Optimum Public Relations, owned by Vision 7, is merging with the umbrella corporation’s other PR operations around the world under a new brand: Citizen Relations.
The merger includes the U.S. offices of PainePR, as well as the U.K.’s Band & Brown and Brando firms.
Each will integrate the Citizen name into their branding during a transition period of unspecified length–Optimum becomes Citizen Optimum, Brando becomes Citizen Brando, etc.–but each will report to Citizen Relations’ chairman Daryl McCullough, who is based in Los Angeles.
These PR agencies were already grouped within Vision 7’s EDC Communications group of companies (which also includes the Dare and Elvis Communications creative agencies). The rebranding is an evolution of ongoing collaboration between the agencies, said Nick Cowling, general manager of Optimum in Toronto.
“We’ve got great agencies that were all doing well in their individual markets and found ourselves tapping into each other’s experience… We had a lot in common already,” Cowling said. “Certainly, the unification made a lot of sense once the new corporate structure [for Vision 7] was set out.”
The rebranding and merger process began a year ago when Cossette Inc. changed its corporate structure, creating the Vision 7 holding company and dividing its main Cossette creative agency operations from its international holdings.
The new Citizen has a global footprint with clients in North America and Europe, and in Asia Pacific, Latin American and India thanks to partnerships with Jeffrey Group, SPRG, and Creative Crest.
“Citizen Relations is not another loosely formed agency network,” said McCullough, in a release. “Our lead partners share common ownership, and together we’ve created an innovative global collaboration model that provides focused resources, an innovative organizational model, and fresh insight-based thinking that PR clients, regionally and globally, need to meet complex communications challenges today and tomorrow.”
Citizen Relations Intro (INT) from Citizen Relations on Vimeo.
