The Career Edit: managing imposter syndrome out of PR

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers and acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins, mergers and acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in October 2025Andrew is the lead consultant PR, social, content and influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors, the PRCA.Here is a rundown of what Andrew and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Pitches  National Express - Block Report - Block Report launched earlier this year Founded by Chris Grimwood of Iris and Social Chain and Jack Colchester of Wonderhood. Singapore Tourist Board - Splendid - UK integrated marketing agency. This win follows an open RFI. Splendid won Heathrow Express in April. Belfast City Council -  Cavendish Consulting, Lanyon Communications (part of Consello) and Open Strategic Communications PPHE Hotel Group (formerly Park Plaza Hotels Europe) - Launch PR. Retained consumer and corporate brief. 51 properties across eight countries. Rangemaster - Stakked - Iconic cooker brand with global recognition and deep British roots. Previously in-house. BFI London Film Festival - Vamp - 69th film festival. Vamp has worked with clients inc. Disney, paramount, Netflix, Prime, C4 Apple TV etc Aardman Animation - Wonderland. New Ewe Knit it campaign invites fans to create knitted items that can be turned into blankets for the homeless in London. Toy Retailers Association - WPR. To promote the dream toys list of the hottest toys for Christmas 2025.  Butlins - Popcorn. Positioning the holiday resort as the Home of Entertainment. Popcorn is strong in consumer and lifestyle - clients include Thorpe Park, Panasonic and London Designer Outlet. Hey Dude - Words+Pixels.  Launch of new campaign with Lewis Capaldi. Acai Berry Foods - Neon Brand Communications - Neon are specialists in health, wellness and beauty and lifestyle brands (hotpot yoga, coconut collab etc.) For Goodness Shakes - Frank. Launch protein and collagen drink, Glow. Lipton Teas and Infusions - Clarion. Retained consumer pr for sub brands PG Tips and Pukka. Youngs Seafoods - Brazen. Consumer pr, social media, influencer. Frozen fish brand - supplies approx. 40% of all the fish eaten in the UK every year, apparently! Omi/Shakers/Dints - Ballou. Trio of new clients for Ballou UK. Nationwide Building Society - Popeyes, Ogi and DEBRA - Folk  Border to Coast Pensions Partnership - Apella Advisors. Appella was founded in 2019 by ex APCO UK boss James Acheson Gray - works with Aviva, KPMG and Nationwide Building societyRoyal Mint - Third City. The Royal Mint is celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Monopoly Board game. Vinted – Smarts. Pan European pr, social and creator for online marketplace for selling, buying and exchanging new/second hand items. POD - Tin Man. EV electric charging provider, joins Tin Man’s existing energy division - EDF, Electrify Britain, Energy GB. Changan - Woosah - Chinese auto firm launching into UK market with all electric Deepal SUV model. Paddy Power - Pitch - Addition to roster alongside Ready10.  M&A Team Lewis acquire Instinctif Partners. This deal will double the size of Team Lewis’ UK ope

In the fourth episode of the season, Dean Connelly, founder of Latte Recruitment and Elizabeth are joined by Shruti Gupta, account executive at Harvard and her colleague Joe McDermott, head of enterprise technology practice at Harvard. Following Gupta's inspirational My PRmoment interview, in which she discussed having imposter syndrome after moving from India to the UK to work in PR, we asked her and McDermott how that presented at work and how effective line management helped to reduce her feelings of doubt.Many thanks to our podcast sponsors the PRCA

