UniWorld Group, Inc. And WPP Group Form Communications Business Partnership

WPP Group plc (WPP), one of the largest communications services companies in the world, recently announced a strategic alliance and an investment representing a 49% stake in UniWorld Group, Inc., the leading African-American and multicultural marketing communications firm.

Under the terms of the arrangement, UniWorld will continue to operate as a separate and autonomous business, working with various WPP companies to form co-operative ventures when it is beneficial to clients.

UniWorld will work where appropriate with WPP's existing marketing units, such as with Mendoza Dillon and Asociados, a leading Hispanic agency, and the Market Segment Group, a brand consultancy specializing in multicultural and segmented markets, to provide clients an unprecedented range of multicultural marketing insights and advice.

The relationship will also allow UniWorld to leverage WPP's capabilities in research, health care, promotion and event marketing, media planning and buying, and interactive and new media.

UniWorld Chairman and CEO Byron Lewis, who founded UniWorld in 1969, is pleased with the venture.

"We waited for years to enter into a relationship like this-until we were absolutely convinced that the partnership was in the best interests of our clients, our people and our business," he explained. "WPP's strategy for building multicultural marketing services will preserve our independence and what is special about UniWorld, but will also give us expanded resources and reach to enhance our client services and the career opportunities for our multicultural staff."

Lewis continued to JET, "This business arrangement with WPP will increase and extend career options for people of color. We believe it's going to help attract more people of color to consider working in the advertising industry. He added, "Being a part of a larger complex of agencies will enable us to increase advertising support for minority media and consumer audiences."

UniWorld, headquartered in the U.S. with offices in New York and Los Angeles, is the largest and second oldest minority-owned agency in the country. Over the years it has pioneered a number of important ethnic business and media initiatives. It was the first agency to provide multicultural and multi-functional communications services, including advertising, media planning, event marketing, public relations and entertainment.

While UniWorld is best known for its insights into African-American culture, aspirations and breakthrough creative product, its assignment roster includes mainstream advertising accounts such as Fortune 500 companies AT&T Corporation, Colgate-Palmolive Company, Burger King Corporation, Ford Division and Lincoln-Mercury Division of Ford Motor Company, and Microsoft Corporation.

UniWorld has grown to become the largest ethnic agency in terms of reported U.S. billings, which were $230 million in 1999. It was named "Agency of the Year" in the current issue of Black Enterprise.

WPP, through its 70 operating companies, provides clients with advertising, media investment management, information and consultancy, public relations and public affairs, branding and identity, health care and specialist communications. Leading WPP companies include J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, MindShare, Kantar Media Research, Millward Brown, Research International, Hill and Knowlton, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, CommonHealth and Enterprise IG.

WPP's clients include more than 300 of the Fortune 500 and over one-third of the NASDAQ 100. Last year WPP had annual turnover (billings) of $15 billion and revenues of $3.5 billion.