Keeping up with the brands

It used to be so much simpler. There was a successful technology sector PR company, Text 100, that grew with its largest client Microsoft. (I learnt to admire them when I worked for a rival, A Plus Group.)

Now there’s a holding company Next Fifteen Communications containing three autonomous PR consultancies: Text 100, August.One Communications and Bite Communications. We now learn from PR Week that a further consultancy Joe Public Relations is to be merged with August.One Communications.

Here’s the rationale for these multiple PR brands. They allow you to attract clients who may view others (such as Microsoft) as a competitor. Today Sir Martin Sorrell talked up WPP’s acquisiton of Grey in the marketing services sector in terms of the ability to retain both Unilever and P&G as clients.