Pleon’s UK arm one of 140 public relations firms to be independently awarded prized CMS certification.

London, 25 October, 2005 – Pleon UK, the British arm of Europe’s leading communications consultancy, has passed the rigorous, independent PRCA CMS assessments with flying colours.

The PRCA initiated the CMS certification process in 2000 in order to raise the bar on best practice within the PR profession. It is now mandatory for consultancies wishing to apply for or renew full membership of the PRCA. Companies are audited independently on eight key business areas covering every aspect of how the consultancy is run: leadership and communication, business planning, business improvement, financial systems, campaign management, client satisfaction, new business and people management.

Geoff Beattie, CEO of Pleon UK, said, “We are delighted that the PRCA has recognised our professionalism by awarding us with the CMS certification for the second time. This is the highest management standard that a PR company in the UK can aspire to and sets us apart from over 2000 public relations firms operating in the UK alone.”

Holding the CMS certification provides reassurance to client companies that the PR consultancy is managed to a high standard, is financially stable and that services will be value driven. Assessors focus particularly on the evaluation of two key business areas: campaign management and client satisfaction. Despite there not being one single measurement tool for PR results, Pleon successfully demonstrated the ability to plan and execute campaigns to agreed objectives and targets. In addition, Pleon strives to improve every element of its delivery as a professional communications resource and so canvasses client feedback on a regular basis to constantly enhance client satisfaction.

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.

About PRCA

The Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) has over 140 member consultancies which represent 70% of the UK consultancy market. All members have to pass the PRCA independently audited Consultancy Management Standard, a quality mark of sound business, professional management and strong creative capacity.

For more information, please contact:

Joanna Lane
PLEON
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 479 5613
Email: joanna.lane(at)pleon.com

Yeelim Lee
PLEON
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 479 5609
Email: yeelim.lee(at)pleon.com