Interpublic Group’s Global PR Firms
Interpublic Group (IPG) is one of the world’s largest global providers of marketing solutions. As a major holding company, IPG has over 700 employees in all major markets. Their many companies specialize in public relations, digital marketing, communications planning, and media buying, as well as consumer advertising. Their holding company strives to provide all the resources and support to their agencies so they strongly meet their clients’ needs.
A look at several of their agencies and their backgrounds can give a view of the caliber of talent and diversity within this powerful holding company.
Golin recently rebranded from Golin-Harris, is a global communications firm with 50 offices around the world. It began in Chicago in 1956 when its founder, Al Golin, made a cold call on a small businessman with a few hamburger stands. The man was Ray Kroc, and his business – McDonald’s is still one of Golin’s leading clients. This agency has retained its reputation since that day of being an innovator and leader in progressive corporate and consumer communications. From its small beginnings, Golin has grown into one of the world’s largest communication firms.
One of Golin’s most recent initiatives this December was the forming of a new venture in China with Magic Group becoming GolinMagic. This venture combines the 16 years of experience of Magic working for local and multi-national companies in China with Golin’s vast scope and expertise as a global network. The new agency offers a staff of over 150 and operates from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. The venture will have the basic foundation of PR, digital and content for advancement.
Another feather in Golin’s cap this year is the honor given its Executive Director and North American health practice lead Farah Bulsara Speer. She was honored by Chicago United this past November as a 2015 Business Leader of Color. Clearly this is an agency on the cutting edge of change.
DeVries Global, another IPG agency, is an international public relations micro-network. Headquartered in New York City, it has offices in Beijing, Singapore, Taipei, Shanghai, and London. Noted for its excellence in work for beauty and fashion, it also excels in travel and tourism, wine and spirits, and other lifestyle-related areas.
Founded in 1978 by Madeline deVries, the firm has also developed programs for such blue chip companies as Proctor & Gamble, Tupperware, Old Navy, E & J Gallo Winery, and many others. It specializes in social media strategy and execution, brand storytelling, activation, and media relations.
Recently, DeVries Global welcomed its newest client, wet n wild!. Markwins Beauty Products appointed the firm to serve as PR AOR. The firm will update and bring this value-priced brand’s 35-year history to millennials, media, retailers, and lifestyle influencers.
An interesting division of DeVries Global is DeVriesSlam. A small subsidiary moving cultural change forward with such clients as Zippo, Samsung Mobil, and others.
DeVries Global is noted for thinking outside the box. It encourages its employees to seek fresh and creative solutions to all PR challenges. This year their Global NY office spent the annual Summer Service day working with a youth education program called ProjectArt. Founded by Adarsh Alphons, this project raises awareness for arts education and providing free art classes in NYC public school. The DeVries staff started with blank canvases and eager children – in the process, they created amazing results.
Powell Tate, a third IPG agency, is a strategic communications firm based in Washington, DC. Founded 20 years ago by two former White House press secretaries – Democrat Jody Powell, and Republican Sheila Tate – with its roots in public affairs, the company has now grown into a full-service agency.
The firm maintains bipartisan roots with staff from the highest levels of government and politics. They also have staff from corporations, advocacy organizations, and the media. This firm also specializes in giving high-level training to senior officials preparing for Congressional testimony.
As the Washington office of Weber Shandwick, whose information follows below, Powell Tate offers the power and scale of a global network of communications professionals.
Some of its most recent initiatives include, in consort with Weber Shandwick’s Geneva office, the developing and testing of a crisis preparedness and response system for Novartis to help deal with a major and unexpected crises involving that company’s reputation. Powell Tate has also worked with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation since 2008 on a number of media relations initiatives.
In addition to their relationship with Weber Shandwick, Powell Tate shares an office with their in-house research and advertising partners, KRC Research and Sawmill Advertising, empowering them to offer full-service communications solutions.
Finally, Weber Shandwick is also one of the leading public relations agencies in the world. It has won some of the most prestigious awards in the public relations field. It was honored as an AdAge A-List Agency in 2014 and 2015, the Holmes Report’s Global Agency of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and PRWeek’s 2015 Global Agency of the Year.
It was formed in 2001 by the merger of the Weber Group, Shandwick International, and BSMG (formerly Bozell Sawyer Miller Group.) and today has offices around the world. The agency offers expertise in the area of healthcare, consumer marketing, financial services, corporate reputation, corporate social responsibility, and every aspect of the creative field of public relations.
With many prestigious clients and outstanding awards, Weber Shandwick is a leader. The agency was tapped by the Rocky Mountain Institute to be that institute’s communications partner for the beginning of Reinventing Fire, a campaign including a book by the Institute and its cofounder and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins. The campaign’s purpose focused on business and market-driven change to move the economy from a fossil-fuel driven one to an economy based on renewable and efficient energy by 2050.
Also earlier this month, Weber Shandwick was named Brazilian Agency of the Year by The Holmes Reports during the inaugural Latin American SABRA Awards held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And Weber Shandwick was named a Best Place to Work in 2015 by Advertising Age. This agency’s influence and expertise are felt worldwide.
As seen in this small sampling of agencies within the holding company of IPG, it collects the most promising and established agencies to deliver its goal – excellence for clients. It does this by establishing agencies within its company that have differing areas of experience and expertise in order to work together to serve a vast array of client needs.
With offices in over 100 countries, a full listing of IPG’s agencies, which are numerous, can be found at Interpublic.com.
