MacLaurin Media http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/ en admin@localhost.aaa Copyright Brian Mac Laurin 2012 Sat, 19 May 2012 11:15:27 +0100 http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/images/rss-logo.gif MacLaurin Media http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/ 144 42 Career Opportunity http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/career_opportunity/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/career_opportunity/#When:14:10:09Z Level: Management
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Negotiable based on experience

We need an enthusiastic, motivated and well connected Senior Account Manager to join our hardworking Consumer team.

The successful candidate will work across exciting and dynamic accounts including football/sports/fmcg and showbiz brands. They will have at least 5 years experience, a proven ability in PR, be able to drive a team and have a solid understanding of how the media works so they can deliver creative coverage on behalf of clients.

Interested? Please email us with your CV telling us why you are the person we need. rania.johnson@maclaurinmedia.com

The role is also featured on Media Guardian http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/4401098/senior-account-manager/

]]> News 2012-01-19T14:10:09+00:00 KING OF SHAVES SPONSORS OLYMPIC HOPEFUL http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/king_of_shaves_sponsors_olympic_hopeful/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/king_of_shaves_sponsors_olympic_hopeful/#When:12:43:33Z Jamie MacLaurin

For Olympic sprinter James Ellington, 2012 is set to be the biggest year of his career.

James has managed to start 2012 in the best shape ever, despite no lottery support, kit deal or any kind of endorsement.  In December, James took to eBay in a desperate attempt to secure funding, having had several injuries over the past few years that had put off any potential sponsors.

Today we can confirm that our client, King of Shaves has swooped in to ‘shave’ James’ Olympic hopes!  This will allow him to focus solely on his training and look to produce what could be one very special fairytale - fighting against a certain Mr. Usain Bolt for an Olympic Medal!

We have a very exciting summer to look forward to, and it is great to see UK brands giving our Olympic athletes the opportunity to represent their country, in what will be the biggest sporting event of 2012.

As a massive sports fan myself I can’t wait….. I know who I’ll be supporting this summer!

]]> News 2012-01-18T12:43:33+00:00 LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE! FINAL NOMINEES REVEALED FOR TV’S BIGGEST NIGHT http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/let_the_battle_commence/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/let_the_battle_commence/#When:12:59:08Z What better way to kick off 2012, than with the announcement of the nominee shortlist for one of the biggest events of the showbiz calendar? The final round of voting has now opened for the 2012 National Television Awards and the star-studded ceremony is just around the corner!
       
Over the past few weeks we’ve been busy announcing the shortlist to media, securing coverage across a range of titles and broadcast media.  Now we’ve got an action packed month ahead as we prepare for the awards, that take place on Wednesday 25th January at The O2 Arena.

The shortlist is hotter than ever, with some truly exciting and controversial contenders up for awards.  Looking at the Talent Show category, there’s a battle between favourites The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice and Britain’s Got Talent – which have all seen fierce ratings wars and endless contestant controversy over the past year - but we’re wondering who’ll take away the coveted title on the night.

We’ve also seen an NTA debut for hit ITV series Downton Abbey, nominated in the Drama category alongside Doctor Who, Merlin and last year’s winner Waterloo Road. Will Downton’s ever-growing popularity lead it to its first NTA victory?

My personal favourite is the newly added Reality Programme category. Fighting it out for the award are Essex boy Mark Wright who’ll go up against… himself, as the almighty The Only Way Is Essex and I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! are both nominated. However, also in the running is Come Dine With Me and Lord Alan Sugar’s The Apprentice.

We’re all really excited about this year’s NTAs and there’s a buzz in the office as we start finalising details for the night.

It’s the only TV award ceremony voted for entirely by the public, so make sure you vote for your favourites at http://www.nationaltvawards.com.  We’ll also be Tweeting all the action from The O2 Arena on Wednesday 25th January 2012, revealing all the winners as they are announced, as well as some hot backstage gossip – so make sure you keep your eyes peeled!

