 Martin Sorrell |
WPP chief Martin Sorrell today announced the merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe to forge Burson Cohn & Wolfe and create "the scale to compete with the largest communications agencies in the world."
C&W CEO Donna Imperato will helm the unified firm backed by B-M chief Don Baer who becomes chairman with a focus on counseling key clients.
BC&W will have more than 4,000 staffers in 42 nations. The mash-up combines C&W's consumer, healthcare and technology strengths with B-M's PA, corporate and crisis savvy.
Sorrell praised Imperato for "years of strong leadership and delivering excellent results at C&W" and thanked Baer for his contributions as CEO over the last six years.
4media group completes its acquisition of Family Features Editorial Syndicate... Illumination PR, which represents lifestyle brands, influencers and celebrities, launches DR Media Group... EAG Advertising and Marketing acquires pay-for-performance firm INK inc. Public Relations. 
LLYC launches Signs of Pride, a campaign that revives the original protest banners of the first Pride marches... The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry forms the Public Relations and Digital Marketing Working Group... Circle of One Marketing, a Miami-based, minority-owned marketing agency, is named official agency of record for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami. 
Vogel Group, a DC-headquartered government affairs and consulting firm, forms a strategic partnership with Montreal-based public affairs firm Boléro Stratégies... Matter Communications launches project-based offerings for B2C companies looking to increase brand awareness and visibility... Tucker/Hall, a Tampa-based PR and public affairs firm, opens a new office in Orlando. 
Why investing in public relations is ultimately about building bridges in a connected world.
Edelman is laying off 330 people (5.3 percent of its workforce) to cope with an anticipated eight percent shortfall in 2024 US revenues, and client demand for one-stop shopping for speciality services.
