Ugandan businesses to gain from Arcay Burson-Marsteller deal

Caleb Owino, managing director of fireworks Advertising, a communication consultancy in Uganda, says the acquisition of a controlling stake in South Africa's Arcay Communications by Burson-Marsteller, a United States-based global public relations and communications firm, will have a direct impact on the local business scene. Its solid expansion means that fireworks Advertising, a former affiliate of Arcay is now directly affiliated to Burson-Marsteller although its ownership has not changed.

"It follows that our clients will enjoy great benefits as we adopt some of Burson-Marsteller's advanced techniques for managing brand PR and communications," Owino said. Burson-Marsteller is said to be a big player in online and digital media communication strategies.

Master training planned

To start with, Burson and fireworks plan to conduct high level top executive master training for Uganda CEOs and directors in Kampala before the end of 2011. The training will be aimed at enabling the executives gain value out of investments in brand PR and corporate communications, for their businesses.

The deal will also give fireworks access to the latest tools and techniques for its PR professionals hence sharpening their skills further. The firm will directly benefit from Burson-Marsteller's renowned Evidence Based Communication (EBC). This approach to communication lays emphasis on the results that communication delivers as opposed to the mere activities.

"As communications professionals we at times fail to convince our principals on the return on their brand investments. Evidence Based Communications is a great technique as it provides verifiable evidence of the impact of the client's communications investment." added Owino.

Last week, Burson-Marsteller announced that it had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Johannesburg-based Arcay Communications in a bid to strengthen its presence in Africa. Arcay is one of Africa's leading PR consultancies with a presence in 50 countries including Uganda.

Arcay Communications has been Burson-Marsteller's exclusive affiliate partner in Africa since 2007. The full-service agency now becomes a full member of the Burson-Marsteller network and will now be known as Arcay Burson-Marsteller.

"Our decision to take this majority stake in Arcay underlines the great importance of the African continent to our clients - and it offers us significant opportunities to expand our global business. This strategic move demonstrates our commitment to serving our clients in every part of the world," said Mark Penn, the global CEO of Burson-Marsteller.