2024 Global Midsize PR Agencies of the Year

2024 Global PR Agencies of the Year

The 2024 Global PR Agencies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 500 submissions and (virtual) meetings with the best PR firms across North America, EMEA, Asia-Pacific and LatAm.

Analysis of all of the Winners and Finalists across specialist categories can be accessed via the navigation menu to the right or below. Winners are announced at the 2024 Global SABRE Awards, taking place at the 2024 PRovokeGlobal Summit on 28 October.

Finalists

Allison (Stagwell Group)

Backstory

More than 20 years ago, Allison+Partners was launched amid the wreckage of the dotcom bust and quickly established itself as a significant player, first on the West Coast and soon nationally. Now in its third decade, the firm has been one of the fastest growing and most award-winning midsize agencies in the US, establishing itself as a leader in the consumer, corporate and technology arenas, and building a formidable digital capability. Our 2023 midsize agency of the year, the agency shortened its name to Allison, a move meant to reflect its evolution from an earned media PR agency to a global integrated marketing communications firm. With an eye on rapid growth, Scott Allison in January of this year ceded his global CEO role to global COO and co-founder Jonathan Heit so that he could focus on expanding the agency through acquisitions.

Locations

The firm’s US offices—its San Francisco headquarters, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami,New York, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington —are deliberately sized so that no one location is dominant and the firm has centers of excellence across the country. Over the past few years, the international reach has been growing too, and Allison now has offices in Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Middle East, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and the UK. The firm won Midsize Network honors in Asia, and was a finalist for the same in EMEA, as well as for Digital Agency of the Year in North America.

Performance

Allison’s North America revenue last year hit $83.4 million, while global revenue was $113 million, fueled by particularly strong business in Asia. Where Allison’s owned operations grew by 31.5%, with all markets up and China perhaps the biggest success story, growing 27% to $16.3m. In EMEA, income totalled just short of $7.8m last year, down slightly on 2022. New services include the firm’s alternative data source offering, which through partnerships blends real-world (external) and marketing (internal) data to give companies the most informed picture of their businesses. New AI services and solutions for client and internal use include policy writing and deployment, AI instance development, including access to PrivateGPTs, staff education, and training services and content development.

People & Culture

Allison has its own approach to building a strong culture: no single office is larger than 100 people (most are in the 40-50 range) and the firm is organized as a single profit center, eliminating any barrier to collaboration. The agency’s approach to DEI (called IDE+A - Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Allyship/Advocacy) is behind a culture of belonging by emphasizing collective and accountability, reshaping behaviors and mindsets to foster equity and integrating IDE+A into all operations. In Asia, where it was named Best Agency to Work For, egional leadership features COO Jeremy Seow in Singapore, along with key market heads. In EMEA, Jim Selman continues to lead from the flagship London office.

Thought Leadership & Work

In conjunction with parent company Stagwell, Allison has developed a suite of AI services and solutions for clients and internal consumption, including policy writing and deployment, access to PrivateGPTs, staff education, training services and content development. Having earned accolades over the years, Allison’s most recent work for Budweiser involved distributing 1.2 million coupons for free beer to Argentinians in the two weeks following its 2022 World Cup win. Budweiser deliveries rose 400% and net revenue grew by double digits. The firm’s Stay Human Creator Collective for Kimpton, aimed at transforming travel content by diversifying creators, garnered 2.1B global media impressions and more than 700,000 organic influencer impressions. In Asia, campaign highlights included the SABRE-nominated APAC Travel Confidence Index for Booking.com, In EEMA, highlights included a partnership with the Special Olympics, supporting the 2023 World Games in Berlin, and the launch of the first Kimpton Resort in Europe.

— Paul Holmes

Finn Partners (Independent)

Backstory

Founded in 2011 when Peter Finn spun it off from Ruder Finn into a standalone business, Finn Partners has expanded organically and via acquisition into one of the largest independents in the US. There’s a strong consumer practice, including deep domain expertise in fashion and beauty and travel and lifestyle marketing; a fast-growing global health capability capable of competing with the best specialist firms (and winning Asia-Pacific Healthcare honours via SPAG Finn); a tech practice that was the stellar performer of 2021; and specialist offerings in the arts and in education.

Locations

Headquartered in New York, Finn Partners has US offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Ft Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orange County, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC, as well as growing international network. Two 2022 acquisition added a new offices in San Diego and Vancouver, Wash., and last year’s CB&A acquisition brought an office in Madison.

