Abchurch’s University Shadow Day: Thanks Y’All!

As the London representative of IPREX, Abchurch recently had the opportunity to host a group of communications students from Georgia Southern University. The trip was organised by IPREX so that these future PR Professionals could gain some first-hand insight into the industry. It was eventful day that included a presentation by CEO Julian Bosdet on how PR works, a social media presentation and even an opportunity for the students to participate in a brainstorm.

For Abchurch, one of the best parts of this experience was reading what the students had to say about the day in their blogposts.

It seems many students enjoyed trying their hand at PR, and one of our visitors even went as far as to describe the brainstorming session as an, “… incredibly cool hands-on look into how that firm handles choosing various pitch and marketing ideas.”

Another student wrote, “They gave us the chance to brainstorm some ideas for a new project using the communication tool kit. Doing this made me so excited to get into the world of Public Relations.”

And their enthusiasm was contagious – the Abchurch team really enjoyed hearing what the students had to say. We couldn’t agree more with the student who wrote, “It was pretty amazing to see how a simple discussion (which is part of a larger creative formula) could potentially help a brand find success in a new market.”

But a shadow day isn’t all about work – it was also an opportunity for Abchurch to shape the image of PR professionals among the next generation of graduates. We seem to have done well, at least in one young person’s mind. “When Dr. Groover told the class we are going to a PR firm my mind automatically made them stuck up PR people who don’t love their jobs. I was surprised with how professional and fun the experience was.”

She went on to say, “Public Relations is not my major, but the experience at Abchurch made me think differently of PR professionals.”

One of the most valuable outcomes of this visit is that students were able to see academic theory in action. One student noted, “Recently, I had to write a blog post about the use of different social media platforms in the workplace. It was interesting for me to see how the information that I had found on the topic aligned with that of Abchurch.”

Of course, there are going to be big differences between the classroom and the workplace, as noted by another student, “I have taken several public relations classes; therefore, I feel as if I am fully prepared for the writing part of public relations. However, class cannot prepare me for the actual business environment. I enjoyed seeing everything in action and learning about what working in a corporate public relations firm entails.”

Of course, every PR person knows you can’t give all your secrets away, as noted by one of our undergrad guests, “Though I could not figure out how [Jamie] managed to get his hair to look both tousled but put together, his presentation on social media messages was flawless.”

Overall, both sides seemed to have benefitted from the experience. Our young American friends gained some real-world experience but Abchurch was also reminded that young graduates, who have never had a more difficult time entering the workforce, offer something just as valuable as years of industry experience: fresh ideas that will shape the future of the PR profession.

Follow us on Twitter @AbchurchComms

Weekly Wrap Up: PR stunt London to a halt

It is the largest walkout on the London Underground since 2002, as more than 20,000 workers went on strike Wednesday 8 June for 24 hours over pay and the impending night shifts.

The dispute over a new night service has led to as widespread travel disruption including huge queues for packed buses and many commuters resorting to cycling or walking into work.

Strikes are often used by Unions as a megaphone to voice to the general public, grabbing their attention by shoving an issue in their faces. In fact, Abchurch argued in February last year during the RMT 48 hour strike, that strikes are a PR stunt –‘welcoming the flies of press to the churning honey-pot of an issue’.

This may be true, but we have noticed a shift in feeling towards the Tube strike (that intended to decapitate the Capital for 24 hours) this time around, which leads us to ask the question: will the strike achieve any positive results for the RMT?

It feels like there is some form of transport strike or at least a threat of one every month in the UK! This is a bit exaggerated, but with the cancelled National Rail strike in May, it feels too soon for there to be another similar event. This immediately decreases the public’s patience, resulting in people turning on the RMT instead of the Government (for not resolving the issue) which consequently severely reduces the impact of the message which Tube drivers (or whoever happens to be striking) wish to deliver.

In this case, the issue lies in the fact that the 24-hour Tube service, due to begin in September, will wreck the work/life balance of Tube workers. However so far this PR stunt seems to have backfired on the RMT, as the issue has been engulfed by the ‘pay increase’ subject, which has much of the press and the population believing that Tube drivers are overpaid in the first instance.

The Telegraph’s Toby Young described the situation as being ‘difficult to feel a huge amount of sympathy for the striking Tube workers[…]who have rejected a two per cent pay rise and a £2000 bonus for working on the all-night service,[and] start their working life on a salary of £49,673, which is more than some hospital doctors earn.’

Not only is this more than double the starting salary of Britain’s nurses, teachers, policeman and firefights but according to Business groups, this strike will have cost the Capital tens of millions of pounds. Is it so surprising that London appears to be fed up of striking public services?

We conclude with three positives to take away from this week’s Tube strike:

1) Many of us either were lucky enough to work from home, or able to enjoy the fresh air by walking/cycling to and from work.

2) It adds weight to the new strike law the Government intends to introduce. Under the new proposal, a strike affecting vital public service would require the backing of 40 per cent of union members – a threshold this week’s action didn’t meet.

3) There shouldn’t be another strike for at least another month!



This week, Abchaps attended the Gorkana Breakfast Briefing with Andrew Gregory, Health Editor of the Daily Mirror, where links between the UK healthcare system and politics were discussed at length. We also had the honour to host a shadow day for some public relations students at Georgia Southern University as a London IPREX representative.



This week, Investec hired Mark Buttler as the head of its growth and acquisition finance team in the north of England. International law firm Eversheds appointed Robert Ludwig as a partner of its London real estate finance team. BDO appointed Stephen Peters as its partner of its forensic services team.



“Honey-pot” – an enticing source of pleasure or reward



This weekend, why not make a trip to Alexandra Palace, not only for one of the best views of our city, but also to enjoy the sight of grown people throwing themselves down a hill in flimsy contraptions. The Red Bull Soap Box Race seems an oddly British celebration, just try not to laugh too hard at the crashes.

The City is often accused of being old fashioned, so why not celebrate our nation’s heyday, with The Chap Olympiad. This event, which lauds itself proudly as ‘a celebration of sporting ineptitude and immaculate trouser creases’ includes events like seated tennis, moustache wrestling, and most dangerously, umbrella jousting. Needless to say, tweed is a must.

Finally, and needing no introduction, this weekend sees the finals of Wimbledon. For the ultra-fans, there’s always the option of queuing overnight, for the chance of being on Henman Hill, or for the very lucky, inside centre court itself. However, for everyone else, why not try one of the capitals big screens, and use the excuse for Pimm’s and strawberries.

Follow us on Twitter @AbchurchComms