M&C Saatchi gets back into PR with Bang

After a four year break, M&C Saatchi Australia has moved back into consumer public relations with the acquisition of leading consultancy Bang PR.

Based in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Bang PR is an established consumer public relations agency of seven years with experience across FMCG, entertainment, youth, retail, ecommerce, community, beauty, sport, lifestyle, fashion and telecommunications. Bang’s clients include Cadbury, Club Trading & Distribution group, National Australia Bank, Optus, POM Wonderful and Universal Pictures.

The agency specialises in creative & strategic brand direction, publicity & media relations, event management, product seeding, social & digital media, promotions, CSR, experiential and influencer, celebrity & ambassador programs.

The move by M&C comes just over four years after its former PR agency Open Dialogue, headed by former trade press journos Rochelle Burbury and Andrea Kerekes, broke away and renamed Access PR.

Says Bang PR managing director Narelle Craig (above): “Joining the M&C Saatchi network is an incredible opportunity for the agency and our team of talented, passionate consultants. It’s an exciting time for everyone involved and we’re looking forward to working with the M&C Saatchi team on upcoming projects.”

Says M&C Saatchi worldwide chairman Tom Dery (left): “We’ve been looking to strategically integrate public relations for some time but it’s always been about finding the right fit and the right people for our group. We’ve talked to a lot of people and agencies, Bang stood out on both counts.  It’s a natural move for PR to complement M&C Saatchi’s integrated advertising, digital, design, brand development and sport & entertainment agency offerings.”

The agency partnership is the M&C Saatchi network’s third global market to invest strategically in public relations behind London and New York. In July 2010, the M&C Saatchi (UK) Group launched M&C Saatchi PR in London as the group’s first public relations consultancy. It has a client roster that includes Orange, T-Mobile, Hyundai, Dixons Retail, The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Network Rail, 3M and Travelex.