1. Fleishman Hillard International Communications Best in France Case Study 2005 By, Sahana ARUN KUMAR Harold CHATENET Cheng LI Maria PENA

2. Executive Overview Fleishman Hillard The France Office Clients Adaptation to France Challenges in France Advice to future entrants Fleishman Hillard Contacts Team Members

3. Fleishman Hillard Fleishman-Hillard is a leading global communications consultancy. The company offers strategic communications counsel to local, national, and international clients. Founded more than 55 years ago, it currently operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia, and South Africa. Fleishman- Hillard is part of Omnicom Group Inc., a leading global marketing and corporate communications company. Philosophy: To deliver consistent, top-quality, results-oriented work. The company’s goal is: To make ourselves as valuable to our clients as they are to us.

4. Approach Have the Best People Hire the best people, and retain them by providing appropriate guidance and the resources of the agency — and the client will be best served. Commitment to Results Publicity must have a strategic and measurable impact on the clients' business. Successful publicity programs must deliver against predetermined objectives and, in the final analysis, serve to advance the client's overall business goals. Interoffice Teamwork Interoffice team members are in close, day-to-day contact, which results in "seamless" coordination of client projects. Managing Growth Organic growth and strategic acquisitions have been managed with a strong focus on maintaining the best client retention rate in the industry.

5. The France Office In the late 1980s, when Fleishman-Hillard was looking to expand its international presence and develop its network, Paris was the company's preferred destination, and Fleishman-Hillard Paris ultimately was the first office to open in Europe. Fleishman-Hillard Paris has been an integral part of the French and European market since 1987. Merger In 2001, Fleishman Hillard merged with Herald Communications, a local French communications house. The merger brought together 2 companies of different cultures: FH focused on technology and purely PR in a pragmatic fashion Herald Communications was purely concept based, strategic with no IT base.

6. FH France provides its clients a wide variety of services including strategic corporate and marketing counsel, media relations and training, issues and crisis communications, government affairs, and special events. It also has specialized expertise in internal communications, community relations and sports marketing. These services are offered in three main domains – The France Office Corporate Communication IT & Technology Consumer Group

7. - The merger helped FH leverage from the network already existing with Herald Communications. - The office works with a high level on intense internal communications right from the top management to the employees at every level. - The office and the company are very close knit with around 35 people France (2200 people worldwide) - The Paris office witnesses a high level of international staff. - Though highly Americanised in its overall culture, FH France makes it a point to maintain the press culture in France, thereby ensuring coherence with the expectations of the French market. The France Office

8. - FH France works in close integration with other countries, especially in the European region. - Normally projects are assigned to the office that is in proximity with the client or with the market that the client would like to target. This eliminates intra company competition. - In France, FH is ranked 3 in the Public Relations domain. - The employees in France office have a good level of international exposure and therefore are capable of working with colleagues from other countries on global projects. - Voluntary retirement from the France office is pretty low. The France Office

9. Clients FH’s clients seek an agency capable of understanding the market and being creative. One that looks at the big picture in order to solve their problems. Generally FH France handles a 50% local clientelle and 50% international clientelle. Expectations depend on the origin of the company, however, in general, services are needed to tend to problems such as – - A positioning or image issue - Changing image - Increasing the potential of existing employees - Branding etc. From recent surveys, client satisfaction at FH France has been very satisfactory keeping in mind that FH France competes against both small and large agencies in the same sector as competition totally depends on the nature of the service the client is seeking for.

10. Adaptation to France Fleishman Hillard aims to maximise its efficiency by sharing best practices where ever possible. The company therefore has similar policies extended to offices in each of the regions – US, Europe and Asia Pacific. The following are the main adaptations made in the France office, taking into cosideration that it is aligned to the european region as well. - After the merger, the company is thinking of setting up half yearly review systems for companies instead of the yearly ones they used to have. - Holiday entitlement has been increased in France owing to the European lifestyle. - Local employment laws have been carefully studies and imtegrated into the company’s hiring and terminating policies.

11. Adaptation to France -Emphasis is placed on the procedure for termination of employment, owing to France’s strict unions. -The 35 hour week was implemented in France in order to abide by the legal regulations. -The profile of the services offered to the French market has been tailored to provide the right level of sofistication or the Public Relations market in France.

12. Challenges in France -French clients sometimes are not willing to change traditional way of working. FH France faces the challenge of assuring and convincing the client regarding the best solution or his business. Here, trust, effeciency and reputation is the key. -35 hour a week rule in France is a big challenge especially for a services oriented comapny. -As more and more Asain companies are looking to Europe for possible alliances and business opportunities. With a small office in Paris, FH France needs to preapre itself for the potential growth in the market due to globalisation. -Restructuring the company after the merger was a major challenge. From a market perspective, it has been a tough market for recruting as employees are not motivated to shift jobs and therefore the company finds it hard to recruit new talent.

13. Advise to Future Entrants - Companies should study the competitors thoughrouly and ascertain what image they would like to have in France. Key motivator should be ‘differentiaton’. - Study the viability on being in France. With Europe having many other centers of Business, entring the market in other countries could be a better decision. - Make sure the structure of the whole company allows for a branch in France.

14. BS 9 Thanks Ms Gita Angeli Fleishman-Hillard France 73 Boulevard Haussmann 75008 Paris France Ms. Christine Kenning Fleishman-Hillard U.K. Ltd. 40 Long Acre Covent Garden London WC2E 9LG England Ms Paula Esteves Fleishman-Hillard France 73 Boulevard Haussmann 75008 Paris France All information has been taken from the website www.Fleishman.com and from interviews.www.Fleishman.com

15. Team Members Sahana ARUN KUMAR Residence Expansiel, Ch 31, 1, Avenue de la Libération 78350, Jouy en Josas Mail – sahana.arun-kumar@mailhec.net Harold CHATENET Residence Expansiel, Ch 174, 1, Avenue de la Libération 78350, Jouy en Josas Mail – harold.chatenet@mailhec.net Cheng LI Residence Expansiel, Ch 114, 1, Avenue de la Libération 78350, Jouy en Josas Mail – cheng.li@mailhec.netcheng.li@mailhec.net Maria PENA Residence Expansiel, Ch 113, 1, Avenue de la Libération 78350, Jouy en Josas Mail – maria.pena@mailhec.net

16. Thank you for your time.