NEW YORK — IPG’s PR and experiential agency saw revenue drop 2.4% on an organic basis in the first quarter of 2025.

Without specifics, an IPG spokesperson said “there was growth” in public relations during Q1, led by Golin, but it was offset by decreases in other parts of holding company’s Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions group, which includes IPG’s earned media and experiential agencies.

Quarterly highlights included The Weber Shandwick Collective launching its data and tech-enabled Weber Advisory as well as new business from Veritone and expanded remits with Samsung and McDonald’s.

Golin advanced its goal of becoming the first fully AI-integrated PR agency by 2026 with the launch of GOLEARN, a global training system focused on AI essentials and practical skills. The agency opened a new office in Naples — its third in Italy — following growth in the entertainment, food & beverage and cultural sectors in the region.

IPG’s PR group performed better than its advertising and creative services group, whose Q1 revenue was down 10.3% from Q1 2024 but trailed its media, data and engagement unit, which grew 2.2% on an organic basis. The communications group was IPG’s top performing segment during 2024 as a whole and Q4 of that year; the division grew by 1.3% during both those periods.

IPG as a whole saw net revenue decrease 3.6% to $2.3billion in Q1. US organic revenue was down 4.0% and total International organic revenue dropped by 2.6%.

The earnings report comes nearly five months after Omnicom announced it acquired the Interpublic Group in a deal that most observers believe will create the world’s largest marketing services group with combined 2023 revenue of $25.6 billion. The merged entity will be parent to four of the world’s top 20 public relations agency brands.