Kwittken & Company - PRNewser

Kwittken + Company Sponsoring College Fellowship

Tonya Garcia — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:05:57 +0000

Kwittken + Company (KCO) announced today that it is sponsoring the Columbian College’s Luther Rice Undergraduate Research Fellowship at The George Washington University. The school is Aaron Kwittken‘s alma mater (he’s the CEO and managing partner at KCO). And though the description of the fellowship makes no mention that the recipient’s research must be PR-focused, Kwittken envisions that’s where the money will go.

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Despite Scandal, There Are Brands That Can’t Be Broken

Celeste Altus — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:41:44 +0000

In the world of public perception, a scandal can knock a brand down for weeks. But Wal-Mart, which is currently facing a public relations problem with a bribery scandal in Mexico, has fared better than other brands like Taco Bell and Target, according to data from YouGov BrandIndex, which measures “buzz score” on a point index.

YouGov BrandIndex measurement scores range from 100 to -100 and are compiled by subtracting negative feedback from positive. A zero score means equal positive and negative feedback.

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MDC Revenue Increases, But Reports Other Losses

Tonya Garcia — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:44 +0000

MDC Partners reported Q1 revenue of about $236 million, an increase of 9.7 percent versus 2011. The company also reported organic growth of 5.4 percent. However, the company also reported a number of losses for the quarter.

Operating loss was at about $11.7 million versus a profit of $2.56 million year-over-year. Net loss was about $24.6 million compared with $7 million in 2011.

Adweek also notes the Q1 drop in EBITDA of 51 percent, from $15.4 million last year to $7.5 million this year. The company has purchased or taken a stake in a number of firms over the past couple of years, including Kwittken & Company, Allison+Partners, London’s Epoch PR, and ad agency Anomaly.

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Spin the Agencies of Record

Tonya Garcia — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:56:34 +0000

NUK USA, makers of pacifiers, teething rings, and other oral baby products and developmental tools, has chosen Hill+Knowlton Strategies for PR services. The firm’s consumer marketing practice will work on the account.

U.S. Cellular has chosen Ketchum after a competitive pitch that included MSLGroup, Ad Age reports. MSLGroup and a number of local agencies had previously worked on the account. U.S. Cellular has been steadily decreasing its ad spend over the past few years.

August Schell Brewing Co., makers of Schell’s and Grain Belt beers, has selected Padilla Speer Beardsley as its AOR. The firm will focus on brand strategy and an integrated marketing program (advertising, PR, digital) to promote the company’s 15 craft beers.

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Spin the Agencies of Record

Tonya Garcia — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:03:10 +0000

Pinterest has hired The OutCast Agency for what is starting as a short-term project but could go long-term. The firm is helping the network manage the intense interest it has generated with media relations support. [via Holmes Report]

New York’s Grand Central Terminal has chosen Goodman Media International to promote the landmark’s activities, retail shops, and restaurants on a local, national, and global level. The firm will also help the 100th anniversary celebration on February 1, 2013.

Sanford, FL has spent tens of thousands of dollars on outreach, according to the Orlando Sun-Sentinel. The city has hired Massey Communications for crisis comms, media strategy, and a “joint information center.” Sanford has spent $5,000 on crisis comms and $30,500 on Sony JumboTrons that broadcast a Monday meeting at a local park.

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MDC Partners’ Full-Year Revenue Up 36.9 Percent

Tonya Garcia — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:16:40 +0000

Late yesterday, MDC Partners, home to Allison + Partners, Attention, Kwittken + Company, and other advertising, PR, and digital firms, reported a 36.9 percent jump in revenue in 2011. Revenue for the year totaled $943.3 million versus $689.1 million the previous year. Organic growth was up 17 percent.

“While our business is growing at a healthy pace, we are being diligent in our analysis of investments and are implementing a leaner operating structure across our network, aimed at expanding margins,” said CFO David Doft in a statement.

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MDC Partners Reports 33.4 Percent Revenue Increase, But Makes Adjustments

Tonya Garcia — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:26:35 +0000

MDC Partners, home to Kwittken & Company, Allison & Partners, Lime PR, and other firms, reported a 33.4 percent increase in revenue for Q3; from $178.6 million in 2010 to $238.2 million for the same period in 2011.

Organic growth also took a leap, up 17.9 percent for the quarter.

However, in a statement, MDC CEO Miles Nadal said the company’s EBITDA guidance had shifted downward because of a “slowing of existing client work as well as some modest delays in new projects and campaigns.” (Here’s a definition of EBITDA.)

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KCO & MDC Cross Geographies, Marketing Disciplines With Latest Acquisition

Tonya Garcia — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:57:02 +0000

Christopher Clarke

This week, kwittken & company announced its first acquisition outside North America, the U.K.’s Epoch PR. While the news is big, what lies ahead is equally huge. The two firms must now merge into one collaborating business.

