World PR Report: Global PR Industry Remains Bullish On Growth

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Research: Optimism & Attitudes

  • Global PR industry remains bullish on growth

  • Europe rebounds

  • Marketers continue to increase PR spend

Rankings: Top 10 | Top 250 | Fast Movers | Holding Groups/Networks
Analysis: Growth | Gender | CEO View

Public relations agency leaders from around the world remain generally bullish on the outlook for their business, with continuing optimism about the growth of the PR market in general and—to a slightly lesser extent—about their own agencies’ profitability.

The most significant shift saw less of a gap between the Americas and Asia (more optimistic in recent years) and Europe (where agency leaders have been inclined to pessimism).

Global optimism levels declined just a little from last year’s survey, with agency principals averaging a 7.62 (on a scale of one to 10) when asked whether they were optimistic about the future of public relations in their market (compared to 7.69 last year and 7.50 in 2013) and a 7.52 (down from 7.60) when asked whether they expected profits to increase this year.

12-OPTIMISMThe research—conducted by The Holmes Report and the International Communications Consultancies Organisation(ICCO) among nearly 500 PR agency principals as part of the World PR Report—found the gap between the Americas and Europe narrowing. Last year, North American agencies were considerably more optimistic than those in Western Europe (8.46 compared to 7.28) but this year optimism levels were more similar (7.89 for North America, 7.44 for Western Europe.

Once again, Latin America was the most optimistic region (7.90) and Eastern Europe the most pessimistic (7.16)—although again, the gap between the two narrowed significantly.

“For the past couple of years, Europe has lagged behind the rest of the world in part because of slower growth in the economy overall and in part because firms have not seen quite the same benefit from the social media revolution,” said Paul Holmes, founder and CEO of The Holmes Group. “But over the past 12 months, there has been an increase in optimism in Europe, in both the marketing and corporate communications realms.”

“Europe has undoubtedly been the most challenging region over the last few years. But from both this data, and what I see when visiting our European ICCO members, better times are definitely here, and growth and optimism are returning to European markets,” said David Gallagher, ICCO president and Ketchum EMEA CEO.

Globally, agencies are still broadly optimistic that marketers are increasing their spending on PR relative to other disciplines (6.05, down slightly from 6.19 the previous year). The biggest change was in Asia, which last year was most optimistic on this score (6.56) but this year was among the more pessimistic regions (5.76). North American agencies (6.33) remained the most optimistic about PR’s role in marketing.

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Agencies are also optimistic about the willingness of clients to turn to PR for non-traditional services (a category that includes advertising, digital and social media support, and word-of-mouth marketing). Firms in the Americas and Asia (7.29) were most likely to report demand for such services, but Western European firms were significantly more optimistic on this score (6.95 compared to 6.65) than they were 12 months ago.

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Similarly, Western European firms were increasingly more optimistic about their ability to meet clients’ digital needs (6.47).

On the corporate front, there is still a gap between the Anglo-Saxon markets and Asia—all of which report that CEOs in their regions take corporate reputation seriously—and other regions. North American agency principals are most likely (7.69) to say CEOs take reputation seriously, while agency heads in Eastern Europe are less convinced (6.88).

“One of the great opportunities for PR practitioners is to convince clients of the direct impact corporate reputation has on corporate success”, said Francis Ingham, ICCO chief executive and PRCA director general.

Agency leaders in Asia, meanwhile, were most likely to agree that companies in their region take corporate social responsibility seriously (7.41) compared to those in Eastern Europe (6.32), who see companies as least interested in CSR.

 

Read more via Holmes Report 

BULGARIAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AGENCIES ANNOUNCES ITS NEW CHAIRWOMAN OF THE BOARD

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BAPRA (Bulagarian Association of Public Relations Agencies) are delighted to announce that Mrs. Denitsa Sacheva, Founder of PR agency Intelday Solutions, has assumed the role of the Chairwoman of BAPRA Board. Mrs. Sacheva was appointed to the position, which carries a two-year term, on May 12, 2015, during the annual General meeting in Sofia. She previously served a two-year term as Vice Chairwoman on the BAPRA Board.

TWO UK CONSULTANTS ARGUE THE CASE FOR A FRESH LOOK AT BUSINESS LEADERSHIP IN THE DECADER AHEAD

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BOOK TITLE: Reframing the Leadership Landscape: Creating a Culture of Collaboration.

In an uncertain and complex world leaders should not only respond to the speed of change but anticipate it. Sometimes it is unexpected, sometimes the signs are there but the dots are not joined.  Leaders need to adapt to a changing ecosystem in which the biggest challenges cross boundaries of the public, private and non-public sectors requiring closer collaboration.

