F-H and Shandwick set to fit Palm in Asia

The Army Cadet Force’s volunteer PR unit has bagged its first

candidate in its latest recruitment drive. Major Kevin Traverse-Healy

has been appointed to the role of deputy chief of public relations,

reporting to Lt Col Martin Newman, chief of PR. He will be responsible

for 14 regional PR advisers who are communications professionals working

on a voluntary basis for the ACF. The unit is still looking for

volunteer PR officers to play senior roles in Scotland, the North East

and Yorkshire and Humberside.

Singapore: Palm, the world market leader in hand held computing,

has dropped Ogilvy PR as its Asia-Pacific agency, opting for two

agencies in its place. The account is believed to be one of the most

valuable hi-tech PR accounts in Asia.

A review in July led to a four-way pitch, which resulted in

Fleishman-Hillard and Shandwick being selected for two Asian regions.

Edelman also lost its Australia brief in the process.

Sharon Ee, Palm group manager for Asia-Pacific, said the decision was

made after an initial round of pitches failed to produce a strong,

single network.

’We tried to get a centralised agency but decided a two-agency network

would be best,’ said Ee.

The review comes ahead of the launch of a new range of Palm products

aimed at wireless internet access through hand held devices.

Both accounts cover these product launches and corporate PR, with F-H in

a co-ordinating role.

Fleishman-Hillard has won the account in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand

and the Philippines, while Shandwick will handle Hong Kong, Greater

China and Australia. Work begins on both accounts immediately.

Emma Smith, managing director of Shandwick Hong Kong, will lead the

Greater China account with F-H senior vice-president Nancy Keith Kelly

leading the Southeast Asian effort. They will report to Ee.

Palm launched the entry level M100, aimed at young and female consumers,

in Singapore and Hong Kong in August as one of several similar products

ready for release in Asia later this year.