Prism to unite with JWT in London offices

by Joanne Payne, Brand Republic 20-Apr-07, 13:45

LONDON - Prism, the WPP Group sponsorship agency, is to align with sister advertising agency JWT in a move that will ensure it works more closely with the entire JWT worldwide network to develop sponsorship opportunities with current and future clients.

In the UK, this will expand JWT London's offering to include sponsorship consulting, sports marketing, sponsorship public relations and brand experiences. The Prism team will now move into the JWT London office in Knightsbridge.

Alison Burns, chief executive of JWT London, said: "Our relationship with Prism is the first in a number of important moves we're making in London to expand our capabilities to deliver strategic advantage for our clients.

"Increasingly, what brands do is equally important as what they say, Prism and JWT together understand brand action and how powerful it is."

Prism has been in the sponsorship industry since 1993. It was bought by WPP in 1999 and has built a diverse client list that now includes Shell, Ford, Visa, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Volvo, Xerox, and Land Rover. Steve Madincea, Prism's founder and group managing director, will continue in the lead role of building Prism globally.

Madincea said: "Being aligned with a prestigious worldwide brand like JWT will allow for greater focus and enhanced client results through deeper integration. JWT is expanding the crucial services they supply to their clients around the world and sponsorship has become one key must-have for almost every client. We are naturally very pleased to help all the JWT companies better serve their current and future clients."

Prism is one of the few agency partners involved in a broad range of sponsorship activities from the Olympics, Nascar, Champions League football, MotoGP, marathon running, adventure sports and Formula 1.

Bob Jeffrey, chairman and worldwide chief executive of JWT, said: "Prism is at the forefront of the sponsorship industry as we have witnessed with common clients like Ford and Shell. We naturally felt it would be very positive to extend Prism's award-winning sponsorship work to all of our clients. So we decided to collaborate even further by uniting as one team."