Microsoft’s PR Reshuffle

Well-known technology giant Microsoft has moved its six-figure consumer public relations account from London-based 3 Monkeys Zeno to sister shop Assembly, wrapping up a decade-long relationship with the agency.

Assembly is a bespoke agency created by Edelman, combining public relations, digital, social, measurement and creative on behalf of Microsoft. Both Edelman and 3 Monkeys Zeno fall under the umbrella of Daniel J. Edelman Holdings.

Microsoft’s move to Assembly consolidates consumer PR into a broader mix of PR disciplines that the agency already handles in the United Kingdom.

“We feel it is now the right time to consolidate our consumer and commercial communications work in the UK into one agency partner,” said James Tutt, head of communications at Microsoft UK.

“We’d like to thank 3 Monkeys Zeno for their outstanding work and partnership over the past 10 years, and we look forward to working with Assembly on our consumer business moving forwards.”

Assembly UK group client director Gavin Spicer added: “Assembly was created in 2014 as a dedicated Microsoft agency within Daniel J. Edelman holdings. As long term partners we are excited to now be working with Microsoft on all of its consumer PR and comms in the UK.” 

3 Monkeys Zeno UK managing director Christine Jewell says the Microsoft account win ten years ago was “one of the defining moments in the 3 Monkeys story.”

“We have put our all into the work,” she adds, “and feel privileged to have been the consumer PR partner through a decade of tremendous change, both for the organization and the tech sector itself.”

“Ten years is a good innings by any agency standard and we are very proud of the work we have done together over that time, and especially of the many award wins. It makes sense to consolidate the consumer work into Assembly, our sister agency.”

Back in 2009, 3 Monkeys Zeno won the Microsoft consumer PR account from Red Consultancy. A year later it added the UK trade PR account, also from Red Consultancy. In 2012, Microsoft added social media to 3 Monkeys’ remit, before handing its British B2B account to Edelman, adding to its remit of corporate communications and Xbox PR duties.

3 Monkeys Zeno and Microsoft won several awards during their partnership, including the 2016 PRWeek Best B2B campaign, while also gaining widespread acclaim for a ‘mythbusting’ influencer campaign.

Microsoft’s consumer PR account is believed to be worth six figures in fees. Still, with Lenovo in its books, the Microsoft account was not the largest.