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3

4

My thanks go to the team that put this book together, but especially to an entire company of colleagues. It’s a great privilege to have such wonderful fellow travellers.

Our clients also deserve thanks. They are the innovators, the risk-takers, the people that decided upon something better. They are inspirational and we wouldn’t work with them unless we believed in them.

Of course,we are engaged in a commercial enterprise and in many instances this company exhibits all the usual commercial metrics. Except in one area.

Profits are a by-product of what we do. We are financially successful because of our culture, not the other way around. Our unique ownership structure allows us to think more longer term than our publicly listed competitors. We believe you can actually move faster with a long-term vision. It allows you to invest in downturns and look after people through the ups and downs of the economic cycle.

It’s one reason we have grown consistently every year for 20 years. Another reason is that we’ve always reinvested and remained independent. With

this philosophy, we are on target to become one of the most successful companies in our sector.

Going from start-up to global challenger in a little under two decades has its challenges. It’s certainly not just about creativity or intelligence. We think a sense of humor is just as important. We take that really seriously. When people are laughing, they are listening. They are also relaxed.

Our futureMy biggest fear is not that we should aim too high and fail. It is that we should aim too low and succeed. This is as much true of our own ambitions as it is for the profession we work in.

We should look upon our industry with a vision of what we want it to become. If you want to be at the forefront of promoting change you don’t do this by forcing people or frightening them. You promote change

“We are financially successful because of our culture,

not the other way around.”

Chris

5

through patience, understanding and an enthusiasm and confidence that is infectious.

And this gives our view of how quality can be scaled. Of course, excellence always comes from the personal. Some would say this can’t be scaled. We believe it depends on your model.

The myth has been that if you globalize you end up with the lowest common denominator. Not if you engage people.

The myth is that globalization must be threatening. Not if you allow a personal approach with humour and empathy.

If we’re going to make this successful, we must think differently, let’s start with education. The world is changing at a faster pace than ever. The only way to assimilate this is with education, not just before a career starts, but all the way through. This is why we created Rise, our training academy.

This is also why we created Kupambana, our Arts Foundation designed to help students with their education. We let students design our office space and use it to exhibit their work.

We believe the three most important qualities for a team of people are:

ImaginationThis is the quality that marks out humanity from all other species. We can dream. And most of us do. And some of us decide to do something about it and that’s when we need.

CreativityThis is when our dreams start to become plans. At this stage, we begin to conceive of how something might be done.

InnovationThis is the part that never ends. Finding a way seldom means finding the way. This is why we rely upon all of our colleagues to engage. We also believe that if colleagues share ownership of the company they work in, then they will be more likely to give it their best.

There is a story about three people who spent their lives quarrying rocks. When asked what they were doing, one replied, “Breaking rocks”. The second said, “Earning a living”. The third said, “Building a cathedral”. An over-arching sense of the Why preceded the How. That is where we should be.

Chris Lewis, President and CEO

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The story so far

The board

Numbers

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10

OUR JOURNEY1.

7

The story so far

The company was founded by Chris in 1995. He has a background in journalism with several newspapers and magazines. The quality of PR materials from existing agencies was often poor and failed to meet the needs of journalists. Providing high-quality material designed to meet the needs of the target audience remains at the core of the LEWIS approach.

From the start, he believed that the agency needed to expand internationally – companies are frequently multi-national with short product lifecycles. They therefore need to promote their products overseas rapidly and consistently. This philosophy has driven, and continues to drive, the expansion of LEWIS.

It has always been a cornerstone of the agency’s model to engage with media by recognizing its needs. That is why there has always been a strong representation of former journalists from the CEO and senior management, all through the ranks of LEWIS.

In 2015 we’ll celebrate our 20th birthday – here are some of the highlights from the last two decades.

8

1995LEWIS is founded

by Chris. We rapidly attract

a number of consumer and tech

PR clients and establish a

reputation for our ‘corporate journalism’

approach to PR

1998We open a

second European office in

Paris, France, as well as

establishing our first global

presence in North America, based in

San Diego, CA

1997We open our first European office in Munich, Germany

1999We become the

first PR agency to launch a Virtual Press Room

service. We launch a second North

American office in Boston, MA

2000We open an

office in The Netherlands

2001PR Week votes LEWIS ‘Hi-Tech

Agency to Watch’. Our first office

in Asia-Pacific is opened, based in Sydney, Australia

2002In Europe,

LEWIS Sweden opens its doors in Stockholm. We are the first PR agency to use

video in repurposing

coverage and streaming it across

the Web

2003We complete our first acquisition

providing a presence in

Singapore. In the US, PR Week ranks

LEWIS as the fastest growing tech agency,

following the opening of an office in San

Francisco, CA. We also launch in

Madrid & Milan

9

2004We continue

to grow internationally, opening up in Hong Kong

2008We open an office

in Warsaw

2009We strengthen our Iberian presence

with the first LEWIS Portuguese office in Lisbon. We

make our largest acquisition to date - leading European communications agency, Leads

United

2010We celebrate our 15th birthday and

announce our 15th consecutive year of growth. In October, we make

our first US acquisition,

leading social media agency, Page One PR,

which rebrands to LEWIS Pulse

2011We enter the

Holmes Report Rankings 2011

as a Top 40 PR agency

2012We open our doors in Amsterdam, our

second office in The Netherlands.

We launch Kupambana, the

industry’s first not-for-profit initiative to

champion the adoption of visual

and creative arts in communications

2013We welcome the Davies Murphy Group to the

LEWIS family, and open in Bangalore and Kuala Lumpur.

We are named one of the

fastest-growing private companies

in the United States on the

Inc. 5000 list

2014Purestone, a

London-based digital marketing agency, joins the family. We enter China with the

acquisition of EBA Communications

10

The board

The Global Operating Board (GOB) meets each month. Its primary purpose is to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives.

The Board is chaired by our Chief Financial Officer, James Oehlcke. He is joined by the CEO, heads of regions and heads of operational departments. They are (pictured from left to right) Stephen Corsi - Senior Vice President / Global LEWIS Pulse, Chris Lewis - CEO, Andres Wittermann - Executive Vice President EMEA & APAC , Andy Oliver - Senior Vice President APAC, Yvonne van Bokhoven - Senior Vice President Western Europe, Lucy Allen - Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, Sarah Robinson - Global Talent Director, Sarah Aitchison - Global Operations Director , Morgan McLintic - Executive Vice President US, James Oehlcke - Chief Financial Officer and Giles Peddy - Group Managing Director UK.

The group has a responsibility to make operational adjustments to the business in order to ensure financial performance remains on track. Current and forecast commercial performance is discussed every month. Investment is also a key agenda item. Actual and potential business risks are considered. Policies are formulated to help manage risk.

Guests attend on a regular basis to update on ongoing strategic projects, and to present new opportunities.

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12

Numbers

Growth has always been at the core of the company. The company has never had a year without growth or a year without profit.

PerformanceFor the fiscal year ending 31 July, 2014, global revenues are expected to be US$57m. This represents growth of 42% over the prior year. Part of this growth is due to the impact of the acquisitions of Davies Murphy Group, Purestone and EBA Communications. However, adjusting for ac-quired revenues, organic growth alone is 16%.

LEWIS measures performance across four main regions. The United States, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia-Pacific. The pie charts show the split of revenues by region in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

$ 0m1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Revenues

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

$10m

$ 20m

$ 30m

$ 40m

$ 50m

$ 60m

Revenue growth in $ since 1997

James

13

Europe,52%

US,21%

UK,18%

APAC,9%

Europe,46%

US,34%

UK,12%

APAC,8%

Europe,29%

US,43%

UK,15%

APAC,13%

2010 2012 2014Split of revenue by regions

14

The US is our largest territory, with 43% of revenues. It is also the region that has grown the fastest. This reflects where the majority of PR spend is and from where most of global PR spend is decided.

Continental Europe represents 29% of revenues, spread across 15 offices in 11 countries. The recession was longest and deepest in Europe. Despite this, Europe continued to grow each year. Revenues are forecast to be US$19.8m for 2014.

The UK is currently 15% of group revenues. Revenues are forecast to be US$6.8m for 2014. This represents year-on-year growth of 42%. Some of the increase is due to the UK division of DMG and the addition of Purestone. The organic growth of 14% is also strong.

Asia-Pacific represents 13% of the group and growth has been very strong in the last two years. Forecast revenues of US$5m for 2014 are 76% more than for 2012.

Profit margins are strong in every region and at group level. This is the product of long-term planning and decision-making. We made a conscious decision to keep investing throughout the recession, in the knowledge that the returns would materialize once economies recovered. Our recent track record of investment includes: new senior leadership in

the UK, Sweden and Belgium; doubling the resource in our Talent team, including the appointment of a Global Talent Director; the Rise training initiatives and substantial investment in sales and marketing.

