Diana Marszalek 21 Jul 2021 // 4:15PM GMT
NEW YORK — Interpublic’s PR group Wednesday reported double-digit growth in Q2, a notable turnaround after a year of Covid taking a heavy toll on business.
Andy Polansky, the former Weber Shandwick global CEO who was named chairman and CEO of the division in 2019, said the group’s Q1 revenue rose by double digits on an as-reported basis and organic basis.
In contrast, the group experienced low double-digital decline on an as-reported basis and high single-digital decline on an organic basis in Q2 2020.
The PR and marketing group, which was rebranded IPG Dxtra in October, includes PR firms Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries, Rogers & Cowan PMK and Current Global.
Polansky said IPG Dxtra agencies across disciplines — PR, digital, experiential and branding among them — all had “very strong” second quarters.
Of the group’s PR agencies, Weber Shandwick, Golin, Rogers & Cowan PMK and Current Global performed particularly well.
Strong sectors included food & beverage, automotive, healthcare and government. Business was most robust in North America and EMEA, he said.
Polansky noted, however, that Covid still poses a risk to business.
“I am cautiously optimistic that we will continue to be in a strong growth mode, but naturally mindful of the public health situation around the world,” he said.
Q2 was the first quarter that showed an upswing in business since the onset of the Covid pandemic.
IPG Dxtra reported flat year-over-year growth in Q1 of this year, which put an end to three consecutive quarters of pandemic-fueled decline. During the fourth quarter of 2020, the group saw revenue drop in the mid-single digits. The last time the group saw an uptick in revenue before the most recent quarter was Q1 2020 — the last quarter that wasn’t completely wrought by Covid-19 — when it reported modest growth.