Quotes of the Week: PaddyPower, Stephen Grant, Bigmouthmedia, GMTV, Hearts FC

"Given the current funding uncertainty, we are having to make significant savings. Our decision to implement a compulsory four day week for the next three months will allow us to retain our diverse and highly skilled team, while remaining as flexible as possible to address the financial challenges and capitalise on any opportunities that arise."

Elaine Wilcox of GMTV and Paver Smith's Richard Lynch spoke about their new PR consultancy and he problem with what is currently on offer:

"I don't feel the traditional agency offers consistent value for money as it doesn't allow senior people to work shoulder to shoulder with clients on a regular basis. The figures simply don't add up."

Comedian Stephen Grant had the last laugh when he won a court battle so he can tell jokes about his ex wife:

“I was gutted that we couldn’t work it out. We were so in love and she seemed to love my sense of humour back then but she very quickly lost it in the divorce. The whole divorce procedure she put me through was so ridiculous that you have to see the funny side of it. It makes great material."

Cheeky betting company Paddy Power was dealt a blow of the eve of the Ryder Cup when it was made to remove a huge sign close to the Celtic Manor course:

"We’re very disappointed. The fun police have won – the big bully boys have come along. They completely over-reacted and threatened to bulldoze the sign down, which they had no legal right to do."

Bigmouthmedia research suggests that companies are not quite embracing the social media channel:

"Broadly speaking companies and their agencies remain self-critical about their social media tactics, with most acknowledging that they need to improve their approaches to the channel across the board."

Former Tangerine colleagues Laura Mashiter and Nicola Duncan have started their own PR business:

"With more years’ experience between us than we’d care to divulge, we’re best placed to offer honest, strategic advice and deliver outstanding work without the massive overheads of some of the larger agencies."

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2010/09/30/15887-ex-tangerine-colleagues-open-new-pr-agency/

David Southern was given every boys dream job when he was mad the boss of a football club, Hearts FC:

“Naturally I am delighted to continue supporting the Board’s work in developing the club. I moved into this new role in recent months and given my experience at Hearts and indeed my previous experience as an owner and director of a successful business, I am looking forward to the challenge ahead. I have always viewed it as a privilege to work with Hearts and I fully plan to continue to play my part in strengthening our off-field position. It is well documented that football is a challenging business environment both domestically and globally, however I am confident that Hearts is well placed to benefit from some of the predicted future changes in Scottish and European football.”

http://www.thedrum.com/news/2010/09/29/15868-southern-to-take-on-md-role-at-hearts-fc/