PRmoment Podcast

In this episode of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with Angie Moxham and Mark Borkowski to examine the week's high-profile communications strategies, media appearances, and public safety messaging across the UK. 
The panel opens by debating Prince William's upcoming appearance on The Graham Norton Show to promote the Earthshot Prize. 
Angie views the booking as a masterstroke in modernisation, aligning William with his mother's legacy as a "royal of the people" while capitalizing on Graham Norton's primetime reach to connect with mainstream audiences.
Mark takes a more skeptical view, warning that the timing intersects awkwardly with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's ongoing media offensive, allowing the press to frame the appearance as another volley in an ongoing royal PR war. 
Mark emphasizes that Prince Harry's public calls for reconciliation are undermined by constant media exposure and impending legal cost rulings, arguing that royal comms must prioritise long-term relevance among Gen Z and millennial audiences who are increasingly detached from traditional royal pageantry and Commonwealth ties. 
Moving to political communications, the team analyses Andy Burnham's appearance on Gogglebox. Mark contrasts Burnham’s natural, political charm with Keir Starmer’s more formal, legalistic background, noting that informal TV appearances serve to humanize politicians in a way reminiscent of early Boris Johnson. 
However, Angie notes that populist media moves carry risk if unsupported by meaningful policy, highlighting Burnham's public stance on train headphone etiquette as coming across as trivial during an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. 
Ben and Mark counter that targeting common public annoyances functions as effective "Farage-style" populist communications designed to generate noise and control media agendas. 
Finally, the discussion turns to the UK government's subtle public awareness messaging advising citizens to stock up on basic supplies, cash, and tinned goods. Angie shares concerns that the government is failing to communicate clear context for these warnings, leaving the public unsettled about potential supply chain breakdowns or cyber warfare. 
Mark analyzes the Home Office's gradual drip-feed strategy, arguing that full transparency could spark panic buying akin to the early pandemic. He highlights how national resilience is threatened less by traditional military conflict than by digital infrastructure attacks—such as the recent disruption of Yandex servers in Russia—and suggests that public communications are intentionally conditioning the population toward self-reliance while serving broader commercial and defense sector funding narratives.
Here are sme quotes from this week's PRmoment Podcast show:
On Prince William's chat show appearance:
"The comms strategy is very much be a royal of the people, for the people, with the people." — Angie Moxham (01:39)

On royal media narratives:
"The timing is unfortunate only because Meghan and Harry are on maneuvers, and this is going to be viewed by the press... as a PR war." — Mark Borkowski (02:52)

On Prince Harry's strategy:
"What he should have done when he landed is shut up, say nothing, and actually not perform in the way that gives all the ammunition to the Daily Mail." — Mark Borkowski (03:46)

On reaching younger generations:
"The fundamental problem is not about our generation; it is about the millennials and Gen Z... who don't understand the pomp, ceremony, and traditions of the Royal Family." — Mark Borkowski (08:04)

On populist political comms:
"The media has become so challenging for the Royal Family and politicians that they feel they can just go and do stuff like Gogglebox and Graham Norton." — Angie Moxham (11:25)

On minor policy distractions:
"Continual stuff in the system causes a debate that distracts from things we might otherwise focus on very seriously." — Mark Borkowski (12:23)

On national crisis preparedness:
"What we're seeing is a country that is a long way from resilience... If the government went full on and told us too much, social media would cause mass panic." — Mark Borkowski (15:30 / 16:18)

On modern cyber and infrastructure threats:
"It's not going to be nuclear bombs raining down on us; it's going to be the cutting of pipes... crippling cities and countries who are reliant on digital connection." — Mark Borkowski (18:12)
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In this PRmoment podcast, Ben Smith speaks with Pete Mountstevens of Taylor Herring about how PR creativity has evolved, what defines effective creative work today, and why boldness remains important. Mountstevens says the standard of creativity in PR is higher than ever, with more agencies producing strong campaigns. Creative work is a key differentiator for consumer PR agencies, and competition has helped raise the bar.

A central theme is the distinction between grabbing attention and earning it. Mountstevens argues that effective PR tells stories people want to hear and share, rather than interrupting them with a brand message. A good idea, he says, is one people might discuss with friends or family and that can spread organically. The tactics and channels have changed considerably, but the underlying aim—creating stories that entertain and travel—has stayed consistent.

