There have been a couple shakeups in the Public Relations and Communications sector recently. The first regards MDC’s acquisition of the global accounts for American Airlines, the second shows Teneo Holdings’ acquisition of Pendomer Communication, and the third finds PadillaCRT selected as agency of record for Smart Beer.
MDC Partners
As part of a recent global expansion into European, Brazilian, and Asian markets, MDC’s Crispin, Porter + Bogusky recently picked up the global account for American Airline. This follows an SEC investigation of third-party trading of expenses prompting MDC founder Miles Nadal to step down as CEO.
Nadal’s replacement, the new Chief Executive Scott Kauffman, said, “The investigation remains ongoing, and we continue to fully cooperate” Mr. Kauffman also told analysts on the call, “My preference would be to tell you everything that’s transpired to date and where things currently stand, but we’re limited by what we can say publicly.” Despite the American Airlines acquisition, MDC Partners posted a bigger loss in the third quarter as a result of higher spending.
PadillaCRT
PadillaCRT is one of the top 15 independent PR firms in the country, and their company just got bigger being recently named the agency of record for the New York organic beer, Smart Beer. The marketing campaign begins this fall for its first beer flavor, Organic Golden Ale.
“Smart Beer was created to fill a niche in the industry with a certified organic beer that could be enjoyed without compromising a health-conscious, active lifestyle,” said Gabriel Heymann, Smart Beer founder and CEO. “We are pleased to partner with PadillaCRT because of the agency’s experience delivering compelling campaigns for beverage and nutrition clients.”
Combining buzzwords and media campaigns on social media, PadillaCRT markets this to health-conscious millennials through a primarily New York-based campaign.
Teneo Holdings
In another act of international expansion, New York’s Teneo Holdings acquired Pendomer Communications, a financial and corporate communications firm based in London. This makes the third U.K. acquisition by Teneo Holdings this year, adding to Blue Rubicon and StockWell, making it one of the fastest growing firms in the U.K. market.
“‘The acquisition of Pendomer solidifies our position as one of the world’s leading global advisory firms. We have known the team at Pendomer for many years and respect the way that they have built a successful, highly profitable business from a standing start,’ said Declan Kelly, Chairman and CEO of Teneo.”
This acquisition signals a growing market for American Public Relations in the U.K. and could expand across Europe.