Burson-Marsteller Europe is to offer clients corporate and issues
advertising campaigns with the launch this week of Marsteller
Advertising, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the PR group.
The ad agency is based in B-M’s London office and is run by chief
executive Jeff Klein and managing director Bill McQuillan - both were
formerly at Grey’s corporate and business-to-business agency, Grey
Business Worldwide.
Klein said he would have a staff of five by the end of this week,
although he declined to name them, and predicted billings of around
dollars 20 billion within a year. The creative and media planning
aspects of campaigns will be handled in-house and the resources of B-M’s
parent company, Young and Rubicam, used for buying space.
B-M is positioning the move as a relaunch of the group’s advertising
capability, Marsteller Advertising, which was founded in 1952 and
specialised in corporate and business-to-business campaigns. The agency
merged with Harold Burson’s PR business in 1953 to form Burson-
Marsteller. Following Y&R’s purchase of B-M in 1979, advertising clients
were transferred to Y&R agencies.
B-M relaunched Marsteller Advertising in the US six months ago. It now
has billings of dollars 40 million and a staff of 40 in three offices.
Tom Bell, BM’s worldwide chief executive in London said the move to
offer advertising reflected a change in the communications market. ‘This
is about offering image and issues advertising as part of communications
campaigns.’
