PR News July 2026

Barista Bar appoints Joe Public

Joe Public has been appointed by Barista Bar. The agency will lead Barista Bar’s communications programme on a retained basis across corporate, trade and consumer activations, supporting future growth opportunities across new markets. 

Barista Bar is currently ranked as the UK’s third-largest automatic coffee provider, with more than 900 self-serve coffee machines installed across retail and forecourt locations nationwide. The brand has grown significantly beyond its Northern Ireland roots in recent years, expanding into Scotland through a major partnership with SPAR and building a growing footprint across Great Britain. 

The business has ambitious plans to continue expanding across England and internationally, supported by further investment in innovation, partnerships and customer experience. 

Amy Searle, co-founder and managing director at Joe Public, said: " We’re delighted to be partnering with the team at such an exciting stage of Barista Bar’s growth journey.  

“What makes the business different is the strength of its foundations. With its owner, Henderson Group operating more than 100 stores of its own and supplying hundreds more, the team understands retail better than most.” 

Mark Stewart-Maunder, commercial and development director at Henderson Foodservice, said: "We were looking for a PR partner that understood retail, food-to-go and the commercial realities facing operators, while also bringing fresh thinking and energy to the brand. 

"Joe Public demonstrated a clear understanding of our ambitions and presented a bold strategic approach that will genuinely help us raise awareness, strengthen our leadership position and support the next phase of growth for Barista Bar. We’re excited to begin working together." 

The appointment further strengthens Joe Public’s growing client portfolio following its launch in February, with recent wins including Sneak Energy, Whitworth Bros, The Juice Burst Company and Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I’s Minus 196.

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The barriers preventing caregivers taking on leadership roles in PR

An Invisible Workforce is powering the PR industry, according to new research by Women in PR. 

The Invisible Workforce is made up of parents and carers (‘caregivers’) who are balancing demanding professional roles with high volumes of unpaid work in their personal lives that goes unseen in the workplace, impacts progression and disproportionately impacts women.

Women in PR’s research, in partnership with Opinium, shows that the Invisible Workforce is maxed out on capacity – with women working an average of 91 hours per week.*

With almost two thirds of women’s time related to overservice in the form of unpaid overtime and the disproportionate impact of household responsibilities, a staggering 83% of women in PR say caregiving has affected their progression, significantly higher than the national average of 45%.

Katie Eborall, Women in PR, said: “Therapy appointments, hospital corridors, making lunches, remembering homework, sick children and school pickups are the lived reality that caregivers juggle around work every day. When you add the average day in PR – deadlines, the expectation to always be on, touchpoints with every part of business, pace, requirements in unsociable hours – it’s easy to see why this is such a challenge specifically in our industry. The truth is that caregiving while holding down a career in PR is hard and messy

“Added to this, women are disproportionately impacted yet make up two thirds of our workforce, meaning we have a bigger challenge than some industries. Our research shows how women are not only overloaded, but they are also quietly taxed on their progression, mental health and ambition."

Many of the biggest barriers facing caregivers are systemically built into the daily reality of working specifically in PR, from networking and industry events outside working hours (71%) to expectations to always be available (65%), being present in person (53%) and travel requirements (51%).

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SHOOK wins innocent drinks retainer

Innocent drinks, has appointed SHOOK to its retained UK & IRELAND press office account.

The appointment will see SHOOK lead an ongoing mix of proactive, reactive and newsjacking creative, consumer and ‘corpsumer’ support, designed to engage the media, connect with innocent’s community of drinkers and spark meaningful conversations around the brand’s products, purpose and profile.

Since squeezing its first fruit in 1999, innocent has grown from a music festival smoothie experiment to one of Britain’s biggest brands and a certified B Corp, all whilst maintaining its commitment to being a force for good. innocent prides itself on making products that taste good and do good, donating 10% of its profits to good causes, including the innocent Foundation and the Big Knit for Age UK.

Gemma Moroney, co-founder of SHOOK, says: “Getting inside Fruit Towers is a proper fan girl moment for me. I’ve loved innocent since the beginning, have an obsessive-level knowledge of innocent lore (Blue Bolt, IYKYK) and love it as a brand that lives and breathes its mission and personality at every touchpoint. We’re 'shook' to be part of the team and can’t wait to get cracking to help tell the incredible story of their drinks, their drinkers and their big dreams. It’s going to be tasty."

Sameera Yasmeen, external communications lead at innocent drinks, says: "We’re so happy to bring SHOOK on board as we continue to find new, creative ways to speak with our drinkers. Their blend of creative energy, cultural insight, and shared passion for our mission makes them the perfect partner for our press office. We’re looking forward to creating impactful moments together and squeezing the very best out of innocent’s many stories.”

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Skipton Building Society launch "Locked Out" Campaign

A big blue locked door, a reality TV winner, and hundreds of people trying to “unlock” a cash prize.

Skipton Building Society’s latest campaign, in partnership with 72 Point, delivers a bold and highly visual take on one of the UK’s most pressing financial issues -helping renters get onto the property ladder with zero deposit.

Fronted by The Traitors winner Harry Clark, the ‘Locked Out’ campaign saw Manchester’s Spinningfields Square transformed into an interactive activation, where the public were invited to try their luck with a lucky dip of keys, just one of which unlocked a £3,000 prize. The creative centred around a striking blue locked door, symbolising how today’s renters feel shut out of the property ladder.

Harry’s involvement brought authenticity and real cut-through, despite his TV success, he’s still saving for his own first home, making him a relatable voice for the campaign and a natural fit to engage audiences on the ground and across media.

The activation was underpinned by fresh research revealing the scale of the challenge, with 73% of aspiring buyers saying they feel ‘locked out’, and many facing decades just to save for a deposit. 

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72Point expands into social formats with Creatorville offer

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The Opal Lens launches to close the soft skills gap in PR agencies

Agencies are quick to say they invest in their people, but that investment is usually in relation to what the work is - the hard skills, the platforms and the processes. The reality is they invest far less in the more crucial element – how someone works. Advanced soft skills, like managing pressure, overcoming setbacks, having confidence, are often left to the individual to develop by themselves. Today, The Opal Lens, a new coaching service for the PR, marketing and creative industries, has launched with a mission to close that gap.

The Opal Lens is founded by Jen Walker, who spent almost 20 years inside the industry she's now coaching – rising to MD, working across agencies including The Academy, MHP, Frank, Golin, MSL and Porter Novelli.

Jen believes that the industry currently only has half the picture when it comes to employee development and support. The traits agencies most need – resilience, clarity under pressure, confidence, determination – don't come from a training workshop or a 360 review. They come through coaching.

"There's still a sink or swim mentality in this industry when it comes to how we work - it's unnecessary and it's outdated. For too long, brilliant people haven't had the chance to perform anywhere near what they're capable of. All that does is restrict who they and the agency can be."

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