Bersay and Pleon Join Forces to Exploit Turkish EU Accession Plans.
Istanbul, April 5th 2005. Europe’s leading communications consultancy, Pleon, is staking its claim to a significant piece of the business expected to come from Turkey’s bid to join the European Union. The company has announced a new partnership with Turkey’s largest PR business, Bersay Communications Group, as the next step in its ongoing development programme.
Bersay, with 90 employees and offices in Istanbul and Ankara, gives Pleon and its Brodeur|Pleon Worldwide network access to a wide range of major potential business opportunities, particularly in the company’s fast-growing public affairs practice. Turkey is, according to the OECD, currently experiencing record economic growth, at 9.9 per cent last year. The country’s PR sector is estimated to grow by 40 per cent this year, following 20 per cent growth in 2004. Pleon CEO Rainer Zimmermann, who signed the agreement with Bersay CEO Ahter Kutadgu, believes that the time is right for the rapid development of opportunities both into and out of Turkey: “Turkey has made significant progress in its economic and political development and as the country moves towards membership of the EU, major opportunities in the fields of communications and marketing will open up.”
He added that a major focus for the partnership will be helping Turkish companies work with European institutions and the European business community. “Just about every sector of Turkish business, as well as its public institutions, want to find ways of building closer links with Europe. We are ideally positioned to help them through our strong public affairs capability, as well as being able, through Bersay, to open up the rapidly-growing Turkish market to European businesses”, Zimmermann said.
Bersay’s Ahter Kutadgu described the agreement as an important step both for the Turkish communications market and for the country, linking his company’s aims to the Turkish vision of ever-closer involvement in the European Union’s future. “EU projects, foreign investment in Turkey and the communications needs of Turkish companies and NGOs operating in Europe constitute the main target for our cooperation with Pleon. Beyond that, we’ll be looking at knowledge transfer,” he said. Both companies plan close cooperation to share knowledge and best practice, and to exchange staff where appropriate.
Pleon has been moving fast since its creation last October as a result of the merger of the largest agencies in Germany and Austria (ECC Kohtes Klewes and ECC Publico) with Brodeur Worldwide’s European operations. According to Pleon President Alex Schoep, the company outperformed the 75 million Euro forecast for 2004 and is ahead of its plans to build Europe’s leading communications consultancy. “We already have in place all of the service and sector practices we envisaged at the end of last year and have been hiring senior people to support our plans,” he said, adding: “Our message that we are a truly European business, offering a unique mix of political and business understanding linked to advance communications thinking, is getting strong validation from the market.”
About Bersay Communication Group
Bersay Communication Group, the leading communication group in the Turkish Communication market, provides integrated communication solutions including communication consultancy, project and event management, below the line, health&wellness communication and public affairs. Bersay’s clients include a wide range of Turkish business, government offices and NGOs as well as international brands such as BASF, Bosch, Nestlé, Thames Water, Chrysler and Metro Group. Mr. Ali Saydam is the founder and chairman of Bersay Communications Group; Mr. Ahter Kutadgu is the CEO.
About Pleon
Pleon (www.pleon.com) is an international consulting firm with European roots, which creates and implements strategies for private and public sector organisations around the world. With deep understanding of business, politics and communications, Pleon is uniquely placed to devise compelling solutions that deliver measurable and tangible results. Pleon is part of the Brodeur|Pleon Worldwide network and has a presence throughout the US, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Pleon represents the merger of Brodeur agencies in France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and UK with the ECC Group, including market leaders ECC KohtesKlewes in Germany and Belgium, and ECC Publico in Austria. Pleon and Brodeur (www.brodeur.com) are part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), a leading global marketing and corporate communications company.
For more information, please contact:
Bersay Communication GroupAyşegül Meriç
Tel: +90 212 337 51 00
Fax: +90 212 275 41 83
E-Mail: info(at)bersay.com.tr
Pleon
Dr. Stephanie Altemoeller
Tel: +49-211-9541-2124
Fax: +49-211-9541-2200
E-Mail: Stephanie.Altemoeller(at)pleon.com
Web: www.pleon.com