AcquisitionsIn 2009, LEWIS embarked on a plan to accelerate growth via acquisitions. We have welcomed some great businesses into the LEWIS family, including:

Leads United in October 2009: Leads United was Belgium’s leading PR agency in the technology sector. The deal bolstered our Benelux presence, adding an office to Antwerp. Leads United was rebranded to LEWIS PR in 2011, and is now a fully integrated part of the business.

“We have welcomed some great businesses into

the LEWIS family.”

15

EBA Communications in May 2014: With offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, EBA doubles the size of our presence in Asia-Pacific and provides a vital gateway into mainland China.

Our growth in recent years would not have been possible without a strong network of partners. LEWIS is fortunate that it has a group of external advisors that share its ambition, move quickly and think and act in an entrepreneurial way. We would like to thank the following for their support: BDO, Foleys, HSBC, McCracken Advisory Partners, Osborne Clarke, and Partners Wealth Management.

James Oehlcke, Chief Financial Officer

Page One in October 2010: This US West Coast agency specialized in social media and digital marketing, adding new skills and clients to our portfolio. The social media team of Page One became LEWIS Pulse. The PR team became part of LEWIS PR San Francisco, focusing on emerging brands.

Davies Murphy Group in May 2013: The acquisition of Boston- headquartered DMG almost doubled LEWIS revenues in the US. This elevated us to be one of the largest tech-focused PR firms in the country. In addition to a thriving PR practice, DMG also has a successful marketing consultancy division.

Purestone in April 2014: Based in London, Purestone specializes in digital marketing, including the creation of websites and apps. This adds a production element to the LEWIS Pulse team’s digital services.

16

OUR PEOPLELEWIS keeps on rising

The Employee Partner Group

Launching a special award

The LEWIS culture

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18

22

2.

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LEWIS keepson rising

‘Rise’ is all about people development at LEWIS - to make us a more creative, effective and competitive company.

At its heart are three main aims: To ensure we and our clients have the best training in the industry To plan careers to provide regular progression To preserve and deepen our unique culture

Our culture is people-centric so there we focus on how people are trained, how they learn and how they continuously develop as part of a global company. The Rise initiatives represent this commitment to its people, visual communications and creative culture. Our relationship

“Rise makes us a more creative, effective

and competitive company.”

with visual communications is vital. The new mother tongue of social media is image-based. Communicating with linear prose is becoming a smaller part of storytelling.

Here are some of the key initiatives:

The LEWIS Senior Mentorship Program (SMP) now has 25 mentors, using the skills and knowledge of our senior people, mentoring 45 leaders of the future.

Alongside mentorship, the internal staff survey identified that leadership and management skills should be reviewed at all levels. This is to make leaders more skilled in how they support, coach and develop people.

The ultimate aim is to launch an actual Academy in San Diego, California to engage everyone in the overall drive towards a learning culture. To find a name for the academy, a competition was launched. Teams and

“The ultimate aim is to launch an actual Academy in San Diego.”

Alongside mentorship, the internal staff survey identified that leadership and management skills should be reviewed at all levels. This is to make leaders more skilled in how they support, coach and

“The ultimate aim is to launch an “The ultimate aim is to launch an “The ultimate aim is to launch an actual Academy in San Diego.”

19

individuals from across the globe were involved and developed some great ideas for names. The competition winner was Elodie Hureau from our Paris office with the name ‘Rise’. It was chosen as it really embodies the goals of the initiative; ‘Rise to the challenge’, ‘Rise to your potential’, even ‘Rise and shine’. It is a strong yet simple message.

The first Rise pilot, focusing on leadership and management, ran at Chelsea College of Arts, London. It involved 10 delegates from across

our global network and was our first international collaboration with the College. The blending of visual communications and theory has inspired the delegates to become more creative in their approach to work and their teams.

“The name ‘Rise’ was chosen

as it really embodies the goals of the initiative.”

“The name ‘Rise’ was chosen

as it really embodies the goals

“The name ‘Rise’

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Jade Wilkinson

The Employee Partner Group

Alba Roig Andres Wittermann Andy Oliver Belen Alonso Brian Compton Cathelijne van den Bosch Catherine Koo

Emma Jenkins Freek Janssen Gabriele Sciuto Gemma Kavanagh Haley Hebert Ian Lipner Ian Williams

LEWIS Partners are employee stakeholders. Employee-ownership is central to our independent status. Each year the Group nominates new members, making it truly democratic. Outstanding contribution, commitment, dedication, passion and sense of humor are just a few of the attributes necessary to join the Group.

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James OehlckeJade Wilkinson Jean-Paul Scholten John Morgan Jorge Lopez Jurriaan de Reu Jutta Deuschl

Chiara Morelli Chris Ulbrich Christiane Conrad Claire Rowberry Debbie Laird Dietmar SpehrChris Lewis

Mary Neveling Melanie Lombardi Michael Gonzalez Michael Hay Miek Gielkens Morgan McLintic

Kate Axelby Kate Finigan Katherine Nellums Katie Pierini Katrin Zwingmann Katy Lyons

Marisa Orellana

Karim Rhalimi

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Sarah Robinson Sarah Wincott Scott Blevins Scott Pettet Stefan Epler Stephen CorsiSarah Aitchison

Nicolas Lefevre

Kelly Redding

Nicole Tanenbaum Noah Dye Rafael Rahn Ray George Ruth Streder Sally O’Neill

Kim Karelis Lewis Keyte Lucie Robet Lucy Allen Lukasz Kluj Marie-Laure Laville

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Uwe Lang Velina Gaillard Vera Kops Veronika Bliem Wendy Brittain Yasmine Boucetta Yvonne van Bokhoven

Launching a special award

Our friend, colleague and LEWIS Partner, Suzy Ferguson, passed away on 26 July, 2012, aged just 31. ‘The Ferg’ joined us in 2003 as a graduate and with her combination of leadership and energy, rapidly climbed the ladder. Clients loved her and staff loved her. She made Partner quickly and went on to become one of the best-loved leaders in the business.

We launched the Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award on 26 July, 2013, in partnership with Gorkana Group, to honor her memory. Unlike other awards that only acknowledge professional achievements, we wanted this award to recognize individuals of exceptional character, integrity and determination. The judging panel was formed from those who knew her best; her family, her friends, her colleagues and her clients.

On 21 March, 2014, the first winner of the award, Rosie Warin, was honored at a lunch reception at the LEWIS London office. For the judges, Rosie embodied everything the award stood for - someone who makes a difference and that people look up to. A combined donation from LEWIS, Gorkana Group and Progress was made to Bowel Cancer UK, the award’s official charity partner. We hope the inaugural Suzy Ferguson Spirit Award is the first of many.Suzy Ferguson

Jeremy Thompson, Alex Ferguson, Rosie Warin, Sally O Neill, John Carter

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The LEWIS culture

It’s all about our people. We are a truly global company with a strong multi-cultural identity and the ambition to match. We act with integrity in business and with our people.

to different offices each year. No matter where you travel, one thing is clear. LEWIS has a consistent culture that supports energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic people.

LEWIS is increasingly defined by its links to the creative arts with projects such as the Kupambana Foundation, which supports the arts communities and business. Our collaboration with the creative community is providing our staff with a more visual and alternative approach to their work and to managing their teams.

Another key component of developing and supporting people is our Senior Mentorship Program, aimed at developing our leaders of the future. We recognize that as we expand we need exceptional people to drive the business, who are not afraid to lead.

Our culture is also about being socially aware and giving back to communities through charity work. Our people are allowed time off to work

“We welcome difference and embrace change.”

We mean business on a global scale: Singapore, San Francisco, Munich, London, Paris, Madrid, Sydney and Milan to name a few of our 28 offices. Our locations provide opportunity for our people. No matter what level people are in the business, we encourage travel to experience our offices,other cultures and learn from each other. You cannot fully understand your culture without leaving it. Over 30% of our people travel

Sarah

26

for these differences. We also understand that, as people progress, needs may change. That’s why we have an extensive personalized program that ranges from supporting global secondments to a flexible working scheme.

with a charity of their choice. We also regularly support charities within our offices. We welcome difference and embrace change. Team ethos is very important and we promote social activities well beyond just a ‘night out’. A social culture is as important as a work culture.

We know people enjoy both aspects of LEWIS and really like the people they work with. We know because we survey our people and they tell us exactly what they think. It is this combination of characteristics that has helped us achieve commendations in PR Week’s Best Places to Work and The Holmes Report’s Consultancy To Work For awards.

We believe our people are entitled to receive exceptional benefits at every stage of their time with us. We recognize that what one graduate values in one area of the globe is different from another and we cater

“LEWIS has a consistent culture that supports

energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic people.”

with a charity of their choice. We also regularly support charities within our “LEWIS has a consistent

with a charity of their choice. We also regularly support charities within our offices. We welcome difference and embrace change. Team ethos is very important and we promote social activities well beyond just a ‘night out’.

