PR News June 2026

SWNS Media Group rebrands to Attention Industries

SWNS Media Group today announces its rebrand to Attention Industries, marking a new chapter for the business as it builds on more than 50 years of trusted journalism and storytelling while expanding its capabilities for brands, PR teams and publishers.

Attention Industries brings together journalism, creativity, production and audience understanding to help clients not just capture attention, but turn it into measurable impact.

The group will operate under the Attention Industries masterbrand, while SWNS will continue as a core brand, maintaining its respected position in the UK news ecosystem and beyond.

Founded in Bristol in the mid-1970s, SWNS (originally South West News Service) has grown into a nationwide and international operation with offices across the UK and US, becoming one of the UK’s leading suppliers of original news stories, pictures and video to publishers. Over time, the business has evolved into a multi-specialist group supporting clients across the full content and distribution journey - from insight and storytelling to production and distribution.

Sam Barcroft, CEO, Attention Industries, said:

“Over the last 25 years, the boundaries between news, media, marketing and entertainment have fundamentally changed. Trusted journalism matters more than ever but attention now moves fluidly across publishers, creators, platforms and communities. That’s why today we’re launching Attention Industries: a modern media group built to create trusted stories, original formats and meaningful attention across today’s media landscape.”

The rebrand will roll out across digital platforms and group communications in the coming weeks. Clients and partners will continue working with the same teams and brands, with Attention Industries providing a clearer, client-facing umbrella for the group’s combined capabilities.

Group brands include SWNS, 72Point, Creatorville, OnePoll, PinPep and Oath.

• Copied

Scoop appointed as agency partner for Pins Leisure Group

Scoop, the Manchester-based brand communications agency, has been appointed as agency partner for Pins Leisure Group (King Pins and Star Pins), adding the fast-growing competitive socialising, bowling and entertainment brand to its growing portfolio of hospitality and leisure brands.

Activity will span all Pins Leisure Group sites across England and Scotland alongside regional-specific campaigns in Edinburgh and Liverpool.

The brief covers national press office, creative activations, regional media engagement and influencer strategy, including gifted and paid creator partnerships tied to the World Cup, summer season and site-specific campaigns.

King Pins and Star Pins are both part of the Professionals at Play Group and have grown rapidly since launching in Manchester in 2023, with sites now open across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. The brand has worked to redefine the bowling category with an experience-led offering designed to appeal to a broad audience, offering over a dozen gaming formats including bowling, arcade, shuffle board and more. 

Tom Dellow, PR and Communications Lead at Scoop, said: “Both King Pins and Star Pins have a real opportunity to build meaningful connections across all of their regional markets, something more and more brands are looking to solve. Our approach combines regional insight with PR and influencer strategy across sites, to create campaigns that feel locally relevant while building a strong national presence.”

James Travis, Head of Brand Marketing at Pins Leisure Group, said: “King Pins and Star Pins have always been about more than bowling - and working with an agency that understands what we’re about makes all the difference for our upcoming campaigns. From supporting our very first King Pins opening in 2023 to returning with a clear view of our brand and customers across the entire estate, Scoop has consistently shown they get the brand and experience. They presented creative angles that were really fun but commercially smart, and as we grow, we need a partner who can do that with us."

The appointment follows a strong run of new business for Scoop, which has added several hospitality and leisure clients across the last 12 months, strengthening a portfolio of clients such as Popeyes® UK, Albert’s Schloss, 200 Degrees Coffee and Museum of Illusions. 

The new partnership with Pins Leisure Group also follows Tom Dellow’s promotion to PR and Communications Lead at Scoop, joining the agency’s Senior Leadership Team as it continues to scale. Bethan Clarke has also been promoted to Campaign Manager, with both set to play a key role in leading the Pins Leisure Group account and supporting Scoop’s continued growth. 

• Copied

Dublin creative agency dives into offshore energy sector with latest client win

Irish creative studio, The Studio of Possible, has been appointed by offshore wind and marine survey specialist, Sulmara, to support the business’s next phase of growth through strategic positioning, brand storytelling and communications.

