Barcelona, April 18th 2012. Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, announced the release of its first global e-book, highlighting agency principles’ insights on emerging communications tactics and trends of 2012. In a world where information intermediaries are fading away and the news cycle has been replaced by an always-on, real-time torrent of information, the e-Book reinforces how the role of public relations and its practitioners are evolving.

More than 20 firms from around the globe contributed to the content on key topics including Digitizing Brand Reputation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Courage in Managing Metrics, Micropolitan Marketing and Tapping Consumer Markets in Other Countries.

“Public Relations looks a lot different in 2012 than it did in 2010,” said Matt Kucharski, chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group and senior vice president of Padilla Speer Beardsley. ”Smart agencies and CMOs will prosper amidst the seeming chaos if they embrace change not as a threat, but as the greatest opportunity to expand the mix and importance of the traditional and digital marketing and public relations strategies available.”

From Massachusetts to Manila, and from Louisiana to Lisbon, the partner agencies of the Worldcom Public Relations Group created the e-Book as another example of global thought leadership pioneering front lines of the public relations revolution.

About Worldcom Public Relations Group

Established in 1988, Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with more offices in more cities and countries than any other communications partnership. There are 107 partner agencies worldwide, in 91 markets, in 46 countries, across six continents representing more than 2,100 employees. With revenues exceeding US $260 million, partners collectively serve national, international and multi-national clients seamlessly, while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent local agencies. Through Worldcom, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they do business.

WORLDCOM PR Release global ebook

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Download your free e-book today!

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Barcelona, 1st February 2012 – The world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, WORLDCOM Public Relations Group, announced today that it is launching a Destination Awards program.  Developed by Worldcom’s Travel and Tourism Practice Group, the professional awards will honor public relations and marketing programs that demonstrate the highest standards within the international travel and tourism industry.

Winning organizations will be selected from the following six distinct categories: events with budgets of less than $100K; events with budgets of more than $100K; programs of less than $200K; programs of more than $200K; crisis management; and originality in public relations. Those that wish to vie for an award, can submit their entries on the Destination Awards website, where they will be voted upon by the larger community.  Community members will have the opportunity to vote anonymously for finalists of their choice, within each category.  Judges from the Worldcom Travel and Tourism Practice Group, as well as selected professionals from the international travel and tourism industry, will choose the winners of the Destination Awards from the list of finalists, as determined by the community’s votes.

“Worldcom’s Destination Awards will put a spotlight on great international marketing and PR programs within this industry,” said Norman Stowe of the Pace Group, Vancouver, Canada and Chairperson of Worldcom’s Travel and Tourism Practice Group. “As leaders in the field of public relations, Worldcom is witness to remarkable programs all over the globe and we feel compelled to give innovative and creative organizations the accolades they deserve,” adds Stowe.

The Destination Awards will accept entries today and voting can begin anytime thereafter. The deadline for submissions will be on April 30, 2012.  Following the judging process, The Worldcom Travel and Tourism Practice Group will announce the six category prizewinners on May 15, 2012.

About Worldcom Public Relations Group

Established in 1988, Worldcom Public Relations Group is the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with 107 partner agencies worldwide, in 91 markets, in 46 countries, across six continents. With more than 2,100 employees, and revenue of more than US $260 million, partners collectively serve national, international and multi-national clients seamlessly, while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent local agencies. Through Worldcom, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic arenas in which they do business.

Worldcom Destination Awards

Worldcom EMEA

Worldcom EMEA

COM&SENSE is a leading public relations firm in Israel that creates a competitive edge for its clients in all media forms with the same outcome: promotion in a creative, dignified and credible manner. “COM&SENSE decided to join Worldcom PR Group due to the growth and strategic development of the firm.  With experienced partners in every corner of the world, we hope to share communications expertise and clients with other like-minded agencies. We will share our unique insights, communication methodology and connections in the Israeli market with other Worldcom PR Group partners around the globe”, said Ben Johnston, Global Department, COM&SENSE.