Aggressive individualism is no longer a sustainable basis for companies needing to deliver social and economic value beyond narrow self-interest and short termism to balance shareholder stakeholder conflict.

Despite advances in business education in terms of supply and availability, organisational leaders cannot rest on their educational achievements they must become lifelong students.

Dr Roger Hayes (visiting fellow Greenwich University and fellow at Henley Business school) and Dr Reginald Watts onetime CEO of Burson Marsteller and who is a past chair of the PRCA and a Past President of CIPR:  LONDON, argue there are significant strands that need attention by ambitious managers  who seek the business heights. The tools are described in their book Reframing the Leadership Landscape: Creating a Culture of Collaboration in some detail and as they say “the tools are ready to be unpacked”. The only question is whether aspirant leaders are sensitive enough to read the signals and develop new skills to create the collaborative paradigm that will help them fill the leadership void.

Dr Roger Barker, Director of Corporate Governance at the UK Institute of Directors says in his Forward “the book provides business leaders with guidance and inspiration on how to nurture a culture which can help build trust in business”.  John Board, Dean of Henley Business School says “this well written book leads the way in promoting the changes required to maintain business growth and profitability”.

The book in its global emphasis outlines a new face for capitalism and launched 1st June 2015.

 

ICCO members get a 35% discount on this book by using the discount code: G15JLD35 when buying the book directly from the publisher here.

World Report: Global PR Industry Up 7% In 2014

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Definitive picture of global PR industry emerges today, as the Holmes Report and ICCO launch the 2015 World PR Report.

The global PR industry grew by 7% in 2014, with currency volatility helping to soften another positive year for PR firms around the world, according to the 2015 World PR Report.

The 2015 World PR Report, produced by the Holmes Report and ICCO, again provides the clearest picture available of the global PR industry, based on submissions from more than 400 PR firms across the world.

The research reveals that, for the first time, the Top 250 PR firms in the world cracked the $10m barrier in terms of fee income last year, reporting $10.4bn compared to $9.7bn in 2013.

Accounting for the numerous firms that reported outside of the Global 250, along with the vast number of smaller firms that do not provide revenue figures, the Holmes Report now estimates the size of the global PR agency industry at $13.5bn, up from $12.5bn in 2013.

Full analysis and rankings can be found at our World PR Report section.
Rankings: Top 10 | Top 250 | Holding Groups/Networks
Analysis: Growth | Gender

Global Top 250 Growth

A growth rate of 7% may indicate a slower year for the industry after it improved by 11% in 2013, but much of this decrease can be explained by currency volatility, as the Global 250 is calculated in US$.

So, while US firms are unaffected (and retain a good growth rate), firms reporting in GBP and Euros firms drag the overall growth rate down. Accordingly, this year we have added a ‘constant currency’ metric to accurately reflect growth for firms reporting in GBP and Euros.

This reveals that firms reporting in GBP grew by 5.5% in constant currency terms in 2014. Firms reporting in Euros grew by around 6.5%.  Growth for all PR firms reporting in USD growth was 7.4% while US PR firms (which account for around 50% of the global market) were up by 7.8%.

“This was a year in which exchange rates played havoc with some of the numbers,” said Holmes Report publisher/CEO Paul Holmes. “Because our list uses dollars, anyone reporting in euros or pounds took a significant hit, even if their underlying performance in constant currency terms was good.”

“Industry growth in the high single-digits is encouraging; it certainly suggests that public relations continues to grow faster than the overall economy, which is a healthy sign,” added Holmes. “Having said that, there is still a sense that PR could—and perhaps should—be doing better. The things PR does well—engagement and relationship-building—are more critical to successful marketing than ever, and PR is doing more: more social media, more content creation, more data and analytics. It ought to be growing more as a result.”

Public vs Independent

Maintaining a trend that has firmly taken hold since the onset of the recession in 2008, independently-held PR firms again comfortably outperformed their publicly-held peers. Publicly held firms grew 3.5% (in reported USD terms) to $5.7bn, while independent PR firms grew 8.7% to $4.7bn.

The PR operations of major holding groups were effectively flat, and now account for around 42% of the overall market, down from 45% last year.

“The growth of independent firms is impressive and beggars the question of whether we’ll see their value overtake publicly held firms,” said ICCO chief executive Francis Ingham. “It is intriguing to see that publicly-held firms account for around 42% of the overall market, down from 45% last year – this is perhaps a reflection of the fact that they may have been slightly hamstrung by profit targets to invest as freely in those all-important ‘non-traditional services’ as the independents.”