Performance

During a year when “flat was the new growth” Finn Partners was, well, flat (in reality, revenues were down about 0.5% to $195.4 million)—although the previous three years had seen revenues almost double, with 60% of that growth organic and 40% coming from a series of strategic acquisitions. While health remains the largest single practice (a little over $50 million), Finn counts consumer ($27 million) and travel and leisure ($23.5 million) separately, and the firm’s burgeoning purpose and social impact work transcends all practices. New and growing relationships in consumer included Oatly, Little Caeser’s, Mazda, Denny’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bridgestone and Nature’s Path, while the travel practice added work from Pure Michigan, Air France KLM, I Love NY, Hyatt, Tourism Ireland, and the Islands of the Bahamas. Elsewhere there was growth from 2K Games, Honeywell and BMC (in the tech sector) and Bausch & Lomb, AstraZeneca, and Walgreens (health).

People & Culture

Finn has been steadfast in his vision for the firm that bears his name, seeking to create “a world-class agency with a heart and conscience,” and to instill values such as "principled leadership” and “passion.” The firm continues its commitment to DEI, with BIPOC employees now accounting for 25% of the team, work with the Lagrant Foundation, a diversity internship program in partnership with PRSSA, and support for 150 Black-owned businesses in communities where Finn has offices. Several of the firm’s founding partners remain in place, including Noah Finn, Dena Merriam, Daniel Pooley, Mark Singer, Howard Solomon, Scott Widmeyer, and Alicia Young, with critical support from Gil Bashe, chair of global health and impact, and Helen Shelton, chief diversity officer. New additions to the team in 2023 included new senior partners Kathy Kiely and Aidan McCann (integrated marketing), Charlene Blohm (education, via the acquisition of CB&A), and Jodi Petrie (technology).

Thought Leadership & Work

Finn was named to Fast Company’s list of the Most Innovative Companies 2024, an uncommon feat for a PR firm—which significantly joined 13 of its clients on the list. Finn then took that spirit of innovation to SXSW, where it brought together start-ups, disruptors, policymakers and more at a series of events. The firm has also established an AI Working Group that is developing tools and trainings. There were SABRE nominated campaigns for Honeywell (The Flight Against Climate Change), Eviation (Ushering in the Sustainable Era of Aviation) and Meharry, ODAG, and DCI Donor Services (OrganEquity). In addition, the firm was tapped to promote Kodiak’s “Keep It Wild” campaign supporting wildlife and land conservation, working with the brand’s creative director Zac Efron, while in travel there was some standout work with Sensible Weather, an app that helps compensate consumers when foul weather ruins their vacations. The purpose and social impact practice, meanwhile, worked with GE Healthcare Foundation on the launch of an initiative addressing the often-fatal complications that arise from pregnancy and childbirth.

— Paul Holmes

Havas Red (Havas)

Backstory

Havas Group first consolidated its global PR and communications businesses under the Havas Red brand in 2019 (although it was known as Red Havas until last year), but 2023 was arguably the first year that its UK and European micro-network felt like it had a crystal-clear identity, purpose and direction. This was at least partly thanks to the leadership of new Europe CEO Rachael Sansom, who was promoted into the new regional role from UK CEO last October and is a force to be reckoned with, having now led the agency's expansion into 16 markets worldwide. Havas Red’s ‘merged media’ model brings together traditional and digital publishing, content, social media and data, closes the gap between corporate and consumer communications, and takes a borderless approach that transcends countries, audiences, channels and formats. In 2023, Havas Red introduced a new global influencer marketing offer, Sway, which followed the 2022 introduction of ESG and sustainability practice Red Impact. Other global offerings include Health by Havas Red, which focuses on health and wellness, and Red Connect, a B2B content marketing practice.

Locations

Havas Red has 23 offices worldwide and six in Europe: Paris, Hamburg, Milan, Madrid, London and Manchester. It also has three Middle East offices in Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and last year expanded to South Africa. This year it plans to expand its European network further, to Norway, Czechia and Greece.

Performance

The agency’s EMEA revenue grew by 33% in 2023, with overall public relations fee income across the region of $25.2m, representing 45% of the agency’s global income. New business wins in 2023 included big names like Novo Nordisk in the health sector; consumer wins such as The Macallan, Ferrero, Pernod Ricard and Danone; tourism brands like Get Your Guide and Dubai Corporation for Tourism & Commerce Marketing. Havas Red also saw organic growth with global clients such as LinkedIn, American Express, Badoo, Galderma and the U.K. Department of Education. Its top 10 clients in EMEA include AMEX, Huawei, Jaguar Land Rover, Linkedin, Manpower Group, Molson Coors and Reckitt.