Katie Lassman

]]> News 2012-01-04T12:59:08+00:00 NATIONAL TELEVISION AWARDS NOMINEES REVEALED http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/national_television_awards_nominees_revealed/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/national_television_awards_nominees_revealed/#When:16:49:42Z It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost one month since I started my first job in PR! Time has flown and work at MacLaurin Media has been busy from day one! I’m loving the freshness of a new challenge - after graduating I worked in retail management while I scoured London for the perfect PR job. I’m also really enjoying being part of a lively team and getting involved in all the various projects we work on here. 

Right now, I’m working on the National TV Awards. The longlist for the 2012 awards has been announced today and voting is officially open. There is plenty of tough competition and some brand new categories. The Only Way is Essex and Made In Chelsea are new additions to the Reality Programme category and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top – especially considering the nation’s obsession with reality TV!

Most Popular Talk Show will undoubtedly be one of the most contentious categories this year.  Following Jonathan Ross’ controversial switch to ITV, and Graham Norton taking his place at the BBC, we see the two top talk show hosts go head-to-head, along with other favourites, Alan Carr (Alan Carr: Chatty Man) and Rob Brydon (The Rob Brydon Show).

Of course, it’s set to be another great night for the nation’s favourite Tyneside duo, Ant & Dec, who have received an incredible five nominations!

I’m looking forward to seeing if my personal favourite, the X Factor, can storm to the top of the Talent Show category against the hugely popular Britain’s Got Talent and Strictly Come Dancing.

I hope to be adding more exciting news to the MacLaurin Media blog soon!

Alex Sutton

]]> News 2011-09-27T16:49:42+00:00 NextGen Series Kicks off! http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/nextgen_series_kicks_off/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/nextgen_series_kicks_off/#When:10:07:30Z image

After months of preparation and hard work, the NextGen Series opener was upon us. We travelled up to Anfield for the first fixture of the tournament – Liverpool FC vs. Sporting Clube de Portugal and had big expectations for the evening ahead.

For those of you who are not aware of Sporting’s credentials in world football – you only have to look at some of their recent academy graduates – Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Luis Figo to realise that their youth system is up there as one of the best in the world.

The game kicked off at 7pm in front of a packed Kop stand, and we were treated to some fantastic football throughout the game. Sporting CP came through comfortable 3-0 winners, and set the bar very high for the other teams in the competition.

It was fantastic to see Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher at the game supporting the youngsters and to have Kenny Dalgleish casting his eye on the talent at Anfield was a testament to how highly regarded the NextGen Series has become.

Next stop is Celtic Park on the 31st of August for Celtic’s game vs. FC Barcelona which is set to be another classic.

http://www.nextgenseries.com
http://www.twitter.com/nextgenseries

]]> News 2011-08-24T10:07:30+00:00 Rajar results are in! http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/rajar_results_are_in/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/rajar_results_are_in/#When:11:54:04Z Quarterly radio listening figures have been published today and it’s an interesting time for Global Radio – as they surpass the 20 million listener barrier for the first time.  That means that just over 20 million people from around the UK are tuning in to a Global station like Heart, Capital, XFM or Classic every single week!

This set of results has importantly seen the consolidation of the Heart and Capital networks, which is a significant step for Global as their “national networks, delivered locally” campaigns show success around the country.


It’s also amazing to see that 91.7% of the UK population tune in to radio every week – this is the highest figure since records began in 1999.  In the modern world of TV, Internet and social media that’s a massive number of people that are still using radio on a regular basis.  These people are also tuning in for longer with radio listening hours increasing year on year to 1,076 million hours per week or 22.6 hours per listener – great news for the radio industry overall.

]]> News 2011-08-04T11:54:04+00:00 JLS take top spot and Amy Winehouse is back in the charts http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/jls_take_top_spot/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/jls_take_top_spot/#When:14:26:20Z JLS and The Wanted
JLS and The Wanted performing at the 2011 Summertime Ball

Yesterday’s Vodafone Big Top 40 chart was an interesting one for two reasons - it saw the UK’s biggest boybands, JLS and The Wanted battle it out for the top spot and Amy Winehouse who sadly passed away on Saturday, re-entered the chart with her legendary track ‘Back to Black’.

