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Is Weber Shandwick the canary in PR's coal mine? Arguably one of the best-managed global PR firms, the Interpublic unit has fired some people. A spokesperson said there was a "small staff reduction" made to adapt to "rapidly shifting dynamics."
If Weber is pruning, others will soon jump on the bandwagon.
Publicis Groupe, on Feb. 5, reported less than thrilling financial results for 2019. Organic growth fell 2.3 percent for the year and 4.5 percent during Q4.
CEO Arthur Sadoun sees tough going in 2020, projecting organic revenues to range from negative two percent to positive one percent range.
Fasten your seat belt.
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Are there second chances in PR? Peggy Siegal, who took a fall for helping to rehab the image of convicted sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein, will soon find out.
Once the most prominent hostess in New York, Siegal has been holding pro bono events for friends and handled an October screening of Netflix's "The Two Popes" at the Hamptons International Film Festival for 40 people to prove that she could still do it, according to her Vanity Fair profile in the April issue. A movie studio would pay up to $25K for those events.
The 72-year-old Siegal told VF: "My life is my work." When some colleagues advised her to "just go away," Siegal responded, "I'd like to know where to go."
The changing nature of the film industry may be the biggest obstacle to her comeback. Her specialty, screenings, are losing their punch with the decline of big theatrical releases.
Siegal also admits that her power base of "old Jewish white men" is on the decline as Hollywood faces pressure to bolster diversity. A former staffer at Peggy Siegal Co. called her ex-boss "one of the direct causes of #OscarsSoWhite."
That said, nobody should bet against Siegal's comeback.
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He's no Harry Truman. Donald Trump took a victory lap on Feb. 6, following the decision of the cultists in the Republican Party to acquit their leader of impeachment charges.
Trump called his wild and vulgar talk "delivered" before family members, White House staffers and assorted sycophants a "celebration."
And how did the president celebrate?
He tried to impersonate Harry Truman who famously held up the front page of the Chicago Daily Tribune with the "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline.
Trump hoisted up a copy of the front page of the Washington Post with the "Trump Acquitted" headline as if the outcome of the vote was a shocking development.
Wait a minute? How did the president get a copy of the Post? Didn't he cancel White House subs to the paper that is a charter member of his "enemy of the people" club?
Trump regularly belittles WaPo as the "Amazon Washington Post," a nod to owner Jeff Bezos, and "FakeNews Washington Post." Compounding his hypocrisy, Trump ordered that the front page of the Post be framed.
We know that the president has no shame, but really?
The country certainly needs a guy like "Give 'em Hell, Harry" to set Trump straight.
The Emirates NBA Cup is a stain on the reputation of the National Basketball Assn. Commissioner Adam Silver should cut ties wih human rights-abusing United Arab Emirates... Trump hit an all-time low with his Truth Social post about Rob Reiner's murder... Pay attention, sceptics. Climate change cuts US income by 12 percent, says new report.
Publicis Groupe celebrates its second century of operation with "A Lion Never Gives Up" film marking its history with a mix of live action footage and AI from material in its archives... Precision and Tunni develop "The Manosphere Index" guide for marketers to reach the fellas... Trump's affordability advice comes up short.
If you count the nonsense that Trump posts on Truth Social throughout the evening and early morning hours, he may be the hardest working president-ever... Happier days are here for adland as WPP Media upgrades 2025 ad spending forecasts... Martin Sorrell says Omnicom/Interpublic merger fulfills OMC CEO John Wren's desire to retire as the top dog in advertising.
New York Mets have been PR gold for majority owner Steve Cohen, who has snared one of NYC's gambling casino licenses... "Dozy Don" should escape the gilded confines off the Oval Office, which has become an old-age home for the 79-year-old president... Shocking revelation: Extreme weather poses threat to the perceived value of a home, says real estate maven.
Omnicom CEO John Wren isn’t exactly spreading cheer this holiday season as he works to cull another 4,000 people from the payroll in the wake of the Interpublic takeover... Donald Trump would have denied scamming his one-time personal lawyer and PR front man Roy Cohn, who taught him well....Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth enlists "Franklin the Turtle" in his tough-guy campaign to vaporize alleged drug boats.
