Burson Marsteller Walks Away From LG

Leading PR agency Burson Marsteller has chosen not to re-pitch for the LG PR account in Australia after LG Korean chose to call a pitch for the business two months ago. This resulted in several WPP PR Companies, including Hill & Knowlton, PPR and Pulse, fighting for the account, which is believed to have gone to Pulse.Bridget Candy, a Director at Burson Marsteller told ChannelNews three weeks ago, “We are aware of the situation and we have chosen not to re-pitch for the LG business”.

Several weeks ago, Myrna Van Pelt, Regional Director, Technology AN, for WPP-owned PR Company Hill & Knowlton confirmed with ChannelNews that Hill & Knowlton was talking to LG.

Also chasing the business was Ogilvy & Mather PR, who is also a WPP-owned Company.

The decision to appoint a new PR Company in Australia was not made locally and at one stage local marketing director David Brand advised LG Korea executives that he wanted to keep incumbent agency Burson Marsteller; however, this decision was taken away from him.

Brand, who is publicity shy, is believed to have been overruled in the final decision with Pulse PR, who recently lost the Vodafone account, being appointed earlier this week.

According to sources, several PR company executives chose not to pitch for the LG Australia business, citing LG as a difficult account who in Australia was dictated to by communication executives in Korea.

Four weeks ago, ChannelNews gave undertakings to one PR agency that we would not reveal their involvement in a pitch or that a pitch was taking place.

We have also been told that one of the agencies involved in the pitch is now talking to one of the top four consumer electronic brands after they were approached by the vendor when news of the LG pitch first broke.