News
The communications world never stands still – what will be the next major influence in public relations?
Latest stories
-
Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion awards
Lansons is a proud sponsor of the enei Awards, an opportunity to nationally recognise and celebrate the achievements of organisations that have taken a lead in challenging discrimination and are working inclusively to tap into their talented workforce.
Communication priorities for asset managers in 2013
Asset managers face considerable challenges and pressure in planning their communication programmes throughout 2013 and into 2014. To provide insight into this process Lansons Communications commissioned five pieces of research:
-
Lansons Communications welcomes you to the Future of Financial Services Conference
Join us to hear Martin Wheatley, CEO Designate, FCA and Andrew Bailey, CEO Designate, PRA and others to discuss The Future of Financial Services at our Conference in April.
Are employee engagement surveys a complete waste of time? Event report
Recent government research has highlighted that just one in three UK employees are engaged with their workplace, and yet a number of studies show a positive correlation between engaged employees and better business performance. So surely it makes sense for UK companies to invest in an employee engagement survey?
-
Five things financial companies should’ve learnt in 2012
So what have we learnt this year? Each year Lansons Communications undertakes the ‘Search for Answers’, an in-depth study into consumer views’ on financial companies, how people make financial decisions and where they get financial information from. The latest results reveal that 2012 was a year that witnessed some defining changes in behaviours and 2013 looks set to be a year of even bigger change.
Lansons Communications launches change and employee engagement practice
Leading independent PR agency Lansons Communications today announces the launch of its new Change and Employee Engagement practice, to be headed by Scott McKenzie.
-
Social media predicted to transform how asset managers deal with their customers
Lansons Chief Executive, Tony Langham, speaks to the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI) about the impact of social media within asset management communication.
Conserative Party Conference: Ten things we have learnt
As we come to the end of what has been an interesting, if quieter, party conference season than normal we take with us a sense of the issues that will shape the next general election.
-
Lansons Communications appoints two partners
Katherine Hobby and Chris Bose have invested in Lansons Communications' ownership structure as equity partners, taking the total number of Lansons partners to 34.
Labour Party Conference: Ten things we have learnt
Two years ago in Manchester Ed Miliband stood on stage as the freshly anointed Labour leader. Looking surprised and a little sheepish, many thought the Labour Party had picked the wrong brother. The response from Tory aides to the glut of depressing news about the Conservative Party was simply; Ed Miliband. He was deemed to be too weird and too weak to be seen by the public as a PM in waiting.
-
Liberal Democrat Party Conference: Ten things we have learnt
The Lansons Public Affairs team returned return from a wet and windy Brighton with a case of policy indigestion, following a rather full diet of policy (re) announcements. With Nick Clegg imploring the audience to see his party as one of the three parties of Government, Labour recovering in the polls and the Tories having endured their worst six months since the Coalition was formed, reading the political runes is harder than at any point in this Parliament.
Lansons is winner of Best Places to Work award by PR Week
We are proud to announce that we have been voted Best Places to work winner (mid-sized agency) by PR Week.
-
Lansons scoops double Gold at The Corporate Engagement Awards
Lansons' innovative partnership with theatre group HighTide was rewarded with two golds at the Corporate Engagement Awards 2012.
Government Reshuffle - September 2012
As the PM finalised his reshuffle last night he will have been acutely aware that he only has one more big opportunity to get his strongest team in place before the next election. In keeping with his chairman-like approach to governing, Cameron is not prone to frequently tinkering with his team. Instead he prefers to give ministers the time to grip their briefs and start driving change. If he is to stick to this approach we can expect only one further large scale reshuffle before he fights the 2015 election – this gives these changes an added significance. This is the team that will take the Government around the track to the home straight towards the general election – 2-3 on the relay if you like. The question which must be asked of this new line up is: does it increase the chances of an overall majority in 2015?
-
LANSONS TEAMS UP WITH LEADING EUROPEAN PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCY, CAMBRE ASSOCIATES
Lansons Public Affairs, a division of leading independent consultancy, Lansons Communications, today announces a new partnership with Cambre Associates, a leading independent public affairs and public relations agency based in Brussels. The partnership sees the two agencies working together to share and refer work, and work together on new business predominantly in the public affairs and public policy arena.
