Related: PR Firms Directory · PR Leaders Directory.
WPP Public Relations History
WPP is the world's largest communications services group with thousands of offices across more than 100 countries. The holding company was founded in 1985 and listed on the NASDAQ Exchange in New York by 1988. By 1992, WPP was named the world's top agency group by Advertising Age.
This is the 2016 history of WPP's principal PR firms — preserved here as historical reference. Significant consolidation has since reshaped the landscape; see the 2026 editor's note below for the current state.
2026 editor's note — what changed
The WPP PR portfolio underwent the largest agency consolidation in modern communications history between 2018 and 2024:
- Burson-Marsteller + Cohn & Wolfe → Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) — Merged in 2018. Donna Imperato became Global CEO.
- BCW + Hill+Knowlton Strategies → Burson — Merged in 2024 under the single "Burson" brand. Corey duBrowa serves as CEO.
- Ogilvy PR — Folded into the integrated Ogilvy agency under WPP's "Ogilvy" master brand.
- GCI Group — Absorbed into Cohn & Wolfe in the WPP restructuring sequence.
- B|W|R Public Relations — Exited WPP; subsequently acquired and now operates within Stagwell.
The net result: WPP's PR holdings consolidated from six-plus distinct brands into a single integrated entity (Burson) plus the integrated Ogilvy brand. The consolidation parallels the broader holding-company consolidation across the industry, including the 2025 Omnicom-IPG combination that affected Weber Shandwick, FleishmanHillard, and Porter Novelli (the latter integrated into FH in February 2026).
The 2016 view (preserved for historical context)
GCI Group
Headquartered in Canada, GCI Group was a subsidiary of Grey Global Group, the sixth largest communications group in the world. GCI had 50 offices in 27 countries and concentrated on public affairs, technology, consumer marketing, corporate, healthcare, and media relations. Some of the highlights of GCI Group's history include being put in charge of media services at the 2004 Republican National Convention. In 2006, GCI Group was selected to help Dell with its PR campaign recovering from a poor customer service image.
Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller was founded in 1946 by Harold Burson. In 1953, Bill Marsteller co-created a new public relations firm with Harold Burson. Their first European office opened in 1961 in Geneva and soon spread to other countries in Europe. By the 1980s, they had offices in Holland, France, Spain, and Italy.
Burson-Marsteller won the Latin American Agency of the Year at the 2015 Latin America SABRE Awards in São Paulo, plus seven Gold SABRE Awards at that ceremony. Harold Burson is profiled in The Architects, Everything-PR's permanent encyclopedia of practitioners who built the public relations profession.
Hill+Knowlton
A third company within WPP's holdings is Hill+Knowlton. Started in 1927 amidst hard economic times in the United States, founder John W. Hill left his secure job at a Cleveland newspaper following his dream of starting a PR firm. He soon partnered with Donald Knowlton, a Depression-era bank's public relations director. Despite the difficult economy, the company grew quickly. The firm began expanding its business to other countries and soon became this country's first multinational public relations company.
In 1980, the firm was bought by JWT Group Inc. (J. Walter Thompson). In 1987, WPP Group acquired JWT along with Hill+Knowlton. John W. Hill is profiled in The Architects.
Cohn & Wolfe
Cohn & Wolfe is a global communications and PR agency founded in Atlanta in 1970. They are headquartered in New York City and at the time of this 2016 piece employed approximately 1,200 people globally. The CEO is Donna Imperato; under her leadership, the firm received many awards and grew in size, talent, and client base. Some of the clients represented by them include Jif, U.S. Olympic Committee, Universal, Colgate, and Panasonic. PRWeek Agency of the Year in 2013. Imperato was included on PRWeek's "Power List" (2008 and 2012) and in 2009 was inducted into the PRNews Hall of Fame.
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Ogilvy PR is a global communications leader, operating from more than 80 locations under the WPP holding and the Ogilvy umbrella. The original Ogilvy was founded by David Ogilvy in 1948. Ogilvy PR has been around for the last 30+ years. Specializations include healthcare, public affairs, consumer, brand marketing, content, social, and technology. The Holmes Report and PRNews named Ogilvy PR Large Agency of the Year.
B|W|R Public Relations
B|W|R PR is bi-coastal with offices in New York and Beverly Hills. They work in retail and consumer brands, lifestyle, entertainment, tech, social media, corporate communications, and special events. They specialize in hospitality, product launches, fashion and beauty, filmed entertainment, and represent approximately 200 music and talent personalities. Some of their clients include Dell, IFC, Melissa McCarthy, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Jessica Chastain, Garrett Hedlund, and Fast Company.
It was cofounded by Nanci Ryder, who was diagnosed with ALS around the time of the famous Ice Bucket Challenge.
Related EPR Coverage
- The Architects — Permanent encyclopedia profiling Harold Burson, John W. Hill, and other practitioners who built the field
- The AI Communications 100 — Annual ranking of figures shaping the next era
- PR Firms Directory
- PR Leaders Directory