“LEWIS has a consistent “LEWIS has a consistent culture that supports

energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic people.”

“LEWIS has a consistent culture that supports

27

“A social culture is as important as

a work culture.” Our mix of nationalities mean that we are culturally different in so many ways but the LEWIS culture is what binds us together.

Finally, our sense of humor. We take this seriously. Having a sense of fun says many things to us:

You have judgement You have timing You are relaxed You know how to make people engage

Sarah Robinson, Global Talent Director

“A social culture is as important as Our mix of nationalities mean that we are culturally different in so many

ways but the LEWIS culture is what binds us together.

Finally, our sense of humor. We take this seriously. Having a sense of fun

Our six-monthly global employee engagement survey, combined with a robust and effective appraisal system, helps keep us on track and find ways in which we can develop further as a company and for our people. The survey is a great platform to find out how our employees are feeling, what they like about the company and areas for improvement.

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OUR WORKThe way we work

Client highlights

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31

3.

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The way we work

Creativity and storytelling remain at the heart of our company.

As we have grown, we have seen the world exchange information more and more quickly. It’s clear to us that the creative heart must beat faster – that we must pair imperative with this creativity. This is the way to be fit for the pace of communications today.

Because we are global and we take the time to get to know each other and our cultures, it has become even easier to recognize the universality of human stories. While our surroundings and customs may be diverse, the things which thrill us and captivate us remain the same.

We hire people with the talent to recognize those narratives in their native contexts - whether because of gifted intuition or because of quantified insight. Then we give them tools to power both.

We pursue narrative in the name of three goals along a brand’s continuum: Awareness, Association and Attachment. 1. Awareness = “That brand sounds interesting”2. Association = “That brand’s product could address my needs”3. Attachment = “I like the brand enough to buy and recommend

the product”

Across every market, and every discipline, there are six core elements to our approach: insights, content, story, engagement, measurement and global unified servicing.

Lucy

Ian

30

Marketing without context is just noise. We combine data insight and our deep news culture to identify communications opportunities for our clients.

This demands a culture of 24/7/365 situational fluency. We combine fast and automated social and news analysis with traditional qualitative research. We go beyond keyword monitoring – to news immersion – in order to uncover each brand’s intersections with the cultural trends that will drive the media’s future interest.

We translate these insights into action by forming rapid response strategies and using “newsjacking” tactics to excite editors and simply yield more awareness.

To maintain awareness and get buyers to associate a brand with key audience values, there’s a need to continually find intersections with business and popular culture.

We focus on creating a constantly replenished supply of timely content that fits into existing conversations, while whetting the audience’s appetite for the brand’s own story.

To do this, we establish and maintain a cadence of news releases, expert comments, blog posts, videos or graphics, and publish and promote each asset to the right audiences at the right time.

Content puts a brand onto the stage, but a compelling narrative turns it into the star of the show.

Great stories are the most effective global brand currency, but conveying the tale of a compelling journey requires one of its own.

Our “newshounds” uncover media-friendly assets, whether a star executive, an offbeat implementation or a compelling vision of the future. Our brand journalism approach creates meaningful, data-driven resources that provide audience insights and proofs that link companies with urgent market trends. Our creative imperative means that the narrative will associate your brand with the emotions driving the target market.

INSIGHTS CONTENT STORY

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A great story often hinges upon great timing - there is a make-or-break moment for everyone. Whether it’s a crisis, a race to market or a battle to land a key customer, when that moment comes, you need the ability to deploy the right resources to the people that matter – the “tideturners”.

Our highly-targeted influencer relations identifies a brand’s influencer ecosystem. And then we choose the vehicles for creating attachment and advocacy in that moment that matters, whether a great pitch, a social ad campaign or an in-person event.

Our programs advance business goals and we use matured metrics platforms to highlight success factors. This means our campaigns are not just quantifiable, but they are actually steered and accelerated by data-based insight to what’s working.

Our approach to defining key performance indicators for our programs, which we call LSCORE, leverages AMEC-certified guidance and simply makes campaigns more effective.

That’s nearly everything we do to create results – but our clients are probably most attached to us because of the way we do it.

We take away the complexity of campaign management so that multi-channel, multi- market campaigns are controlled, consistent and efficient. And we really do make the whole thing pleasant.

Our Welcome Path helps brands get to know all of the resources at their dispos-al when engaging with LEWIS. We embed ourselves in the communications culture through time onsite with our clients. We help speed best practice within our clients’ own teams through training.

We have contacts in every timezone and local experts deliver a white-glove service, with no fear of frankness, and most importantly, a worldwide commitment to creativity with imperative.

ENGAGEMENT MEASUREMENTGLOBALUNIFIED

SERVICIING

Lucy Allen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer and Ian Lipner, Vice President

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Our style is to take away the complexity and demystify things for people

who manage a multi-market campaign.

We are commercially-minded yet flexible and adaptable. We’ve got fewer hierarchies and are dynamic and energetic.

We don’t use international as an empty phrase – our hearts beat globally as one

and we live it. |

““

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Client highlights

We’re privileged to work with many great clients across a range of sectors who share the same passion, vision and drive as us. From ten weeks to ten years, from start-ups to market-leaders, we approach every campaign with the same energy and creativity. The next few pages take you through some special highlights.

“

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Growing VMware’s CloudLEWIS Pulse was set the challenge of launching VMware’s Hybrid Cloud service using social media, including a big push and on-site support at its global conference, VMworld. Activites included dedicated community management and content development across blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, plus paid advertising programs. The team generated over 10,000 social media mentions during the event, and grew the vCloud social channels to over half a million combined audiences. Social advertising programs through Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are now the top 3 online lead generators for enterprise sales. In fact, social media drives 30% of all leads every quarter!

35

Hello Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong! Spotify hereThe Asian launch of global music streaming service, Spotify, earned the title Campaign Asia’s Media Launch of the Year in 2013.

The simultaneous launch in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong scored over 300 pieces of coverage across online, print and broadcast media. Social media reach saw Spotify trend #1 on Twitter worldwide - capturing a large volume of conversations and creating a social buzz to amplify the message and acquire new fans and users.

On launch day Spotify was the most downloaded app on iTunes in Singapore and Hong Kong and held the #3 position in Malaysia.

33

3634

Samsung’s World Premier turns a page in music historyThe world’s first “digitally” composed musical score set the right note for Samsung’s launch of the Note 10.1. A unique partnership with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra created the perfect platform to demonstrate its efficiency and features. The Belgian press loved the VIP concert, where the audience sat amongst the musicians for a heightened experience. The campaign was featured across Belgian dailies and broadcast titles, as well as achieving international coverage. Judges were equally impressed at the European Excel-lence Awards, awarding it Best Benelux Campaign 2013.

3735

Salesforce.com newsjacks the Dutch coronation with Radian6An entire nation watched the crowning of a new King on April 30, 2013. The LEWIS PR team grabbed the unique opportunity to associate client, salesforce.com, with the Dutch Royal buzz. LEWIS employed Radian6, salesforce.com’s social media monitoring tool, to gather data. The team approached national and broadcast with stats on the online buzz during the day of the Queen’s abdication. The team provided reports and analysis on Twitter discussions, which could be used by the media during live TV broadcasts. The rapid creation of branded assets enabled the team to ride the media wave.

The campaign brought the niche software to the attention of an audience of over 4.5 million.

3836

Zumba dances its way into ItalyWhen Zumba Fitness wanted to make an impact in Italy, the LEWIS team threw themselves into the challenge. The campaign reached out to the health, fashion and lifestyle media, building engagement and awareness through interviews, surveys and news. The team also engaged with a national instructors’ network, supporting local events and developing content. By involving influencers and celebrities, like Italian pop singer Alessandra Amoroso, the awareness grew even further. In just six months, Zumba Fitness appeared in 450 articles, including covers for key magazines and broadcast appearances.

393943

Simyo moves upmarket with a mobile micrositeSimyo had a reputation for affordable and short-term mobile tariffs in Germany. Recognising the ambition of its customers, the company wanted to move upmarket. LEWIS PR developed a thought-leadership campaign to establish it as more than just a discount option.

At the heart of this was a microsite hub for mobile trends to showcase Simyo’s knowledge of the mobile market. The site became a source of information for consumers and the media. The content included survey results, specialist topics and communicated Simyo’s values beyond products and pricing. The surveys proved extremely popular. Based on target media’s specialist topics, conducted with the Forsa Institut, they reflected the opinions of over 1,000 consumers aged between 18-35.

The campaign saw unprecedented online coverage with over 410 million views. Print coverage reached an audience of 3.2 million and included an exclusive two-page feature on in “Focus” and half-page feature in BILD.

4038

4139

Splunk: world’s most innovative company in Big DataTasked to rebrand Splunk as a leader in Big Data, LEWIS worked to update Splunk’s corporate narrative, build brand awareness and create media appeal. Within months of the partnership, headlines from publications like InformationWeek sharing how “Splunk Answers Business Demand for Big Data Analysis” and Forbes alluding to Splunk (“Security Data Is Big Data And A Business Advantage”), put the company in the tech journal limelight with 80% of all Splunk news focused on Big Data.

