The PR pitch wins and M&A run down for March

Our March review highlighted a resilient M&A market and increased pitch activity with specialist agencies dominating wins.

Pitch and M&A Market Health
The PR pitch market is good with high agency confidence, but client decision-making timelines are lengthening, creating a sustained grind. The M&A market is robust, demonstrating strong resilience with high demand for specialist, technology-driven agencies, particularly from US buyers.

Major PR Wins Secured
Multiple high-profile pitch wins were announced, including Edelman securing Vista Global and Mischief winning Schweppes' global creative strategy. Hope&Glory's Wagamama win reflects a trend of PR firms successfully competing for social and influencer mandates against specialist social agencies.

Strategic Agency Acquisitions
Several major acquisitions reinforced the demand for specialised capabilities, with Parity acquiring One Strategy Group to enter the US corporate advisory space. Publicis acquired AdgeAI, an AI-powered analytics platform, reinforcing the industry's focus on technology and predictive performance insights.

Transcript

• March Review of PR Pitches and M&A Activity: Ben Smith and Andrew Bloch introduced the monthly review focusing on the largest public relations (PR) wins and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the UK PR sector during March. Andrew Bloch, lead consultant at AAR and partner at PCB partners, was welcomed back to provide his expert insights.
• Current State of the Pitch Market: The UK PR pitch market is described as good, with business trading slightly better than expected and generally high confidence levels among agencies. However, Andrew Bloch noted that clients are taking longer to make decisions, creating a "grind" for agencies despite having big pipelines, and while global events continue to unfold, agencies are approaching the next quarter with caution.
• Current State of the PR M&A Market: The M&A market is showing strong resilience, with an increased volume of deals, particularly high demand for specialist and technology-driven agencies. While buyers are disciplined regarding valuations, UK agencies remain highly attractive to the international market, especially the US, driven by the desire to acquire specialised capabilities, data expertise, and AI-enabled agencies.
• Optimism for the PR Sector in M&A: PR is proving attractive to large holding groups and mid-tier marketing groups engaged in "buy and build" strategies, as they recognize the value of earned media and storytelling to integrate services. Andrew Bloch emphasised that niche agencies consistently outperform generalists in terms of appeal to buyers.
• PR Pitch Momentum and Trends: The large number of pitch wins announced in March is attributed to agencies publicizing successes secured toward the end of the previous year. Current trends indicate a buoyant market with momentum around agencies that prove themselves on project work and then secure retained briefs, particularly within the travel and retail sectors.
• Edelman's New Win: Edelman won the corporate communications brief for Vista Global, a private jet company that owns Vista Jet. This win involves reputation building and engagement with ultra-high-net-worth clients, which aligns well with Edelman’s existing client base in that division.
• Mischief Secures Schweppes: Mischief secured a "fantastic win" with Schweppes, covering consumer PR, brand repositioning, and global creative strategy work, alongside social media and influencer activity across UK and international markets, including Egypt and Latin America. Mischief, which is part of the same group as MHP, has a strong client base, including Just Eat, Channel 4, Samsung, Diageo, and Eon.
• Heston Blumenthal Appoints 360: Heston Blumenthal appointed 360, a corporate communications agency and part of the Casbar group, for global PR. The brief focuses on increasing brand awareness for their London and Dubai restaurants, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Fat Duck and the 21st anniversary of Dinner by Heston Blumenthal.
• The Fitting Room Wins Wendy's: Wendy's, a global quick service restaurant (QSR) brand, appointed The Fitting Room, an independent agency specializing in global culture and communication, as its lead strategic and creative partner in the UK following a competitive pitch. This work will involve brand strategy, creative direction, national campaigns, local marketing, and influencer management to elevate brand relevance.
• Hope and Glory Wins Wagamama: Wagamama appointed Hope and Glory for consumer, social, and influencer activity focused on accelerating brand growth and cultural relevance, including menu launches and innovation. Andrew Bloch noted that this win is part of a trend where PR agencies are successfully building capabilities to compete with specialist social-first agencies for social and influencer mandates.
• VCCP Social Club Wins Tinder: Tinder appointed VCCP Social Club as their social and influencer agency, with responsibility for social strategy, creator content, influencer selection, and community management.
• PC Agency and The World Travel and Tourism Council: PC Agency, a travel specialist, was appointed by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to manage their global corporate and consumer communications. This significant win for a travel specialist firm comes as Paul Charles, who runs PC Agency, has invested in international offices, which likely contributed to their pole position for this business.
• Rooster and Hatch Win Hyatt Hotels Work: Specialist travel agency Rooster won the PR brief for five of Hyatt Hotels’ London properties and 15 restaurants and bars, handling strategy, creative, and campaign execution for brands including the Churchill and the Unbound Collection. Simultaneously, Hatch was appointed to launch the new Hyatt House and Hyatt Place hotels in Leeds, demonstrating a growing trend where brands are using regional strategies to better engage with local communities and specific audiences.
• Finn Partners Wins Palladium Hotel Group: Finn Partners, an agency strong in the travel sector, secured the Palladium Hotel Group account, which owns 40 hotels globally, including the Hard Rock Tenerife. The work includes UK consumer and global corporate communications, as well as digital strategy, covering new openings and thought leadership.