People & Culture

Havas Red introduced a new regional structure for Europe last year; as well as Sansom’s elevation, noteworthy promotions and appointments included Europe and UK executive creative director Andrew Stevens, Claire Davies as head of strategy and planning in the UK, Anna Thomson as managing partner in the UK, Christiane Bruszis as Germany MD and Carel Scheepers as head of South Africa. Havas Red has a vibrant culture that is nurtured through annual Red Retreats, regular Red Refreshes, and IncREDible Work Awards. The agency provides access to mental health programs and helplines, and offers a ‘work-from-anywhere’ initiative. Talent development includes the Red Talent Factory, the Havas University platform, Red Mentoring, a Core Leadership management programme and the Future Leaders Group. Dedicated DEI representatives lead initiatives such as ‘DEI Top or Flop’ in Germany, promoting awareness and responsibility in advertising.

Thought Leadership & Work

Thought leadership included the annual Red Sky Predictions report, weekly emails to clients about latest trends, monthly corporate comms landscape analyses and a white paper tackling how brands can play a more progressive and positive role in society. A monthly podcast, Red Sky Fuel for Thought, has more than 2,000 subscribers. Havas Red won a Cannes Lions for its work with Adidas in the Middle East, and standout work in 2023 included the two-time SABRE shortlisted ‘Giving Type’ campaign for NHS National Blood Week, which led to more than 10,000 new registrations to donate blood in one week alone, with new registrations by Black donors – a key target for the campaign –up by 153%.

— Maja Pawinska Sims

M Booth (Next 15)

Backstory

One of the leading independents on the New York marketplace for many years, M Booth was acquired by Next Fifteen (best known for its technology and digital capabilities) in 2009 and has been growing rapidly ever since. While it is known primarily for its consumer work—largely due to strong creative work in sectors ranging from food to travel to financial services—M Booth has long had a formidable corporate capability, and in 2019 added a robust healthcare capability with the acquisition of the US operations of Health Unlimited—becoming the Booth Group in the process. The firm has also been expanding digital and social, data and analytics and other content creation capabilities.

Locations

M Booth offers national coverage from its headquarters office in New York, a smaller satellite office in San Francisco, and newer “hubs” in Los Angeles, Denver, Texas (Austin, Houston, Dallas), Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Florida, North Carolina, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC, all supported by parent company Next Fifteen’s global network.

Performance

For the first time in a while, M Booth experienced a slight decline in revenues in 2023, hardly the exception, especially for a firm so focused on the consumer realm. That should not detract from the firm’s long-term growth: fees are up by 300% over the past decade, so that it ended the year with fees of $62.2 million and 270 people. There was strong growth in integrated campaigns, drawing on the firm’s earned media, influencer and content creation capabilities. The firm continued its work with the likes of Wharton Business School (a client for 41 years), American Express, Bic, Edrington (The Macallan), Brooks Running, HP Hood, Procter & Gamble, and Focus Brands. New business, meanwhile, came from Rudi’s (consumer and corporate), General Mills’ Good Measure, Blizzard Entertainment, Zero Water, Arla, Penn Engineering and Focus Brands, which grew beyond the restaurant brands to include four specialty chains: Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Cinnabon, and Jamba.

People & Culture

With Dale Bornstein at the helm for more than a decade now, M Booth has built a strong, stable leadership team, including Adrianna (AG) Bevilaqua, chief creative officer; Jon Paul Buchmeyer, recently promoted to chief impact officer; Lauren Swartz, recently promoted to chief client officer; and Moon Kim, EVP and corporate practice lead. The past 12 months saw the addition of talent in the influencer, earned media and integrated marketing spaces, as well as creative, DEI, and analytics. M Booth’s BOLD approach (Brave it. Own it. Learn it. Do it.) has been hard-wired into the culture over the past 12 months, with the role out of “Only the Bold” as the firm’s new brand proposition. More than 1 third of the staff are BIPOC, and 22 saw the formal launch of an Accelerate initiative, which ensures BIPOC visibility by connecting diverse talent with mentors and sponsors from senior leadership. The program is designed to combat unconscious bias and ensure BIPOC talent are top-of-mind for promotions and new assignments. The firm’s “Allyship Into Action”efforts earned it a SABRE Award from this publications.