Captured in nearly every major business and tech media outlet, Splunk became the poster child for Big Data, significantly increasing sales and brand visibility. In 2013, Fast Company listed Splunk as #4 on the World’s Most Innovative Companies list and #1 on the World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Big Data list.

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OUR WORLDTen trends in digital PR

The Kupambana Foundation

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4.

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2.1.

Ten trends in digital PR

Digitization has changed the world of PR in a very short time. Consumers are reading less and less on paper and more online, with a major impact on the relationship between PR professionals and journalists. The digital era however is also giving companies greater opportunities to communicate through their own ‘owned’ channels, such as social media, their websites or online video channels.

It’s all about telling a good story in the online world, and finding the right channels to get the message to the target group. And that’s exactly what PR has been good at for years. This is pushing the profession further towards other marketing disciplines.

So what are the most important trends in online PR?

1. Journalists are onlineGoogle and social media have also become essential sources for input for journalists. Researching a new article often begins with a search query on Google. Naturally this provides opportunities for companies: the best thing that can happen is if a journalist can’t avoid

you when seeking an expert in your field. So being able to be found online is essential; one objective of online PR is therefore to build up online authority. Regularly posting fresh, relevant content online is the best way to stay high in the search results.

Social media is also an ideal tool for PR professionals to get to know journalists better; what subjects interest them, what are they working on?

2. Responding onlineNewsjacking is a technique which has risen fast in recent years: by re-sponding quickly (and often astutely) to a news development, brands are often able to attract attention. Anyone wanting to get a message into the media needs to make sure their timing is right.

Previously a successful PR opportunist could not do without journalists. In the online age, newsjacking has changed. News is much faster, so timing is more important. You can also respond in other ways; not only in the comments or through social media, but also through other ‘owned’ channels, for instance a company blog where you post your

Freek

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3.story. You are not dependent on a journalist to use or ignore a response: you publish it yourself and if it is relevant and interesting enough, it will create its own buzz on social media.

3. Brands become publishersAnd this actually brings us to ‘brand journalism’. What stops you as a company occupying a publisher’s chair yourself? At the end of 2012, Coca-Cola completely restyled its corporate website itself, with the intention of telling the story behind the company. Refreshing the world, one story at a time is the credo: among other things you read about the creation of the Coca-Cola Father Christmas or Santa Claus, and how it came about that the company previously introduced New Coke – a flop – onto the market. Red Bull has its own Media House; a 135-strong editorial team produces daily news, documentaries and background stories in four different languages.

Brand journalism is also on the rise in B2B marketing. There used to be a trade journal for every niche discipline. In most sectors the niche titles are disappearing, and only the larger, general publications remain. Now the gap is being filled by companies. For example, Cisco, one of the world’s

“You are not dependent on a journalist to use or ignore a

response: you publish it yourself and if it is relevant and

interesting enough, it will create its own buzz on social media.”

largest IT network suppliers, has set up an online channel, The Network. This is maintained by ex-journalists who write not just about the company, but also about general trends in the sector.

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6.5.4.4. Online influencersTo complicate it even more: apart from the possibility of blogging yourself (or on behalf of a spokesman or expert), PR is also involved with external bloggers.

How do you decide which bloggers could be useful for a PR campaign, and, most importantly, how do you approach them? That differs hugely per blogger. One might be particularly open to a scoop, another wants to be invited to events, a third perhaps has a regular interview section for which he likes to receive suggestions. So for PR professionals it is espe-cially important to get to know a blogger well, and also to simply ask them what they would like.

5. MeasurabilityFor years advertising value equivalent (AVE) was regarded as the only way of demonstrating the ROI of a PR campaign. The calculation worked this way: for every article generated in the media, you determine what it would have cost if an advertisement of a similar size had been taken in its place. Count up the advertising value of all the coverage, and you know what a PR campaign has yielded.

This calculation method has always been controversial. After all, it says nothing about the return on investment, but at the most says something about the replacement of investment – in other words, how much you did not have to pay in advertising expenditure thanks to PR. At the same time, the discussion continued as to whether a square centimetre of editorial attention is in fact worth more or less than advertising space.

Online PR is more measurable than the traditional variety. It is easier to estimate how many people have read an article, but what is also measurable is how many people share an article via social media or respond in the comments – the engagement. You can also measure the effect of PR on the traffic to your organization’s website, but more about this shortly when we consider SEO.

6. SEOThe shift from the influence of traditional gatekeepers (such as journalists) to the media consumers themselves has made search perhaps the most powerful resource in the mix for online campaigns.

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7.All stakeholders use search engines such as Google and Bing to find information. This even applies to journalists, who regard search engines as their biggest resource for their articles.

The reality is that the importance of search for brands is growing. Within online PR, just as for ‘traditional’ campaigns, creating the most relevant story for the target group is priority number one. PR agencies are there to deliver unique relevant content to the right target groups, and SEO is a supporting resource here in the distribution of this content through online channels such as online publications, blogs and social media.

7. Social mediaAs the earlier sections of this chapter showed, the boundaries between marketing and PR are becoming increasingly vague. This means discussions on which discipline should be responsible for an organization’s social media campaign have gone on for years.

The core of social media is conducting relevant conversations with the target group. If this involves an activation campaign, then there’s a major role for the creatives within the digital marketing agencies. If, by

contrast, the objective is to use the social media channels to deliver information and knowledge to the target group, then a background in PR and journalism is essential.

In this way, online PR and social media revolve around the conversations with consumers or clients looking for inspiration, knowledge and information. Or to put it briefly: long-term relationships in which the social media channels are a publishing platform for the stories from the organization.

“This trend is already clearly noticeable in the online PR

world, with the expectation that visual content like infographics

and video can only become more important.”

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10.9.8.

8. Content marketingContent marketing is one of the hottest topics in marketing right now, certainly for B2B organizations. It’s a movement which puts non-commercial content at its heart: how can I offer my target group useful information to help them with the questions or problems they have? Unlike advertising, content marketing is located clearly within the initial phases of the customer journey: creating brand awareness and brand preference.

This is the same corner of the marketing department where PR can be found: looking at an organization through journalistic glasses to determine where interesting stories are. However, online PR is more news-driven than content marketing, but the expectation is that the two disciplines will increasingly operate hand-in-hand.

9. Visual contentReaders are overwhelmed with content. To still stand out in this avalanche of messages, you need to have a really strong story, or something which looks fantastic. Or both, of course.

The rise of Instagram, Vine and Snapchat show that we want to see more and more images and video. This trend is already clearly noticeable in the online PR world, with the expectation that visual content like infographics and video can only become more important.

10. Marketing automationSlowly but surely marketing automation is building a bridge between PR and content marketing on one hand, and sales on the other. It holds a sparkling promise. And that is the connection of two three-letter acronyms from IT: CRM (customer relationship management) and CMS (content management system). This means you will gain an insight into which clients and prospects (from your CRM) are interested in specific subjects (which are in your CMS).

This makes it a lot easier for the sales department to enter into the right discussions, and thus for PR to demonstrate its ROI.

Freek Janssen, Content Director

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Kupambana partners with students and academic institutions globally to facilitate collaboration between the creative arts and the communications industry.

The relationship between Kupambana and Chelsea College of Arts is significant - it brokers a ‘third way’ in the relationships between business and the Higher Education sector. Instead of what we can do for you or you can do for us – there is what we can do together. Kupambana is an exemplar of connectedness.

We are used to the donor system of businesses offering (e.g.) prizes and bursaries (not enough but some), but the relationship is thus finite and defined around the donation of fixed sums. Our relationship with Kupambana flows both ways.

“Kupambana is a not-for-profit

initiative founded by LEWIS PR to champion the adoption of

visual and creative arts in communications.”

The Kupambana Foundation

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We do benefit from donated monies – Kupambana has directly financed the final exhibition catalogues for the last two years as well as directly funding PhD programs.

But we have also contributed our expertise to LEWIS PR (the generator of Kupambana), through a significant contribution to its burgeoning Leadership Development scheme.

In another example of mutual benefit, LEWIS PR (London) challenged our Interior and Spatial Design courses to redesign its office

“The Kupambana & Chelsea Partnership is significant - it

brokers a ‘third way’.”

spaces. The resultant interface between its business and our design skills will offer LEWIS PR a fantastic and dynamic new working environment. In exchange our students have had the very real experience of following their ideas to a positive conclusion within the constraints of the profession they are about to enter into.