Oxenstierna & Partners is a communications agency that offers both strategy and operations management in conjunction with communication activities. “Becoming a part of the Worldcom PR Group is a quality marker and a great opportunity for us to enhance and extend both our business and offer. Many of our clients require international PR and IR activities and as a part of Worldcom we have high hopes of providing other member companies with projects and assignments. At the same time, our experienced and professional team of consultants looks forward to helping Worldcom partners’ clients”, said Anna Oxenstierna, Partner and Senior Communications Consultant at Oxenstierna & Partners.

Both COM&SENSE and Oxenstierna have recently joined Worldcom, after going through a complete selection process and accomplishing the quality standards required to form part of the network.

“Selecting new partners is a thorough task, and a very important one for maintaining the quality standards of the Worldcom PR Group. Our goal is to have professional local partners with a deep knowledge of their markets, and therefore we are happy to welcome both Com&Sense and Oxenstierna to our network,” said Corinna Voss, Worldcom PR Group EMEA Chair.

About COM&SENSE

COM&SENSE is a leading Public Relations firm in Israel that creates a competitive edge for its clients in all media forms with the same outcome: promotion in a creative, dignified and credible manner.  COM&SENSE’s key practice areas are Strategic Communications, Corporate PR, Healthcare, Law firms and Public Affairs. Truly a 360 degree firm, COM&SENSE guides corporations, governmental agencies and organizations to strengthen their brand and message.  The diversity and excellence of COM&SENSE’s work is continually recognized by the Israeli Public Relations Association. For more information: http://www.ces-global.com/

About Oxenstierna & Partners

Oxenstierna & Partners is a communications agency that offers both strategy and operations management in conjunction with communication activities. We provide advice in public relations and investor relations as well as business strategy and project management. We also produce websites, annual reports and other publications.

With broad experience in business management, project management and multiple communication disciplines, we place great emphasis on smart, effective solutions, complemented by an in-depth knowledge of our client’s business. More information: http://www.oxp.se

Worldcom_New partners in Israel and Sweden

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Anna Oxenstierna. Partner and Senior Communications Consultant at Oxenstierna & Partners AB.

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Partners from the WORLDCOM PR Group’s Consumer Practice Group Point to Five Important Emerging Trends to Watch In 2012

Barcelona, January 17^th 2012 – Social media has dramatically altered the way that agencies and their clients approach consumer engagement campaigns, and in most cases, changed the way in which businesses connect with their target audiences. The WORLDCOM Public Relations Group (Worldcom), the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, recently asked its Consumer Practice Group partners to share insights on the evolving role of social media as a consumer engagement tool, as well as trends that will potentially change the way in which social media is incorporated into consumer outreach campaigns in 2012.

“Consumer PR, like all forms of public relations and marketing, is fundamentally changing as a direct result of social media and other disruptive online communications channels,” said Will Ostedt, chair of the Worldcom Consumer Practice Group and vice president at The Pollack PR Marketing Group in Los Angeles. “Consumers are expecting to receive and acknowledge communication that is only relevant to them — anything else is ignored or disregarded. The future of consumer PR is to find ways to make messages relevant to consumers and to reach them using the right channels.”

The discussion revealed five emerging trends that partners from the (EMEA) European Middle East Africa, Asian Pacific and America’s regions all agree will dramatically effect their approach to consumer engagement campaigns on behalf of their clients.

Location, Location, Location: Worldcom’s Consumer Practice Group is seeing a shift to more localized social media programs that are better able to target consumers and key into their unique values and cultural circumstances.   These programs are not only aimed at engaging consumers and encouraging them to share their “brand love” with others, but also encouraging them to share their dollars with their local retailer.

Filtering The Noise: Consumers are learning how to maximize social media tools to fit their personal needs, first and foremost, by eliminating noise.  A fundamental need to filter information combined with emerging filtrations systems such as Google+ in which the information one sees is increasingly determined by past behavior and/or personal desire, means organizations will have to continually find new ways to permeate permission-based news streams in order to be seen and heard. More importantly, organizations will need to make themselves and their content relevant to a more defined audience.

