FleishmanHillard will now manage corporate reputation and integrated communications campaigns for Western Union, the remittance giant, which previously worked with a number of PR firms across the world, including Edelman in the US, Grayling, Citigate and Ketchum Maslov in Europe, and Burson-Marsteller in Asia.
FleishmanHillard’s appointment comes after Western Union named MullenLowe MediaHub as its global media agency, overseeing communications planning, offline and online media planning and buying. The two agencies join McGarryBowen, which serves as Western Union’s global creative agency of record.
While Western Union is, predominantly, a consumer-focused company, the company requires B2B support for its growing agent communication and business solutions unit. In addition, the rise of digital and mobile money services calls for specific technology insight.
A Western Union spokesman said that the agencies would aim to “enhance customers’ understanding of Western Union’s long track record of innovation, its growing B2B platform and consumer payments offerings, and global network consisting of more than 500,000 retail agent locations, more than 100,000 ATMS and kiosks, mobile apps and WU.com, providing the capability to send money to billions of bank accounts.”
Western Union reported revenue of $5.5bn in 2015, and noted that the company is aiming to strengthen its consumer and B2B units and expand digital services.
“The appointments will strongly enable delivery of the company’s brand purpose and vision, strengthening its position as a global leader in cross-currency, cross-border money movement and payments, serving both consumers and businesses,” said the spokesman.
The FleishmanHillard and MullenLowe Mediahub strategy and delivery teams will sit across regional hubs in North America, South America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
The FleishmanHillard appointment comes after Western Union concluded its search for a new chief communications officer by hiring former Gap corporate affairs head Bill Chandler.
The CCO role had been vacant since 2015, when Luella Chavez D’Angelo departed the financial services company.
Source: Holmes Report