Lansons achieves 'Great Places to Work' success for the eighth year in a row
The 2012 Great Places to Work survey results were recently announced and we are proud to be ranked 9th in the UK’s Top 25 Best Medium Size Workplaces. We are also the only PR agency in the UK to appear in the top 10, across all size categories.
-
European – moi?
Born in Liverpool? Are you a Scouser, or from Lancashire, and/or English – or all three? Or if born in Barcelona, are you Spanish and a Catalan, or more one than the other?
Money Marketing special supplement feature: How marketing lost its mojo
Tony Langham looks at the evolution of Marketing in the fourth edition of Money Marketing's 25th anniversary supplement
-
Clerkenwell Design Week - 22nd to 24th May
Tuesday 22nd May sees the start of Clerkenwell design week (CDW), one of the most important events in the design calendar. The three day festival celebrates design’s creative richness, social relevance and technological advancements through an exciting programme of workshops, presentations, product launches and debates.
Lansons PA Budget analysis March 2012
As George Osborne emerges from the dark waters of the Treasury to give his third budget, he does so with an air of optimism not seen in his two previous statements. The global economy has been taken off life support and the euro zone crisis is less severe than many feared. Osborne was able to reveal marginally better than expected growth forecasts at a time when the Office for Budget Responsibility are revising down their forecast for the euro zone. Against this more favourable canvass Osborne has tried to paint a picture of how we will earn our way in the world.
-
Lansons Crisis' Christmas Campaign
Lansons is featured in today’s Financial Times as one of the sponsors for Crisis’ Christmas campaign for the second year running.
Lansons Regulatory Forum - 15 March 2012
At Lansons we are steadily building up our capability to provide regulatory advice and services to clients. We already have a large number of regulatory clients and a monthly newsletter. Now we are starting a four times a year regulatory forum.
-
Lansons scoops top broadcast award at CorpComms award for launch of Metro Bank
Last week, the Metro Bank team here at Lansons picked up the award for best use of broadcast as part of a communications strategy at the CorpComms awards, for the launch of the bank in July 2010, beating off stiff competition from the likes of Blue Rubicon and Ogilvy.
Lansons picks up best PR campaign for second year running at the Financial Services Forum Awards for Marketing Effectiveness
Hot on the heels of the CorpComms award for best broadcast campaign for Metro Bank, last night Lansons picked up its second award in a week - best PR campaign at the Financial Services Forum Awards for Marketing Effectiveness for the launch of Metro Bank, with a commendation for the Post Office, another Lansons client.
-
Britain’s 50 most trusted companies
Research by Lansons and Opinium Research on the UK's most trusted companies featured in latest Marketing magazine
Four new partners at Lansons
Four account directors - Laura Moss, Lisa Elliott, Rimmi Shah and Susanna Walker-Robson - have today joined our ownership structure for this year, taking the total number of owners to 32.
-
New head of content for Lansons Live – Jon Cronin joins from the BBC
We have restructured our broadcast and content production arm, Lansons Live, and recruited Jon Cronin in the newly created head of content role. Lansons Live’s head of broadcast, Pernille Sahl Taylor, will step up to jointly head the business, alongside Cronin.
Lansons Regulatory Consulting looks at the ‘protection gap’, with Ken Hogg, RSA and ex-FSA Director, and Richard Hobbs will look at progress on the Financial Services Bill at their next Forum on 29 November
One of the consequences of the financial crisis is that the fiscal pressure for governments around the world to rein in their welfare spending is increasing. At the same time, considering the UK, the evidence is clear that families do not sufficiently protect themselves against 'unfortunate events' (even one, let alone a series of them), while the probability of an impoverished retirement for many is increasing due to insufficient saving for the long term.
-
Lansons scores gold in the PR Week Best Places to Work survey
Last week, we were awarded a gold medal in PR Week’s Best Places to Work survey, along with just three other agencies. We are delighted to have been recognised as one of the industry’s best employers – our people are our business and always have been.
Lansons Annual Party
Last week, we hosted over 600 guests at our annual party at Smiths of Smithfield. We were pleased to see so many faces, old and new, and to welcome friends of Lansons, many of whom have been with us since we started in business 22 years ago.
