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Hester Bray has joined Band & Brown Communications from PR agency Manning Selvage and Lee where she worked in the corporate department, with clients from the IT, financial and business sector including GMAC UK, global IT services company Atos Origin, Affinion International and online banking service Ivobank.
Hester has consumer, B2B and European campaign experience, having previously worked in Paris for both WeberShandwick and GCI-Grey. There she helped manage the British Airways press office team, not only for crisis and issues but also for proactive campaigns on a regional and a national scale.
At Band & Brown Hester is working on client campaigns for Zurich Insurance, the Children’s Workforce Development Council and life assistance company CPP.
Who knew bird poo was such a big problem?! According to a recent Band & Brown news story for our client Zurich Insurance, damage caused by bird muck is costing British motorists a whopping £57 million a year. Although bird lime (as it's officially known) is generally regarded as an unfortunate stroke of luck and a nasty mess, many people don't know that failing to remove bird muck from your car can cause lasting damage.
Band & Brown partnered up with YouGov on Zurich's behalf to commission the research, which broke the findings down by colour of vehicle and hot spots across the country for bird muck, and provided journalists with top tips on what to do if you find yourself at the other end of a bird strike:
1) 3Ps–Problematic, Purple Poo. Get rid of these as soon as possible. Many birds feed on berries that make their excretions a darker colour, which is high in acidic content and will dis-colour paintwork.
2) Don’t wipe; spray. All birds eat seeds. The hard seeds that are not digested are excreted with the lime so when you wipe it away they will scratch your paintwork.
3) Avoid broad leaf trees. Pigeons prefer to dwell, roost and breed in large trees that are most identifiable by their size and foliage.
4) Keep carbonated water in the car. Store an unopened bottle of carbonated water in the car. When you get droppings on the car use the water to power wash off the muck. Make sure to get a bottle without salt content.
5) Polish and wax your car. Polish and wax form an invisible layer of protection for your car and will protect again sun, birds and any other elements.
Finally... Use a cover for your car. The best way to save your car from bird lime is to use a cover during the summer months.
The combination of these top tips, a bird control expert and a well-versed spokesperson from Zurich generated a wealth of coverage, including the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Times, The Metro and page 3 of The Sport, as well as a wide range of coverage in regional broadcast and print, motoring trade titles and a fury of discussion in the bloggersphere!
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