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https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Euro+RSCG+Worldwide+Acquires+the+Meridian+Consulting+Group%2C+One+of...-a061858689
Euro RSCG Worldwide Acquires the Meridian Consulting Group, One of the Leading Strategic Marketing and Sales Consulting Companies in the U.S.
Business EditorsNEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 26, 2000
Bob Schmetterer, Chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Worldwide today announced the acquisition of the Meridian Consulting Group, one of the leading strategic marketing and sales consulting companies in the United States. The group will be known as Meridian Consulting Euro RSCG. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Based in Westport, Connecticut, Meridian was founded in 1992 by Jeffrey Hill, 44, and Michael Shinall, 49. They will continue to run the company's operations as Managing Directors. In just eight years, they have taken the company from a start-up to one of the leaders in the marketing/sales consulting business. Recognized for its depth of senior-level talent and expertise, Meridian's typical consultants have served in senior marketing and sales positions at Fortune 100 companies.
"Our business is no longer about big, creative advertising ideas," said Mr. Schmetterer. "It's about big, creative business ideas - ideas that define businesses and brands. Branding and selling are at the very core of business strategy for clients around the world, and strategic business consulting must be at the center of all communications efforts." he added. "Jeff and Mike share this vision and have built their company into one of the leaders in this important arena."
Meridian typically works with the senior management of its clients, defining the 3-5 year strategic priorities for optimizing their approach to their consumer marketing and customer selling efforts. The deliverable Meridian offers is a Transformation Blueprint, which provides the strategy, resource requirements and critical path in areas like portfolio optimization, organization design, spending optimization, planning re-engineering and the optimum use of data/automation.
Beyond the Blueprint, what sets Meridian apart is its capability in helping the client fully develop and execute each element identified. This approach has led to long term relationships with blue chip clients including Schering Plough, Kodak, Nabisco, SmithKline Beecham, International Paper and several others. With a total of 38 employees, the company's 1999 equivalent billings exceeded $85 million.
Mr. Hill started his career at Procter & Gamble at age 20 - one of the youngest marketing people ever hired by the company. Mr. Hill then moved to Tambrands as a senior marketing executive and has been in consulting for the past 15 years. Mr. Shinall began his career at Standard Brands. He worked in a senior sales capacity through the merger with Nabisco and eventually with RJR. At RJR he was one of the pioneers in what today is known as Customer Marketing. Mr. Shinall entered consulting in 1988.
As testimony to their strategic leadership on an industry wide scale, Meridian has been selected by leading associations to author Best Practice initiatives, which have subsequently become standardized marketing and sales approaches for both manufacturers and retailers. Meridian recently completed a study for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), which represents the leading U.S. drug, retailers, and Healthcare and Beauty Care manufacturers. The study identified compliance as a $9 Billion industry problem. Meridian's models to solve this issue are currently being adopted by both sides of the supply chain.
"Our clients' strategic issues are increasingly global in scope. The Euro RSCG relationship provides us the global network of capabilities we need to address client needs in a worldwide environment." Said Jeffrey Hill.
Mike Shinall added, "To pay off our strategic commitment to our clients, we must have access to cutting edge marketing/sales capability in areas like e-commerce, relationship marketing, data mining, etc. The Euro RSCG Worldwide relationship provides a depth of knowledge/expertise that all of our clients are demanding."
Headquartered in New York City, EURO RSCG Worldwide is the fifth largest agency network in the world. With 202 agencies in 75 countries, EURO RSCG Worldwide provides advertising, marketing services and interactive solutions to global, regional and local clients. The network's client roster includes Intel Corporation, MCI WorldCom, Peugeot, Philips Electronics, CNN, Air France and Louis Vuitton. The Sales Machine is EURO RSCG's branded marketing services network comprised of 76 agencies in 40 countries, offering consulting; direct marketing; interactive; sales promotion; event marketing; sales force motivation; and database marketing.
EURO RSCG Worldwide is a unit of the Paris based Havas Advertising Group, the world's fourth largest communications group.