-
A win for Lansons at The Corporate Engagement Awards
Lansons' innovative partnership with theatre group HighTide was rewarded with a gold and a silver at The Corporate Engagement Awards
Are we ready for the next financial crisis?
As chairman of the Financial Services Forum's Communications Interest Group, Lansons’ chief executive Tony Langham will be chairing an event with a panel of leading industry experts on the ‘next’ financial crisis. For more details and to register your interest for the event, contact fsf@lansons.com.
-
Lansons Regulatory Forum - 14 September
The Independent Commission on Banking’s final report is due on 12 September. We will be hosting a breakfast briefing at our offices on 14 September, where Alan Brener of Santander will be discussing the future of the retail banking model in the light of the Commission’s recommendations. Richard Hobbs, director of Lansons’ regulatory consulting practice, will be adding some observations about how the RDR will (or won’t) make much difference to high street banking. The Forum will be chaired by Mark Adams, who leads the Lansons’ public affairs practice.
Are we ready for the next financial crisis? Lansons hosts expert debate with FSF
A full house and a diverse crowd at Lansons this week to see some of the country’s most high profile economic commentators discuss ‘Are We Ready For The Next Economic Crisis?’, a topic no one knew would be so pertinent when invitations went out from the Financial Services Forum over a month ago. Given the nature of the topic we expected a very lively debate, and weren’t disappointed as sparks flew.
-
Lansons acquires stake in social media agency
Lansons Communications has signed a deal to acquire a 25% stake in social media marketing agency cubaka.
For more news stories click here
Newsfeed
-
-
February 2013
Our February 2013 newsletter features articles by Scott McKenzie exploring the need for employee engagement, a piece from Chief Executive, Tony Langham who argues that 2013 is the year for organisations to emerge from behind the parapet… and many more.
-
August 2012
Read our August 2012 newsletter which features articles and interviews with HighTide Festival Theatre as well as a piece from Chief Executive, Tony Langham discussing the softer side of digital exclusion and many more.
-
-
January 2012
Our first quarterly newsletter of 2012 features an interview with two Olympic hopefuls, Hollie Avil and Will Clarke who are sponsored by Lansons, a piece by Tony Langham looking at whether capitalism is in crisis and many more.
-
October 2011
Read our October 2011 newsletter, with a special report on our Communications Revolution 2011 findings.
-
-
March 2011
Our first quarterly newsletter of 2011 looks at the rise of group buying, holistic marketing and we demystify the rules of broadcast. Just remember KISS and underwear!
-
December 2010
The final newsletter of 2010 features Tony Langham's take on the future of PR departments, Britain’s 50 most trusted companies and Lansons are Agency of the Year (again)…
-
September 2010
September's newsletter features exclusive research on consumer influence, a recipe for a successful experiential marketing campaign and an insight into the Brazilian economy from one of our international PROI partners.
-
-
March 2010
Read our March 2010 newsletter to find out about revolutionising the consultancy industry, a snapshot of some of the consumer trends that will come to the fore in 2010 and how Grandparenting website, BeGrand.net reached a mass audience using radio
-
December 2009
Special Edition newsletter looking at the prospects, challenges and opportunities that 2010 will bring
-
October 2009
Read our October 2009 newsletter for more on Lansons managing a £25million M&A deal in two days, how consumers are escaping their recession blues and using a celebrity to engage a web audience
-
-
February 2009
Our February newsletter features the 1911 census campaign with Findmypast.co.uk, working with the iconic Eddie Stobart brand and much more
News Bulletins
-
August 2011 - Britain in turmoil
In the aftermath of the riots that spread across UK, we discuss the implications for British public life going forward, Parliament’s response and how businesses bore the brunt. We also look at the role social media played in some anti-social behaviour
-
March 2011 - The Financial Conduct Authority
Lansons, in conjunction with the Financial Services Forum, assembled a panel of experts to discuss whether the FCA will work better this time around.
