Burson-Marsteller says good-by to weak Polish PR market

Burson-Marsteller, one of the first international PR agencies to open in Poland, has announced it will close its Warsaw office April 30, the result of the reorganization of its global network and the lack of sufficient local growth potential. The firm's Moscow office is also scheduled to close. Although Burson-Marsteller opened its Polish branch in 1991 and trained the first Polish PR staff, it was unable to manage human resources or adjust to the specific market conditions. A few years ago it had to replace most of its 30-person staff. In spite of a leading market position and many important clients at the outset of its operations, the agency lost its reputation as local industry leader. For the last two years the firm has not published a list of its customers. Sector specialists say that the Polish PR market is not going to develop quickly in the near future, and that the market will test the quality of companies, improving service and eliminating poor performers. Smaller firms organizing primarily events, press conferences and catering will be in trouble, forecasts Piotr Czarnowski, president of First Public Relations. (Puls Biznesu, p. 6) M. S.-C.