 Michael Roth |
Interpublic today reported first-quarter revenues grew 5.1 percent to $2.2, while operating income advanced 11.8 percent to $38.8M.
Organic growth rose 3.6 percent, driven by a robust 4.3 percent gain in the US.
The ad/PR conglomerate posted a $14.1M net loss during the period vs. a year ago $24.7M profit due to charges such as a $24M loss of the sales of businesses.
A range of agencies and marketing disciplines contributed to IPG's performance, according to CEO Michael Roth, "including media, our three global creative networks, as well as digital, sports and experiential marketing."
He said the "current tone of business" has IPG on track to meet its goal of hitting the high-end two to three percent organic growth.
The Constituency Management Group, which includes PR units such as Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries Global, Current and pmk*bnc, charted 3.0 percent growth to $292.7M. Organic growth was up 0.6 percent.
Andy Polansky, CEO of Weber Shandwick, told O'Dwyer's the PR component of CMG was up "in the low single digits, on an as-reported basis, while slightly down organically."
He said the pace of business has improved, especially at Weber and Golin, with upswings in new business activity and growth from existing clients.
Technology, healthcare, content marketing and data analytics sparked Weber during the quarter along with strong results in Europe (UK, Netherlands) and Asia (South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and India).
Kekst CNC represents Public Storage as it acquires National Storage Affiliates, which uses Joele Frank for media work, to create the world’s largest self-storage owner & operator.
Prosek Partners handles New York’s Tilray Brands, craft beer & cannabis operation, as it acquires BrewDog, a leading British independent beer producer in the UK, for $45M.
Brunswick Group handles Zurich Insurance as it agrees to buy UK-based Beazley specialty insurer in a deal valued at $11B.
FGS Global represents Brink’s as it agrees to acquire NCR Atleos, which relies on Collected Strategies, in a $6.6B cash & stock deal to create a leading fintech infrastructure company. (Updated)
A January article in O’Dwyer’s proposes that in 2026, the strongest financial brands will not simply tell compelling stories—they will “signal readiness.”