A recent survey by Fairtrade, with research undertaken by Kantar, finds 86% of shoppers want brands to be upfront about sourcing and more than half (55%) think businesses should take a ‘large amount’ or ‘full responsibility’ for protecting the human rights of workers in their supply chains.The study found that 59% of UK adults support Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislation, while just 9% oppose it, showing strong public backing for government action and responsible business practices.Sustainability and purpose matter in communications. They help you build trust and credibility, they help you attract and retain talent and they help you drive innovation in green technologies. In a special PRmoment podcast, inspired by the final deadline for the Sustainability and Purpose Awards we’re chatting to The Fairtrade Organisation’s Martine Parry about its Fairtrade Fortnight Research and its implications for communicators.Before we start a reminder that PRmoment’s Sustainability & Purpose Awards final entry deadline is on Wednesday 15th October. Take a look at all the categories on the microsite.Here’s a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Martine Parry discussed on this week’s show:75% of UK adults believe their shopping habits are the most meaningful way to help build a fairer world. Martine and Ben discuss the implication of this for brand communicators.Is the value of the ‘green pound’ (total ethical spend in the UK) still a relevant measure of consumer ethical and sustainability spending trends?Fairtrade’s research identified 2 sustainability and purpose personas, what are they?How can brands encourage consumers to shop “fair”?It’s a busy media agenda but is there still room for sustainability and purpose related stories?Define what authentic sustainability storytelling looks like in 2025?What is the Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) legislation and why is it important for communicators who are worried about reputation issues resulting from their supply chains?As a judge in the Sustainability and Purpose Awards, what sort of work is Martine looking forward to seeing this year?

PRmoment founder Ben Smith is interviewed by Eilizabeth Giles about the speaker line up for PR Masterclass series The Agency Growth Forum and why it has become a bit of a personal challenge.What PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum covers in one day is incredible. You get to hear the real experts talk about how to overcome the key challenges that PR firm owners are having right now when it comes to growth.As always with our PR Masterclass series, there are absolutely no sponsors. We don't believe in charging delegates for a ticket and then filling the program with sponsored slots.When, Where: Wednesday 26th November 2025Virtual tickets from £230 +VAT. Face-to-face from £460 +VAT, buy your ticket before 10/10/25 to get these early bird rates.Here’s a run down of what Ben and Elizabeth talk about on the show:Why did we choose Rachel Bell to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Let's just run through Rachel's PR agency CV:Founder, ShineCo founder, Mischief Co founder, The Academy Co founder, John DoeCo founder, AdhuroNon executive chair, Cavendish Enough said?Why did we choose Jonny Bentwood to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?There's an interesting global community of about 8-10 PR firm data geeks who are at the arrowhead PR and technology. Jonny's at the tip of that arrow.No PR Agency Growth Forum event would be complete without an analysis of PR's GEO opportunity and here Jonny will update us with the latest thinking.Why did we choose Rachael Marshall to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Her firm Magic Digits has circa 30 PR agency clients and so there's no-one better to give a third party insight into the financial trends and challenges of running a PR firm today.In house panel: What do clients want?Bieneosa Ebite, GSK, head of communications and government affairs, inclusionClara Biu, Allwyn UK, head of consumer communicationsCharlotte West, Lenovo, vice president, global corporate communicationsWhy did we choose Rachel Friend to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Rachel’s had success at PR firms who are part of the holding groups and she's also had success at PR firms who are independent.So she knows how to run PR agency businesses. Rachel's going to talk to us about how to re-energise your PR businesses and get your momentum back.Why did we choose Jo Carr to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?For about the last 10 years PR firms have, in the main, worked hard to improve their employer brand and to become better employers.Jo was at the start of this trend. She understood that in a consultancy business where creativity and customer service are absolutely vital, happy employees are always going to mean happy clients.Why did we choose Paul Nolan to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?As this is the Agency Growth Forum, I didn't just want a PR AI expert, I wanted the PR leader who was furthest along the road integrating AI into their agency. That's why Paul's speakingWhy did we choose Jackie Elliot  to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?If you know, you know.Independent PR agency panel: The growth challengeThis panel will give an insight into the growth challenges for independent agencies at the moment.Why did we choose Lee Beattie to speak at the Agency Growth Forum?Lee is going to talk about how Joe Doe has had success in developing a culture where young people can thrive.