So our relationship has benefited our students directly through: Catalogue funding Design opportunities PhD student funding

“In another example of mutual benefit,

LEWIS PR challenged our Interior and Spatial Design

courses to redesign its office spaces.”

spaces. The resultant interface between its business and our design skills will offer LEWIS PR a fantastic and dynamicnew working environment. In exchange our students have had the very real experience of following their ideas to a positive conclusion within the constraints of the profession they are about

“In another example of mutual benefit,

LEWIS PR challenged our Interior and Spatial Design

George

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This relationship has also benefited Kupambana’s parent company: Contribution to the Leadership Development and staff workshops Interface with students and staff from LEWIS PR Radical redesign of office space

This model of ‘interconnectedness’ pioneered by Kupambana with Chelsea College of Arts will bear more benefits as we progress and develop our association.

The widespread global influence of Chelsea alumni and our connec-tions to high-quality arts institutions around the world offer us a unique and global interface with LEWIS PR. The potential projects we can

generate together will increase Kupambana’s influence in more and more countries as we work with more and more LEWIS PR offices.

As we (who have experienced the projects undertaken so far) have begun to realise, the benefits from increased interconnectedness of the creative arts and business allows business to re-find its societal role, and Higher Education institutions to connect to and influence the world around them.

George Blacklock, Dean of Chelsea College of Art & Design

George

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Global regions

LEWIS Pulse

LEWIS+ Partners

Extended family

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OUR NETWORK5.

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Over the last nearly 20 years, LEWIS has become one of the world’s most international communications agencies. I still remember our humble beginnings in Covent Garden.

In the late 1990s, our clients started asking about support in other countries. The driving forces behind that development were, and still are, globalization. Over 80% of the global internet population are a member of at least one social network. Today, almost every LEWIS client is in more than one country and needs measurable and localized support in many corners of our planet.

Global regions

LEWIS identified the need for a global network very early on. Every year we re-invest our profits back into our business – to expand our global footprint and develop additional services.

“Every year we re-invest our profits back into

our business.”

Today, our capabilities to deliver global campaigns are second to none. Here are some reasons why: Over the years we have built a global network with wholly-owned

offices. This gives us presence in all leading economies that have top priority for all of our clients

We recently launched our affiliate partnership network, LEWIS+. Currently this adds 11 countries, with a focus on emerging mar-kets: Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Mexico, Russia, Turkey and the Latin American countries. LEWIS+ agencies share common practices, client services programs, HR, training and recruitment initiatives and guarantee a globally consistent approach and service level

In addition, we have built a network of carefully selected agencies in 45 more markets

This means LEWIS can respond to a client request for support in 75 countries within 24 hours

The world is changing at an unprecedented speed. You can only be successful in this environment by changing too. This means you have to learn, develop – and do things differently.

This means a lot of investments in resources and time. Being owned by partners all working in the business, LEWIS is flexible to respond to these challenges immediately.

On the following pages are insights into the dynamics in each region around the world: the economic challenges and opportunities, media landscapes and the status of digital in each of our major regions.

Andres Wittermann, Executive Vice President, EMEA & APAC

Andres

“55. 3500. 87. Three numbers that define the immense opportunities and challenges of Asia-Pacific’s communications landscape.”

The view from Asia-Pacific55.With over 55 countries in Asia-Pacific, the landscape is extremely diverse. From a communications perspective, it means that messages and strategies that deliver results in one market may not in another.

3500. Over 3500 languages - or half of the world’s languages - are spoken across Asia-Pacific. Four of the top ten languages used by internet users are Asian languages. This translates into media publications and social networks in different languages to cater to the population. One press release will not fit all; neither will a social network plan and strategy that centers around Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

87%. That is the number of people who own smartphones – and regularly access the internet - in countries like Hong Kong and Singapore. Our content has to be adaptable to mobile platforms; our campaigns smart enough to address this audience.

LEWIS Asia-Pacific has been operating in an environment as challenging as this since 2001 when we first set up our office in Australia. As a company, we’ve long acknowledged the importance of investing in Asia- Pacific as the region continues to power ahead in economic terms and in some cases defies global trends. APAC is the fastest growing economic region in the world, headlined by the awakening giants, India and China.

ASIA-PACIFIC

Andy

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The move into emerging markets is not without its challenges. Indonesia, for example, is generally considered the most complex of the seven markets, as it is made up of thousands of diverse regions and islands. Many of these regions have their own media, much of which is traditional print or broadcast, with nationwide internet penetration a low 28 per cent.

Where Indonesia shines however is in the mobile space where the coun-try has around 300m mobile subscribers, making it the fourth largest market globally. Smartphone penetration is growing also, currently sitting at roughly 30 per cent, or close to 100 million people.

This level of mobility has serious implications for social media in Indonesia, particularly in large cities. It is little wonder therefore that Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, is known as the ‘Twitter capital of the world’ with more users than any other city. Social network Pinterest is also capitalising, launching an Indonesian version early this year.

Facebook is also extremely popular in Indonesia, with many basic feature phones coming pre-installed with the application. For many Indonesians, Facebook is their first taste of the internet. In terms of sheer size however,

no market comes close to China and its 1.4 billion population. We’re thrilled to be a part of China now, courtesy of our acquisition of EBA Communications.

During the latter part of 2012, LEWIS announced a US$5m investment plan to take the company into new emerging markets in Asia. This plan was realized during 2013 with the opening of new offices in India and Malaysia.

Apart from an investment in expanded geographic footprint, we have also invested in our capabilities in Asia-Pacific. Today, Singapore hosts one of the LEWIS Pulse hubs across the network.

Asia’s emerging markets mainly comprise China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Today, LEWIS has offices in China, India and Malaysia and we plan to open in Indonesia in the near future. This will give the company a strong foothold in the emerging Asian markets to complement our more established offices.

Andy Oliver, Senior Vice President, Asia-Pacific

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The view from GermanyRemembering our days at school, didn’t we all hate the teacher’s pets? Those guys always had the best marks and put their hands up in a maniac manner to answer the teacher’s questions. Instead of playing with the other kids, they read Wittgenstein. In the European Union in recent years, Germany was one of these eager beavers. Without question, Germany is the economic and financial powerhouse of Europe. The influence of German politics on the European plateau increased during the Euro crisis. Historically, the Germans always brew the best beer. And to make matters worse, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund dominated the European football.

But there is some hope. In terms of adopting social media, Germany is a developing country, far behind European neighbors. According to research from GIK and Horizont, only a third of German companies use social media within their communications strategy. Shame on us. Companies from The Netherlands (50%), Sweden (45%) and the UK (42%) are doing far better in terms of using Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. But what are the reasons for reservations from German businesses?

1. Media landscape: Compared to other European markets, Germany still has a quite successful media landscape. So many German companies don’t see an ultimate reason to shift their communications programs from traditional media to new channels. For instance, a few years ago the weekly magazine “DIE ZEIT” was nearly bankrupt, but with a smart content and online strategy the revenue of the publishing house grew nearly 9 percent in 2013.

2. No clear responsibilities: Most German enterprises are still organized in silos. PR, marketing and HR are separate units, living in their boxes and planning separate campaigns. However, a key condition for successfully embedding social media is forcing them to open the silos. Consumer brands certainly understood the necessity for a structural change. But most B2B companies are very slow in adopting change and nobody really feels responsible for driving it.

3. Just a toy: Many decision-makers still don’t see a real business value of social media and social engagement. It’s simply a toy for fancy brands addressing a young audience. German companies, especially in the B2B sector, see Facebook, Twitter and blogs as a ‘nice-to-have’.

CENTRAL ANDEASTERN EUROPE

Rafael

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Instead of concentrating on the changing behavior of their customers, stakeholders and influencers, most companies are busy with themselves. The fact of the increased usage of social channels is simply ignored.

However, those 33% of German businesses who have already embedded social channels in their strategy are in a strong position. And the gap between the reluctant companies and the innovative ones is getting bigger. By establishing social channels, engaging with influencers beyond media and investing in owned media, these companies have established a communications ecosystem. The hub of the strategy is company-owned platforms (blog, website). Earned and paid media are just subordinate elements to increase conversions to the company-owned media. The shift from earned media to owned media is part of a comprehensive content marketing strategy. And the increased demand for storytelling and brand journalism seminars and consultancy shows what’s going on in the German market. While some companies still discuss if they need social media within their communications mix, the fast movers are now ready to spread their stories across multiple channels. They are ready for next- generation storytelling.

Rafael Rahn, Senior Vice President, Central and Eastern Europe

Key communication trends in GermanyMerge of B2B and B2C communications: digital storytelling at the heart of any communications campaign

LinkedIn will replace its German competitor XING

Watch Google+: Although Facebook dominates the social networks market in Germany, Google+ will play an increasing role for brands due to the importance in SEO

The view from Northern EuropeFor many businesses in the Nordics, the slow global economy didn’t have as strong an impact as in many other countries. Unemployment however is starting to become a tangible problem in Sweden, while at the same time there is a serious shortage of skilled and qualified staff – something Norway has been battling for years. More importantly, for international companies wanting to do business in the region, the media scene has evaporated.

