Archive for the ‘New business’ Category
Paratus/Vodafone relationship ends
Paratus, the 12-person agency that netted Vodafone’s six-figure UK PR business 12 months ago, is to step down from the account at the end of the month.
Vodafone has instead called in Freud to handle specific projects for the mobile company’s corporate communications team. Read the rest of this entry »
Huntsworth delivers flat revenue growth in 2010, buys Atomic PR
Posted to the Holmes Report here
Huntsworth – the PR and healthcare communications group that owns Grayling, Citigate, Huntsworth Health and Red – has reported that its revenues dipped by 0.7 percent in 2010, following a major restructuring of the business.
The group has also revealed it has acquired highly-rated US technology and digital agency Atomic PR, providing a much-needed boost to Grayling’s North American footprint. Previously, Huntsworth operated a joint venture with Atomic PR, which oversaw the brand’s European operations. Red Consultancy’s US operations have been transferred into Atomic, which will eventually be combined into Grayling North America.
Huntsworth has also confirmed that Grayling has taken lead agency duties on British Airways’ global PR account, as first revealed by the Holmes Report. It is understood that this business will be worth approximately £1.5 million in fees per year, and will be operated in conjunction with Action Global and Meropa. Read the rest of this entry »
Wrigley selects Edelman to boost global health credentials
Posted to the Holmes Report here
Wrigley has consolidated its $3m Benefits of Chewing (BoC) PR programme with Edelman, as the confectionary giant seeks to build its global health and wellness credentials.
According to RFP documents, the Mars subsidiary is aiming to better advocate the links between chewing gum and a range of health benefits, amid increasing regulatory scrutiny of food products. Chewing gum brands such as Orbit and Extra account for the vast majority of Wrigley’s $5 billion-plus revenues.
Edelman previously handled the bulk of Wrigley’s BoC activity in the US, and prevailed in a pitch that included Burson-Marsteller and Weber Shandwick. Read the rest of this entry »
GSK review sparks industry debate over reverse auctions
Posted to the Holmes Report here
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has held a ‘reverse auction’ to whittle down its European medical education agency roster, drawing industry ire for an approach that remains viewed as an exercise in cost-cutting.
The pharma giant asked as many as 40 agencies that comprise the roster to take part in the online process, which ranks agencies according to their proposed costs for different services. The roster, which oversees at least £5m in fees, is believed to include such agencies as Ogilvy Healthworld, Chandler Chicco, Huntsworth Health, Waggener Edstrom, Weber Shandwick, Red Door and Virgo. Read the rest of this entry »
Blackberry PR review puts Hotwire on alert
Posted to the Holmes Report here
Research in Motion (RIM), the company behind the Blackberry smartphone, is reviewing UK B2B and tech PR duties, the Holmes Report has learned.
It is understood that as many as six agencies are pitching for the business – worth an estimated £250,000 – this week. Hotwire has handled the business across the UK and Europe for the past seven years, and is understood to be defending the brief. Read the rest of this entry »
AMD reviews North American PR after leadership shakeup
Posted to the Holmes Report here
Chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is to review its North American PR business, estimated at upwards of $3 million, putting incumbent Bite Communications on alert.
It is understood that AMD issued RFPs last night, covering the full range of its PR activities, after holding talks with a handful of network agencies. The pitch follows the departures of AMD CEO Dirk Meyer and two other senior executives earlier this year, which have renewed speculation that the company is a potential acquisition target. Read the rest of this entry »
Grayling tipped to lead British Airways international PR roster
Posted to the Holmes Report here
British Airways is poised to appoint Grayling and Action Global to its new worldwide agency roster, covering Continental Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
It is understood that contract negotiations with the agencies are currently underway. The airline began the review last year, after the Holmes Report revealed it was parting ways with one-year incumbent Fleishman-Hillard. Read the rest of this entry »
Ketchum to defend FedEx PR business in EMEA, UK
Posted to the Holmes Report here
FedEx has called a review of its PR services across EMEA and the UK, tendering two briefs worth an estimated £250,000 in total.
Both accounts are currently handled by Ketchum, FedEx’s global agency-of-record. The logistics giant has asked agencies to submit two proposals: one for transportation subsidiary FedEx Express’ regional PR coordination across EMEA and the Indian subcontinent; and the other for FedEx Express in the UK and Ireland. Read the rest of this entry »
Ogilvy PR wins BP 2012 Olympics PR assignment
Posted to the Holmes Report here
Ogilvy PR has been selected to handle PR activities for BP’s 2012 Olympics sponsorship, following a review that was first revealed by the Holmes Report last week.
The win adds to Ogilvy PR’s existing business with BP. Last year, the agency was retained in the US to oversee the oil giant’s digital and social media response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Read the rest of this entry »
Arun Sudhaman 