MS&L (Manning Selvage & Lee), one of the world’s leading global public relations firms, opens for business in Oslo on 20 March.

Henning Cook, formerly general manager of PR-operatørene, is the new company’s general manager, and Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen leaves his position as information director at McCann Worldgroup to take on responsibility for the company’s business and professional development.

By cultivating their marketing and PR services, MS&L has experienced considerable international growth. Based on inventiveness and an understanding of business and branding, the company has produced communication concepts that have focused on sales generation and profiling.

Best at sales-generating communication
“The marketing and PR industries have experienced significant growth over the past few years, both in Norway and internationally. MS&L Norway will immediately start to serve national and international clients from its offices in Drammensveien 130. Through marketing and PR we will increase awareness for our clients by making use of a broad spectrum of initiatives such as editorial profiling, B2B, concept marketing, product placement and other marketing activities. Clients are always looking for good ideas that will increase brand demand, profile and sales,” says Cook.

MS&L possesses tried and tested concepts and tools for many of the world’s leading brand names, a fact that places MS&L in a position to serve the market in a professional way.

There is an obvious need for agencies that firmly position themselves among the traditional agencies in the advertising and PR industries. Too much of the money spent on communication today is being frittered away in the gap between PR and advertising, and we intend to put a stop to that so that Norwegian advertisers can get the most out of their marketing mix. An agency like MS&L will provide more returns on clients’ marketing investments. “To create measurable results for our clients we have to think in the long term, with good ideas and concepts that are durable and suited to different channels,” says Tjønndal Pettersen.

MS&L is preparing for growth in the Norwegian market and will soon be looking for marketing personnel with sharp pens.

“Because this is a new concept we have a limited market to search in. A process like this can take time, but we want to get hold of the best marketing people in the country. We will be looking for marketing personnel who possess an understanding of branding and business, who have a sharp pen, and who have experienced the strength that lies in good communication,” adds Tjønndal Pettersen.

Subsidiary of JKL Oslo
MS&L Norway has been established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of JKL Oslo. While MS&L Norway will focus on the fast-growing marketing and PR markets, JKL Oslo will intensify its focus on strategic communication, media and politics.

“A growing need for specialisation within the marketing and PR sectors has emerged. Our intention is to establish MS&L Norway as an important player that takes advantage of the global brand name and solid professional and financial backing of the JKL Group. Together with MS&L Sweden, this will form the basis for an offensive Scandinavian commitment to marketing and PR,” explains Kjell S Rakkenes, managing director of JKL Oslo and a partner in the JKL Group.

Henning Cook has 23 years experience in the communications industry. In addition to his position as general manager of PR-operatørene, he has also been the general manager in Leo Xpress, a partner in Woldsdal & Partners, a partner in and member of the management team in Geelmuyden.Kiese, and general manager in Geelmuyden.Kiese advertising agency. He has also held consultancy and management positions in a number of advertising agencies. Henning is a trade economist.

Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen comes from the McCann Worldgroup where he held the position of information director and had worked in all the companies in that group. He has experience from running his own company, and worked for four years as communications director for Geelmuyden.Kiese, information director for Kavli/Q-Meieriene, senior consultant in McCann, and reporter with P4. He holds a Bachelors degree in marketing and a Masters degree in strategic management from the Norwegian School of Management.

About Manning Selvage & Lee
MS&L (www.mslpr.com) is one of the world's leading global public relations firms. MS&L’s mission is to be more important to the clients - by delivering world class media relations, acting as partners and advisors, powering clients' businesses with proven methods and tools for strategic planning, corporate and product branding, corporate reputation, crisis management, and stakeholder relations.

MS&L is a member of the Publicis Groupe SA (Euronext Paris: 13057, NYSE: PUB). Its activities span 109 countries on five continents and include advertising, marketing services, media counsel and buying, media sales and specialized communications. For more information, visit www.publicis.com.


For more information please contact:
Henning Cook, General Manger, MS&L Norway, mobile: 90164588, e-mail: henning.cook@mslpr.no
Kenneth T. Pettersen, Director for Business and Professional Development, mobile: 98 25 75 55, e-mail: kenneth.pettersen@mslpr.no
Kjell S. Rakkenes, Managing Director, JKL Oslo, mobile: 90552956, e-mail: kjell.rakkenes@jkl.no