Swiss PR agencies are growing again

After three lean years, Swiss PR agencies have returned to growth. In 2005, fees rose by 2.9 percent to CHF 61.5 million. However, the difficult situation of previous years has left its mark, the Association of Public Relations Agencies (BPRA) announced on Friday. Seven agencies no longer appear in the statistics. Of the 19 agencies organized in the association, 13 have already joined an international network or a PR group. It is difficult for small agencies to keep up with the increasing competitive pressure and the five largest public relations agencies have a market share of 67 percent. Farner Consulting remains at the top in terms of net fee income, followed by Burson-Marsteller. Peter Bütikofer & Company is in third place. According to a survey by BPRA, the outlook for the current year is intact. Three quarters of all agencies have received significantly more inquiries for new business in the past six months. You can read more about the BPRA members' meeting in Advertising Week 16 of April 27, 2006.