Holmes, meanwhile, described holding company agency growth as “anaemic”. “While exchange rates played a role here too—those firms with strong European operations fared poorly compared to those who have the bulk of their business in the US—it is clear that even after acquisitions are taken into consideration, the publicly held companies are losing market share to independents, particularly the dynamic midsize agencies.”

Holding Groups / Networks

Omnicom’s PR operations overtook WPP in 2014 for the first time, reporting $1.4bn in PR revenue — slightly ahead of the UK group’s $1.39bn. That performance owed much to currency volatility, with WPP’s operations impacted by the conversion of its international business into sterling. The holding group table also features DJE Holdings for the first time, reflecting the rise of the world’s largest PR firm Edelman, and sister agency Zeno.

Revenue per capita

This year’s World PR Report also finds another increase in revenue per capita for those firms reporting both fee income and headcount to an average of around $158,000, compared to $155,000 last year, and the highest it has ever been. Based on its research, the Holmes Report estimates that the global PR agency industry employs more than 85,000 people, up from 80,000 last year.

The World PR Report will continue over the coming weeks with analysis of the world’s fastest growing PR firms, along with its definitive research study into opportunities, challenges, trends and attitudes at PR firms around the world.

Hill + Knowlton Strategies wins Young PR Lions UK 2015 competition!

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The Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) has announced that Helen Wood and Rachel Matovu from Hill+Knowlton Strategies are the winning team in the Young PR Lions UK 2015 competition to find the best young PR consultants in the country.

They will now go forward to compete internationally at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Helen and Rachel won the judges over after presenting to a UK jury made up of senior members from the PRCA, Ogilvy PR, H+K Strategies, MSL Group and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) charity, on Friday 24th April. The team presented a campaign plan responding to a brief set by the NICHS.

From the left: Gold winners Helen Wood and Rachel Matovu from H+K Strategies. Silver winners Amy O’Connor and Kirstyn Wood from Ketchum

The winners of the Silver award goes to Ketchum’s Amy O’Connor and Kirstyn Wood and the Bronze winners are APCO Worldwide’s Daniella Lebor and Jenny Runnacles.

Helen and Rachel have won complimentary flights, passes to the Cannes Lions festival, and accommodation. They will compete against representatives from over 30 countries on 22nd June, delivering a presentation for a non-profit organisation in 12 hours that will be judged by a selected jury.

PRCA Director General Francis Ingham MPRCA said: “Huge congratulations to Helen and Rachel, whose entry and the campaign pitch that they gave really impressed the judges and captured their attention. It is extremely rewarding to see such exceptional talent going forward to represent the UK on the international stage.”

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the sponsor of the Young PR Lions competition to find the most talented young PR team in the world; and the PRCA is responsible for running the UK element of that competition to find the country’s brightest and best young PR talent.

The House of PR will have its own cabana on the Palais in Cannes where individuals can meet prominent representatives from the PR industry. The ICCO guide to Cannes is now up and running and will be updated regularly before and throughout the festival. If you would like to contribute to the ICCO guide to Cannes Lions website or are interested in sponsoring the program, please contact ICCO General Manager Binta Kristin Hammerich.

#PRCAYoungLions

#WELOVEPR

Special offer to ICCO members for top Stockholm conference!

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Help shape the future of PR measurement!
Stockholm-2015-Winning-the-Game

 

ICCO members can help shape the future of PR measurement by taking part in a special session at the International Summit on measurement in Stockholm next month, the biggest event of its kind in the world.

The International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC), which is organising the Summit on June 3rd/4th, will be asking PR and communications professionals to help simplify measurement metrics in a major session at the conference. The Summit is being held at the Hilton Stockholm Slussen Hotel, Stockholm.

Francis Ingham, PRCA Director General & ICCO Chief Executive, will be taking part in the metrics session.

AMEC is giving ICCO members a special discount price on Summit registration because of its strategic partnership with ICCO.

One day attendance for the plenary day on June 3 is being offered at a price to ICCO members of only €400. Bookings can be made on this link. ICCO members can book for the two-day event (June 3rd/4th) for the special price of €554 using this registration link.

Barry Leggetter, CEO, of AMEC, said: “We will be presenting new research that will show the PR market, both professionals and their clients are confused by the multiplicity of measurement metrics that exist. We want Precis members to attend the Summit and help us shape what the future of simplified metrics would look like.”

More than 50 expert speakers from Europe, the US and Asia will be speaking at the Summit, which will be attended by more than 200 delegates. They include Stuart Smith, Global CEO of Ogilvy PR, who is flying in from New York and Nissan’s Global Communications chief, Jeff Kuhlman, a Summit special guest who will arrive from Japan.