The partnership spans brand strategy, positioning, digital, social, live experiences and commercial communications, with the work focused on helping Sulmara evolve from a traditional survey-led narrative towards a more future-facing position centred around seabed intelligence.

Operating within the rapidly expanding offshore wind and marine infrastructure sector, Sulmara is increasingly positioning itself not simply as a business that gathers seabed data, but as a strategic intelligence partner helping clients make smarter, faster and more confident decisions across offshore energy projects.

Founded in Dublin in 2021, The Studio of Possible works at the intersection of strategy, creativity and commercial growth, helping organisations clarify their value, strengthen market positioning and communicate more effectively across digital, brand and experience-led channels.

Séamus Begley, founder and creative director at The Studio of Possible, said: “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Sulmara, a business operating at the forefront of offshore wind and marine innovation.

“We believe strategic storytelling and positioning have an important role to play in supporting the future growth of offshore wind, helping businesses not only stand out commercially, but also connect more effectively with investors, partners, talent and the wider industry.”

Miek King, Head of Global Sales at Sulmara, commented: “We were looking for a partner that could understand the complexity of our work, while also helping us communicate the bigger commercial value behind it. 

“The Studio of Possible immediately recognised that Sulmara’s role goes beyond traditional survey work and has helped us build a clearer, more future-focused narrative around seabed intelligence, innovation and the role we play in supporting smarter offshore energy decisions.”

• Copied

New Admiral insurance campaign tackling pre-existing conditions

Comms agency The Folk Group has launched a new campaign with partner Admiral Insurance to help people navigate what they need to declare when taking out travel insurance. 

The campaign is aimed at tackling a key behavioural gap where many are unclear which pre-existing medical conditions they should declare to insurers. 

Titled Something to Declare?, the campaign has launched with a mock airline safety video starring BBC’s Richie Anderson. The film forms part of an earned-first strategy, combining consumer research, the costs of treatment abroad, commentary from Admiral’s in-house experts, and practical advice from Simon Calder. 

The collaboration also saw Simon Calder and Admiral work together on a new online checklist to make declaring conditions easier for customers alongside a new email reminder service to prompt customers to declare everything, reinforcing the brand’s strategy of Always Looking Out For You. 

Simultaneous to the PR campaign, Admiral has also launched online video content activity to drive awareness and consideration of Admiral’s travel insurance products. 

Research commissioned as part of Something to Declare? found nearly six million Brits admitted to intentionally not declaring a medical condition, while 30% said they were unclear about what their policy covers.  

Sharon Flaherty, CEO of The Folk Group, said: “Rather than leading with fear, we wanted to meet people in a recognisable holiday moment and use humour to make people aware of what needs to be declared to their travel insurer. The airline safety demonstration format immediately signals travel and highlights a moment most travellers don’t pay enough attention to; mirroring the same behaviour found when taking out travel insurance policies. 

“As well as raising awareness, we knew it was important to do something that actually tackles the issue. That’s why we worked with Admiral to take steps towards simplifying the travel insurance process, creating a pre-travel checklist and plans to send more email reminders to customers who may have not declared all their medical conditions in the coming weeks.” 

Head of Brand at Admiral Insurance, Katie Dulake, said: “We understand that travel insurance can be complicated for some people, particularly when it comes to pre-existing medical conditions, and we know there’s still some uncertainty around what people need to declare and why it matters. 

“We wanted this campaign to tackle the issue in a way that felt relatable and genuinely helpful. Working with our PR partners The Folk Group, Something to Declare? was developed to stop people getting caught out, providing tools like our checklist to make the process clearer.”

• Copied

Ranieri wins KEF UK & Germany PR retainers after competitive pitch

• Copied

Tiptree Names Orange PR & Marketing as national PR agency

Orange PR & Marketing has been appointed as the national PR agency for Tiptree following a competitive pitch process, as the iconic British brand looks to further strengthen its national consumer profile and wider brand storytelling. 

The agency will support Tiptree with strategic national PR activity spanning consumer, farming, lifestyle and food media, helping to drive awareness of the brand’s heritage, products and cultural relevance across the UK. 