Depth Over Breadth: The onset of social media has sent most consumers scrambling to widen their social networks, in an effort to secure the most friends and followers in complete disregard of boundaries, privacy and relevancy to their interests and belief systems. Beginning in 2011, a noticeable shift occurred where the depth of consumer networks became more important than their breadth. As consumers increasingly look to better meet their thirst for information that is relevant to their interests and lifestyle, the Worldcom Consumer Practice Group sees consumers limiting their engagement to the people and brands that best connect with their personal lifestyle in the confines of niche social networks, customized specifically for their interests.

Mobile is the New PC: The dramatic and disruptive rise of smart phones, tablets, eReaders and computerized mobile devices over the past two years has fundamentally changed how consumers interact. The result of this disruption is that the modern consumer is always connected, interacting in real time and vetting the relevance of bite-sized information on an ongoing basis. The Worldcom Consumer Practice Group identifies that due to this dramatically upward trend of mobile computing, brands and products will also need to be connected at all times and deliver real-time response and interaction with their consumers.

Twitter Surge: The launch of Apples’ iOS 5 in 2011 was met with much fanfare as the new operating system’s “bells and whistles” delighted current Apple mobile users and served as the impetus for others to make the switch to devices running iOS5.  But, buried in all of the “Cloud” talk, is the fact that iOS5 provides consumers with direct Twitter integration. Having the social network woven into the fabric of mobile OS’s should lead to a broadened acceptance of Twitter as a part of everyday functionality, and increase users’ activity on the service.

“As social media continues to evolve in 2012, communication pros have the best opportunity and the most relevant skill set to guide organizations to build meaningful consumer engagement versus being purely content pushers,” added Dawn Doty, co-chair of the Worldcom Consumer Practice Group and vice president/partner with Denver-based Linhart Public Relations. “As the new year begins, we encourage all communication pros to continue to muscle into the discussions that matter within their organizations to maximize the channels that now allow this authentic consumer engagement.”

About the Worldcom Consumer Practice Group

The Worldcom Public Relations Consumer Practice Group is a multi-national partnership of PR firms who cumulatively have the broadest experiences and expertise across the spectrum of consumer products and services.  Partner agencies create a powerful professional entity, affording clients a local, national, and international industry perspective, resulting in a competitive advantage for clients.

Social Media Trends 2012

Worldcom EMEA

“Professional service firms worldwide are leading the pack when it comes to new hires and business growth for 2012,” said Matt Kucharski, chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group and senior vice president of Padilla Speer Beardsley. ”We are seeing the same trend reflected by our Worldcom partners across all regions.”

Worldcom Public Relations Group surveyed CEO’s from national and international partner agencies servicing clients ranging from small to mid-sized businesses to Fortune 50 companies.

The survey indicates a high percentage of new business growth in the technology, consumer, healthcare, and professional and financial service sectors; with steady growth in travel and leisure, transportation, energy, and government markets also anticipated.

The Worldcom Public Relations Group survey tapped more than 100 firms from three regions: Asia/Pacific, Europe/Middle East/Africa and North and South America on 2011-2012 business trends. Survey responses include:

• More than 76% of firms surveyed have recently hired new staff to support new business or intend to hire in Q1 of 2012.

• 67% of firms have started off 2012 in better financial/business shape than 2011.

• More than 64% of firms saw a notable surge in new business activity at the end of 2011.

“What our Worldcom partners are reporting globally indicates markets are growing across a broad range of industries and businesses,” said Dorothy Pirovano, chair of Worldcom’s Americas Region and CEO of Public Communications Inc., Chicago.  “We are finding clients to be much more optimistic moving into 2012 than they were a year ago, and while there is still some caution, there seems to be far more confidence.”

