STOCKHOLM: Rikta wins Olympic bid race
Rikta Kommunikation has been hired to run a domestic PR campaign
supporting Stockholm’s bid to stage the 2004 Olympic Games. Appointed
following a competitive pitch against Jerry Bergstrom and Burson-
Marsteller, Rikta will target the media, athletics associations,
sponsors and the general public to encourage flagging Swedish support
for the bid. The contract runs until March next year.
MADRID: Drug deal for Llorente and Cuenca
Pharmaceutical giant Rhone-Poulenc Rorer has signed up JA Llorente y O
Cuenca to launch two products. The products - one a cancer drug and the
other a treatment for the central nervous system - will be launched this
month and in January respectively. Llorente y Cuenca beat three other
agencies to land the contract: Hill and Knowlton, Edelman and SEIS.
LONDON: Cisco hunts for two agencies
Cisco Systems, the US inter-networking company, is hunting for PR
consultancies in Belgium and Switzerland. The company has so far seen
pitches from four agencies in Belgium, including the incumbent
Outsource, and three in Switzerland. European PR manager Sarah Atkinson
said that Cisco was also researching the PR market in Russia, Israel and
the Middle East. ‘We see the value of having local PR agencies,’ she
said. ‘It has proved successful in the past.’
MADRID: Grayling takes a Spanish partner
The Grayling Group has formed an affiliation partnership with Sanchis y
Asociados, Spain’s largest public relations firm. The group was
previously allied with Roman y Asociados in Barcelona and sole operator
Miguel Jessen in Madrid. Grayling is still seeking a PR partner in
Switzerland (PR Week, 10 May).
MILAN: Barabino promotes debit card
Barabino e Partners has been appointed to manage communications for
Pagobancomat, the debit card launched last month. Backed by Cogeban, a
consortium of Italian banks, Pagobancomat replaces the old Bancom at
card and shifts point of sale transaction charges from consumers to
merchants. A major part of Barabino e Partners’ task will be to counter
the opposition of retailers who object to the new costs.
BONN: Dynewski has Aces up its sleeve
ACES International, the Vienna-based PR group, has formed an affiliate
partnership with German agency Dynewski PR. Headquartered in Bonn,
Dynewski PR also has an office in Berlin. Clients include the
Argentinian Embassy, Mercedez-Benz and several federal ministries.
MADRID: B-M appointment for Lareu
Burson-Marsteller has named Carlos Lareu as market leader for Spain. A
former Pharmacia consultant, he will represent B-M in Spain and generate
new business contacts. Pablo Lorens and Javier Celaya will manage the
firm’s offices in Barcelona and Lisbon respectively. The reshuffle was
prompted by B-M’s new practice structure and the departure of former
chief executive Juan Astorqui to Caja de Madrid (PR Week 8 November).
edited by John-Pierre Joyce
