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FIRM SOUGHT TO BURNISH EGYPT INVESTMENT
An international development company working with the U.S government is searching for an agency to burnish investor perceptions of Egyptian business opportunities through international media.
Chemonics International, a private company working with the U.S. Agency for International Development, has released an RFP to handle the PR task in support of the Egypt Competitiveness Program, the U.S. effort backing Egypt’s new government.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with President Mohammed Morsi in New York Sept. 24. Photo: State Dept. |
The PR contract, which is with Chemonics and not the U.S. government, will be in the $350-450K range through June 2013.
Chemonics said it wants to hire a U.S. firm, which can partnerwith Egyptian firms to pitch, that understands key issues and PR challenges facing Egypt. Key to the effort will be addressing investor perceptions and concerns about the country, which elected Mohammed Morsi in June as president following the fall of 30-year leader Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring in2011.
Egypt’s GDP fell from 7.2% in 2008 to a 1.5%forecast this year. Morsi’s overtures to China and Iran for investment have raised eyebrows in the U.S. government.
Proposals are due Nov. 23. Copies of the RFP can be obtained by email request to [email protected].
EDELMAN’S WALTON TO MWW
Bradford Walton, a VP in Edelman’s consumer, lifestyle marketing and CSR group, has moved toMWW’s Los Angeles office.
At the No. 1 firm, Walton worked on clients such as Nestle, Starbucks, Feeding America, Volkswagen, eBayand Product(RED).
Earlier, he was marketing director at the “L.A. Office,” responsible for Roadshow Hollywood andRoadshow Europe events, and senior manager of market-ing/brand development and advertising at Charles Schwab & Co.
At the No. 6 independent firm, Walton takes the senior VP-consumer lifestyle marketing post, reporting to J.P. Schuerman, executive VP and GM of MWW California.
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PR PERKS UP IPG
Despite a strong PR performance, Interpublic reported on Oct. 26 a 3.2 percent slide in Q3 revenues to $1.7B and a 24.1 percent drop in operating income to $131.4M.
CEO Michael Roth said the “year has proven to be more challenging on the revenue front than anticipated.” A key hurdle was “incremental client caution being felt across our industry,” according to Roth. U.S. revenues fell 5.5 percent to $940.5M, while international was flat at $729.9M.
Roth added, “we continue to manage the business effectively and will deliver increased full-year profitability relative to 2011.”
Interpublic’s PR units turned in a “terrific” performance and see more opportunities ahead (e.g., content-creation, social media), Harris Diamond, chief of the constituency management group, told O’Dwyer’s.
He said PR combined for a 5.9 percent “organic” growth rate during the 3Q period, which compares to an overall 0.9 percent decline at the corporate level. Diamond said some of that growth was related to the London Olympics.
Weber Shandwick, GolinHarris, DeVries PR, Rogers & Cowan and PMK*BNC spearhead IPG’s PR unit.
For the nine-month period, IPG showed a one percent decline in revenues to $4.9B and an 11.1 percent dip in operating income to $268.4.
COKE SOCIAL VET JOINS OGILVY
Peter Fasano, a former social media manager at Coca-Cola, has joined Social@Ogilvy as senior VP and head of its social media/solutions activities in Atlanta. He reports to Mickey Nall, managing director of Ogilvy PR’s outpost in that city.
At Coke, Fasano established the soda company’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube presence and handled mega-events like the 2008 Vancouver Olympics, 2010 Super Bowl and 2010 South Africa World Cup match.
Most recently, he was client partner at Dachis Investments and social media strategist for Fidelity Investments, Allstate, DeVry University and Target.
Ogilvy is part of WPP.
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