Blog

Two-fifths of electricians and gas engineers have been asked by clients to tamper with their meters in the last 12 months, according to data out earlier this week. Nearly all the tradespeople surveyed believe the increasing cost of energy has led to more people looking to make their meters run slowly. We helped Direct Line Group land over 300 items of broadcast coverage warning of the dangers – financial and physical – of meter tampering. With spokespeople from Direct Line and the Electrical Safety First, the warning was heard by listeners and viewers of You & Yours, Sky News TV, Times Radio, LBC and hundreds more. Meter tampering isn’t new, but the cost of living crisis is… For media, the story served as not only a very valid warning, but also a worrying measure of the consequences of the crisis. On radio, one of the key sources of coverage was an interview with Direct Line’s Alison Traboulsi with Sky News Radio. Coverage from Sky News Radio isn’t always easy to monitor, so it’s only fair to shout out to Carma Media Analysis, who picked up hundreds of branded features.

When beauty giant Avon launched a ‘Boob Portal’ to raise breast health awareness among its customers and reps, we were delighted to help. Coinciding with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Avon’s online checkout was turned into a clever ‘self-checkout’. We worked alongside the team at red consultancy, one of Avon’s retained agencies, who asked us to generate broadcast coverage. The portal was created with women who have experienced the disease; NHS doctor Dr Frankie Jackson-Spence; and charities CoppaFeel! and Look Good Feel Better. Offering up spokespeople and a case-study from the organisations involved, we connected Avon and its charity partners with 21 broadcasters including Sky TV, 8 regional BBCs, Heart, Smooth and Capital Radio.

Our friend and colleague Rick Panesar has spent years working on growing his 2 Fingers empire. Rick, who originally launched 2 Fingers as a pescatarian street food pop-up, now creates a range of artisan Chunky Tartare Sauces which are the quintessential partner to fish suppers. We wanted more people to know about Rick’s awesome offering so, with some clever writing, we crafted a new release divulging his top tips for the ultimate fish finger sandwich. Rick’s previous life studying maths came in handy, as we created the formula for the perfect fish finger sandwich. The media couldn’t get enough with coverage on BBC Breakfast News, ITV This Morning, Channel 4 Steph’s Packed Lunch, Daily Star, The Sun, The Star, Daily Mail, Metro.co.uk and Joe.co.uk to name a few. Rick, who is also a talented chef, has since been invited back to cook on Steph’s Packed Lunch, and would love his own regular slot.

Nine in ten Brits use food to boost their mood, scoffing milk chocolate, cakes, biscuits and even broccoli in a bid to enhance their state of mind. And while the choice of foods might occasionally be off, the idea of turning to ‘mood foods’ isn’t. Working with the team at Ceres PR for Yakult, we were asked to help raise awareness of the ‘gut brain axis’, the two-way communication that occurs between the stomach and the brain. Using Dr Aria’s fascinating insight and the results of the poll, we set-up interviews across the UK airwaves, reaching 6 BBCs and 10 commercials, including a national.

The classic cooker-sink-fridge ‘work triangle’ at the heart of UK kitchen design for over half a century is getting a face-lift, according to new research from Wickes. Originally developed in 1929 by US time and motion studies expert Lilian Moller Gilbreth, the kitchen triangle concept suggests the main ‘work points’ should form an imaginary triangular shape, to maximise efficiency and cut down on wasted steps for housewives. The concept was later formalised by the University of Illinois in the 1940s and became the staple design for post-WW2 fitted kitchens, first in the US then spreading across the world in the 50s and 60s. But contemporary kitchen layouts are now increasingly incorporating a combination of points that stretch far beyond those established over half a century ago – resulting in design shapes ranging from triangles to hexagons, rising to heptagons for pet owners. Teaming up with the brilliant Design Historian, Professor Deborah Sugg Ryan, we took the fascinating history of the kitchen to media and set-up a 10minute feature on BBC Radio 4’s You & Yours, more than 10 other BBCs and a great line-up of commercial radio too.