Beleaguered News Corp Calls In Edelman For PR Counsel

LONDON–News Corp has called in Edelman to help it deal with the debilitating crisis brought about by the phone-hacking scandal.

Edelman EMEA CEO Robert Phillips told the Holmes Report that the agency had been retained by News International’s management and standards committee, which has been set up to oversee its response to the unfolding crisis.

The committee is comprised of News International GM Will Lewis, corporate affairs director Simon Greenberg, and general counsel Jeff Palker. The trio report into Joel Klein, the News Corp lawyer that has been charged with clearing up the hacking allegations, the police criminal inquiry into phone hacking and the range of civil actions that beset the UK arm of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

Phillips told the Holmes Report that Edelman’s support was primarily “logistical”. “Edelman is working with the management and standards group of News Corp on general comms support and public affairs counsel,” he said.

Phillips declined to elaborate further. The News Corp crisis has continued unabated, despite the company’s  dramatic decision to shut down the News of the World tabloid last week. Earlier today, News Corp shelved its bid for full ownership of BSkyB.

News Corp deputy chairman Chase Carey said that the bid had become “too difficult to progress in this climate”.

News Corp’s decision came as MPs were about to debate a motion supported by all major parties – calling on Murdoch to scrap the bid. The motion was approved without a vote.

Bahrain hires new US PR support

Posted to the Holmes Report here

The Kingdom of Bahrain has called in fledging public affairs firm Potomac Square Group to handle US public relations as unrest continues to rock the Middle Eastern nation.

Potomac Square Group – a new firm headed by ex-Wall Street Journal journalist Chris Cooper – was appointed in February to provide strategic PR counsel to the Embassy of Bahrain in the US.

Earlier this week, the Holmes Report revealed that Edelman’s US assignment on behalf of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board (EDB) had been suspended.

Edelman Bahrain PR assignment suspended

Posted to the Holmes Report here

Edelman’s PR assignment on behalf of the Kingdom of Bahrain has been suspended, following the violent security crackdown in the Middle Eastern nation.

The Holmes Report understands that the account – which covers US work for Bahrain’s Economic Development Board – was effectively stopped on Friday, after a week in which Bahrain’s turmoil escalated significantly.

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.

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.

Analysis: Buyers remain cautious as agency M&A surges

Posted to the Holmes Report here

If the headlines are anything to go by, mergers and acquisitions have well and truly returned to the agency world. Recent months have brought a lengthening roll-call of firms that have jettisoned their independence in favour of selling out to a network, casting the 2009 recession as a brief pause in the relentless pace of wheeling and dealing.

Amid the torrent of new deals, though, is enough evidence to suggest a lingering sense of caution on the part of buyers. Several independent agency sources contacted by the Holmes Report expressed disappointment with the terms of typical offers, posing a particular quandary for highly-rated firms that have waited for conditions to approach those that characterised the M&A market prior to the recession.

Middle East crisis puts PR firms in the spotlight

Posted to the Holmes Report here

Escalating unrest in several Middle Eastern countries is sparking growing interest in the role PR agencies are playing on behalf of the region’s beleaguered governments.

Facing particular scrutiny is the Government of Bahrain, which has retained Bell Pottinger for the past two years. The agency appears to have expanded its role since first being appointed to promote investment in the country; over the past week, it emerged that Bell Pottinger has helped set up a media centre to help journalists cover protests within the country.

Rolls-Royce selects PR agency for European corporate assignment

Posted to the Holmes Report here

Rolls-Royce has called in agency counsel to support a wide-ranging European corporate brief, the Holmes Report can reveal.

The British company has selected Edelman to handle the assignment, following a keenly-contested review that featured a number of international agencies.

PR and the Milton Friedman question

The theories of late economist Milton Friedman do not often make an appearance within the PR world. So it was interesting to hear them discussed at today’s presentation of Edelman’s latest Trust Barometer findings.

The study, now in its 11th year, looked at whether businesses exist solely to make profits – Friedman’s view – or whether companies should be willing to sacrifice profit in favour of investment in broader stakeholder interests.

It is a question that goes to the very heart of corporate reputation in the 21st century. And some of the findings, quite frankly, are astonishing.

Samsung pitches 2012 Olympics PR brief

Posted to the Holmes Report here

Samsung Electronics has called on agencies to pitch for a lucrative new brief to build global awareness of its London 2012 Olympics sponsorship, the Holmes Report has learned.

Is is understood that the Korean electronics giant is seeing a handful of agencies in London today, as it bids to use its top-tier Olympics partnership status to strengthen its global corporate image and brand value.