IPG's Roth Deems Business OK, PR Shops Remain 'Solid'
The third-quarter financial results for a number of the big holding companies were worse than expected. Two of them, WPP and Publicis Groupe, took the unusual step last
month of reporting that October results were somewhat better by comparison.
But when asked at the UBS Media Conference Monday for an October update, Michael Roth, CEO of the Interpublic
Group, demurred -- countering that a month’s results was not an accurate indicator of annual performance, upon which company plans are based. “October is not that big a month for us
generally,” he added.
Roth did say that the tone of business “right now is okay. There is no indication that we’re falling off a cliff.” He noted that PR companies,
with their large volumes of project work are sort of “canaries in a coal mine” when it comes to indicating business status. So far, IPG’s PR shops, including Weber
Shandwick and GolinHarris, are generating “solid results” in 2012.
As for 2013, Roth said “we don’t see wholesale cutbacks,” based on conversations so far with
clients about their spending expectations for next year. He said that many clients and the holding company are currently planning their 2013 budgets. Roth added that the low-single-digit spending
growth that forecasters are predicting for next year “is consistent with our dialogue with clients.”
This year has been somewhat challenging for IPG, due to some big client
losses such as S.C. Johnson. The company has made up some of that lost ground, he said. Next year, Roth said, “the headwinds [due to client losses] will be less than 3%.”
In
addition, the economic standoff in Washington has many companies holding back from making key decisions because “they aren’t sure what the playing field is going to be,” said
Roth.
As for the recent CEO shift at McCann World Group -- with Harris Diamond replacing Nick Brien -- Roth stressed that “McCann is not broken. This is not a reset, and we’re
not blowing it up and starting all over.” Rather, he said, the change signaled that the shop needs a “business focus on profitability and growth,” which is something Diamond will
provide.
McCann is the single biggest revenue and profit contributor to the holding company, Roth noted. “A healthy McCann is a healthy IPG.”
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