And that cohesion is about to be tested by the upcoming departure of the longest-serving regional chief of them all, Bill Rylance. The decision is a surprise, given Rylance's reputation as a Burson ‘lifer'.
The Burson-Marsteller chief is seen in many quarters almost as a living embodiment of Harold Burson's tenacious, results-focused agency brand, driving a level of performance that has allowed it to keep charging premium rates, despite the cut-throat competition that characterises the PR landscape.
But Burson's global fortunes have fluctuated in the past few years, with some pointing to the turnover at the global CEO level - three in three years - as a key factor. The two most recent occupants of the position, Tom Nides and current global chief Mark Penn, hail from backgrounds that include little PR agency experience.
The small world of PR is heavily populated with executives who started out at Burson. To many of these alumni, the agency's performance is being affected by a climate of centralisation, amid an unhealthy focus on metrics. It is, perhaps, a charge that can be levelled at any of the holding company networks in what remains, essentially, a business based on relationships.
For Burson, the challenge it now faces in Asia must be to find the kind of candidate who can continue to take the agency forward, while retaining the brand qualities that once characterised its success. Or perhaps Rylance's departure will signal a radical new course for the brand - an outcome that may cause Harold Burson, at the very least, more than a little concern.
Business as usual, despite BBH gesture
Unfortunately, BBH's resignation of the Tiger Beer Singapore account carries a ring of inevitability around it. The business has changed hands several times over the past 10 years - unsurprisingly, it is seen by many as one of the most difficult accounts to service in Singapore. BBH, of course, is famed for not compromising on its creative standards - itself believed to be a key factor in its initial hire by the local client. The sad reality is that for every BBH out there, there are 10 other agencies which will gladly take the business on, regardless of creative output.