While Epoch co-founder Christopher Clarke doesn’t see any difficulties moving forward, he does acknowledge that there will be some getting used to.

“Over the next few months, there will have to be an integration and a common language between the two agencies,” he told us during a phone call from England earlier this week. Having some common ground before the deal is made helps.

“When we first started talking to kwittken earlier this year, we felt we’d almost found our doppelganger in New York,” Clarke added. “Very quickly you get to a place where you know it will either work or it won’t work.”

This acquisition brings together two PR firms from across an ocean, and brings them together as part of a company, MDC Partners, that is composed of different marketing disciplines.

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Kwittken Makes First Acquisition Outside North America

Tonya Garcia — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:14:03 +0000

As we mentioned in this morning’s Ticker, kwittken & company has made its first acquisition abroad, sealing the deal with London’s Epoch PR, increasing the firm’s U.K. presence from four to 15 people. Here’s a little more detail.

Kwittken opened its European HQ last year. The firm has grown revenues by 45 percent and staff by 75 percent since it became a kbs+p partner company. The financials of this deal weren’t disclosed.

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Roll Call: GolinHarris, kwittken, Ogilvy, and More

Tonya Garcia — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:27:05 +0000

Simon Ruparelia has been appointed head of GolinHarris‘ digital team in Asia Pacific, a newly created position. He was previously Unilever’s global program planner of digital marketing. According to a statement from Jonathan Hughes, president, international, this is the first hire under GH’s new g4 model. Ruparelia will initially be based in Singapore.

David Press has joined kwittken + company as MD of the new Corporate Strategy Group, which will provide corp comms services such as issues and crisis management, IR, and executive coaching. Press was previously with FTI Consulting (formerly Financial Dynamics).

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The Many Layers of the B-M/Facebook Smear Story

Tonya Garcia — Fri, 13 May 2011 15:45:45 +0000

The news that Burson-Marsteller/Facebook whisper campaign story unfolded before our eyes this week. And as it did, there were so many details that added so many layers that reaction, understandably, has been tremendous.

At this point, Facebook and Burson are no longer working together, The New York Times reports. And, The Daily Beast writes (h/t to PRWeek) that the two Burson publicists that handled the campaign, former CNBC reporter Jim Goldman and former political writer John Mercurio, will receive another copy of the firm’s code of ethics (along with everyone at the firm) in order to get a refresher course on right and wrong. Interesting that two former reporters couldn’t clearly see the impropriety of this from the beginning, but we digress.

Reaction from the PR industry has been both critical and exasperated, with many on Twitter expressing a “you know better than that” tone with both the situation and Burson’s statement in response.

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Using Groupon in Your PR Campaign

Tonya Garcia — Tue, 10 May 2011 15:02:06 +0000

Groupon is hot, and news today that the company wanted to file its IPO this week with a $25 billion valuation speaks to that. So does the number of Groupon-like companies and programs that have spawned over past months. But as many publicists know, jumping on board what’s hot isn’t always a sound communications decision.

Julie Mossler, Groupon’s director of communications, tells mediabistro in today’s PR, Perfected feature, “We never sell ourselves as money-making; it’s much more about exposure. We guarantee foot traffic.”

To that end, a Groupon offer should be part of a bigger PR strategy rather than the entirety of it.

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A Look at Kwittken & Company’s New Office

Tonya Garcia — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:05:09 +0000

Kwittken & Company has moved into new downtown New York City offices on the same floor as fellow MDC firms Attention and Skinny and in the same building as Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners.*

The office has an open plan; staff members have “newsroom-style” desks with executives (including CEO Aaron Kwittken) sitting in cubicles. And the kitchen has an Xbox!

At left, “breakout rooms” that are used for client calls and meetings. Additional images after the jump.

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MDC Full-Year Revenue Increases 28 Percent

Tonya Garcia — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 08:55:11 +0000

MDC Partners, home to firms including Kwittken & Company, Lime PR, Allison & Partners, and Attention, announced a 42.7 percent year-over-year increase in Q4 revenue to $213.4 million. Organic revenue increased 14.1 percent, and revenue from technology and digital services increased to 50 percent for the quarter from 45 percent in Q3. All results are for the period ending December 31, 2010.

Net new business for the quarter was $29.1 million; the total for the year was $77.6 million.

For the year, the company announced $697.8 million in revenue, a 28 percent increase from $545.1 million in 2009. Guidance for 2010 had been between $640 million and $655 million. Organic revenue was up 7.1 percent.

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Kwittken Opens New European HQ in London

Tonya Garcia — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 14:25:56 +0000

Kwittken & Company, which just introduced a new logo in keeping with its new relationship with Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners, has also announced the launch of a new London office that will serve as the firm’s European headquarters.

Caleb Hulme-Moir, previously the head of corp comms at London’s Cass Business School, will be MD of the office. The firm also has offices in New York and Phoenix.

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