This blogger wishes Maurice only the best, but wishes the gallant Frenchman would in turn show a little respect for PR. Take the sad case of Publicis Consultants|PR, which has sunk to stepchild to Publicis' crown PR jewel -- Manning, Selvage & Lee.
You remember PC|PR. It is the entity forged [sub req'd] a little more than a year ago to house the remnants of the once legendary Rowland Communications firm.
Eric Giuily, CEO of PC|PR promised then that the new structure will “better deliver on the promise of brand advocacy and PR within a holistic setting.” The jury remains out on that vow. Ann Moravick, the last CEO of Rowland and first boss of PC|PR-USA, exited after a seven-month stint. The 25-year PR veteran joined Ketchum in August as executive VP and director of global healthcare.
Another key PC|PR staffer, Hayley Soffer, hit the bricks last month. Soffer, who was managing director in New York and healthcare chief at PC|PR, is now at Cohn & Wolfe.
Those prowling the web for info about the goings-on at PC|PR here in New York gain precious little insight. A query to the listed phone number at PC|PR’s New York office yields a message saying that the call has been forwarded to a voice mail system, but it's too bad that the person at that number no longer subscribes to the service.
One then gets booted to Publicis Groupe’s Broadway office, where PC|PR is further dissed.
A directory of PG’s business units does not even mention PC|PR. Adding salt to the wound: the listings do have a number for Rowland and even one for Coke/Masterfoods. How’s that for no respect?
One hopes that Maurice, who recently has been angling for the spot of king of the new media world following the hefty price that he paid for Digitas last year, has a New Year’s resolution about straightening things out at PC|PR.