Amid the dramatic and ongoing changes within the marketing communications industries is the accelerating rate of M&A transactions within the PR field. PR firm owners, including heads of boutiques, smaller shops and mid-size firms, are giving more serious consideration to selling. Many of these owners are products of the baby-boom generation and would like to…
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Tag: Gould+Partners
Is Cry for PR Diversity Different This Time?
(This article originally appeared on odwyerpr.com.) It happens every few years, just like a Swiss watch. Cries are heard regarding the general lack of diversity within the creative services field and how it’s costing agencies and firms dearly. There are a few rounds of self-flagellation within the four walls, as the media trades run agonizing…
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3 PR M&A Trends to Watch in 2018
It’s just a few weeks into the new year, but the media M&A field is starting to percolate already. There were two deals in early January alone. Highwire PR, one of the fastest growing tech independent firms, acquired Inner Circle Labs and merged the two San Francisco-based agencies, while the Association of National Advertisers (ANA)…
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Empathy at Heart of Co-Mentoring Programs
Several years ago I worked at an online media production company whose aspirations unfortunately exceeded its budget. Nonetheless, I was eager to get more experience producing online video content. I was assigned to work with Susan (her name has been changed), a millennial. She seemed to be a real whiz with video equipment and knew…
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VIDEO: Millennial PR Firm Owners Carve New Niche
We were chatting with a top PR executive recently when we mentioned the proliferating number of PR firms owned by millennials, or people born between the early 1980s and 2000. The executive—a real pro—expressed skepticism. That’s fine, we said. But we also stressed to this executive to keep a close eye on the space. While…
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PR Profession Rides Some Rough Waves
It’s not a pretty picture for the PR industry. Among a wide swath of firms, growth is down and profitability is flat. Adding insult to injury, PR firm owners are failing to boost their billing rates in order to compensate for increases in salaries and other expenses. Whether it’s the large holding companies or smaller…
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Canadian PR Firms Best U.S. Firms on Revenue, Profitability
Canada is celebrated for many things. Maple Syrup, Niagara Falls, and Wayne Gretzky quickly come to mind. Now you can add profitable PR agencies to the list, particularly when stacked up against their U.S counterparts. Net revenue for Canadian-based firms grew a total of 21.8 percent in 2016, according to Gould+Partners 2017 PR Firm Net…
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What Millennials Want From Non-Millennials—And Vice Versa
Madison Avenue’s fixation on youth is an old story. It’s been the default position among brand managers for decades: Older consumers are set in their ways and couldn’t possibly be persuaded to try (and buy) new products, so better to cater entirely to younger consumers. However, a new survey splashes cold water on the theory,…
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Webinar: Millennials Eager to Lead, Willing to Learn
Millennials and older PR executives have a great deal to learn from one another. By collaborating more effectively they can bolster the value of their firm, break into emerging markets and land new clients. They just need to put their suspicions of one another aside and not let stereotypical thinking get the better of them….
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Gould+Partners Facilitates Finn Partners Acquisition of ABI Marketing Pubic Relations
New York, NY. Sept. 22, 2017 — Gould+Partners is pleased to announce that it introduced the parties and facilitated Finn Partners recent acquisition of ABI Marketing Public Relations, a global marketing and PR firm focused on industrial and trade markets catering to B2B companies. “Knowing the strategic needs of Finn Partners and the global presence…
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Millennial PR Firm Owners Destined to Shake Up Industry
(This article originally ran on odwyerpr.com.) Millennial communicators can’t catch a break. As they occupy a growing part of the PR field, this demographic bears the brunt of withering criticism from some of their elders regarding their work ethic and general attitude. We frequently hear from older PR firm owners about the challenges of both…
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VIDEO: The ‘Build to Sell’ Mindset
Clients are satisfied with your firm’s work. You’re on the short list to land a new (and prestigious) account. The staff is growing nicely. They’re all positive indices for creative services firm owners. But, in order to maximize the profitability and overall value of their firm, owners need to adopt a ‘Build to Sell‘ mentality….
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