-
December 2010 - Public Affairs offering strengthened with Foresight acquisition
Public Affairs specialists, Foresight Consulting, have been acquired by Lansons, adding a wealth of skills and experience to the Lansons Corporate practice group
-
July 2010 - First high street bank launch in over 100 years
Lansons helps launch a banking revolution
-
April 2010 – Insight into pre-election trends
Our ongoing study into consumer sentiment and behaviour in the lengthening shadow of the financial crisis helps to identify trends and key battleground areas for the 2010 General Election
-
January 2010 - Regulatory Consulting capability expanded in key election year
Lansons marks election year with re-branded Public Affairs & Regulatory Consulting practice
Regulatory Consulting’s Insight & Foresight newsletter
The I&F newsletter commentates on the more interesting regulatory events each month. It tries to inject a little humour into an otherwise dry subject. It sets out opinions against which readers can benchmark their own.
-
April Review
April saw the arrival of our shiny new regulators. It also saw the arrival of the PCBS report on the collapse of HBOS which led to the scandalising of the key figures in charge of the bank before it failed. Your author also did a bit of mystery shopping of his bank in the RDR world.
March Review
Welcome to the brave new world of twin peaks regulation! It doesn’t feel very different, well not yet. March seemed very business as usual until the FCA published its Risk Outlook and Business Plan and the CEO designate made some candid remarks about the scale of individual FSA enforcement actions. There were also some superficially unconnected developments which it could be argued had an underlying unifying theme. The FSA launched its first (and last) major consultation on consumer credit regulation, (this now falls to the FCA). The FSA was forced into an apology by its Complaints Commissioner over the conduct of its staff at a meeting with a firm to discuss a s166 skilled persons report. Martin Wheatley gave a speech on suitability in the wealth management sector.
-
February Review
It has to be said that February was not a very inspiring month. The prudential regulators have been packing their plastic moving crates and heading off to Moorgate. Their new boss was confirmed as Andrew Bailey which was inevitable. Lloyds was fined again for being slow to pay out PPI redress, which had a certain inevitability about it. The FSA announced the results of their mystery shopping of bancassurers to the surprise of no one. Less visibly, the Secretary General of EIOPA gave a sorrowful defence of the Solvency 2 process and Andrew Bailey said it was shocking that Solvency 2 had cost the UK industry £3bn so far to implement.
January Review
January saw an acceleration towards the formal creation of the two new regulators after the Financial Services Act 2012 received Royal Assent just before Christmas. Despite the acceleration not much detail emerged but officials seemed certain that the new regime would kick off on April Fool’s Day. Presumably the secondary legislation will all appear as if by magic before the day. Elsewhere, the knighthood for Hector Sants created the usual noise from the usual suspects. The FCA business unit announced how it would review the RDR and the OFT and FSA managed to produce guidance on how to sell PPI properly without once mentioning the margin on the product.
-
2012 Review
Our December review always contains our annual assessment of regulatory developments in financial services. It is a regulatory risk outlook on a page or two.
November Review 2012
Since our year-end review is a look back over the whole year to discern trends for the next, there is not enough space for every issue to gain inclusion. So for November we include one or two issues not worthy of the final cut but nevertheless important and showed some movement during the month. Of these the RDR was the most contentious. The call by the director-general of the CBI to curb mis-selling claims on banks looked odd but is worth thinking about. And then, just as the Test team won convincingly in India with their spinners the Chancellor bowled a Doosra of his own by announcing Mark Carney as the new Governor of the Bank of England and therefore head regulator (with apologies to non-cricket fans).
-
October Review 2012
The highlights of the month centred largely on our beloved regulator. Our parliamentary scrutineers laid into the FSA again over various matters, not least its handling of RBS and the RDR. Meanwhile, the regulator itself stuck manfully to its task, including dismembering itself, with the publication of a discussion document called "Journey to the FCA"
September Review 2012
Back to school after the summer break this year got off to a rip roaring start with Martin Wheatley’s speech condemning certain retail sales incentive practices and foreshadowing how the FCA will intervene earlier in markets when it receives its new powers. Elsewhere, the RDR continued to make its way to a reality of sorts claiming various scalps on the way. In Brussels Solvency 2 appears to be dragging on for another year.