Other top speakers are Alex Aiken, Executive Director of Government Communications, HM Government UK; Paloma Escudero, Director of Communications, UNICEF; Frida Roberts, Head of Communications Unit, The Swedish Institute; Daniel Dellham, Head of Sustainability Consulting, KPMG Sverige; Miguel Veiga-Pestana, Chief Communications Officer, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Nick Hindle, Senior Vice President, UK Corporate Affairs & North West Division Strategy & Alignment, McDonald’s; Edvard Lind, Head of Media Relations, Skanska AB Group Communications and other speakers from GE, Unilever and eBay.

Click here for more information!

 

ICCO supports Sofia PR Summit 2015

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Outstanding international and local keynote speakers joined the second edition of the regional PR forum.

The key topic of the forum was „The power of the storytelling in business“

For a second year in a row Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA) organized the regional PR forum – Sofia PR Summit. Outstanding international and local keynote speakers joined the second edition of the regional PR forum Sofia PR Summit. The key topic of the forum was „The power of the storytelling in business“.  Sofia PR Summit 2015 was held on April 29, in hall Serdika, Hotel Park Inn.

Sofia PR Summit 2015 gathered outstanding speakers and selected professional audience from Bulgaria and Europe. During the forum were discussed and were presented the latest trends in the field of professional communications, and especially how to be successful using storytelling as a business tool. Dedicated experts with international experience shared different points of views and insights about this great communication tool and the best practices for creating engaging user experience and interaction.

Speakers were:

Diplomatic art of Story Telling in Communication by Zehra Güngör, PhD – President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) for 2014. Chairwoman of the international jury committee of BAPRA Bright Awards 2015;

International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO): The voice of Public Relations around the world by Binta Kristin Hammerich, ICCO Global General Manager and Maxim Behar, ICCO Vice President & CEO and Chairman of M3 Communication Group, Inc.

The Power of Visual Stories by Lilyana Zagorcheva – Managing a studio for creation and distribution of infographics and motiongraphics – Infograffiti and highly experienced PR professional;

How will storytelling impact your reputation by Christophe Ginisty – International public relations guru and a specialist of social media;

Stories for the unfortunate 500 million by Damjan Obal – Founder of Edgar, user experience designer with a PhD in computer science and deep passion for brand stories.

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ICCO General Manager Binta Kristin Hammercich and ICCO Vice President Maxim Behar

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Nikolay Nedelchev Publicis Groupe Bulgaria

From the left: Nikolay Nedelchev - Publicis Groupe Bulgaria, DENITSA SATCHEVA - BAPRA Chairman, Maxim Behar - CEO M3 Communciations & ICCO Vice President, Binta Kristin Hammerich - ICCO General Manager and ALEXANDER DOURCHEV ALL CHANNELS COMMUNICATION GROUP

From the left: Nikolay Nedelchev – Publicis Groupe Bulgaria, Denitsa Satcheva – BAPRA Chairman, Maxim Behar – CEO M3 Communciations & ICCO Vice President, Binta Kristin Hammerich – ICCO General Manager and Alexsander Dourchev – All Channels Communications Group 

For more information, please send an e-mail at: office@bapra.bg.

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Sofia PR Summit

Sofia PR Summit is a regional PR forum that Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA) organizes for the first time within the 5th anniversary edition of the annual PR contest BAPRA Bright Awards in 2014. Sofia PR Summit as a platform which provides opportunities for discussion and validates new tendencies and strategies in the PR industry in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Sofia PR Summit offers great opportunities for effective business networking to all participants. The first edition of Sofia PR Summit gathered outstanding PR and communication experts from Bulgaria, Serbia, Austria and Belgium that shared best practices, ideas and insights. In front of selected professional audience were discussed key trends in the modern corporate communications.

BAPRA

Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA) is established in 2001 as an independent non-profit organization   to support and strength PR as an activity, working in favor of the modern society development. BAPRA aspires to improve partnership between PR business and the state, even more to build relations with local authorities in Bulgaria, academic circles, business,  civil  organizations and media. BAPRA aims to promote quality and ethical standards guaranteed through self regulation, regarding to transparent, respectable and socially responsible PR business in Bulgaria. BAPRA is the voice of the Bulgarian PR business.

BAPRA Bright Awards 2015, Bulgaria

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The winners in the sixth edition of the prestigious contest Bright Awards 2015.

