Hill & Knowlton wins P&G Olympics assignment

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

FMCG giant Procter & Gamble has selected Hill & Knowlton to handle its activation programme for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games.

The decision follows the announcement earlier this year of a major tie-up between P&G and the International Olympic Committee, covering marketing rights for more than 50 brands across 38 product categories.

Colt selects Weber Shandwick for pan-European PR account

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

UK telecoms company Colt has handed its six-figure pan-European PR business to Weber Shandwick, in a move that sees it part ways with four-year incumbent Grayling.

The decision follows a pitch that was revealed by the Holmes Report earlier this year. It is understood that Weber Shandwick lined up against UK independent Octopus in the final stages of the pitch.

Samsung hands global smartphone brief to Edelman

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

Samsung Electronics has selected Edelman to handle the PR component of a major marketing campaign that will launch the next generation of its Galaxy smartphone range.

A Samsung spokesperson confirmed the development, after the Holmes Report first revealed that the pitch was taking place in Korea. It is understood that the business will be housed within Edelman’s A&R subsidiary due to conflict with other brands, notably RIM.

Samsung pitches global smartphone marcomms business

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

PR and advertising networks have gathered in Korea to pitch a broad marketing communications brief for the next generation of Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy smartphone.

Sources have informed the Holmes Report that agencies have been asked to provide proposals that span digital, PR and advertising, as Samsung intensifies its efforts to battle smartphone rivals Apple and RIM.

Asia Pulp & Paper calls in new PR support after Weber Shandwick resigns

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

Controversial Indonesian paper giant Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has called in new PR agency support after incumbent firm Weber Shandwick resigned the lucrative business.

APP, which is under sustained attack by Greenpeace over its environmental record, has instead appointed Cohn & Wolfe to handle its global PR account. The development comes after a recent Greenpeace report attacked APP parent Sinar Mas for ‘pulping the planet’.

Cohn & Wolfe CEO: “There was weak talent throughout the organisation”

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

WPP PR agency Cohn & Wolfe has witnessed plenty of upheaval since its merger with GCI two years ago. CEO Donna Imperato sat down with the Holmes Report in New York to discuss how the agency is re-engineering its talent base following the replacement of a slew of executives, including UK CEO Fiona Noble, tech head Claudia Carasso, New York MD Stephanie Marchesi, and Spain chief Rose De La Pascua. Imperato, who has led Cohn & Wolfe since 2002, also reveals which of the departures she misses most.

Analysis: A new digital deal for PR agencies?

This story is posted to the Holmes Report website here

Next Fifteen is serious about digital. How else to explain the holding group’s decision to acquire two digital firms in less than a week? Yet the buys of US agency Type3 and Hong Kong’s OneXeno also indicate that PR agencies are increasingly looking beyond the narrow confines of a digital role that focuses solely on social media.

Instead, PR firms are finally realising the opportunity to provide the kinds of services that, in the digital world’s short history, have tended to be associated with their peers from the worlds of advertising and marketing. The trend begs the question: is the PR world, and the clients that it services, ready for this transformation?

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).

Three firms vie for lucrative multi-market PepsiCo assignment

This story is also posted to the Holmes Report here

PepsiCo is to select between three agencies as it decides who will handle its lucrative corporate PR business across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The pitch marks the food and beverage giant’s first attempt to consolidate its corporate PR activity, worth as much as $1m, across its AMEA region.

UK farm board finalises £21m agency roster

This story is also posted to the Holmes Report website here

The UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has completed its first major PR tender since forming in 2008, appointing a slew of firms – including Weber Shandwick and Good Relations -  to a four-year roster worth more than £21 million.