-
August Review 2012
August is traditionally a summer month when our regulators and policymakers take up their buckets and spades and head for the beach. This month was a little different in that the controversial issues such as LIBOR rigging kept on running and our their buckets and spades were needed to clear away a mess. Meanwhile Standard Chartered fell foul of the relatively new New York Department of Financial Services. And in London the FSA decided to call time on the promotion of unregulated collective investment schemes (“UCIS”)
July Review 2012
July was not dominated by the usual practice of the authorities in London and Brussels issuing various documents to clear their desks before going on holiday, thus leaving us with holiday reading of the most tedious kind. Rather it was dominated by the LIBOR fiasco. And in Brussels the Parliament failed to deal with the Solvency 2 Directive. So this month we deal with the ramifications of these two stories, both very serious in their own ways.
-
June Review 2012
June was a fascinating month for clues about how regulation really works in the UK; how it might work in future and the realities of the slowly evolving crisis that threatens seriously to dent the prosperity of we Europeans. On one day alone, the 12th, there were enough stories reported in the Financial Times to fill this review with comment.
May Review 2012
Storm clouds mostly gathered over Europe during the month just as the sun came out in the UK (sorry metaphor and reality should not be compared so easily). The regulator continued not to take significant policy initiatives as it continued its journey into two halves though it was busy on the enforcement front. We concentrate on the bigger picture this month.
-
April Review 2012
The FSA was very quiet this month following its assumption of its shadow PRA/FCA structure on 2 April. Three things eluded our production deadline at the end of last month so we include them this time. One was a fascinating piece of research about the presence or absence of an advice gap conducted on behalf of the Financial Services Consumer Panel. The second was the FSA’s latest thinking in simplified advice. Not unconnected subjects. The third was publication by the OECD of recommendations of the Council on Regulatory Policy and Governance.
March Review 2012
March 2012 may just go down as the high tide mark for financial services regulation, although the clumsy handling of issues suggests it may be a long road to any sort of considered balance in the debate. Hector Sants decided to call it a day at the FSA. Meanwhile the FSA published what will be its last Conduct Risk Outlook document though there was no sign of the equivalent prudential risk one. Margaret Cole made her parting shots and Barry O’Dwyer at the Pru said what he really meant about the FSA and its attitude to regulation.
-
February Review 2012
February was another month in which relatively little emerged from our regulator on the policy front, no doubt because they are busy splitting into two. It did, however, publish an excellent paper by Bob Sugden of UEA, although it appears to have been originally intended as an internal piece last October. It also continued its campaign against life settlement funds and Margaret Cole went on gardening leave.
January Review 2012
January was a pretty slow month for regulatory developments. The FSA website remained stubbornly silent for much of the month. Ministers had little new to say ahead of the First Reading of the Financial Services Bill. So in the absence of hard developments on regulation we turn our attention to related matters. Foremost amongst them was the announcement that Steve Gay was leaving AIFA to take up a key, senior role at the ABI. Predictably this caused the usual outpouring of bile but we delve beneath the noise looking for some reality. Elsewhere, simplified products and simplified advice continue to arouse speculative comment in the continuing policy vacuum. In Westminster the Treasury Select Committee kept up its good work trying to get to the bottom of why RBS failed.
-
December Review 2011
2011 was a year that posed more questions than it provided answers. It became more evident for those that needed more evidence that the great financial scare aroused by the authorities allowing Lehman Brothers to fail in 2008 was not over and that great danger remained with us. As one more skin was peeled from the onion, the fundamentals of the situation became clearer; banks had grown their balance sheets beyond sustainable levels and too great a proportion of their assets were the debt of nation states that were unwilling or unable to repay. In this edition we look into the political and regulatory implications of that reality together with the more prosaic implications in UK domestic regulation.
September Review 2011
The Wall Street bond traders more or less sat on their hands in September so the Eurozone crisis struggled on for another month contrary to some predictions. But trouble still appears to loom. Meanwhile, the Independent Commission on Banking produced its final report setting out what to do about banks to head off failure and cope with failures when they do occur. But their solution will have to wait for Basel III implementation in 2019. Let us hope the Eurozone can stagger on until then! Meanwhile, as if on cue, a rogue trader scandal embroiled a universal bank thus quelling any final thought that the ICB prescription should be resisted. Elsewhere, the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Financial Services Bill was extended by two weeks adding to the pressure on the Treasury to admit their timeline is hopelessly optimistic. More prosaically, the FSA produced some pretty miserable draft guidance on simplified advice.
