Contact O'Dwyer's: 271 Madison Ave., #600, New York, NY 10016; Tel: 212/679-2471; Fax: 212/683-2750

Return to this week's Newsletter & back issues

O'Dwyer's Newsletter - April 11, 2011 - Vol. 44 - No. 14 (download PDF version)

Page 1

Pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

RF ACQUIRES ROGERS GROUP

Ruder Finn has acquired Los Angeles-based The Rogers Group, which had $5.3M in 2010 fees, to beef-up the West Coast presence of the New York-based independent shop. RF is the nation's No. 4 PR firm with $97M in 2010 fees, according to O’Dwyer’s ranking of PR firms.

Peter Finn, CEO of Ruder Finn, said the deal will enable RF to expand its government, crisis and PA capabilities. He told O'Dwyer’s that the acquisition puts RF near its goal of generating $10M in fees from the West Coast.

Rogers

Ron Rogers assumes the presidency of the revamped Rogers Ruder Finn. The 68-year-old PR veteran calls the RF/RG combo “an unbeatable force on the West Coast.” He also will serve as strategic counsel to RF nationwide. San Francisco-based Howard Solomon continues in his capacity as managing director, RF/West.

Rogers Ruder Finn clients include Bosch Home Appliances, Los Angeles Auto Show, Dole Packaged Foods, Harbor Freight Tools and L.A. County Dept of Public Health's tobacco and anti-obesity programs.

Ruder Finn West counts Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels, Treasury Wine Estates, Marvell, Logitech, and StubHub as clients.

OGILVY INKS $780K HONG KONG PACT

Hong Kong>

Ogilvy PR Worldwide has inked a two-year $780K pact with Hong Kong to inspire and enhance confidence in that Chinese city as an international business and investment center. The WPP unit is to arrange media interviews with key members of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and organize “casual VIP dinner/reception meetings” for influencers in the arts, medical sciences and public affairs, according to its federal filing. Special events tied to the Chinese New Year, film festivals and the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the

U.K. to China are to be promoted under the contract with a $32,500 monthly retainer.

Ogilvy reports to Donald Tong, Hong Kong's commissioner for economic and trade affairs. Its CEO Christopher Graves served as Asia-Pacific chief before assuming the helm in 2009.

O’DWYER’S NL GOES DIGITAL

After 42 years in print, the O’Dwyer’s weekly newsletter is going completely electronic as of this issue. Electronic is the quickest and best way to transmit news and information.

Subscribers will get their eight pages of news and opinion on Monday as of 2 p.m. rather than Thursday, Friday or later via the U.S. mail.

Besides speed of delivery, e-mail distribution allows important links to other websites and databases to be embedded in the stories and editorials.

Color will be used for PR personnel appointments and pictures and graphics of many types. Announcements of new clients of PR firms can include color logos of the clients and their products.

An expansion of the "New Accounts" section of the e-NL is possible since the NL can be expanded beyond eight pages if necessary.

News of new products of service firms will also be sought. These can be illustrated with links to further information.

Special Intro Offer: 5 Products for $295

The NL files are being "optimized" for almost instant downloading. Subscribers agree to print out only one copy of the PDF and not to forward it. Further distribution of the PDF file can be tracked electronically.

As a special introductory offer, new subscribers can obtain the five O'Dwyer products for $295. Included are one-year subscriptions to the e-NL; one-year access to www.odwyerpr.com, which has ten years of archived stories, databases, opinions and tutorials; copy of the upcoming 2011 O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms (1,700 firms), and a one year subscription to O’Dwyer’s monthly magazine, which includes the O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide to 1,000 PR products and services in 60 categories.

Site licenses are available so that an entire firm or corporate PR department has access to e-NL and the O’Dwyer website. A site license for a firm with ten employees would cost $1,000 yearly. $100 would be added for each additional employee. A firm or PR dept. with 25 employees would pay $2,500 yearly.

Site licenses are being handled by publisher Jack O'Dwyer ([email protected]) and associate publisher John O'Dwyer at [email protected].

Page 1

Pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8