Illinois has moved its potentially lucrative PR account from longtime incumbent Edelman to Fleishman-Hillard, following a competitive review.
The Prairie State, which kicked off an RFP review in December, saying the contract is worth $14M over three years. But fiscal woes have plagued the state and the Office of Tourism trimmed its PR budget bare before ushering through an emergency, $224K pact for Edelman in August after officials cited “devastating results” when PR was cut back.
Edelman's main PR pact with the state ended in June. It has handled the account for 16 years.
The account with Omnicom-owned Fleishman covers U.S. and global outreach.
F-H’s Chicago outpost will handle the business.
Interpublic's JWT handles the state's tourism advertising.