Awards, Expansion, and News from the Public Relations World
Public relations professionals are tasked with staying abreast not only of the latest happenings within their own clients’ realm, but also the news headlines from around the industry as a whole. These headlines are often harbingers of shifts within the industry or are simply a way to keep tabs on competitors and prospective clients.
In this latest round of headlines, we continue to see further expansion from prominent firms and agencies, and a big client looking for a prospective new firm has agencies all over the country on the edge of their seats. Let’s dive right in.
PR Big Thinkers Rewarded at Cannes PR Lions
The Cannes Awards are a competition among the creative elite. Divided into categories by industry, the Lions awards are given out on a variety of criteria, including idea, strategy, execution, and results.
Within the PR sector of the Lions, six Gold Lions — the highest award — were given out. This was just half the amount of those given out the year before. For the first time, a Gold Lion was given to a PR agency and the agency was credited with “idea creation”. The winning firm, Golin, took home the Gold Lion for its work with the McDonald’s brand to commemorate its 50th anniversary.
In addition, German agency Scholz & Friends was presented with the Grand Prix award for its work to combat tax discrimination as it pertains to tampons.
Many other agencies were recognized with varying levels of Lions awards, marking the creative achievements and execution of strategy by the world’s leading agencies.
Worldcom PR Group Announces Four New Partners
Public relations is very much a collaborative environment, and this is a concept that the Worldcom Public Relations Group has honed in and capitalized on. Encouraging the expansion of agency networks through open collaboration and partnerships, Worldcom has steadily built up a worldwide network of top performing agencies.
This week, Worldcom announced the addition of four new partners: Airfoil Group (Detroit), IN.FOM (Singapore), MAARC (Paris), and Tell-Em (Nairobi).
The partners within the Worldcom network are unique but also bring similar strengths to the table, allowing for the best options in public relations counsel for clients, regardless of where they are located.
“We’re constantly striving to add partners who not only help maximize our geographic reach but bring expertise and skills that reflect the evolving and growing needs of global clients,” Worldcom managing director Todd Lynch said in a press release.
Rubenstein Navigates Acquisition of Shutterfly and Snapfish
As Apollo Global Management prepares to acquire photo service providers Shutterfly and Snapfish, Rubenstein Associates has been tapped to navigate the deal with the objective to maximize the value of these platforms for consumer experience.
“We believe that both companies will be better positioned to operate in a competitive marketplace through their enhanced ability to invest in product innovation to deliver the best consumer experience,” Apollo senior partner David Sambur said.
Nike Goes Fishing
One of the most well-known and widely successful sportswear brands in the world has opened up exploration for public relations services. Nike is in the process of reviewing its North American PR support, which has to this point been handled by The Outcast Agency.
Primary responsibilities for the incoming agency will lay with insight development, narrative construction, and content creation. The brand will target firms that hold multiple offices in the U.S. as well as a presence in Canada as it seeks strong support for this particular arm of the giant.
The agency winning the contract will be pleased, as the contract is said to be valued at a high six-figure sum per year.