Many international companies see the Northern region as a strong and important market where they want to be. This means that advertising and PR agencies have fared slightly better than in other countries. At the same time though, the rapidly shrinking media scene, especially in Sweden and Norway, has become a major issue for many B2B companies. Finland and Denmark are now following close behind.

Advertising no longer keeps publications going. The content of leading B2B titles, especially in IT, has been adapted to suit ongoing

“consumerization”. Starting several years ago, many companies chose to invest in PR instead of advertising as it was more cost-effective. But as the investment in advertising shrank, so did the room for editorial content.

A common misconception is that the articles and the readers moved onto social media. But, there are very few bloggers or people on Twitter to follow if you are interested in web content management, supply chain management or compliance for example. So where did they all go? A good grasp of the English language means that many people read international publications and newsletters. Events, especially smaller scale niche meetings like breakfast and lunch seminars arranged by well-known companies, keep gaining in importance. And a few larger local

NORTHERN EUROPE

“Advertising no longer keeps publications going.”

Robert

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mega-events like SIME and Webbdagarna in Sweden can charge massive entrance fees and still pull a large audience.

There is however one sector which has gained hugely from all of this: the content production agencies. As well-written articles and in-depth analysis of complicated products, solutions and development has become scarce, companies have picked up the slack and shifted their focus from advertising and media relations to content production – both of traditional material such as white papers and case studies, but in many cases, news articles. Today, most forward-thinking companies are transforming their websites to news sites. To feed these local websites and local newsrooms, companies are struggling to develop content that pulls traffic. Usability and thought-leadership are two key words in the recipe for success. Being there at the very moment someone sits down and types “implementing mobility policy best practice” into Google, has become the one KPI to rule them all.

Robert Almqvist, Vice President, Northern Europe

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The view from Southern EuropeSouthern Europe has faced shrinking budgets, the closing of relevant media - like Televisión Valenciana – and, a shift in comms with the rising importance of social media. Three problems at once; the perfect storm!

A recession enables us to try new things though, and we looked to Latin America. Here’s why: Social media is used intensively, fuelled by political instability in

countries like Venezuela There has been a rise in middle-class consumers. Over 50 million new

in the past decade The economy triples the EU’s growth. The IMF predicts Latin America

will grow 3% in 2014, accelerating to 3.5% in 2018 (see bar chart) Latin America’s biggest brands are investing abroad. Take Bimbo, the food and beverage giant, which grew 46% between 2010 and 2012 by acquiring different divisions of Sara Lee in US and Spain. Brazil’s InBev, the world’s largest beer company, owns Stella Artois, Skol and Budweiser.

The list continues with Brazilian aerospace conglomerate Embraer and América Móvil. These market giants are examples of brands that want campaigns to reflect their roots, but appeal to a global audience.

Southern Europe is perfectly suited to satisfy the global needs of Latam brands. Iberia can benefit from the prosperity of the Latin American market by providing the perfect gateway to mainland Europe, while Latin American businesses will be able to run successful campaigns by having a strong, effective coordination hub that understands the cultural complexities of a region with some 600 million people that mostly speak Spanish and Portuguese.

With an increasingly strong presence in Latin America – through our recently announced LEWIS+ agreements, dedicated campaign co-ordination teams and owned offices in key markets - that helps us to provide the right content with the right local flavor and still be truly global. Seamlessly.

Jorge López M-C, Vice President, Southern Europe

SOUTHERNEUROPE

Jorge

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0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

LATAM BRAZIL CHILE COLOMBIA MEXICO PERU

IMF’s projected growth of GDP in 2014

“The days when PR was the ugly duckling to

advertising are over.”

The UK has started to find its feet following the global financial crisis. For many, that started at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. People from around the world came to see the athletes deliver on the motto of faster, higher and stronger. They got more than that. They got a once in a lifetime experience. I know I did as I sat in the Olympic stadium on that amazing ‘Super Saturday’.

So when the Games closed, we looked forward not with thoughts of a return to the doom and gloom, but with enthusiasm for the future. Fast-forward two years, and the UK economy is now growing faster than any other developed country. We are predicted to overtake the mighty German economy by 2020, according to the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr).

What does this mean for the communications landscape in the UK? Like the economy, PR has evolved and developed into a pow-erful force. The days when PR was the ugly duckling to advertis-

UNITED KINGDOM

ing are over. To quote Matthew Freud, “the basic economic model for media and marketing is broken”. From reputation management and crisis communications, to demand generation and influencer relations, PR now has the attention of executives as its value is recognised. We must embrace it and seize the opportunity while we can.

Giles

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As we hit the mid-point of 2014, the UK PR landscape has never been more vibrant. But this brings challenges. The growing importance of PR, and the shifts taking place across the paid, owned and earned media landscape means that agencies and clients need to be more sophisticated than ever before.

Not only do we need to find the right blend of paid, owned and earned media, we need to increase brand awareness, drive leads, connect

with influencers and use data more smartly than ever before. The sophistication needed to run a campaign or manage the corporate communications of a brand is at a new level, and we are just starting to get to grips with it now.

We are seeing shifts to drive more national and broadcast coverage but at the same time engage in conversations over digital channels, and offline for that matter, with key influencers. The days of delivering a great press office are over. We need to deliver a great press office, social media, influencer engagement, content and thought leadership.

So as we look forward, the challenges are real, but so too are the opportunities. We have evolved and continue to evolve our services and capabilities to meet the new communication paradigms we face.

Giles Peddy, Group Managing Director, UK

“So as we look forward, the challenges are real, but so too

are the opportunities.”

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The view from the United StatesPR in the US is evolving at an extraordinary pace. The media landscape is shrinking but our demand for content is escalating.

US brands have an opportunity to share more captivating stories as traditional PR, social media and digital marketing become integrated. Some have challenged the PR industry, stating that our work should eventually become automated, but as new communication trends emerge, it is clear that more creative storytelling techniques are needed now, more than ever before.

“It’s the golden age of visual storytelling.”

Here are five key communication trends that will shape the US communications landscape in 2014:

The shift toward content marketing and brand journalism continues. The turmoil facing media companies over the past years has created an opportunity for every brand to become a media company. Organizations are providing valuable, compelling content that appeals to their target audiences, and then leveraging that content across traditional meddia, social channels and digital marketing

It’s the golden age of visual storytelling. Media and audiences today expect a strong visual component to any story. This makes stories stand out, creates more emotional impact, and makes them quicker to consume and share across a range of popular social platforms

UNITED STATES

1.

2.

Morgan

Claire

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Long-form stories are re-emerging. Social media and the digitization of traditional media led to a fire-hose of short-form stories and social media updates. This has fulfilled audiences’ cravings to always be in the know, but it has also left them longing for more in-depth stories. Now we’re seeing media companies (e.g., the New York Times) and social media platforms (such as Medium) experimenting with long-form content to balance out the constant flow of quick-fire media

At the same time, news stories are published and continue to evolve. With the growing demand for speed when it comes to breaking stories, thanks largely to Twitter, the news media are adapting. Now, it’s common for reporters to file brief stories or headlines and then update them repeatedly throughout the day as more information becomes available. Details are then verified as the

conversation around the particular event unfolds. That means there’s more opportunity for rapid response and to contribute to trending conversations

Influencers are everywhere. Every popular social channel that emerges creates a new set of influencers. This has held true for several years, but organizations need to look beyond traditional influencer sources (e.g., news media, bloggers, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube); newer channels such as Pinterest, Vine, Instagram and Tumblr, create opportunities to become an authority and present a new crop of influencers to engage with

Morgan McLintic, Executive Vice President, US andClaire Rowberry, Senior Vice President

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4.

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The view from Western EuropeI often wonder how three neighboring countries, that share a long history and only two languages between them, can be so fundamentally different. For example, the French are obsessed with food. The Dutch on the other hand see food as a quick fix to fight hunger. The only thing we all have in common is probably a chronic lack of sun hours.

So, how do these very different groups of people across the LEWIS offices in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Eindhoven and Paris get along? By having a common goal and challenge that unite us all. The offices have embraced the change in our industry as a team. We have invested in creating an all-round content proposition. We use that as a basis for campaigns, which marries journalistic quality writing with great visual content.

We make sure the content travels wide and far to reach target audiences. For this we have adopted what we call ‘the rule of five’. This means every piece of content that is developed around a news event, needs to appear in five different forms. Whether it is an article, interview, video, infographic, picture, Tweet or a video. We have a LEWIS Pulse team, based in The Netherlands, specialists in creating digital content. They service the whole region, led by Jurriaan de Reu.

A few years ago we embarked on a journey to diversify our client base, and it has paid off. We now have one of the largest dedicated

WESTERN EUROPE

“The French are obsessed with food. The Dutch on the

other hand see food as a quick fix to fight hunger.”

Yvonne

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consumer teams within the LEWIS network. Working for great brands such as Yahoo!, AB InBev and 20th Century Fox. A lot of this growth and expansion we owe to our Amsterdam office, which was opened only a few years ago and is a rising star within our region. Led by LEWIS partner Vera Kops, it is an amazing success story.

