Whybin\TBWA Group expands PR offering in Australia with launch of eleven pr, led by ex One Green Bean account director Rob Lowe in Sydney

Whybin\TBWA Group has launched the Australian arm of eleven pr, based in Sydney – to be headed by Rob Lowe, formerly senior account director at One Green Bean, Sydney.

The PR firm is the latest addition to the suite of brands within the Whybin\TBWA group of companies, which also includes TEQUILA\ and The Integer Group, which recently launched across Asia Pacific.

Established in 2006 in Auckland, eleven pr has grown to become one of the country’s leading public relations and experiential agencies, with a reputation for first-rate client service, creativity, integrated strategies and results.

Says Kelly Bennett, founding director of eleven pr: “With the growth of Whybin\TBWA in Australia, it was natural to extend our experiential public relations offering across the Tasman as a first step in our ambitious expansion plans for the region. We’re really excited about having attracted a professional of Rob Lowe’s calibre to lead the business.”

Lowe has been leading the entertainment division of One Green Bean over the last three years. He started his public relations career in 2000 at Freud Communications in London, before moving to Australia in 2006 to lead the PlayStation and Fosters PR teams at Hausmann Communications.

eleven pr works in a range of sectors with a number of leading brands; in Auckland, the firm represents Sony PlayStation, Pernod Ricard and Logitech, to name a few. In Sydney, its cornerstone client is IAG’s Direct Insurance Brands; NRMA Insurance, SGIO and SGIC. Whybin\TBWA was awarded the advertising contract in late 2010, and an integrated solution was required to deliver the complete campaign.

The affiliation of eleven with the global network of Omnicom sister agency, Fleishman-Hillard International Communications (announced earlier this year in New Zealand), will therefore now extend to Sydney. Co-located with Whybin\TBWA in Sydney, Fleishman-Hillard provides a full-service offering focused on corporate and technology communications, healthcare communications, consumer marketing and sustainability programs.

“The arrival of eleven pr in Sydney, led by Rob, comes hot on the heels of the launch of The Integer Group across Asia Pacific two weeks ago. It continues our vision for creating best-of-breed specialist agencies within the Whybin\TBWA group that are distinctive yet complementary, and powerful when combined,” said Paul Bradbury, CEO of Whybin\TBWA.

“We include Fleishman-Hillard in that group and will be working more closely in partnership with their talented team and with eleven pr to ensure public relations is a key component in our strategically integrated initiatives.”

“Having the ability to work so closely with the planning and creative departments within Whybin\TBWA is an amazing opportunity,” said Lowe. “PR is too often thought of in silo and by working closely with the relevant disciplines throughout the group I’m confident we can offer clients something different – and more compelling – than most other PR companies: strategic campaigns that work across a range of media channels and ‘earn’ media for bands and businesses, rather than just fight for editorial inclusions.”