Mountstevens traces this evolution through his career. In the 1990s, he worked as a music publicist, where the job was to keep clients in the news every day. Publicists had considerable creative licence to turn a small kernel of truth into a story. He recalls a story about Peter Andre running out of petrol on a jet ski, which became a front-page story in the Daily Star.

In the 2000s, Taylor Herring began as an entertainment-focused agency, working with film studios, TV channels and DVD releases. With limited client assets to work with, the agency developed attention-grabbing stunts and photocalls, including large installations and unexpected encounters staged for commuters. Mountstevens notes that some tactics later became PR clichés, though they were novel at the time.

The 2010s brought a shift from creating striking pictures to producing digital content. Hidden-camera-style videos and social distribution offered new ways to reach audiences. Mountstevens describes Thorpe Park’s dad-dancing campaign, which used a staged video that attracted millions of views and international media attention. Video could also act as a “Trojan horse” for brand messaging. Humour often helps content travel, but he stresses that serious campaigns can also be compelling when the idea and storytelling are strong.

In more recent years, PR has become a more strategic and integrated part of the marketing mix. Agencies have expanded their capabilities in areas such as production, design and experiential work, while brands increasingly seek ideas that can scale organically and work across channels. Mountstevens sees a growing emphasis on earned and owned media as the starting point, with social and paid activity supporting the idea.

He outlines three creative principles at Taylor Herring: “entertain or die,” focus on what people care about, and put ideas over channels. Brands compete for attention with everything in people’s feeds, so campaigns must be engaging and relevant. Finally, strong work requires bravery from both client and agency. While some brands are willing to take creative risks, others’ caution can lead to little activity or overly safe work.
Here are 6 quotes from this week's PRmomet Podcast:
On PR creativity: 
"I’d probably reframe it as earning attention: telling great stories and entertaining people, as opposed to necessarily grabbing attention.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:04:05
“It’s become more strategic. I’d say not necessarily more complicated, but certainly more strategic.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:07:34

“The big evolution was, of course, the rise of digital.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:18:37
On what CMO's want from public relations:
“More often than not now, marketing directors want an earned idea at the centre of that. They want something that can scale organically.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:29:14
“If we’re not entertaining, we’re not engaging, and if we’re not engaging, we might as well go home.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:33:16

“You need to have a client who has that appetite for being brave, and you need to have an agency that will allow themselves to be brave.” — Pete Mountstevens, 0:37:00
If you havent got your ticket for PRmoment's PR Masterclass: The Agency Future Forum, the full agenday is here.
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In this episode of the PRmoment podcast, Ben Smith and Mark Borkowski discuss British politics, media credibility, journalism, and television.

They begin with the Islington by-election and the Green Party. The hosts discuss Labour’s win and Zach Polanski’s campaign, including criticism of his absence from a party vote on a controversial Israel–Palestine policy. Borkowski says Polanski is a strong communicator but argues that avoiding the vote may have damaged his image as a forthright leader. Smith questions Polanski’s appeal, while both consider how personality politics is reshaping the parties and how difficult it can be for a leader to recover from a high-profile misstep.

The conversation then turns to the reported prospect of a live-streamed execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Both hosts express alarm at the idea of broadcasting an execution. Borkowski opposes the death penalty and compares the spectacle to violent propaganda shared online by Islamic State, questioning what such a broadcast would say about American values and leadership.

Next, they discuss US bombers at RAF Fairford and the media coverage of unusual activity near airfields. Borkowski recounts a theory, shared by an aviation enthusiast, that men in vans carrying fuel may have been testing security ahead of a possible drone attack. The hosts distinguish between credible specialist sources and unsupported speculation, while asking whether mainstream outlets provide enough context and insight. 
They connect this fragmented information environment to a challenge for PR professionals: messages now circulate across traditional outlets, niche channels, social platforms, and search engines, with varying levels of reliability.

That leads into a discussion about the future and funding of journalism. The hosts suggest that AI and large language models may increase the value of original reporting, prompting journalists to get out and investigate stories rather than rely solely on desk-based work. Borkowski stresses the importance of reporters, expertise, and trusted coverage. Smith observes that, despite broad agreement on journalism’s importance, society has not settled how to fund it as platforms such as Google and Meta compete for attention and advertising revenue.