Thank you for joining us today. Our guest is at the sharp end of what makes a successful PR campaign tick in 2025: data and insight. She is the managing director of Censuswide, a respected international market research consultancy, who help agencies and brands write the headlines that drive media coverage.For years, PR has known that original research can fuel earned media coverage, but in the post-AI era, the need for credible, first-party data has never been more critical.And on the show today we're going to dive into the Censuswide’s Voice of the CMO 2025 Report. The report is a crucial temperature check of how marketing leaders' roles and priorities are changing for 2026.This research zeroes in on the biggest tension facing the C-suite today: the massive adoption of Generative AI and the concurrent consumer skepticism about it. Nicky will help us dissect the findings that show 100% of CMOs are using AI, yet many are still struggling to connect their digital spend directly to long-term brand equity and sales growth. If you’re an agency or an in-house leader looking to benchmark your strategy, understand the future of budget allocation, and learn how to navigate the complex world of brand activism, this report - and this conversation - are essential listening.What’s great about this report is that it takes its research results from 500 CMOs and 2000 consumers, so you get perspectives on the same issues from both sides. The data was collected in June 2025.Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment’s TikTok content, it’ll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and managing director of Censuswide, Nicky Marks discussed on the PRmoment Podcast:Nicky talks us through the current AI challenges CMOs are facing?What do CMOs report are the top 5 benefits of using AI?What concerns do CMOs have about using AI?Is there a disconnect between the extent to which CMOs use Generative AI and how comfortable consumers are with it?Nicky discusses the brand discovery and consumer backlash concerns of CMOs.Why has social media become the most important brand discovery channel for CMOs?50% of consumers want brands to be proactive around issues of sustainability and purpose but 50% of consumers want brands to be neutralWhat are the issues that consumers think brands should have a voice on? And do these match the CMO perceptions?Why are customer expectations higher than ever? Ben and Nicky have a discussion on whether this is a symptom of the increasingly angry society we live in, fuelled by keyboard warriors answerable to no-one but the social media algorithms.Budget and Measurement are forever problems for CMOs, but what is different in 2025?What are the top 5 risks for CMOs right now?What are the top five priorities for CMOs at the moment? Are these different for B2B or B2C?What are the most popular KPIs that CMOs use in 2025?What are the 2025 budgetary trends for CMOs? Are PR  budgets increasing, decreasing or remaining the same?

Thank you for joining us today! Our guest is here to discuss a topic that is fundamentally changing the role of a PR professional. She’s the Chief Strategy Officer at Golin and a driving force behind their research looking at the intersection of LLMs, GEO and earned media.She's going to talk about Golin’s Modern Communications Effectiveness Study and is here to tell us that some of PRs old approaches simply don't hold up. She'll be talking about why GEO is more important tis so important in PR right now and how we need to rethink what the activation of a public relations campaign looks like in a post GEO worldPlease give a very warm welcome to Kat Arnoll.Before we start,our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don’t hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment’s TikTok content, it’ll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Kat discussed on the show:3 mins Golin's New Earned Framework for the Post-AI Era focuses on a world where LLMs are a primary content source. Kat elaborates on the most significant shifts she’s observed in a PR professional's job from a pre GEO to a post GEO PR world? What has this change meant in a media relations reality?9 mins So media relations is back in fashion? Does this impact the type of people PR firms are hiring?12 mins Does Kat worry about the current over reliance on Reddit when it comes to LLM results?18 mins Does anyone know what happens next? It’s fairly clear to anyone who takes the time to test it that LLM results are currently OK, but subject to bias and hallucinations and in some cases black hat manipulation…28 mins How is Kat measuring the impact of PR on LLM results?33 mins The irony that big tech has developed something in LLMs that potentially destroys the very thing that LLMs rely upon is deliciously ironic. It’s not so much biting the hand that feeds you, as eating it. Beyond a few partnerships with publishers where big tech throws a bit of relative change into the begging bowl of publishers, no one’s really come up with a long term plan to create balance and value in this publisher/LLM ecosystem have they?34 mins Do you think publishers might bite back? No one’s really admitted it yet but all of a sudden big tech, through its LLMs, need publishers more than publishers need search engines. The game, in theory, might be about to change. Granted digital publishers need to create a membership body and move as one, which they almost certainly won’t get organised to do….

