NEW YORK — Interpublic’s PR revenue rose during the first quarter of 2019, marking a full year of positive results after a streak of revenue declines.

The PR group's revenue for Q1 rose by low-single digits on an as reported basis and mid-single digits on an organic basis. The group includes Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries, Rogers & Cowan and Current Global, which launched in early April with the merger of Current Marketing and Creation.

The gains are a slight dip from Q4 2018, when the group's revenue rose by high-single digits on an organic basis and on an as reported basis. The positive year, however, put a welcome end to a tough 2017 for the agencies that continued into the start of 2018.

According to Weber Shandwick CEO Andy Polansky, Weber Shandwick saw "particularly strong growth" in Q1 of 2019, recording mid-single digit growth on an as reported basis and high-single digit growth on an organic basis, with the difference between the two figures due to fluctuations in foreign currency.

Polansky noted Weber Shandwick had some notable recent business wins including assignments from Kellogg's and Buick and GMC. The agency is also benefiting from  acquiring specialist companies that are bolstering services.

"We are embedding these capabilities into our core offerings and are building strong data analytics capability," he said.

Polansky also noted that Weber Shandwick's North American and European operations were particularly robust. Double-digit organic growth was recorded in 19 of its regional operations for Q1, including California, Minneapolis, Canada, London, Brussels and Southeast Asia.