Four agencies are lining up this month for a massive global PR account
from US computer giant Digital Equipment Corporation, in a move which
could threaten local DEC agencies around the world.
The company is seeing pitches in New York from Shandwick, Edelman,
Manning Selvage and Lee and Euro RSCG partner Creamer Dickson Basford.
The search is being led by Digital’s corporate PR project manager Rolf
Espen-Olsen and a decision is expected by the end of the year. Fees for
the contract could be between pounds 1 million and pounds 3 million.
UK PR manager Judith Grindal confirmed that Digital was interviewing
four agencies in New York but declined to comment on the timing of the
pitch or on the nature of an eventual brief.
‘They are looking at a number of options with regard to managing PR on a
worldwide basis,’ she said.
‘There are no planned changes to current support. It’s more of an
overseeing type of role rather than replacing something that already
exists.’
However, sources suggest that Digital may be planning to rationalise its
network of local consultancies following the example of rival IBM.
Last year IBM appointed Ogilvy Adams and Rinehart to manage its PR
consultancy work across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (PR Week 7
October, 1994).
The company then proceeded to review all the company’s local
arrangements and to reduce the number of agencies on the ground to just
one in each major market except the UK and Germany where there are now
two.
Digital uses six PR agencies in the UK: Berkeley, The Weber Group
Europe, Arrow, Grant Butler Coomber, Shandwick Consultants and Shandwick
Communications for co-ordination and corporate advice.
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