Founded in 1885, Tiptree is one of Britain’s most recognisable food brands. Best known for its jams and marmalades, the brand has become synonymous with quality British preserves and is stocked across retailers, hospitality venues and foodservice locations around the world. Alongside its iconic preserves, Tiptree’s range also includes products such as tomato ketchup, sweet spreads and, most recently, nut butters as the brand continues to evolve its offering for modern consumers. Tiptree is also a LEAF-accredited farm and this year forms part of the Beacons of Excellence tour, recognising its leading sustainability practices and commitment to responsible farming.  

Orange specialises in food and drink PR, working across challenger, start-up and heritage-led brands. Its portfolio includes PerfectTed, Europe’s largest matcha brand, Cocoba, the luxury chocolate brand known for its indulgent hot chocolates and gifting ranges, as well as start-up health and wellness food and drink brands including Heylo and Betta. The agency was also recently reappointed for a third year by Fairfields Farm, the farm-to-table crisp producer known for its homegrown potatoes and sustainable farming approach.  

Liz Millin, Marketing Manager at Tiptree, said: “We were looking for an agency that understood both the strength of our heritage and the opportunity to continue evolving the brand’s national presence. Orange brought a huge amount of creativity, enthusiasm and strategic thinking throughout the pitch process, alongside a genuine understanding of the food and drink sector. We’re looking forward to working together on a number of exciting projects moving forward.” 

Megan Dorian, Founder at Orange PR & Marketing, added: “Tiptree is one of Britain’s most iconic food brands, so to be appointed following a competitive pitch process is incredibly exciting for us. As an agency, we love working with brands that have genuine heritage, loyal audiences and strong stories to tell. Tiptree already holds such a special place within British food culture and we’re looking forward to helping bring that story to life through creative campaigns, strategic media relations and culturally relevant storytelling.” 

The appointment marks another significant win for Orange PR & Marketing as the agency continues to expand its presence within the food, drink and lifestyle sectors.

• Copied

CORNERSTONE Appoints TFD as Strategic Communications Agency of Record

TFD (Think Feel Do) has been appointed by CORNERSTONE, the silicon photonics founded at the University of Southampton, to deliver a communications programme to support business development, brand awareness, and engagement. The contract was awarded following a competitive pitch process, and will see TFD deliver an integrated campaign encompassing media relations, strategic content, social media, lead generation, and industry events, targeting multiple stakeholder groups, including industry, academia, and government. 

Founded in 2014, CORNERSTONE is at the heart of the UK’s silicon photonics ecosystem. In addition to providing an open-source silicon photonics prototyping foundry, it offers dedicated startup support and funding, runs a successful schools outreach programme, and plays an instrumental role in silicon photonics and semiconductor policy engagement. With the communications programme, TFD will increase awareness of CORNERSTONE’s differentiators and full breadth of its offering, highlighting its role as the UK's leading silicon photonics hub.

Commenting on the appointment, TFD CEO and Founder, Stephanie Forrest, said: “2026 is set to be a landmark year for silicon photonics. Not only has the technology emerged as a clear solution to mitigate the energy demands of AI, it will also support a host of other critical use cases, from quantum scaling to future optical networks. Given this momentum, investment is surging and silicon photonics is increasingly featuring on the national agenda. 

“CORNERSTONE plays a pivotal role in the evolution and development of the UK’s silicon photonics’ sector, and we’re proud to partner with them to raise awareness about the important work they do at such an exciting time for the sector overall.”

“TFD’s deep tech expertise and impressive track record stood out during the pitch process, and we’re excited to partner with them to amplify our work and drive engagement across the UK ecosystem,” said Tom Carnay, Head of Business Operations at CORNERSTONE. “With silicon photonics entering a critical phase of industrial deployment, there is a significant opportunity to strengthen connections between research, industry, and end users within the UK, and we’re looking forward to working with TFD to communicate our vision to industry, academia, and government.”

The appointment adds to TFD's growing deep tech portfolio, which includes leading industry players such as Entrust and Hexagon Geosystems, and innovative startups including Aquark Technologies and Qoro. TFD is also the agency of record for The Economist Impact 5th Annual Commercialising Global Quantum event.

• Copied