PUBLICIS ACQUIRES SCHWARTZ
Publicis has acquired tech and healthcare PR firm Schwartz Communications, the 21-year-old, No. 10 independent in the country with more than $25M in revenue and 180 staffers last year.
The French ad/PR conglomerate said Waltham, Mass.-based Schwartz, including its San Francisco, Stockholm and London operations, will be folded into MSLGroup under the name Schwartz MSL. Publicis said MSL becomes the largest agency in Boston with 100 staffers after the deal. It also claims to be No. 2 in San Francisco tech PR.
MSLGroup chief Olivier Fleurot said the deal strengthens Publicis’ PR network in a number of fields, singling out technology and especially healthcare, which, Publicis noted, is expected to grow by more than 50% through 2020.
Clients for Schwartz include GEO Healthcare-Americas, SimplyHired.com, Epocrates, and Accuray.
Publicis said in July that organic growth at its PR operation was up five percent in the second quarter with its U.S. operations bolstered by social media and health-care assignments. The company has made several PR acquisitions this year focused on Asian markets.
MWW FUELS SUBARU PR
MWW Group has picked up agency of record duties for New Jersey-based carmaker Subaru of America.
Michael McHale, director of corporate communications at SOA, said the company liked MWW’s consumer and automotive experience, as well as the firm’s social media savvy.
The independent firm has worked with BMW motorcycles and Volkswagen of America.
SOA announced last week that it hired former Volkswagen corporate communications manager, Sheriece Matias as manager of corporate comms.
Brushfire, another New Jersey-based firm, handled the account for the past four years.
MWW’s New York office, under the management of executive VP David Herrick, leads the account with assistance from the firm’s Los Angeles outpost. MWW’s lifestyle marketing unit will promote the car brand among lifestyle media and cultivate Subaru’s community of owners and enthusiasts in digital media.
MWW CEO Michael Kempner said his firm’s efforts to tell the company’s story “will harness Subaru’s spirit of adventure, cultural currency and passionate community.” |
