NAIROBI, Kenya, May 27 – Global public relations consultancy, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide has been named the 2008 Large Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report, the PR Agency Report Card for 2008 released last week in Stockholm Sweden.
The award presented during this year’s Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation (SABRE) Awards, convened by The Holmes Group recognized Ogilvy PR’s outstanding achievements in the global PR arena.
And while the global outfit was walking away with the Large Agency award, Ogilvy PR Kenya won the coveted Gold SABRE Award for a record fourth time, when its Sun Still Shines programme, executed for the Kenya Flower Council was voted the best campaign in the Crisis and Issues Management category within Europe, Africa & Middle East region.
The SABRE Awards is the world’s largest and most sought after public relations awards competition
Speaking when he received a communiqué on the firm’s triumph, Ogilvy PR Kenya Managing Director Okoth Obado expressed delight at the win which comes on the back of last year’s Gold Sabre Award for the restructuring of Telkom Kenya, which was voted the best campaign in Africa.
“This year’s Sabre Award clearly confirms our capability to deliver best practice work from Kenya,” Mr Obado said.
“Our consistent wins at the European Sabre awards also confirms the quality of expertise that we hold and retain locally against leading agencies in Europe and the Middle East.”
By winning the global agency of the year award, Ogilvy PR’s global Chief Executive Marcia Silverman received an accolade as a leading light in global PR practice. This year\’s award is largely in recognition of Marcia Silverman\’s success as CEO of Ogilvy PR Worldwide, a position she has held since August 2002.
According to The Holmes Report, Marcia has been "the perfect choice to lead Ogilvy into a new century," citing her accomplishments in restoring growth to Ogilvy PR\’s public relations business, building a strong and harmonious management team and driving the agency\’s innovation, pointing to its 360 degrees Digital Influence practice popular in the social media space.
Ogilvy PR also continues to be a leader in the social marketing arena, having added $40 million in new contracts from 16 government agencies globally and gaining double-digit growth in its consumer practice for the fifth consecutive year.
"This is an ideal time to recognise her accomplishment – and the agency\’s return to top form – with our Large Agency of the Year Award," reads The Holmes Report.
The annual Agency Report Cards profile more than 400 of the leading public relations consulting firms in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the Asia-Pacific.
The profiles are written by founding editor Paul Holmes and are based on interviews with the firms themselves, published information, a review of the firms’ work (where possible) and discussions with clients and other industry experts.
The reports are designed to provide prospective clients and employees with some insights into the character, strengths and specialised capabilities of leading PR firms.
The Holmes Group delivers against its mission by providing the most sophisticated reporting and analysis on public relations trends and issues.
