WPP reported third quarter revenue rose 1.6% to £2.5B amid a slowdown in North America and Continental Europe which hit advertising, media, PR and public affairs.
In dollars, revenues were nearly flat at just under $4B.
“Functionally, both consumer insight and public relations and public affairs experienced slower growth than in the first half, again particularly in September,” WPP chief Martin Sorrell said in a statement, which noted a "difficult" quarter in the sector.
PR and public affairs ticked up 2.3% to £227M, but fell by 1.7% over Q3 of 2011 on a like-for-like basis (excluding acquisitions and currency fluctuations). North America was down in Q3 across all of the PR group’s brands, which include Ogilvy PR, Burson-Marsteller and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, offset by growth in the U.K., Latin America and Africa.
Through the first three quarters, PR and public affairs revenues were flat (+0.1%) on a like-for-like basis at £686M.
WPP sees revenue growth slowing for Q4 in North America, Europe and Latin America, particularly in PR, PA, branding/identity, healthcare and other specialty communications.
For North America, revenues on a like-for-like basis were down 0.4% at £885.
WPP cut its like-for-like revenue outlook for the year from 3.5% forecast in August to the range of 2.5% to 3.0% percent.