MSLGroup
The Publicis Group has pulled together its two PR networks, MS&L Worldwide and Publicis Consultants, with a range of agencies around the world to form one new global network: the MSLGroup.
It is little surprise therefore that this was a period of change. The CEOs of MS&L Worldwide and Publicis Consultants Worldwide moved on, and Olivier Fleurot took the reins as CEO of the new group. Four regional presidents were appointed: Jim Tsokanos in the Americas, Anders Kempe in Europe excluding France, Glenn Osaki in Asia, and Fabries Fries in France.
New faces arrived, many of them filling newly created roles. But perhaps the greatest challenge with any merger of this scale is keeping and growing existing client accounts. MS&L reports that it has done this successfully.
There was also significant progress in the digital field, with the launch of the digital PR practice in Europe, the PRWeek/MSLGroup Social Media Survey which polled 271 US marketers, and the May 2010 announcement of an exclusive contract with social media research company linkfluence.
Q&A – Olivier Fleurot, CEO, MSLGroup
How has the economic climate changed the way you work?
Boundaries between communications disciplines were already blurring due the nature of our times and the growing use of digital platforms, but clients’ increased willingness to put money where they see the highest returns is also speeding up the shift. As strategic advisors, we’ve always believed that PR will bring the greatest rewards in terms of engagement – and now we’re having to sell that ever more heavily to clients. It’s about providing clients with a return on engagement as well as a return on investment.
Which three offices have been experiencing the greatest growth over the 12 months to July 31 2010? Why?
- Publicis Live Geneva: we launched new international conferences including the Abu Dhabi Media Forum and produced the major global gathering of French speaking countries "Rencontres de la Francophonie" - this in addition to what our team already does for the World Economic Forum, the Monaco Media Forum and many other clients.
- New York grew due to expansions in our Consumer PR and healthcare businesses.
- Stockholm significantly increased its Public Affairs footprint.
What were your agency’s three highlights of the past year?
- Evolving a new, global speciality communications, PR and events network: MSLGroup. We’ve been busy shaping our offering to combine PR's storytelling tradition with the creative, production and cross-channel attributes of digital marketing. It’s about developing an 'Art + Science' approach that will help our clients evolve their organisations into the world-class relationship development and response engines that will become the hallmarks of today's conversation economy
- Taking time to reshape our network offering was one thing, but something that we couldn’t afford to take time over was migrating clients – between the agency brands that historically had rarely worked together, and between countries/offices who were now for the first time part of the same network. The World Gold Council win is just one example of this – a global client for us now, that involves Kekst, Capital MSL and MSL in Asia
- We’ve been at the very heart of Shanghai World Expo. We have worked with its communications department on strategic advice, media monitoring and crisis management; we produced key parts of the Opening Ceremony, and will do the same for the Closing Ceremony; we have run comms for 5 country/city pavilions, and for at least 5 major global clients with a presence at World Expo.
Tell us about one account for which your agency is producing creative and effective digital work
For P&G in Asia, and their Whisper brand. “Happy It’s Here!” : P&G has gone online in an effort to instill a positive attitude in young Singaporean women about their menstrual periods, seeking to dispel the taboo subject that persists in much of Asia.
What are the most effective ways of encouraging more collaborative working between global sister agencies?
By continually reminding ourselves and our sister agencies that the divisions between disciplines and practises are constructs in our own minds, more than anything. When a client sees that sister agencies embrace that fully – and believes that they can sort out the inevitable P&L issues quietly and with grace, behind the scenes – they’re going to feel they have a real partner.
What was your best decision over the past year?
To bring together talent from various countries, various brands and various disciplines to build a global entity able to serve clients in all key markets, and across multiple channels.
What will successful global PR agencies be doing in 2011?
Continuing to embrace the fact that today’s dynamic media and communications environment is less of a revolution for PR, than an evolution. And selling this point hard to clients who are seeking strategic advice in this ‘blurred boundaries’ era. We, PR people, recognise that the apparent loss of control can be jarring, frightening, even destabilising to many... yet we never controlled journalists’ writing or people’s thinking. We never relied on the illusion of control, but on the power of influence, relationships and trust, since long before the web was born. PR agencies are thus supremely suited to guide clients in all things social media.
Back to top
Key Information:
Website address www.mslgroup.com
Parent company of agency Publicis Groupe
Global HQ address and telephone
8 place de la Bourse
Entrance: 5 rue Feydeau
75002 Paris
France
T: + 33 1 57 32 85 00
F: +33 1 57 32 85 85
CEO
Olivier Fleurot
Tel: +33 (0)1 57 32 88 44
olivier.fleurot@mslgroup.com
Global new business contact
Asia: Josh Shapiro, Business Director, MSLGROUP Asia
josh.shapiro@mslgroup.com
EMEA: Bronwen Andrews, Director of New Business, MSLGROUP EMEA
bronwen.andrews@mslgroup.com
Americas: Karlenne Trimble, Chief Growth Officer MSLGROUP Americas
karlenne.trimble@mslgroup.com
France: Charles de La Rochefoucauld, New Business Director
charles@consultants.publicis.fr
Regional contacts
MSLGROUP Asia
Glenn Osaki
President Asia
+ 86 2161 931560
glen.osaki@mslgroup.com
MSLGROUP EMEA
Anders Kempe
President EMEA exl France
Anders.kempe@mslgroup.com
MSLGROUP Americas
Jim Tsokanos
President The Americas
Jim.tsokanos@mslgroup.com
MSLGROUP France
Fabrice Fries
President France
Fabrice.fries@mslgroup.com
Key global clients P&G, sanofi-avensis, Renault, World Gold Council, Coca-Cola
No. of wholly-owned and majority-owned offices 83
No. of affiliates 64
