Publicis One teams up with MSL to strengthen public relations offering in Southeast Asia
Publicis One has announced the expansion of the MSL brand to Malaysia and Indonesia. This expansion will result in the rebranding of ARC PR Worldwide to MSL in Malaysia and Leo Burnett in Indonesia to MSL.
This means the two additions will join other MSL offices in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia, giving MSL the most complete and consistent network of wholly-owned and branded PR agencies in the region.
MSL’s PR operations in Malaysia and Indonesia will be part of Publicis One, the global communications enterprise that unites all of Publicis Groupe agency brands’ capabilities and expertise under one roof in a number of markets around the world.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, effective today, Leo Burnett / Arc PR Worldwide has rebranded as MSL. The unit, with more than 20 professionals, half of whom are social media experts, is led by Director of PR, Sharmila Ramanath who reports to Kien Eng Tan, CEO of Publicis One Malaysia.
The broad PR offering includes corporate and crisis communications, influencer marketing, digital/social media strategy and execution, internal communications, media relations, media training, and advocacy. Alibaba Group, Samsung, Dutch Lady, Alcon, and YTL Land & Development are among the operation’s key clients.
“With the creative heritage of Leo Burnett, the Arc PR team has been transforming to provide more integrated solutions to deliver positive impact on our clients’ business. Now powered by MSL, an award-winning industry leader in Asia, we are better positioned as an integrated communication powerhouse with all Publicis Groupe agencies together providing end-to-end, PR advisory and interdependent solutions to our clients,” said Kien Eng.
Indonesia
In Indonesia, Leo PR will rebrand to MSL on May 3. Industry veteran Eugene Laksono, Head of Public Relations, leads the PR unit in Jakarta, reporting to Brian Capel, CEO of Publicis One in Indonesia.
MSL has a dozen staff members in Indonesia conducting consumer marketing, corporate reputation management, issues and crisis communications, and social activation work for the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Samsung, Lixil Water Technology, KraftHeinz ABC and L’Oreal, among others.
Brian Capel said, “As the eighth agency brand under the Publicis One platform in Indonesia, MSL brings new depth to the comprehensive service offering with state-of-the-art global tools such as crisis simulation training, influencer and content creation and amplification, and MSL thought leadership initiatives, all of which will help us build influence and deliver impact for our clients.”
“Southeast Asia is the fastest growing region in the MSL global network, with more than 40 percent growth achieved in the last year alone. By investing in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, and adding them to our footprint, we are able to offer our clients the most complete coverage across ASEAN. This in turn will create scale, efficiency, best practice sharing, skills training, and access to the top talent,” said Glenn Osaki, President, MSL Asia-Pacific.
By tying these PR capabilities to MSL, the flagship PR network in Publicis Groupe, it is easier for local clients to tap into MSL’s vast global resources and access to the broader footprint.
“In this sense, we have simplified the access of our clients to the resources they need through local integration and to all we have to offer as a top-notch global PR network,” said Guillaume Herbette, Global CEO, MSL.
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