Thank you for joining us today! Our guest is Kunal Mehta. He is here to discuss how changes in B2B communications are fundamentally changing how businesses connect with their customers. Kunal is the global head of marketing, communication, and brand at DSM-Firmenich, a leading company in nutrition, health and beauty.With over two decades of experience navigating the marketing world, from iconic B2C brands like KitKat and Britannia to the complex B2B landscape, he has a unique perspective on what truly works. He is a self-described "collector of experiences" who is known for his passion for storytelling and his strategic, data-driven approach.Today, he will share his insights on the evolving nature of B2B communications, covering everything from the importance of emotional resonance in a corporate context to the power of a finely tuned marketing stack.Kunal leads marketing for animal health and nutrition at DSM-Firmenich which is a business with a 12bn Euros turnover operating in over 100 countries.Before we start, our PR Masterclass the Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don’t hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment’s TikTok content, it’ll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here's a summary of what Kunal and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Did B2B marketers and B2B communicators go down a lead generation rabbit hole for about 10 years?Why did lead gen become the priority for many B2B marketers and why did they seem to forget the importance of brand?Kunal spent 8 years at Nestle in consumer markets. He discusses the differences in how B2C and B2B organisations prioritise marketing and brand?Why has B2B marketing now reawakened? What has changed?In B2B markets, comms often reports into marketing, whereas in consumer markets it’s more likely comms is a separate division to marketing. Why is that?What does a modern lead gen sales pipeline look like in a multi channel multi decision maker scenario? In an organisation like DSM where you have hundreds of products, is product marketing even possible?The B2B customer journey for a company like DSM-Firmenich is often long and complex, spanning multiple touchpoints, from digital to in-person. How do you ensure a consistent and effective communication strategy across a varied value chain?What does a global head of marketing like Kunal want from his PR firm?What capabilities does DSM-Firmenich retain in its in-house marketing and communication team and when does it use agency support?As someone with a global role, how does Kunal balance the need for a cohesive brand narrative with the necessity for content that is hyper-relevant to a specific region or market?Kunal manages teams and initiatives across numerous geographies and product lines. What are the key building blocks for a successful marketing team structure?

Following the release of Outrage Inc on BBC iPlayer Mark Borkowski comes onto the PRmoment podcast to talk about the PR Stunt.Mark is also a well-known lecturer and speaker on the art of publicity. He is a frequent media commentator on TV and radio and writes for several nationals. Mark has authored two books on publicity stunts.Outrage Inc is a journey through the archive to rediscover the creative genius, conviction and the DNA of publicity behind protest stunts.From suffragette arson to flour bombs at Miss World, Barbie dolls growling “Vengeance is mine!” to Tommie Smith’s Black Power salute, the Greenham women, Led By Donkeys, and more.Outrage Inc programme asks why we forget these moments, when they so often planted the seeds of profound cultural change. Before we start,our PR Masterclass: The Agency Growth Forum is now live. Virtual and face to face tickets are now available.This event always sells out so if you do want a face to face ticket, be quick. Genuinely, don’t hang about. Check out PRmasterclasses.com or the homepage of PRmoment for the full speaker lineup.Also, do check out PRmoment’s TikTok content, it’ll keep you up to date with the best creative campaigns in PR, interviews with interesting PR folks and our weekly Good and Bad PR content with Andy Barr.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what PRmoment founder Ben Smith and Mark discussed:Mark tells us about Outrage Inc…Mark gives us a quick history of the PR StuntOf the publicity stunts artists Mark interviewed on Outrage Inc, which one is Mark’s favorite?Some argue Mark is the father of the modern PR stunt. But is he now a bit over them?Consumer PR in the UK is in a good place at the moment. And stunts in various forms are playing an important role in creating that virtuous circle of attention for brands. Mark discusses the virtuous circle of algorithms, content and hype…Mark and Ben discuss his conclusions in Outrage Inc about the role publicity stunts have played in various historical moments.Mark talks about how UK’s laws are making it harder and harder to do PR stunts.