Finally, they discuss Celebrity Traitors as a successful BBC format that gives audiences something to talk about together. Borkowski praises the show’s cast and enduring appeal, while noting that public figures such as Amol Rajan are increasingly leaving established broadcasters to build audiences on YouTube and other platforms. The hosts consider how established media careers can serve as a springboard for personal brands and direct-to-audience communities. Borkowski argues that top talent should be paid appropriately, while the BBC faces pressure over its funding model and its ability to retain prominent presenters.

Overall, the episode explores how trust, personality, and changing routes to audiences are influencing politics, journalism, PR, and entertainment.
Here are quotes from this week's show:
“The cult of Zach Polanski is under threat.” — Mark Borkowski [03:46]
“When you’ve got Caroline Lucas actually not supporting you, you know you’re in trouble.” — Mark Borkowski [06:21]
“I’m anti the death penalty, no matter what someone’s done.” — Mark Borkowski [06:58]
“What does that say about America? What does it say about the Republican administration at the moment?” — Mark Borkowski [06:58]
“You need that credible journalism. You need that credible coverage that actually allows the questions to be asked.” — Mark Borkowski [14:57]
“As a society, we haven’t quite worked out who’s going to actually pay for [journalism].” — Ben Smith [15:18]
“It’s a remarkable format. It’s remarkable television.” — Mark Borkowski on Celebrity Traitors [16:00]
“If someone is the best at what they do, they should be paid accordingly.” — Mark Borkowski [18:43]
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This week's PRmoment Podcast reviews UK PR pitch activity, agency M&A, and market trends across the summer and September 2026.
Overall, the tone is constructive: the market remains busy, clients are still commissioning briefs, and agencies are finding opportunity in both broad integrated mandates and deeper specialist work. The main challenge is not a lack of demand, but converting that demand into higher-quality wins.
PR Pitch Market Outlook
The episode opens with a positive read on the UK PR market. Briefs stay busy through the summer and into Q4, but conversion remains slower than agencies would like, so the emphasis shifts from simply generating more opportunities to winning the right ones. Ben Smith and Andrew Bloch note that agencies need sharper propositions, stronger pipeline discipline, and more evidence of strategic impact to stand out. Differentiation is increasingly tied to specialist capability rather than generalist claims: demand is growing for GEO, AI, creator-led activity, content, influencer marketing, and social, alongside integrated campaigns that show measurable return on investment. Selling outcomes, not hours, is important in a more selective buying environment.
Pitch Wins for September
Several high-profile account changes highlight how competitive the market is becoming. 
VCCP Roar wins Starbucks’ UK creative consumer PR brief after 18 years with the incumbent, while We Communications secures Mastercard’s global communications account after 14 years with Ketchum.
Other notable wins show the range of opportunity across consumer, corporate, and specialist work: Citizen Relations picks up P&G haircare; The Romans wins Salford City FC, Funding Circle, and Desperados; Ernie’s adds Oatly; Stack wins British Land; and PDA wins Casio G-Shock. W reports four wins across Kleenex, Clarendon Fine Art, San Miguel, and Hard Rock Hotels. Bottle adds Nationwide’s digital PR and GEO brief as well as Simprove’s search visibility work, while Taylor Herring, Golin Ketchum, PC Agency, and Shook also secure business.
M&A Activity for September
M&A remains focused on capability rather than scale. Burson acquires Limbik to bring its predictive AI platform, Decipher, and associated engineering capability in-house, extending a proposition that already operates across more than 60 markets. 
Headland acquires Shearwater to deepen political, regulatory, and EU public affairs expertise in Brussels and London, reinforcing the importance of specialist advisory capability. 
Mission Group merges Mongoose with Bray Leino Events as part of a wider simplification and consolidation effort. The discussion also stresses that organic growth still matters: agencies are increasingly expanding existing relationships into broader portfolios and longer retainers, rather than relying solely on acquisition to add revenue. The overall picture is of a sector using M&A selectively to fill capability gaps and strengthen its offer, not simply to grow for scale.
Here are a few beautiful quotes from Andrew from this week's show
“Pipeline is potential. It’s conversion that pays the bills.” — Andrew Bloch 0:01:49
 You need to be famous for something, specialist in something, not just being a generalist.” — Andrew Bloch 0:01:49

