LONDON — International brand communications group Manifest has achieved B-Corp status and is calling for creative agencies to stop profiting from fossil fuels and other ethically-compromised industries. It has also announced a ‘planetary dividend’ for brands seeking to switch from agencies with compromising client rosters, in the form of 10% of fees donated to regulated reforestation projects for the first year of working together. The agency has also unveiled a new brand identity, website and organisational structure. Manifest scored 97.4 in the B-Corp assessment process, making it one of the highest scoring PR agencies to have achieved the mark, which analyses governance structure, environmental impact and behaviours as an employer, as well as the nature of the work it produces, and who it produces it for.

LONDON — Brand engagement agency Richmond & Towers has won four new account wins from Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company, covering its Hobgoblin, Young’s, Shipyard and Wainwright brands, alongside the agency’s retained clients from the same producer: Brooklyn Brewery and Erdinger. Richmond & Towers’ brief is to build brand awareness among key consumer audiences and in the on- and off-trade.

LONDON — Mangopay, a provider of modular payment solutions for platforms, has chosen Missive to run its UK PR programme after a competitive pitch process. Tom Rouffio, head of corporate communications and brand at Mangopay, said "Missive demonstrated it knew our business and the markets we operate in inside out, and will add huge value to our pan-European comms programme.”

LONDON — Clean energy brand Ripple Energy has appointed Alfred as its consumer PR partner after a competitive pitch. Alfred’s remit will cover strategic communications, press office support and campaign development and delivery. Ripple recently announced its third project will be the UK’s first shared ownership solar park. 

LONDON — Howard Krais, former head of employee experience at chemicals and sustainable technologies company Johnson Matthey and senior communications consultant Ann-Marie Blake have launched employee engagement consultancy True. The agency will focus on employee engagement, employee experience, change and transformation communications, as well as DE&I support. Blake has worked in public relations, marketing, corporate affairs, change and internal communications for organisations such as HSBC, Barclays and NatWest, is on the international executive board of the International Association of Business Communicators and is a founder member of the PRCA’s Race & Ethnicity Equity Board (REEB). Krais has worked across sectors including financial services, retail, leisure and construction. Prior to Johnson Matthey, he held senior roles at GSK and EY.

LONDON — Team Lewis has been appointed by Weatherbys, the independent family-owned racing and banking group. Established in 1770, Weatherbys provides racing services to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), as well as providing services from IT solutions to extensive DNA and genomic testing. The Lewis team will be led by director Niki Wheeler.

LONDON — The Fitting Room has signed a number of new hospitality clients: restaurant chain Turtle Bay, which has appointed the agency to reposition its restaurants and build brand equity via creative activations; Burger & Lobster, with a brief to support the repositioning of the business; London pizza and pasta restaurant Vapiano; US brand 800 Degrees Pizza, for its launch to the UK market; and Simmons, one of London’s biggest independent bar groups.

MANCHESTER — British sportswear brand Dare 2b (pictured) has appointed brand building marcomms agency, Smoking Gun, to manage its influencer marketing and wider public relations activity. The brand, known for its ski, mountain and activewear, has collaborated on ranges with names including Laura Whitmore, Jermaine Jenas and Henry Holland. Smoking Gun will drive forward the digital strategy on a retained basis to deliver high profile influencer collaborations to build the brand, alongside media relations to support the brand’s growth. Dare 2b joins Smoking Gun’s existing lifestyle portfolio, which also includes Interflora, Clogau and Landmann BBQs.

LONDON — Milkshake brand Shaken Udder has hired Red Lion to spearhead a PR campaign this spring. Shaken Udder started selling on festival sites before securing its first listing in Harvey Nichols in 2008, and is now listed in all major UK supermarkets. Red Lion will implement a campaign to support the company’s recent rebrand and current awareness-raising objective. The team will be headed up by associate director James Swan, reporting to senior brand manager Paras Arora.

LONDON — Energy drink Relentless has appointed Kingdom Collective as its retained culture communications agency. The win follows the brand’s work with Kingdom Collective in 2022, after a competitive pitch process for a PR and amplification partner to support Relentless Energy Drink’s second-year partnership with rapper and ambassador Aitch, where the brand offered free train tickets to young people around the UK to ensure that rising transport costs did not derail young Brits’ plans to experience music festivals. The new brief covers research and audience insights, cultural strategy and positioning, talent partnerships, content production, PR and amplification.

LONDON — Integrated communications agency The Monarchs has been appointed by European start-up and tech event Viva Technology as UK agency of record, handling PR, media relations and events management within the UK, and as official event partner. The Monarchs launched in October 2022 with a focus on PR, content and SEO for global English language and EMEA regions.

LONDON — PR Agency One has been appointed by So Body Co, a premium collagen supplement brand, after a competitive pitch. The agency has been tasked with promoting two So Body Co products – Peptigen+ Multi-Collagen, and CollaSlim, a meal replacement shake containing marine collagen proteins. The consumer and B2B agency, which has offices in London and Manchester, has been tasked with delivering an integrated UK PR strategy for both products, building awareness of the brand and the benefits of collagen, as well as sales.

LEEDS, UK — Retail sector communications specialist Prohibition PR has started working with online interiors business Furn.com, part of home furnishings firm Riva Home. Their brief includes a full range of PR services to build Furn’s reputation with consumers and helping it to reach its commercial potential.