Blog.

“Hopefully I can make everybody so proud of the England team again”. The ill-fated words of Sam Allardyce, who as recently as July recorded a message to England fans laughing down the camera with joy, announcing his appointment as their new manager. Fast-forward to today, Allardyce is now out of a job following claims to […]

As we collectively bathe in the post-Olympics glow, it’s hard not to wonder how we’ll fare in the next one. Or about how this epic undertaking could be improved. Despite lacklustre live attendances, this year’s event in Rio created plenty of sporting drama but could we raise the bar in Tokyo in 2020? One of […]

While basking with the rest of the nation in the glory of Team GB’s Olympic success in Rio (six golds in one day will take some beating), I noticed that Rio will be hosting an additional ‘Games’ this week in a sport that has pushed the boundaries of competition in recent years. Although the eGames […]

Contracts are commonplace in football. Barely a day goes by where we don’t hear about a new contract wrangle, or a football star that has just signed a new contract that makes him the ‘xth’ highest paid player in the world. But I haven’t yet seen an example of fans being strong armed into signing […]

I still remember the first time I ever rang up an insurance company to get a quote. Gloating about the fact that I had passed my test within three and a half months of my 17th birthday, and driving my poor parents around the bend and every roundabout in Hampshire, I was left gobsmacked to […]

So he’s back. Paul Pogba is back. Or as the marketing machine at Manchester United exclaimed at 59 minutes to kick-off of the traditional season opener on Sunday – #Pogback Forget the ‘protracted transfer’ and constant stream of media speculation, that hashtag hinted to the world that this was a deal done long ago. Skip […]

It’s been less than two weeks since the launch of the hottest new trend in the mobile gaming industry, and we’ve barely had time to catch our breath. Here at Performance Towers, the main thought has been this – where the hell did that come from? Within hours of launching in the US, Europe, and […]

Any time, any place, anywhere. That seems to be the catchphrase of sports fans who have an insatiable appetite for sporting content. Whether it’s results, stats or behind the scenes videos, they just can’t get enough of it. And they’ll access that content at any stage in the day – our research showed that 73% […]

Recently, this New York Times article was shared around the agency as one worth reading. And it is. It looks at the recent collapse and wobble of certain online news outlets, which when coupled with the closing of a number of high profile print nations in the UK, spells out a worrying time for the […]

Summer is on the horizon, and there’s a whole raft of great work underway at Performance Comms. But with our clients hungry to push the needle, one of the greatest challenges facing a dynamic, growing agency is recruitment. How do you find the talent that will deliver the award-winning projects of the future? I think […]

I’ve never been so nervous in my life. I was standing there in red pen nine, ready to run, and the reality of it all hit me. I was actually about to run the London Marathon, THE London Marathon. I’ve always been in awe of the runners that take part. But never in a million […]

(Image Courtesy RoboRace via Twitter) This week, the FIA unveiled the autonomous vehicle it intends to compete in its championship for driverless racing cars. Yes, you read that right. The Robocar – described as a ‘drone with downforce’ – will compete in the Roborace series, which will potentially act as a support race to the FIA […]

Once again the subject of women in sport is all over the news. However although this piece looks at equality, it’s not about tennis. What I do want to look at is Asda’s recently announced sponsorship of the Tour de Yorkshire. In a shrewd move, the supermarket brand has decided to only sponsor the women’s […]

There’s no denying it – eSports are here, and they’re here in a big way. Working at a sports PR agency, I’ve been acutely aware of the growing popularity of eSports and the influence that it is increasingly having over our younger generation for a while now. There’s been no shortage of media coverage outlining […]

Every time I hear John Francome voice his opinion of the Victoria Pendleton ‘Switching Saddles’ project – such is the strength of his opposition to the idea and the publicity this brings, I wonder whether he is actually on the payroll of Betfair, its backers. For those who don’t yet know, ‘Switching Saddles’ will see […]

When Breitling does something, it doesn’t do it by halves. So when the Swiss luxury and aviation specialist watchmaker decided to get involved with the 2016 Abu Dhabi Aviation and Aerospace Week, the world’s largest high profile, dedicated aerospace and aviation week, there was never any chance of the brand opting for a low-key approach. […]

When I started my career back in 1994, the tools of the trade were a telephone, a fax machine and my brain. Press releases were printed on paper, sent by fax if deemed time sensitive or ‘stuffed’ into an envelope, franked and posted to arrive 1 or 2 days later. At the time, measuring the […]

2nd March 2016 – could this date be a watershed moment in rugby across the British and Irish isles? More than 70 doctors and medical academics have called for a ban on tackling in rugby matches played in schools in UK and Ireland, citing injuries such as “fractures, ligamentous tears, dislocated shoulders, spinal injuries and […]

The automotive landscape is a changing. The traditional industry motor shows at Detroit and Chicago have taken a back seat to rival events from the technology sector so far this year. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January had car makers rushing to show off their hi-tech wares and now GSMA Mobile World Congress 2016, […]

A lot has been said about women playing sport but this post looks at women working in sport, specifically women in decision-making positions. The benefits of having women on company boards have been well documented: it’s frequently said that the financial crash wouldn’t have happened if more women were in decision-making positions. As well as […]

“We’re sorry” read the back page of Metro last week. The grovelling apology resulted from the proposed hike in ticket prices announced by Liverpool FC. The furore surfaced when Fenway Sports Group (FSG) – Liverpool’s owners – revealed highly controversial plans for a £77 matchday ticket in the redeveloped main stand and season tickets of […]