PR Firm Rankings - Odwyerpr.com

EDITORIAL
New sharks smell blood in PR waters
Hungry corporate raiders are circling the PR waters, eager to gobble up
firms in an effort to cash in on the impending good times set for the
now rebounding communications sector. Observers shouldn’t look for
the usual suspects of WPP, Omnicom, Interpublic and Publicis Groupe
(Maurice “The Magnificent” Levy, of course, can never be counted out) in
the PR takeover game. New players such as MDC Partners chief Miles Nadal
and old-hands like Peter Chadlington, who as Peter Gummer built Shandwick
into a global entity, are the guys who will make the big acquisition waves.
Nadal, fresh from his acquisition of Elliot Sloane’s Sloane & Co., told
O’Dwyer’s that PR is a prime growth opportunity for the holding company
best known for creative ad shops (Crispin Porter & Bogusky). He ticks off
the rise in social media, greater consumer skepticism toward corporations,
increased brand engagement, more governmental relations and all-intrusive
24/7 media coverage as reasons to get more involved in PR. Nadal praises PR
as the most innovative part of the communications spectrum. He told this
writer that any independent firm on O’Dwyer’s rankings list is a possible candidate.
Nadal has had talks with some big household names (at least in the
PR neighborhood) who would be nice catches for the Toronto-based holding
company.
Chadlington is itching for his “second act.” He remains restless following
a $33.6M acquisition of D.C.-based Dutko Worldwide in December. That
was the mere opening foray of the latest British invasion of the U.S.
Chadlington is considering big and small acquisitions in key U.S. markets to
fold under the recently fortified Grayling brand, which has fees in the $150M
range. This time around, Chadlington plans to be more conservative when it
comes to financing deals and plans to concentrate on the “soft issues” of
training and culture that make deals work.
An acquisition drive is good news for PR, which was pretty much dead in
the water during the past 18 months. Fresh blood, money and ideas can only
bolster the professionalism and reputation of the PR business.
— Kevin McCauley
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6 MAY 2010 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM