DLPR Ranks Among 250 Largest PR Agencies in the World
Editor’s Note: Coming off its strongest revenue-grossing year since its inception in 2002, Dukas Linden Public Relations earned a coveted spot on the Holmes Report’s worldwide rankings of public relations agencies. The Holmes Report is recognized as one of the most authoritative media outlets covering the PR industry.
The following are excerpts from the full report and listing:
The global PR industry grew by 5% in 2018, based on the Holmes Report’s definitive annual ranking of the world’s top 250 PR firms, which is now live.
The Global Top 250, which provides the clearest picture available of global PR industry size and growth, is based on submissions from more than 400 PR firms across the world, along with revenue estimates for those firms that chose not to submit.
The research reveals that the Top 250 PR firms reported fee income of around $12.3bn in 2018, compared to $11.7bn for last year’s Top 250 ranking.
Accounting for the numerous firms that reported outside of the Top 250, along with the vast number of smaller firms that do not provide revenue figures, the Holmes Report estimates the size of the global PR agency industry at $15.5bn, up from $15bn in 2018.
Meanwhile, the ‘floor’ for the Top 250 rises marginally, from $4.8m last year to $4.9m this year reflecting both growth and the popularity of the ranking with firms from across the globe.
“When firms decline to report revenues, it’s rarely a sign that they enjoyed a successful year,” said Holmes. “It’s clear that while some firms continue to perform strongly, others were victims of the disruption that is increasingly roiling the industry. If there’s a word for the industry’s performance in 2018, it’s probably ‘uneven.’”
“More and more, it’s apparent that the middle of the market is the place to be right now,” said Holmes. “In the past, there were concerns that midsize firms might get squeezed between the global giants… But the reality is that midsize firms are big enough to offer all the integrated resources in digital and social and influencer and content creation that clients need today, but small enough to be nimble and flexible and adapt quickly to a fast-changing marketplace.”