• The Romans Secure Lastminute.com: The Romans won an EU-wide travel brief for Lastminute.com to strengthen the brand and revamp its offering in Germany, France, and Italy. The work involves culturally impactful PR, influencer work, and GEO, with the strategy being led out of The Romans' Amsterdam and Berlin offices.
• The Romans Win Sage Sports Sponsorship: The Romans also won the brief for Sage, focusing on PR and social-first content around Sage's sponsorship of the English Football League. The mandate centers on celebrating the small businesses that support football communities and further establishes The Romans' growing sports empire, which includes clients like Heineken, WWE, and Puma.
• Finn Partners Wins TG Jones: TG Jones, formerly WH Smith High Street, appointed Finn Partners for a consumer campaign aiming to position the brand as the hub of the high street. The brief, which spans reputation management, media, and cultural partnerships, is challenging due to the need to increase awareness and reappraisal following criticism of the rebrand.
• John Doe Wins Sephora: John Doe won the Sephora account, the beauty retailer, specifically to support their move into Scotland with store openings planned in Glasgow and Edinburgh. This win, which involves media relations and influencer activity, is another example of a regional appointment strategy.
• Time Out Appoints Stacked Collective's Munch: Time Out appointed Munch, the PR part of the Stacked collective, to deliver the global Best Cities campaign across 2026. This initiative is an earned media program designed to create visibility and elevate coverage for the campaign, which is currently in its 10th year.
• PHA Wins UK Vein Clinic: PHA was appointed by the UK Vein Clinic for a 12-month campaign called "Making Veins Matter," focused on press office work to educate the public on the signs of vein disease and the importance of early treatment. The agency will support the brand's expansion with 17 new clinics opening this year, addressing the fact that varicose and thread veins affect at least one in three people in the UK.
• MHP Group Wins Independent Governance Group: MHP Group was appointed by the Independent Governance Group (IGG), a professional pensions trustee firm, to support their M&A-driven expansion plan. This work aligns with MHP's recent success in winning specialist clients, including Coin Payments and Zilch.
• Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon Wins Asda Rollout: Pink Gorilla Hairy Lemon, a Leeds-based PR and experiential agency, was appointed by Asda to roll out ten standalone George concept stores (clothing and homeware division). This regional appointment follows a successful pilot project and involves influencer work, events, and PR, separate from the work handled by Smarts.
• Matchfit Wins Power League: Matchfit, a sports specialist agency, was retained by Power League to promote their five-a-side football facilities, as well as new offerings like netball courts and paddle courts, including FIFA World Cup activations. Power League is a sizable business with 350 locations, and the win sits alongside Matchfit's client roster which includes EA Sports and the FA.
• Instinct Wins Absolut Vodka Collaboration: Absolut Vodka appointed Instinct for a project centered on launching the Absolute Tabasco collaboration. This is viewed as a project that may lead to more work and follows a trend of clients doing project-based work before moving into more secure retained relationships.
• Shook Wins PDSA and Tony's Chocolonely: Shook secured a double win, first with PDSA (People's Dispensary for Sick Animals) for a consumer PR and media strategy campaign to support their mission. Shook also secured a spot on the retained roster for Tony's Chocolonely, having previously executed a successful project for the brand.
• Parity Acquires One Strategy Group: Parity acquired One Strategy Group, a corporate strategy and executive communications firm based predominantly in New York and Washington, to join its stable alongside Brands to Life. This acquisition, focusing on advising CEOs and C-suite leaders on corporate positioning, represents a move into the US market and the corporate advisory space, aligning with the industry trend of moving up the food chain.
• Avanir Global Acquires Thinks Insight and Strategy: Avanir Global, the Montreal-based owner of agencies like Hanover and Axon, acquired Thinks Insight and Strategy, a specialist research, insight, and strategy firm. This deal, which involves 90 full-time employees, strengthens Avanir’s strategic and research capabilities, reinforcing the high demand for specialist acquisition targets.
• Ramamarketing Acquires ISR: Rama Marketing, a strategic life sciences marketing agency, acquired ISR, a pharmaceutical market research firm. This data deal in a niche sector strengthens Rama Marketing's presence in North America by combining primary market research with strategy, marketing, and communications.
• Publicis Acquires AdgeAI: Publicis acquired ADH AI, an AI-powered analytics platform that measures the creative performance of content, including videos, images, and text. This platform helps clients invest by providing predictive performance insights and links performance signals to extract patterns, which the Publicis CEO views as critical for scaling messaging effectively in the AI era.
• Rudin Finn Acquires The Equity Group: Rudin Finn acquired The Equity Group, a New York-based investor relations and corporate communications firm that supports clients with investor positioning and corporate development. This acquisition strengthens Rudin Finn's capabilities at the C-suite level and continues their strategy of rapid global expansion following recent acquisitions in the UK, Southeast Asia, and California.
• PPHC Acquires WPI Strategy: PPHC, the American-based holding company that owns Pagefield, acquired WPI Strategy, an economics and policy consultancy unit. The acquisition, which is expected to close imminently, is highly specialized and complementary to Pagefield's public and regulatory affairs work.