According to the survey, businesses across all sectors exhibited greater confidence in market opportunities and the value of public relations, retaining more agencies on an annual contract rather than project-by-project basis. The survey was fielded in December 2011.

WORLDCOM PR Global Survey

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New York–Oct. 19, 2011 – Worldcom Public Relations Group, the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, today announced its regional board slate for the remainder of 2011 and 2012. In addition, the global partnership announced the addition of two new partner firms to its roster of independent agencies. Established in 1988, Worldcom, a partnership comprised of 107 firms, in 91 markets, across six continents, operates through a Group Board and three regional boards – one each in the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (AP). Worldcom partner agencies occupy leadership positions in the world’s major public relations professional organizations and business communities, globally.

“We’re proud to have leaders of the top independent agencies around the world serving on the boards of each of our regions,” said Matt Kucharski, Chair of Worldcom Public Relations Group. “Individually, they’re among the best in the field, and collectively, they are a part of a global partnership that supports the communication and marketing needs of local, regional and international corporations, offering companies a global reach the world’s leading public relations agency partnership explore new opportunities for members and their clients.”

The Americas Region  new board members
Regional Chair: Dorothy Pirovano, CEO of Public Communications, Inc.
Chair Elect: Todd Lynch, VP, Director Public Relations, St. John & Partners
Marketing Chair: Lauren Peters, President of PetersGroup Public Relations
Partner Retention Chair: Lisa Simon, President of Simon Public Relations
Practice Groups Chair: Tim Oliver, President of Morgan & Myers

Other board members elected for the 2011-2012 term by the Americas Region include: Angelica Consiglio (Planin, São Paulo, Brazil) Latin America/Partner Recruitment; Virginia Sheridan (M. Silver Associates, New York, NY) Immediate Past Chair; Elizabeth Sosnow (BlissPR, New York, NY) Online/Interactive; Sharon Linhart (Linhart PR, Denver, CO) Meetings; Francie Israeli (John Adams Associates Inc., Washington, DC) Peer Review; Sandy Hermanoff (Hermanoff Public Relations, Farmington Hills, MI) Professional Development; Aileen Katcher (Katcher Vaughn & Bailey Public Relations, Nashville, TN) Treasurer; and Stefan Pollack (The Pollack PR Marketing Group, Los Angeles, CA) Chair At Large.

The EMEA Region  new board member
Treasurer: Crispin Manners, Director, Word of Mouth Communications of Kaizo

The AP Region  new board members
Regional Chair: Cindy Payne, Managing Director of Asia-Pacific Connections
Immediate Past Chair: Doug Wright, Chairman of WrightsPR
Partnership Co-Chair: Tom Van Blarcom, Managing Director of TQPR Thailand
Treasurer: Gina Lee, Managing Director of Communications Plus
Secretary: Michelle Lam, Senior Account Executive of A-World Consulting

The newest worldwide partners include Realidades, based in Lima, Peru, which focuses on working together with the Peruvian government to promote social programs and other government-driven projects and The Garrity Group, based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which specializes in issue management, crisis communication, media relations, government relations and social media.

About the Worldcom Public Relations Group
Established in 1988, The Worldcom Public Relations Group, is today the world’s leading partnership of independently owned public relations counseling firms, with 107 partner agencies worldwide, in 90 markets, in 46 countries, across six continents. With more than 2,000 employees, and revenue of more than US $265 million, partners collectively serve national, international and multi-national clients seamlessly, while retaining the flexibility and client-service focus inherent in independent local agencies. Through Worldcom, clients have on-demand access to in-depth communications expertise from professionals who understand the language, culture and customs of the geographic areas in which they do business. For more information, please visit www.worldcomgroup.com

WORLDCOM Public Relations Group Announces Its New Regional Board Members for 2011-2012

Worldcom EMEA

This was a very positive experience where the younger members of Worldcom PR Group EMEA had the opportunity to participate in workshops and sessions led by PR and communications professionals, get to know each other better and share experiences related to their daily PR work.

Worldcom EMEA