On The International Front
Manning, Selvage & Lee Adds Three
Manning, Selvage & Lee, New York, has added three consultancies in Central and Eastern Europe to its international affiliate network. The firms are Promaco Public Relations in St. Petersburg, Russia; Press & Inform of Budapest, Hungary; and United Partners of Sofia, Bulgaria. The impetus for the move was to serve existing clients and reach new ones, according to MS&L execs.
Press & Inform's clients include Sun Microsystems and the Hungarian Telephone and Cable Corporation; United Partners' clients include Procter & Gamble, IBM and Mars; and Promaco's clients include Coca-Cola, Delta Telecom, a mobile phone service provider in St. Petersburg, and Renault and Valmet Automotive. (MS&L, 404/875-1444)
MacManus Group Creates Media Company
The MacManus Group, New York, has created a worldwide media company, MediaVest Worldwide, that will be based in New York, to extend and brand MediaVest in Europe.
MacManus already has "free-standing" operations in the U.K., Germany and France, according to DMB&B Media Director Michael Moore, who has been named CEO and president of MediaVest. (MacManus Group, 212/468-3075)
KCSA PR Enters Russian Market
It was bound to happen: as the former countries of the Soviet Union began to compete in the open market, PR was sure to take its place. Case in point: KCSA Public Relations, New York, has formed an alliance with MacroGuide Inc., Moscow, Russia, to provide its clients with local market guidance through the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The move is part of the company's global PR plans: recently, the company also formed IR Asia-Pacific Ltd., a partnership with firms in the Far East. (KCSA, 212/682-6565)
And In Germany....
The Gesellschaft Public Relations Agenturen e.V., an association of PR consultancies in Germany, reported a gross income of about 200 million marks for 1996 -- a 7 percent jump over 1995 figures -- based on information submitted by 35 of its 41 member agencies. (GPRA, 0-69/20628)
Interactive:
Shandwick Gets Interactive
Shandwick International, as part of its quest to target global Internet needs in the communications industry, launched Shandwick Interactive, a business unit to expand its new media business services. (Shandwick, 314/552-6726)
New Services & Resources
PRSA Introduces Fax-On Demand Service
The Public Relations Society of America's Professional Practice Center has a launched a service enabling members to access information 24 hours a day. To reach PRSA's Fax on Demand, call 800/778-7066. International callers should dial 402/449-2270.
IABC Releases New Communications Manual
The International Association of Business Communicators released April 29 a new manual, "The Communication Plan: The Heart of Strategic Communication," by Leslie Potter.
The book outlines a 10-step plan aligning communication with business strategies to garner measurable results. The book is $125 for members and $150 for non-members. (IABC, 415/433-3400)
Association for Women Releases Media Guide
The Association for Women in Communications, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., released its updated 1997 Media Guide, which is available for $33 by calling 954/698-5450 or writing: WIC, 1624 NE 16th Avenue., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., 33305.