Our French office is growing exceptionally fast. This is the result of an amazingly strong leadership team. With Marie-Laure Laville at the helm,

“We are working for great brands such as Yahoo!,

AB InBev and 20th Century Fox.”

surrounded by LEWIS veterans and partners Karim Rhalimi, Nicolas Lefevre and Lucie Robet, they are simply unbeatable.

Antwerp and Eindhoven remain solid offices. With a successful content team, managed by partner Freek Janssen, they represent our journalistic heart. Antwerp has some of the largest names in the industry on its roster, such as IBM, Google, SAP and Samsung. Both offices are led by great female role models and LEWIS partners Cathelijne van den Bosch and Miek Gielkens.

It is an amazing privilege to work with the people in this region. Every day we look for ways to innovate what we do, and deliver more value to our clients. I think that is the secret of our success. We have ambitious plans for the future. We want to win more clients from different sectors and roll out more services. And despite the cultural differences we actually really enjoy each other’s company!

Yvonne van Bokhoven, Senior Vice President, Western Europe

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LEWIS Pulse

Expanding across the globeThrough Pulse we offer our clients fully integrated digital marketing services that encompass social media marketing, search engine and display advertising, SEO, creative design and technical web development.

“As well as winning more amazing clients, Pulse has also

won several awards this past year.”

To supplement the original San Francisco team, in March 2013 we launched Pulse hubs across Europe and in Singapore. And we haven’t looked back. As well as winning more amazing clients, Pulse has also won several awards this past year including two from Bulldog Reporter and the moniker Campaign Asia’s Media Launch of the Year for our outstanding digital work.

Here’s a taste of some more highlights from around the world:In the United States, our partnerships with VMware and McAfee continue to grow and we’ve also welcomed several new clients including Stericycle, Ixia, Good Technology, CloudPassage and MapR. Under the guidance of Haley Hebert, Vice President of Pulse US, the team continues to expand our service offering to include increased social media and advertising services as well as automated campaign management.

The Singapore team continues to grow at a rapid pace and boasts a roster of high profile brands that include Porsche, Spotify, Hitachi, Oracle and Frasers Hospitality.

The Benelux region, led by Jurriaan de Reu, Head of Pulse Benelux, can also proudly claim many top brands as clients. 20th Century Fox, Samsung, Dolby, Nintendo, Adobe and Vogel’s are just some of the brands that benefit from the many talents contained within the team.

In addition to these core Pulse hubs, we’re expanding our digital capabilities throughout Europe and Asia.

Stephen Corsi, Senior Vice President, Global LEWIS Pulse

Stephen

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LEWIS+, our global partner agency network, was launched in response to clients’ geographical demands. LEWIS+ member agencies are selected because they share our service ethos, best practice standards and core values. The goal of LEWIS+ is to deliver truly global communications, combining global outreach with local expertise.

LEWIS+ expands our presence to seven new fast-growth markets. Here is an introduction to our current members from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Israel, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Turkey and Venezuela.

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Describe your agency in one paragraphSince 2006, PR Partner has been providing communications services (media relations, SMM and others) in Russia and the commonwealth of independent states. We are one of the top 250 global communications companies, according to the Holmes Report, and rank in the top 15 in Russia by RIA Rating. Our clients include Check Point Software Technologies, VMware, OpenText, Pantum, OKI, Rosbank, Winx, Sanitelle, Jack Wolfskin and others. Give us an overview of your core expertiseWe are a team of 32 proactive, positive and professional employees, many of whom are members of professional organizations RASO and IABC. We have three practices: IT and telecom, FMCG, finance and real estate. Has your market embraced digital?Absolutely - over the last two years we have invested a lot in social media. We run the digital campaigns for InvesttorgBank, MDM bank, Oblakoteka, RDTECH and Orange Business Services. What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? Say something concrete to media and bloggers. Russian journalists

hate advertising jargon in PR materials! Don’t call media before 11am, but feel free to call them at 9pm,

especially if you are in Moscow Remember the time difference between Russian cities. For example,

there is seven hours difference between Moscow and Vladivostok! Which book or movie best depicts your country?‘Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears’ is a 1979 Soviet film made by Mosfilm

Inna Alexeeva, Managing Director, PR Partner, Moscow

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Describe your agency in one paragraphSince 2001, we have been helping our clients build and enhance their brands. We were pioneers in social media in Brazil and in 2012, we were credited to be the best company to work for in our industry by Great Place To Work (GPTW). Give us an overview of your core expertiseAs a corporate communications agency, we are innovative, restless and enterprising. We are experts in strategic communications planning, corporate communications for B2B (IT, healthcare and insurance) and communications intelligence. Has your market embraced digital?Without a doubt - Brazil has around 100 million internet users, according to IBGE and IBOPE research. Around 30% of internet users are between 25 and 34 years old and spend 36% of their online time on social media platforms, according to a recent comScore report.

Describe your agency in one paragraphSince 2001, we have been helping our clients build and enhance their brands. We were pioneers in social media in Brazil and in 2012, we were credited to be the best company to work for in our industry by Great Place credited to be the best company to work for in our industry by Great Place brands. We were pioneers in social media in Brazil and in 2012, we were credited to be the best company to work for in our industry by Great Place

Many companies are looking at two high-profile sport events, the World Cup 2014 and the Olympics in 2016, as an opportunity to explore digital platforms to increase brand awareness and even business opportunities. What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? Only negotiate exclusive subjects (don’t have great expectations

distributing press releases) Just call media between 11am and 4pm, the Brazilian journalists don’t

like press release follow-up One of the best PR tools is goodwill meetings Which book or movie best depicts your country?Laurentino Gomes books – ‘1808’, ‘1822’ and ‘1889’

Marcio Cavalieri, President, Grupo RMA, São Paulo

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Describe your agency in one paragraphRadius Kommunikation is one of Denmark’s largest and leading communication agencies. The company was established in 2003 and currently counts 20 employees and more than 40 clients. Our mission is to ensure that our clients’ communications are integrated across communication channels in support of their long- and short-term business goals. Accordingly, our premise for advising our clients will always be each client’s specific business goals, market situation, and reputation.

Give us an overview of your core expertiseRadius Kommunikation advises on all aspects of corporate and market communications and public affairs, which means we can offer end-to-end assistance to our clients, from research, advice and strategy to creative idea generation, process management and efficient execution, through all communication channels.

Has your market embraced digital?In recent years, the market and our clients have matured immensely and all types of communication and PR campaigns now have a digital

footprint. Deadlines are rolling and companies communicate in real-time. The digital evolution has contributed to more transparency and dialogue.

What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? The Danish media landscape has a limited number of both

national and industry media – but still media with very distinctive profiles. This makes it essential to develop targeted media pitches and great content that really stands out

All content needs to be localised and it is difficult to obtain coverage without a local spokesperson with detailed market knowledge

Analysis-based stories still get great traction. Making population surveys to illustrate a specific challenge facing the Danes or give an interesting twist to a story is a good way to create relevance and get wider media coverage

Which book or movie best depicts your country?The Danish political drama series ‘Borgen’

Christian Wulff Søndergaard, Managing Director, Radius Kommunikation, Copenhagen

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Describe your agency in one paragraphAllmedia PR is a full-service public relations firm, known for its strategic approach to help global and local clients meet their varying organizational goals. Allmedia specializes in consulting, planning, and implementing public relations, integrated marketing communication, and digital media activities for both domestic and global companies.

Give us an overview of your core expertiseAllmedia has acquired most of its expertise and experience in the business-economic sector. Over the past 11 years, Allmedia became the largest and leading public relations agency for technology firms using all media channels (from TV to social media).

Has your market embraced digital? Social media has became one of the most popular and influential channels for communication and engagement and as a source to receive news and updates. The business sector understands the benefit of those channels and that the target audience is there. Therefore, organizations invest in content and promotion activities. Facebook is the most powerful social

media platform in Israel, followed by Linkedin and Instagram. Twitter is not popular in Israel.

What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? Learn everything about your client so you can speak in the same

“language” with relevant reporters. Israeli journalists appreciate professional PR consultants that know their client and the market well Always be proactive and creative. There aren’t many publications in Israel but there are many PR agencies, so proactivity is crucial to be in the media

Journalists are getting ever busier. If you are offering a topic for an item, bring other experts that can participate as well. That way you will save time for the journalist and the chance of success is higher

Which book or movie best depicts your country?‘Start-Up Nation’ by Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Oren Bason, CEO, Allmedia, Tel-Aviv

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Describe your agency in one paragraphKUTADGU specializes in corporate reputation management, business/marketing communications and stakeholder engagement. The team is experienced in consultancy, media relations, crisis communications, employee communications and project management across various sectors namely technology, finance, telecommunication, FMCG, energy, retail and utility/infrastructure.

