With the last few weeks being all about media silly season- that precious time of year when Parliament is out and half the country is on holiday- you’d think we’d have very little to talk about. Nothing could be further from the truth, though- hence new client wins, new staff arrivals, one textbook example of newsjacking, and plenty more besides.
First up, we’re delighted to announce that Little Sports Coaching has joined our list of beloved brands, an educational institute founded in 2006, dedicated to delivering top quality training in everything from football to gymnastics for 5-12 year olds. The firm is based in our own hometown of Manchester, and we’ll be helping to build the brand reputation further by partnering on the press and marketing front.
We’ve also brought in two new faces here at Smoking Gun’s Bridge Street HQ. Jacqueline Buckland has made the move north from London to take up post as our new Social Media Account Director, bringing with her some big brand experience after almost a decade in the industry. Meanwhile, our first graduate recruitment drive has proven more than fruitful, with Lucy Tallen arriving, box-fresh First Class Honours in Media and Journalism from Northumbria University in hand.
Music fans will be interested to learn Smoking Gun PR is also involved in a highly worthwhile music festival this weekend, through our client, Arriva Buses, which is a key sponsor. The highly talented North West guitar troupe Viola Beach sadly had their burgeoning careers cut short in a road accident while on tour in Scandinavia, and in the wake of the tragedy, the River Reeves Foundation has been established.
Named after one of the band members, the idea is to support actors, writers, artists, musicians and other creatives in their journey to success, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The inaugural RivFest fundraiser will take place on Saturday in Warrington, featuring Maximo Park, Billy Bragg, Eliza & The Bear, and more, so click here for tickets and we’ll see you front and centre.
Elsewhere, we did our own bit for the silly season tradition, newsjacking the divisive story about Big Ben falling silent for the next five years to allow for essential repairs on the iconic landmark. Our team jumped on the chance to promote the plus side of this- giving Londoners their first ‘silent night’ in years- grabbing column inches in major titles like The Guardian for our beloved sleep expert, Silentnight. All in a good day’s work, it’s exactly the kind of resourceful opportunism that our reputation is built on, with plenty more where that came from. At the risk of sounding cliched, then, keep watching this space.
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