Archive for August 2010
PepsiCo selects Ketchum for new global assignment
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
PepsiCo is to embark on a major drive to advance its sustainability credentials, after completing an international review to identify its new corporate agency of record.
The food and beverage giant has called in Ketchum Raad, the Middle Eastern JV between Omnicom agencies Ketchum and TBWA/Raad/PR, to handle the lucrative assignment, which will span Asia, the Middle East and Africa (AMEA). Read the rest of this entry »
PR and search: A match made in heaven?
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
When BP responded to its calamitous crisis earlier this year by buying up Google ads around such phrases as ‘oil spill’, it again illustrated the apparently inexorable convergence between the worlds of PR and search marketing.
It also served as a reminder that, for many, the PR industry has done a poor job of integrating search strategies into its online comms campaigns. Unsurprisingly, digital PR specialists are now casting envious glances at the growth and size of its peers in the search industry, and wondering whether it is too late for their own agencies to catch up. Read the rest of this entry »
Facebook EMEA strategy chief: Brands still nervous about social media
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
As EMEA head of strategy and planning for Facebook, Trevor Johnson brings a unique perspective to how brands are interacting with the social networking platform that now – famously – counts more than 500 million users.
In the following interview Johnson covers plenty of ground, including the biggest mistake brands make on Facebook, why marketers are still nervous and, of course, privacy. Read the rest of this entry »
Edelman to reshuffle VanderMolen and Brain into new global roles
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
Edelman Asia-Pacific CEO Alan VanderMolen is to shift to Chicago to take on a new global role overseeing the agency’s global practices and intellectual capital.
VanderMolen’s role as Asia-Pacific president will be filled by current EMEA CEO David Brain who will depart London later this year. Read the rest of this entry »
American Express hands international PR business to Nelson Bostock
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
American Express has selected UK firm Nelson Bostock to handle its lucrative international brand PR business, following a fiercely contested review in London.
It is understood that Nelson Bostock consumer arm Fever won the account, and an estimated annual retainer in the six-figure range, after pitching against GolinHarris and Edelman. Read the rest of this entry »
Ogilvy taps ‘panda PR’ for Chinese city brand campaign
And they call it silly season.
It may seem a little frivolous but this is actually a serious post about the Chinese city of Chengdu’s attempts to build a stronger international brand. It’s an area this blog has looked at in detail before.
The city tapped Ogilvy PR to head up this effort, and the agency has devised an interesting campaign that is based around Chengdu’s biggest claim to fame: the humble panda. Read the rest of this entry »
FMCG giant Henkel calls global crisis comms review
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
Henkel, the German FMCG giant that owns such iconic brands as Right Guard, Schwarzkopf and Persil, has called a global review of its crisis communications capabilities.
Several global agencies have been invited to take part in next week’s pitch in Germany. The review follows recent intense scrutiny of the environmental records of FMCG companies like Unilever and Nestle by NGOs such as Greenpeace. Read the rest of this entry »
Carson Dalton appointed to senior BT Asia-Pacific role
Carson Dalton is departing his position within the BT UK press office to return to Asia, taking on a new role overseeing comms for BT in Southeast Asia.
Based in Singapore, the former BT India comms head will manage PR and analyst relations for the Southeast Asia, along with strategic initiatives across Asia-Pacific. His appointment brings his 18 month sojourn at BT Group’s UK HQ to a close. Read the rest of this entry »
Blue Rubicon launches new political engagement drive for Facebook
This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here
UK PR firm Blue Rubicon has rolled out a new political engagement drive on behalf of Facebook, in a further extension of the agency’s growing business with the social networking giant.
Yesterday, Blue Rubicon launched a live online interview with Labour leadership candidate Ed Miliband, on Facebook’s Democracy UK page. The agency has been working on the Democracy UK political campaigning project since March of this year, when it also took charge of Facebook’s corporate and public affairs PR activities in the UK. Read the rest of this entry »
VIDEO: Ogilvy PR global CEO Chris Graves warns agencies to think twice about making acquisitions
Prior to becoming Ogilvy PR global CEO last year, Chris Graves headed Ogilvy PR Asia-Pacific, where he inherited an operation that had quadrupled in size thanks to an aggressive acquisition strategy. In the video below, he cautions agencies that acquisition should never be the “first resort” for growth, and explains why it is so tough to make them work. Read the rest of this entry »