Give us an overview of your core expertiseCorporate reputation and brand management are KUTADGU’s core expertise areas. In addition, KUTADGU has a unique expert position in Turkey in conducting stakeholder engagement programs in Equator Principles / IFC / EBRD norms and standards, especially in major energy and infrastructure projects.

Has your market embraced digital? Within Turkey, the effectiveness of digital is limited across mainstream communication. Its importance depends heavily on products and services being offered and which associated audiences need to be engaged.

What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? The most effective communication in Turkey is when people feel close to the brand. So focus should be on: Experience marketing/event management Personalised communication Social responsibility

Which book or movie best depicts your country?‘La Vita e Bella’ by Roberto Benigni

Ahter Kutadgu, Founder and Managing Partner & Burak Tezcan, Senior Consultant, KUTADGU, Istanbul

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Describe your agency in one paragraphKUTADGU specializes in corporate reputation management, business/marketing communications and stakeholder engagement. The team is experienced in consultancy, media relations, crisis communications, employee communications and project management across various sectors namely technology, finance, telecommunication, FMCG, energy, sectors namely technology, finance, telecommunication, FMCG, energy, retail and utility/infrastructure.

Give us an overview of your core expertiseCorporate reputation and brand management are KUTADGU’s core

Ahter Burak

Which book or movie best depicts your country?Argentina - “El Jesuita”, Sergio Rubín and Francesa Ambrogetti Evita OperaChile - “Mi país inventado”, Isabel AllendePeru - “El lenguaje de la pasión”, Mario Vargas LlosaColombia - “100 años de soledad”, Gabriel Garcia MárquezVenezuela - “De Verde a Maduro. El sucesor de Hugo Chávez”, RogerSanto Domingo

Cristela Reyes, CEO, Market Cross, Latin America

Describe your agency in one paragraphWe are an independent communications company with more than 18 years of experience in the Latin American market.

Give us an overview of your core expertise Core Services: strategic communications, PR, lead generation,

digital communications 18 years of experience operating with world-class customers, with

a focus on IT products and services

Has your market embraced digital? Our market continues to value print media. However, there is also awareness among companies of the importance of having an online presence.

What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? Establish close and lasting relationships with journalists Do not confuse advertising with the press Provide quality content to the media. Latin American journalists

want hard facts to put together articles and need innovative and appealing content

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What are your three top tips for doing PR in your market? Know your stakeholders Work with the philosophy and idiosyncrasy of the country Have a 360 degree vision in communication Which book or movie best depicts your country?“Sor Juana” or “The Traps of Faith”, Octavio de Paz

Lorena Carreño, CEO, Marketing Q, Mexico City

Describe your agency in one paragraphMarketing Q Strategies and Communications specializes in using research to create PR strategies and campaigns, crisis consultancy, and brand reputation. Our clients are predominantly based in technology, pharmaceutical, financial services and automotive areas. Give us an overview of your core expertiseWe believe we are the accountants of success stories, based on market and journalistic knowledge, as well as careful media management. We pride ourselves on our implementation methodologies and standards in line with the requirements of our clients. Has your market embraced digital?Yes, Mexico is a vanguard of technology in social media. Our country is one of the most connected on Facebook and Twitter, as well as many other major social networks.

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Describe your agency in one paragraphMarketing Q Strategies and Communications specializes in using research to create PR strategies and campaigns, crisis consultancy, and brand reputation. Our clients are predominantly based in technology, pharmaceutical, financial services and automotive areas.

Lorena

Extended family

For those not familiar with DMG, we are a 70-person integrated PR and marketing firm with primary offices in Boston, London, and Munich. Nearly all of our clients are B2B high tech companies, and they range in size from global giants like Comcast, Facebook, and NTT to early-stage venture-backed start-ups like Veeam, Brainshark, and LiquiGlide.

Some of our clients use us strictly for PR, while others use us for marketing activities such as lead generation, sales support, content creation, creative services, event management, and messaging. About two-thirds of our clients take advantage of both our PR and marketing services.

We were founded in 1998 specifically to create a different sort of agency – one that was more in tune with what clients wanted, one that was designed to be the agency we’d always hoped to find when we were clients of agencies.

Specifically, that meant: Letting the clients’ business objectives drive the program strategy, so

that the value we delivered would be as appreciated by a CEO or VP of Sales as it would by a CMO or VP of Corporate Communications;

Offering a broader and more tightly integrated set of services so we could provide a complete solution to our clients’ business challenges without having to rely on partners or outsourcing;

Hiring a more senior staff, who had experience on both the client and agency side, and who came out of our clients’ industries;

Limiting our employees’ workloads to half what they are in many agencies, and having them focus exclusively on client service, so they were well-positioned to do truly exceptional work across all their accounts; and

Adopting a fixed flat-fee business model so clients had no financial disincentive for fully engaging with us, and involving us more deeply in their businesses

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In the 15 years we’d been in business prior to joining LEWIS, the model proved extremely effective, we had one of the best – if not the best – client retention records in the industry, literally all of our clients came in as word-of-mouth referrals, obviating the need to do any proactive business development, and 100% of our clients were strong, positive references.

When LEWIS approached us, the fit was obvious from the beginning. DMG provided LEWIS with a significantly expanded presence in the US and access to new services that offer an easily quantifiable ROI, and LEWIS gave DMG a vastly expanded international footprint so we could offer our clients a much higher quality, more tightly integrated program on a truly global basis. We were like-minded about our approaches, shared a common set of goals and values, and – perhaps most importantly – took our work extremely seriously while not taking ourselves very seriously at all.

A year later, as we look back, the combining of DMG and LEWIS has been even more successful than I could have imagined. We have multiple joint engagements, with new business opportunities flowing in both directions,

and with greater frequency than expected. Our teams have gotten to know, respect, and genuinely like each other, both through LEWIS’ generous secondment program, as well as through shared campaigns and social activities. And, perhaps most telling, there is no element of “us” and “them” – we have quickly and naturally fallen into a pattern of simply being one team, marching in lock step toward a common goal.

Looking forward, there is every reason to believe this trend will only continue, with the connections growing deeper and more plentiful. It is truly a testament to the vision of Chris Lewis, and to the dedication of both our teams, that we find ourselves in this happy and enviable position. I am sure that a year from now, as I pause to take a moment to look back once more, I will again be amazed at how much we’ve been able to accomplish together, and how natural the union of DMG and LEWIS feels. In fact, it may be hard to remember or even conceive of a time when it was any other way. Truly, there could be no better indicator of a match that was meant to be.

Eric Davies, DMG

In the 15 years we’d been in business prior to joining LEWIS, the model proved extremely effective, we had one of the best – if not the best – client retention records in the industry, literally all of our clients came in as word-of-mouth referrals, obviating the need to do any proactive business

It was with excitement and pride that Purestone joined LEWIS in April. After nine years of riding the agency rollercoaster we felt it was the right time to accelerate our vision and growth plans. We are positive this was not only the right move for the agency and its clients, but also some-thing unique within the agency landscape. There’s been a lot of M&A movement in our market over the last 18 months, and we could have pursued a number of directions, but felt strongly that LEWIS shared our vision and view of the world.

As a global communications agency LEWIS has a really strong heritage in PR, content and the art of storytelling. Add to this great experience in social media, online communities and digital PR that when added to our stable of services creates a genuinely compelling and complementary mix.

It will allow us to develop and shape digital conversations and experiences that extend well beyond our previous capabilities.

The fact that LEWIS is fiercely independent is critical. It means it shares many of our already established working practices and will no doubt add a good deal more to our culture and ethos over time. They’re real people with great experience who love what they do and love what we do!

We’ve no doubt it will be a fantastic platform for growth that enables Purestone, its clients and its staff the opportunity to have a truly exciting future.

Simon Butler and James Smee, Purestone

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From left to right: Chris Lewis, Giles Peddy, Simon Butler, James Smee

At the end of May, EBA Communications became the latest company to join the LEWIS Group. Founded by journalist Euan Barty, we offer communications services to clients in a variety of sectors including technology and travel. We employ 50 staff across four offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Our clients include Citrix, Gartner, Honeywell, Infineon, LINE, Regus, Tourism Australia, TE Connectivity and Universal Robots.

EBA is excited to be part of the LEWIS Group. LEWIS is one of the few global agencies in the communications industry that has retained its in-dependence. It is ambitious and fast-growing with a clear vision for

the future. It has a strong emphasis on digital capabilities, both within its core operation and through the operations of its specialist digital marketing team, LEWIS Pulse.

LEWIS adds a global context to EBA. Its international network offers us business opportunities to serve clients looking for a global agency partner. We have already partnered with LEWIS teams in the US, UK, Germany, Singapore and Australia. This partnership will give the EBA team exposure to working with international colleagues, and additional career opportunities.

Claudia Choi, EBA Communications

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From left to right: Chris Lewis, Claudia Choi, Euan Barty, Andy Oliver

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