CHICAGO, Jan. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Interpublic Group
(NYSE: IPG) today announced it has acquired Nicole Weber
Communications (NWC), a leading consumer lifestyle agency with
offices in Hamburg and
Munich. NWC will become part of
the GolinHarris network, one of its global communications agencies.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Established in 1996, NWC specializes in consumer public
relations and lifestyle marketing. Founder Nicole Weber leads the NWC team and will serve
as managing director. Throughout her career, Weber and her
team have been responsible for consumer campaigns for major
national and international brands, including Henkel
Cosmetics , Renault, Asos.de,
Coral Mexx, Pringle of Scotland,
Campari and Hendrick's Gin, among others. Weber will report to
Matt Neale, president, GH
International.
Harris Diamond, chief executive
officer of Interpublic's Constituency Management Group, which
includes GolinHarris, commented about the deal: "As GH continues
its aggressive organic growth, we are committed to building out its
global network to better serve its clients by acquiring businesses
that will add new resources to help sustain its strong
trajectory."
"After looking at dozens of agencies in the German market, we
chose Nicole Weber Communications because of their experience,
staff talent, creativity and overall enthusiasm to join
GolinHarris. Their strong consumer lifestyle capabilities will
complement our existing financial and corporate communications
practices in Frankfurt and expand
our presence in Germany," said
Neale. "Nicole and her team are extremely passionate about their
clients and the business, and are a perfect cultural fit."
"By joining the GolinHarris network, my clients will have a new
level of global reach and access to some of the most innovative
minds in the communications field," said Nicole Weber. "I'm proud to be part of
this team."
"Our partnership with them is an important part of our growth
strategy in Europe and future
plans," said Fred Cook, CEO of
GolinHarris. "I am confident that they will make a valuable
contribution as the agency continues to grow."
In June, GolinHarris announced a new strategic initiative and
major organizational redesign to address the increasing influence
of digital and social media in communications, and the challenges
of engaging audiences in a complex, constantly connected world. The
agency's new model, called g4, is built around four global teams of
dedicated specialists. In the g4 model, clients are served by
integrated teams of dedicated experts (strategists, creators,
catalysts and connectors) who deliver actionable insights, bold
ideas, multi-media engagement and flawless, integrated
execution.
About Interpublic
Interpublic is one of the world's leading organizations of
advertising agencies and marketing services companies. Major global
brands include Draftfcb, FutureBrand, GolinHarris International,
HUGE, Initiative, Jack Morton Worldwide, Lowe and Partners,
MAGNAGLOBAL, McCann Erickson,
Momentum, MRM Worldwide, Octagon, R/GA, UM and Weber Shandwick.
Leading domestic brands include Campbell Ewald; Campbell Mithun;
Carmichael Lynch; Deutsch, a Lowe and Partners Company; Gotham
Inc.; Hill Holliday; ID Media; Mullen and The Martin Agency. For
more information, please visit www.interpublic.com.
About GolinHarris
GolinHarris is a holistic communications firm designed and built to
help clients win in a complex, connected society. In 2011, we
completely redesigned our agency to combine strategy, creativity
and engagement into one seamless package that is delivered to
clients – big and small. Our organizational model, called g4,
provides clients with a dedicated team of specialists, including
strategists, creators, connectors and catalysts, who are embedded
in every account.
Our core practices include consumer marketing, corporate
communications, digital and social media, corporate social
responsibility, healthcare, internal communications, multicultural
marketing, technology and public affairs.
Since 1956, GolinHarris has delivered results for clients such
as McDonald's, Dow Chemical Company, Florida Department of Citrus,
Kaiser Permanente, Nintendo of America Inc., Johnson and Johnson,
Texas Instruments and Unilever. Recognized as
PRWeek's 2010 Large PR Agency of the Year and 2009 Asia
Pacific PR Consultancy of Year, GolinHarris was also named 2011
Best Large Agency to Work For by The Holmes Report and a
Best Place to Work by Ad Age, the Los Angeles Business
Journal, the Dallas Business Journal, The Sunday
Times, Crain's New York,
Chicago Tribune and the National Association of Business
Resources. The agency has 36 offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle
East and Asia, is
headquartered in Chicago and is a
subsidiary of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more
information, visit www.golinharris.com.
About Nicole Weber Communications
Established in 1996, NICOLE WEBER
communications is a public relations agency with a focus on
consumer lifestyle marketing and communications. The agency is
headquartered in Hamburg and has a
second location in Munich. Areas
of expertise includes fashion, beauty, automotive, consumer goods,
retail, food and beverage and travel. For more information, visit
http://www.nicoleweber.de/en/index.php
Media Contacts
US – Kathy Maiorana +1 312 729 4246
| kmaiorana@golinharris.com
UK – Jon Hughes +44 20 7067 0541
SOURCE Interpublic Group