PR, marcomms, recruitment and all the bits in between

6 Clients in Sunday Times Best Companies list

No fewer than six of Hanson Search’s clients made The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies 2009 List

 

Blue Rubiconwas the highest placed PR agency, coming in at 18^th place and revealing that they spend 20,000 per person on training each year and over a third of employees earn over £55, 000 per year.

Also on the list were:

 

Nelson Bostock(20^th)

Brands2Life(23^rd)

Text100(29^th)

Shine Communications (33^rd)

Red Consultancy(41^st)

Consolidated PR(49^th) 

 

To discuss this or any PR opportunities please contact: Jamie McLaughlin

 

By Jamie McLaughlin

The only way is up!

Hands up those who are sick and tired of doom, gloom and yet more doom in our daily news feeds?

Yep, that’s all of us then, so we were particularly thrilled to hear the prediction by Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke (they really are rolling out the big guns for this one) on CBS’s 60 minutes that, wait for it,

AMERICA’S RECESSION WILL END THIS YEAR!

In the first television interview given by a Fed chairman in 20 years (we can put you in touch with some good PR companies if you’re reading this, Ben…) he was sufficiently confident to declare that the ‘green shoots’ of economic revival were already evident, that the US had averted the risk of another Great Depression and that the country’s recession will ‘begin to moderate and…see a levelling off’.

So, the worst may well and truly be over – and not before time.

Obviously, we’re pleased for our American counterparts – heck, the signs that the worst recession in decades may be coming to an end AND Mr. Bernanke overcoming years of media shyness - it’s almost too much!  But for entirely selfish reasons, we’re also pleased for us.

 

Just as the US’s sub-prime market sent ripples, then waves of economic crisis over the pond and around the world, the UK economy (and others) is also likely to show signs of recovery on the back of this optimistic financial prediction.

If this is the payback we get for Leona Lewis, that’s alright by us.

 

By Kayode Dauda

Thinking of doing a PR degree?

An article in PR Week today revealed that 34 per cent of respondents on the ‘PRCA PR Leaders' Panel’ said that PR qualifications actually make graduates less attractive.

On the flip side, 23% said it made candidates CV’s more attractive. OS iguess it depends on who you are targeting!

Article found here

By Jamie McLaughlin

Media Planning

Hanson Search is expanding… as well as covering communications across the Middle East, we are now working with the top 5 global media agencies for skilled planners and buyers. Demand is high for international talent.

For more information please email

 

By Ragini Shah

Bad Names

Think your name is bad, spare a thought for these poor people; Justin Case, Barb Dwyer, Stan Still, Mary Christmas, Terry Bull and Carrie Oakey. You think I’m kidding – well unfortunately I’m not, these are actual names that have been found by researches from TheBabyWebsiteafter trawling through online telephone records... I think there is only one comment to make – thank you parents for my normal name!

By Jess Greatrex

Hanson Search takes over the world........

 With offices in London, Paris and Dubai already, we are now looking to move further afield and break into the Asian market. We are currently talking to clients in Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore and Hong Kong to name but a few, and are pleased to announce that we are now working on positions throughout the region. If you have previous Asian work experience and are looking to explore these opportunities, or if you are currently based in Asia and starting to consider new opportunities, contact Thea or Jamie.

Now we are just waiting for the chance to head out there for a holiday, sorry, research.....

By Thea Foote

Passive Aggressive Notes.

Since moving to London from Ireland I have become increasingly aware of the overly polite and even formal way that English strangers interact with each other. From an angry “Um, excuse me, could you move down please?” through gritted teeth on the tube to a ridiculously apologetic “Oh, um, I think that seat might be taken if you don’t mind; sorry” us Brits seem to prefer apparently polite comments with nasty undertones to directly addressing the problem.

 

 Recently this has reached new dimensions here at Hanson Search HQ where our friendly cleaning staff have a nasty habit of chipping cups and plates when doing the washing up, as well as disrupting carefully arranged desk-junk without leaving the surfaces looking any cleaner. Myself and my colleagues have actually taken to leaving hostile, yet polite, casual, yet stern post-its to ask if (cue sarcastic, self-righteous tone) it would be possible to clean inside the microwave as it is fairly unhygienic in its current state.

 

A friend recently directed me towards a hilarious site dedicated to such self-righteous scribblings the world over: http://www.passiveaggressivenotes.com/

I hope you enjoy; make sure you check out the “cake wrecks” section for moral judgement in icing.

 

By Nicola Blemings

Social or anti-social media?

The BBC news released a story last week discussing how people’s health could be effected by over use of social networking sites. The story was based around Dr Aric Sigman’s warning in Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology.  This was again highlighted in a story by David Derbyshire on Mail Online, where neuroscientist Susan Greenfield argued that children who used social networking sites such as Facebook were potentially becoming more self-centred and had a shorter attention span.

With clients reducing their budgets at the moment left right and centre, many PR agencies are being pushed to follow the online routes to keep up with their competition. Clients still need to reach their targeted audience in order for business to happen. With fewer funds available, online is a natural answer.

Social Media sites such as Twitter are used as a vital tool for many digital PR experts. As the economy doesn’t look as though it will suddenly boom again over night, are we placing our work force into an anti-social future?

Email me your thoughts on kelly@hansonsearch.com

By Kelly Hopkins

The future is bright for Branding Agencies…

As reported on Design Week recently, several UK Companies are suggesting that brand refreshes and brand development is looking likely to be the way forward for companies, if they are to survive the continuing recession.

This is good news for the branding Industry, and is certainly an opportunity which several individuals within the industry have grabbed with both hands. 

Revealed by Design Week today, there appears to be a wave of new start up Brand and Design Agencies including Vibrandt’s ex-Chairman’s new consultancy ‘Touch of Mojo’ (LOVE the name!), Pearlfisher’s ex-Creative Director and Client Services Director’s Agency ‘B&B’ and finally former Enterprise IG Chief Executive’s new branding group BrandPie(P=positioning I=Identity E=Engagement = brilliant!!). 

It is an interesting time for the industry, but the future is certainly looking bright…

Do you have an opinion on a brand? Email Olivia

 

By Oliva Taylor

Save your logo

SAVE YOUR LOGOlooks to leverage private sector and multi-stakeholder engagement for dramatically expanded funding for endangered animals. While focusing on particularly threatened species, this initiative will also target those animals used for branding and in logos of global corporations.

Lacosteis one of the first big companies to pave the way by using their crocodile logo to raise awareness for, wait for it....crocodiles.

By Claire McMenamin