April 2008 Archives

PUBLIC relations firm Paver Smith is in talks to buy rival Factory Communications.

The two Liverpool firms have agreed heads of terms on the deal, and say due diligence is at an "advanced stage".

The deal is set to be completed at the end of May, and would create an enlarged Paver Smith business with 31 staff and a forecast turnover of £2.4m.

LIVERPOOL law firm DLA Piper has extended its record sponsorship with Tate Liverpool until the end of 2012.

DLA will support the new Tate Liverpool Collection display, which will re-launch in spring, 2009.

The current DLA Piper Series: The 20th Century - How It Looked & How It Felt, is one of the cornerstone exhibitions of the city's Capital of Culture year.

Masterpieces now on display include Rodin's The Kiss, Picasso's Weeping Woman and Andy Warhol's Marilyn Diptych.

"YOU must love your job, Joel. All that Champagne, all that glamour. I'd love to do what you do. Have you got any vacancies at the moment?"

Just one quote from many similar ones that pass by me in a typical week in the public relations (PR) industry.

Sometimes, the potential candidate asking the question has been spurred on by the fact that you can be a "PR", for example, in Ibiza, by giving out flyers promoting the island's still bustling clubland.

On other occasions, they may have met the team promoting a property or business to business client in one of our other client's swanky retail stores, hotels, bars or restaurants (they definitely hadn't met us handling crisis management).

EVERTON FC has signed up two Liverpool companies to help it find a name for the club's planned new stadium.

Design and marketing agency Ampersand will team up with multi-media partner Mocha to promote the search for a naming partner for the Kirkby development.

A VIDEO karaoke system developed by two Liverpool companies is attracting interest from around the world.

Videoke Stars, which was created by Liverpool events company Vital Attractions with creative entrepreneur Phil Matthews, means people's heads are superimposed onto dancing animated characters while they sing along to the music.

Players can also choose to buy a souvenir DVD of their performance, while recordings can be put online or sent by e-mail or mobile phone.

LIVERPOOL is known for its creative talent. We have produced the world's most famous band and top television programmes, we have a world class orchestra, art galleries and theatres.

But all too often, it's difficult for young people to make a career out of their passions.

It can be a case of who you know, whether you'll leave your home town and how little money you're prepared to work for. I want to change that.

I recently launched a new strategy "Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy" and central to it is the creation of 5,000 apprenticeships a year in the creative economies. And Liverpool is once again leading the way.

LIVERPOOL firm Clarity Creation has created the website for new regeneration agency Liverpool Vision.

Clarity Creation was formed last year after a buyout of Paver Downes's creative division by web developers Gap Infomedia.

Liverpool Vision was created through a merger of Business Liverpool, Liverpool Vision, and Liverpool Land Development Company.

THE organisers of June's Design Show Liverpool are holding a social and networking event tonight to help exhibitors prepare to sell their wares.

The show will be a showcase for creative industries and design talent from Merseyside and the North West.

ST HELENS creative design agency PalfreyGreer says the new brand it has designed for its home town is proving a great success.

The agency, working with St Helens Council economic development team, created Brand New St Helens to showcase the town as a "vibrant, regional location of choice at the heart of the North West".

The project aims to highlight St Helens's regeneration, encourage investment, promote local pride and challenge perceptions of the borough.

PalfreyGreer's design features a St Helens logo in red and white. The logo features on signs throughout the borough, including five "boundary markers" at key points in the town displaying information on forthcoming events.

LIVERPOOL design and marketing agency Liquid has been chosen by health payments group Medicash to run its entire external marketing programme.

Medicash recruited Liquid to help it expand its brand recognition. The company wanted to bring its branding under one umbrella rather than working with a number of different agencies.