-
October Review 2011
With party conference season over business as usual descended on Whitehall and Canary Wharf. Readers will perhaps forgive us breaching our own editorial rules to comment on a lecture Adair Turner gave on 29 September but not reported until our September edition had been signed off. Mark Hoban gave a speech to APCIMS advocating complex products, inter alia, while Lord Turner implied the opposite in his Mansion House City Banquet speech and EU Commission Services released a text of the MiFID 2 directive implying that commission would be banned for IFAs but not direct sales forces.
November Review 2011
November is always a busy month and this was no exception. The FSA was at full tilt producing CPs on many subjects including its beloved RDR. It was another month of the high season for speechifying. And the Treasury Select Committee and the Joint Select Committee were working hard on financial services legislation which is where we start. Oh, and the great European Project stumbled through another month of denial.
-
June Review 2011
June produced some confirmation, at last, of where the Government plans to take our regulatory regime by finally issuing a White Paper and some of the draft legislation to abolish the FSA. The FSA also produced its “approach document” outlining how it proposed to use the new powers in the proposed legislation. To the contrary, the FSA failed yet again to publish its RDR wraps and platforms Policy Statement which is re-scheduled to Q3 2011. In Brussels the Solvency 2 Directive dam began to break with open official consideration of delaying implementation to 2014.
August Review 2011
It is usual to say not much happened in August but this August was a bit different. Rioting in the streets does not really fall within our ambit even if it has an insurance angle. The turbulence in the markets is not really our subject either though it too has regulatory implications. But the FSA saved our month with its policy statement on platforms and the Workplace Retirement Income Commission produced its blueprint for better pensions saving.
-
May Review 2011
May bore further evidence of the slowdown at the FSA as more time was spent on re-organisation and less on policy initiatives. The policy documents and speeches we so like to pore over and write about have become scarce. Fortunately, other agencies took up the strain giving us issues to consider. The Treasury Select Committee for example announced an independent review of the FSA’s own internal review of the RBS debacle.
April Review 2011
April was a relatively slow month aside from the interim report of the Independent Commission on Banking (“ICB”). It produced predictably polarised views and several journals chose to present their reporting on a for and against basis. Earlier in the month there was brief indignation at the FSA handling of its Gartmore investigation announced at the very end of March. Both of these events have much to say about the state and limits of regulation as a public policy tool and are worthy of deeper consideration.
-
March Review 2011
March was fascinating without being pivotal. There was a surprising end to the search for a new Director General at the ABI; the ECJ finally proved that the law is an ass by making young females pay much more for car insurance from 2012; it dawned on the FT that adviser charging under the RDR might not stop churning, and the Adviser Alliance kept up its tirade against AIFA.
February Review 2011
February began brightly with a spate of news about the regulatory regime, some of it contradictory but then the momentum fizzled out until the Treasury produced another consultation paper on its proposals to split the FSA. This could be normal volatility but it could be a sign that the changes to the FSA are sucking down more resources resulting in less activity
-
January Review 2011
New Year, same old story just about sums up the start of 2011. The trade press went on a feeding frenzy as the deadline for written evidence to the Treasury Select Committee on the RDR came and went. We decided to conduct our own research to see what IFAs are thinking about the last RDR CP on wraps and platforms.
December Review 2010
It might be a short working month but December produced its fair share of interesting and amusing events
-
October Review 2010
October was back to work month for our parliamentarians. The month was dominated by public spending cuts, Chilean miners escaping their tomb and whether Wayne Rooney would leave United (as in not so united).
November Review 2010
November is always a busy working month and this was no exception. We have had to be selective. Read more to see what caught our eye this month
-
August Review 2010
August is normally a dead month for news on the regulatory front and this one was no exception.
September Review 2010
September has been a curiously slow month for hard news. The party conference season does tend to slow things down as Whitehall waits for its political masters to return.
-
June Review 2010
So June 2010 will be the biggest news month of the decade in financial services regulation
July Review 2010
Like December, July is one of those months in which more deadlines are set than others.
-
May Review 2010
The people have spoken. This month we focus on the prospects for the new government and what it means for financial services.
April Review 2010
Not long now to the big day! Will the Tories win and dismantle the FSA, or will there be a hung parliament?
-
February Review 2010
The unannounced General Election campaign kicked off in earnest during the month