Publicis Groupe has acquired Poland’s top independent PR firm, Ciszewski, a 17-year-old agency founded by the country’s former sports minister.
The new Ciszewski MSL, which operates as three units covering PR, sports marketing and financial communications, becomes MSLGroup’s top unit in Poland, working alongside an existing Warsaw office of the agency. Clients include Microsoft, insurer PZU, and Carlsberg.
Founder and president Jerzy Cizewski is a former journalist and Secretary of State for the Ministry of Sport of Poland and worked the PR push that landed the European soccer championships for Poland and Ukraine in 2012.
Publicis, which did not reveal the cost of the deal, cited International Communications Consultancy Organization figures which forecast 10% PR growth in Poland this year after hitting €113M in 2010.
MSLGroup chief Olivier Fleurot said to move is part of the agency’s push into fast-growing markets in Central and Eastern Europe.
Publicis bought Schwartz Communications for MSL in September and China’s Genedigi in June.