Welcome to our review of PR pitches and mergers & acquisitions in the UK PR scene with Andrew Bloch. Here we discuss the biggest pitch wins and mergers & acquisitions that the PR sector has seen in July 2025Andrew is the lead consultant - PR, Social, Content and Influencer at the new business consultancy firm AAR and a partner at PCB Partners, where he advises on buying and selling marketing services agencies.The Creative Moment Awards have sold out but we have an fascinating webinar on GEO, Misinformation and the News: The Impact of AI on Trust of the Media and a PR Planning event on October 16th.Also, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.PITCHESCop30 appoints Edelman – Comms activity around Brazil’s hosting of Summit in Nov. Account worth $834,850 from mid-July – mid Feb 26 (according to US Foreign Agent Registration Act).Tokyo appoints Weber Shandwick – $1.7m year long deal with Tokyo Metro Govt. Morocco National Tourist Office appoints Rooster – UK and Ireland brief to promote tourism in Morocco.Ethara Event and Entertainment appoints The Romans – Etihad Airways GP. 2 year b2b and b2c brief.W Hotels appoint The Romans – EMEA PR strategy for global hotel brands across the UK and Middle East.Lidl appoints Brands2Life - corporate and public affairs brief - building and painting reputation in a way that is ‘commensurate with its economic and social impact across the nation’. Media relations, give relations, leadership comms, crisis mitigation. Category defining business. 5th biggest supermarket in UK by food and drink sales. Brands2Life also looks after LinkedIn, TetraPak. Vodafone, XeroHomesense appoints Pretty Green - consumer pr, influencer and social brief.Wasabi Sushi & Bento appoints The Fitting Room - a PR, social and content.consumer comms brief across 41 stores.Itsu grocery appoints Exposure – creative comms for new rice noodle range! Innocent adds Tin Man and Pretty Green –to its roster of agencies.LEGO appoints Smarts – UK and Ireland consumer PR brief. Lego’s first new agency in 8 years. Recent wins Asda and People's Postcode Lottery.Specsavers appoints Firstlight Group as its UK retained communications agency. Have worked on projects since 2021. Firstlight will work alongside Golin and Tangerine. Street Soccer London appoints The Ripple Effect.Police Care UK –appoints PHA Group –a charity for serving and veteran police officers and staff, volunteers, and their families, who have suffered any physical or psychological harm as a result of policing.Shieldpay appoints PHA GroupVinted appoints John DoeJigsaw appoints Aisle8Mint Velvet appoint EmergeHexclad cookware appoints Milk and Honey Stagecoach appoints McCann BirminghamSodastream appoints Visible This month's round up of M&A activityReal Chemistry acquire Greater Than OneGTO will gain access to Real Chemistry’s services in AI driven, creative, influencer engagement, medical comms, integrated comms and market access. Real Chemistry is $665M globally of which circa $616M is in the US pushing it above Edelman as the largest US firm by revenue last year.WE Communications (formerly Wagner Edstrom) and Hopscotch merged. WE acquired Hopscotch 3 years ago.MSQ acquires Precious Media and Wooshi to expand production capabilities. Doubles M3 Labs (MSQ’s production agency) headcount to 130 adding AI powered and commerce focussed production expertis

Welcome to our H1 Recruitment Year in Review PRmoment Podcast, where we discuss the PR job market with Dean Connolly, founder and PR recruitment director at Latte.We look back at the talent trends in PR for the first half of 2025. The last six months have seen a significant change in the PR recruitment market. Dean tells us the top 3 reasons why PR people leave their jobs and reveals the latest PR salary bands.If you’re interested in keeping an eye on the best jobs that are out there each week, do make sure you subscribe for free to PRmoment’s Top 10 PR Jobs updates each week.Finally, thanks so much to the PRmoment Podcast sponsors the PRCA.Here’s a summary of what Dean and PRmoment founder Ben Smith discussed:Dean updates on the latest PR talent market in trends for the first half of 2025Are account assistants and other junior roles being impacted by AI?Are the size of in-house PR teams increasing?On the working from home debate: “39% of the PR sector are in the office 3 days a week and 30% are 2 days a week.”2025 has seen negligible salary growth in public relations