The principals of eight communications companies, involved in advertising, public relations, direct response and graphic arts, have come together under one roof and common ownership to form an integrated marketing company.
The new firm is called United Business Communications, and it brings together the principals of the following firms: Burghardt Wolowich Crunkhorn, Marbury Advertising, Index Communications, CNC Media, Dudley Marketing, Communications Management Group, Hutcheon Direct Marketing and Dan Bobbie and Associates Public Relations.
Growing urgency
While the need to expand outside of the media advertising discipline had been occurring for some time to Bob Wolowich, a principal in bwc and now the director of creative services of United, the urgency of doing so became clear when he began researching the communications marketplace after his former partner, John Burghardt, left bwc more than a year ago.
Wolowich says he sent more than 150 letters to suppliers and clients, and discovered that people in the communications business have become so tied to their own particular disciplines that they have lost sight of their prime function: to help solve clients’ business problems.
‘We’ve been selling tools, and not focussing on the client’s problems,’ Wolowich says. ‘As a result, this self-interest has caused clients to lose interest in our industry.’
As he continued to canvas the business, Wolowich found a number of people in a variety of disciplines who were reaching the same conclusion, and, gradually, the idea began to take shape that if they came together as one company they could offer a multidisciplined approach to problem-solving.
Business manager
United will be structured under a system in which each client will be assigned a business manager, who acts as an overall co-ordinator and can customize the communications solution to the business issue at hand, using the appropriate communications tool or tools.
Each client is also assigned a senior creative director.
Other partners in addition to Wolowich include:
Gerry Kane, president of Marbury and now president of United; Orest Semeniuk, business manager and managing director; Michael Crunkhorn, business manager; Christine McLeod, business manager; Lynn Dudley, business manager; Dan Reynolds, business manager and director strategic planning; Mike Gorman, director of media services; and Allan Hutcheon, director of direct and database marketing.
United is located at 512 King Street East in Toronto.