JLS’ new song ‘She Makes Me Wanna’ was available to download on Sunday morning, but went straight to the top of the chart, as thousands of fans downloaded the tune throughout the day.  They knocked rivals, The Wanted from the top, after two weeks at number one with ‘Glad You Came’.

Following the news of Amy Winehouse’s death fans paid tribute to her by downloading her songs in their droves, so by Sunday evening ‘Back to Black’ was back at number 10.

The real time chart is based on downloads and airplay, with the top ten based on downloads only - this means that it reflects musical trends, providing the only real, up to the minute barometer of public music tastes. These examples demonstrate how up to date the Big Top 40 chart can be, especially in comparison to rival charts that are often a week behind the BT40 results.

]]> News 2011-07-25T14:26:20+00:00 Spotting a Niche in the Market http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/spotting_a_niche_in_the_market/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/spotting_a_niche_in_the_market/#When:15:24:11Z

Jamie Murray Wells believes anyone can be an entrepreneur – he thinks it’s all down to identifying a gap in the market and knowing how to fill it. Last year, the 28-year-old founded his second company HearingDirect.com, which offers the latest digital hearing aids online from £99. It was based on the business model of Glasses Direct, which he set up in the front room of his parents’ house at the age of 21, offering cut-price prescription glasses over the internet.

This week Jamie has offered his top tips on how to spot a niche in the market, and warns budding entrepreneurs not to overlook unfashionable products or services. Hearing aids aren’t particularly ‘sexy’ but in its first year, HearingDirect.com achieved a turnover of £1million, proving that Jamie’s hunch for an alternative to high street stores charging an average of £1,100 or long waiting times on the NHS, was right.

Read the full story here

]]> News 2011-06-15T15:24:11+00:00 Capital FM Summer Time Ball http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/capital_fm_summer_time_ball/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/capital_fm_summer_time_ball/#When:15:23:11Z There is great excitement and a buzz around the Maclaurin Media office at the moment. With the Capital FM Summer Time Ball on Sunday the team are eagerly anticipating the arrival of some the music industries biggest names. The star studded lineup includes J-Lo, Ne-Yo, Far East Movement and Nicole Scherzinger to name but a few. Not only will they have the honour of performing at a sold out Wembley Stadium, they will also receive gift bags, with products ranging from jewellery and grooming products to LEGO minifigures. We have been putting them together this week and can safely say they all contain amazing gifts for the acts performing. The whole office has however become slightly addicted to Big Yum chocolate covered pretzels. We best get our dancing shoes on come Sunday and work them off!

www.capitalfm.com/summertime-ball

]]> News 2011-06-09T15:23:11+00:00 Dementia Sufferer Praises “Miracle” buddi http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/dementia_sufferer_praises_miracle_buddi/ http://www.maclaurinmedia.com/blog/dementia_sufferer_praises_miracle_buddi/#When:09:07:16Z

Losing her young daughter in a busy superstore was the catalyst for entrepreneur Sara Murray to create buddi – a GPS satellite device, which allows the wearer’s exact location to be pinpointed. But despite its initial source of inspiration, buddi is now aimed at the elderly or those with dementia, and is being used by more than 200 councils across the UK.

One such user is Andrew Burley from Worcestershire, who was diagnosed with dementia last year. The 63-year-old grandfather is keen to maintain his independence but has no concept of time and can often be out for many hours, leaving his wife Margaret concerned for his welfare. However, the couple say their lives have been transformed by the “miracle device” since Andrew started using his buddi in January. Now, Margaret is able to check Andrew’s whereabouts by logging onto the buddi website or by calling or texting the buddi team who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Read the full story Buddi

]]> News 2011-06-02T09:07:16+00:00