“Agencies need to be doing the stuff that is valuable, the expensive bits that AI can’t do, not just being an expensive version of the cheap stuff.” — Andrew Bloch 0:01:49

“Any PR agency that ignores the impact of GEO is to their detriment for sure.” — Andrew Bloch 0:05:50

“Buyers aren’t buying more of the same; they’re buying what they’re missing.” — Andrew Bloch 0:07:38

“Build the agency that a buyer can’t easily replicate.” — Andrew Bloch 0:09:08

“If you’ve had a client for 10 years, 15 years, you’re a very different agency today than you were when you won that business.” — Andrew Bloch 0:13:30

“Winning new business is harder than it’s ever been.” — Andrew Bloch 0:20:17

“The clever agencies are buying the stuff that’s truly useful and that clients can’t actually do in-house.” — Andrew Bloch 0:45:46
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In this week's PRmoment News Review, host Ben Smith and guests Mark Borkowski and Angie Moxham covered four PR stories: Earl Spencer's book, Harry and Meghan, Andy Burnham's visit to Trump Land, and Ed Sheeran's tour controversy.
Charles Spencer's book Mark said Swan Song: Diana, My Sister had huge publicity, helped by the Mail serialisation and a Laura Kuenssberg interview. Still, he felt it had "a nasty smell" and was "a bit of a bank raid".
Harry and Meghan Mark described the couple's latest moves. He argued they should have kept a low profile, and that they need a "trusted anchor" who understands British media. Angie felt sorry for them and called their PR "a lost cause". She saw a loss of confidence in Harry, whose teleprompter failed at an Invictus Games event and who couldn't ad lib.
Andy Burnham meets Trump Mark said Trump's ban on CNN, MSNBC and Politico led other networks to side with them. As a result, visits by Burnham and the Chinese Premier got less coverage. Angie thought Burnham performed credibly on the international stage. She praised the media for standing together.
Ed Sheeran Angie said Sheeran wasn't to blame, but that he responded late with a dry statement read from a teleprompter that didn't feel genuine. Mark blamed a corporate music industry. In his view, Sheeran's team built a "toxic mix": support act Macklemore, who has faced antisemitism accusations, playing a stadium owned by pro-Israel Robert Kraft. Sheeran is "vanilla", and fans only want him with an acoustic guitar.
Here are some top quotes from this week's show:
1. Mark Borkowski on Charles Spencer's book 0:01:24

"I think there's a nasty smell about the book because I do feel that it is a bit of a bank raid."

2. Mark Borkowski on Penguin Random House 0:01:24

"Piers Morgan has the money and also the temperament to actually do what he wants to do: get the book pulped, and give as much pain as possible, not only to Penguin but of course his main target, Charles Spencer."

3. Angie Moxham on Spencer's motives 0:04:03

"I question his motive for publishing the book. He positions it as his swan song as much as hers. But he clearly has had an expensive divorce, and it's not cheap running estates."

4. Mark Borkowski on Harry and Meghan's PR 0:05:17

"They need that trusted anchor… that critical friend, that wise voice who understands social as well. I think things could be so much different for them."

5. Angie Moxham on Prince Harry 0:09:42

"The teleprompter dried up, and he couldn't ad lib. He did not have that passionate, heartfelt story narrative in his head to be able to get over that."

6. Angie Moxham on media unity against Trump's media boycott against CNN, Politico and MS NOW 0:14:02

"You can't take on the media by picking off individual brands. It's great that they've stood together. That's the power of great journalism."

7. Mark Borkowski on Trump and Burnham 0:14:33

"Campaigning against Trump is one thing, but actually governing alongside him has some advantages… that's part of what happens at these events: the sort of PR that happens in rooms we're not in."

8. Mark Borkowski on Ed Sheeran 0:16:42

"Ed Sheeran is not political. He is vanilla. He's the busker that's made it big… If he turned up on that stage with an acoustic guitar, he would have appeased his fans."
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