Thought Leadership & Work

M Booth received 10 In2 SABRE nominations for its 2023 work and will take home four trophies at our event in May, for work on behalf of Bic (the Back-to-School Supply Closet campaign) and EY (enhancing the B2G offer with ah in-house think tank). The firm is also nominated for 10 Gold SABREs, with highlights of that work including more Bic work (“A Life Less Clogged” and :”Lit Up Weed”), support for Brooks Running’s presence at Fashion Week, Rao's “Homemade #LasagnaSoup Viral Sensation,” and “From Home Ec to Home Eq[uity]: Helping to Close the Chore Gap Before It Starts” for P&G’s Dawn and Swiffer brands. The firm’s own thought leadership effort, addressing the disparities in influencer marketing through its own Influencer Equity Alliance, has also earned plenty of recognition over the past year.

— Paul Holmes

Sherlock Communications (Interpublic Group)

Backstory

Our 2022 Regional Agency of the Year, Sherlock Communications has grown since its 2015 launch from a Brazil-based agency with three full-time employees and a small office in São Paulo into one of the most decorated PR firms in Latin America with more than 150 consultants and a physical presence in 15 countries. Sherlock Communications, led by co-founders Alasdair Townsend and Patrick O'Neill, is now recognized as one of the leading specialists in helping international organizations operate multi-market campaigns across LatAm.

Locations

Headquartered in São Paulo, Sherlock is active in countries across Latin America including Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay and throughout Central America and the Caribbean.

Performance

Founded in 2015, Sherlock Communications has grown from a Brazil-based agency with three full-time employees and a small office in São Paulo into one of the most decorated PR firms in Latin America with more than 150 consultants and coverage throughout Latin America. 2023 was a banner yearfor the firm, which capped the fiscal year up 50% over 2022. In the past 12 months, Sherlock opened new offices in Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and Lima and recorded a 45% increase in staff — from 105 to 152 — including new senior hires in Chile and Mexico. The agency also won business from roughly 60 new clients including European Union, AXA Investment Managers, Business Finland, Hyatt, Project Management Institute, Socios.com, OKX, Acronis, US Green Building Council and Bitso, which joined existing clients Akamai, Bumble, Crypto.com, Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Getty Images, Github, Indeed.com, Maersk, Qatar Airways and Snapchat.

People & Culture

Sherlock supports a wide array of communities, providing pro bono PR services or cash donations to groups focused on women’s health, education, rights for indigenous communities and sustainability initiatives among others. Sherlock has built a culture that promotes and rewards innovation while valuing flexibility and lifelong learning. It provides staff unrestricted leave, opportunities to work from home, and a monthly, agency-wide, wellbeing payment that the team can spend on a physical or mental health service of their choice. In 2023, all team members were given an additional five PTOs. In the last year, specialists from leading global agencies have provided training on everything from creativity, strategy, assertiveness and exceptional client service. Sherlock purposefully looks beyond traditional PR backgrounds in its hiring practices. The firm’s internal diversity and inclusion committee organizes regular collaborations with people from traditionally
excluded communities to increase awareness and inclusivity in the agency’swork and client campaigns. 70% of Sherlock Communications leadership team are women. Some 80% of Sherlock’s 152 staff participate in its free foreign-language program, run as part of a pro-bono partnership with NGO, Abraço Cultural. Similarly, Sherlock continues to support the further education of employees by collaborating with study abroad programs, while bringing its multi-country team together annually for a week of training and workshops. In 2023, Sherlock successfully renewed its certification with Iniciativa Verde as the first and, to its knowledge, only carbon negative agency in Latin America.

Thought Leadership & Work

Sherlock maintains a robust thought leadership program which, in 2023, included publishing eBooks on future-focused sectors like green finance and ethical gaming. Sherlock hit a milestone, with 10,000 downloads of its
thought-leadership ebooks, The agency’s blockchain ebook generated 500 pieces of coverage alone and has been downloaded by some of the world’s leading financial services brands, leading to new clients such as OKX and Ripple. The agency invested $75,000 to develop a media enquiry platform that allows Sherlock to maintain, manage, and analyze media and influencer relationships across all teams and launched Unlock Latam, a specialist B2B outbound prospecting division. Sherlock’s 13 SABRE-shortlisted works include “From Tradition to Innovation, Doha as a Destination” for Qatar Airways; “Celebrating the Developer Community in Latin America” for Github; and “Tradición Con Corazón” for the Norwegian Seafood Council.

— Diana Marszalek

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