 9,000 students descend on a Preston shopping centre – without a formal invitation in sight.

Word of mouth, text, QR codes, Facebook and the shopping centre’s Twitter feed played their part in attracting the attention of these typically hard to reach ‘freshers’ – who have been bombarded with every brand, event and nightclub since they started their university studies last month.

And while they were storming the shopping malls, we were providing real time updates via Facebook, uploading pictures and video content to encourage their friends to head down too. Overnight, Facebook ‘likes’ quadrupled. (more…)

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Juliet Cort

Freshfield has been shortlisted in the Best Media Relations Campaign category for the 2011 How-Do Public Services Communications Awards.

Freshfield has been recognised for its work to promote the 2011 SPAR Lancashire Youth Games – the largest youth sports programme in the county.

The Games feature 112 district finals and nine county finals, including a special schools’ swimming gala and the high-profile SPAR Lancashire Disability Youth Games, bringing together more than 10,000 primary school pupils from 14 local authority districts.

The media relations campaign is devised to encourage more young people to take part in the Games. As part of a six-month campaign, Freshfield was briefed to help gain £100,000 worth of media coverage and to ensure events from all 14 local and unitary councils across Lancashire were profiled. (more…)

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Freshfield has won a global contract to promote Super-Click – dubbed the most versatile click-flooring system in the world.

Following a competitive pitch, Freshfield was handed the brief to help Lancashire-based Super-Click International, which manages the Super-Click brand, build relationships with flooring distributors in the key territories of Asia, Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia.

Super-Click is one of the world’s most versatile LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) floating floor systems. It differs from other flooring thanks to a unique locking mechanism, offering superior locking strength combined with ease and speed of installation.

Freshfield is advising Super-Click International on brand development, while a traditional and digital PR campaign will focus on supporting Super-Click’s presence at four key flooring trade exhibitions in Dubai, Hannover, Las Vegas and Shanghai. Freshfield will attend the exhibitions overseeing media relations activity. (more…)

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