On April 29, 2015, Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies (BAPRA) announced the winners in BAPRA Bright Awards 2015 – the sixth edition of the annual PR contest, at an elegant ceremony. 21 key achievements in the PR industry  received the prestigious award Bright Awards. The event was held in the business and congress center Rainbow Plaza. This year the competition took a record number of projects – 97, submitted by 19 communication agencies and 4 Internal PR Departments. BAPRA announces a 13% increase in the number of the applications comparing to last year.

Five members of the distinguished international Jury Committee of Bright Awards 2015 attended the ceremony: Zehra Güngör, PhD, Chairwoman of the Jury and the 2014 President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA); Binta Kristin Hammerich, Global General Manager of International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO); Christophe Ginisty – an international public relations guru and a specialist of social media; John Saunders, regional president of Fleishman-Hillard (EMEA) and the talented UX designer with deep passion for brand stories and founder of Edgar – Damjan Obal. Full information of all jury members you can find here: http://www.bapra.bg/2015/engl/jury/.

„It is my first visit in Bulgaria, also for the fourth time I am judging in Bright Awards and I am so excited to be here in my capacity as a Chairwoman of the international Jury Committee of Bright Awards 2015. I am impressed by the level of the projects in the contest and I believe that each of them fully deserved to be honored.“ said Zehra Güngör, PhD, Chairwoman of the Jury Committee in BAPRA Bright Awards 2015.

Guests attending the ceremony enjoyed the significant performance of ethno-formation Бalkansky – music performed by the musical legend Teodosii Spasov, mixed with electronic sounds and beats by Ivan Shopov and interactive visuals from Ivo Christov. The charming combination of traditional Bulgarian music, electronic sound and visual contributed to the impressive atmosphere of the evening.

The winners on the first place received the prestigious trophy BAPRA Bright Awards 2015 by categories are:

Agency of the Year – United Partners;

Sustainable Development Campaign – New Moment New Ideas Company –See the refugees with different eyes;

Special Event of the Year“(2 winners) – All Channels Communication Group – Soundtrack of the City; and APRA Porter Novelli Group – Live Actively!;

Innovation Campaign of the Year – All Channels Communication Group – Soundtrack of the City;

Campaign, implemented by Internal PR Department – Bulgarian National Television – I buy Bulgarian products;

Communication Campaign of the Year – All Channels Communication Group; – All Channels Communication Group – Soundtrack of the City;

Communication Campaign in the Public Sector – APRA Porter Novelli Group – The Majestic Danube.

Latest information about BAPRA Bright Awards 2015 you can find in social media via hashtag #BrightAwards2015 or to send your inquire at: office@bapra.bg.

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ICCO VP Elected Chair of Davos Forum

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Lemaximading Bulgarian PR expert and ICCO Vice President Maxim Behar has been elected co-Chair of the Board of the World Communication Forum in Davos for an one year term.  Behar served successfully in the same position in 2013/ 2014.

Behar is the founder and CEO of leading Bulgarian PR company M3 Communications Group, Inc and also the President of the Prague office of US-based Hill+Knowlton Strategies. He is Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles to Bulgaria.

“The choice is a great honor for Bulgaria and an incredible appraisal for the Bulgarian PR business, for all my colleagues,” Mr Behar has said upon his election, which he has described as a “proof that the PR market in Bulgaria is developed enough,” but also as a sign of the “respect which my colleagues from the Board have for us, the representatives of a relatively small Southeastern European country.”

This year’s co-Chairs include South African Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi and two business representatives from India and Hungary (Yogesh Joshi and Gabor Hegyi respectively).

Mr Behar represents Bulgaria in the WCF Davos Committee which also includes members from Austria, the UK, Poland, Spain, Republic of South Africa, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, Mexico, Russia, Malaysia, the US, India, Jordan, and China.

Boilerplate:

About ICCO

The International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) is the voice of public relations consultancies around the world. The ICCO membership comprises national trade associations in 31 countries across the globe in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Collectively, these associations represent over 2000 PR firms.

 

ICCO Global Summit 2015 – tickets now on sale!

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Welcome to the 2015 edition of the ICCO Global Summit, a unique event that brings together senior practitioners from public relations consultancies around the world to explore the issues and opportunities affecting our industry.

We are very excited to bring the Summit to Milan, a metropolis known for its global business, fashion and design. The general theme is “Food For Thought”, debating how consultancies and communicators can survive and thrive in a changing world. We aim to unite director-level and above to spark debate, share best practice and strengthen our community.

The Summit will be held in conjunction with the EXPO 2015, and should attract the best and brightest from the global PR community!

More information here: http://www.iccosummit.org/

David Gallagher,

ICCO President

David Gallagher