KIRSHENBAUM BOND SENECAL + PARTNERS ACQUIRES MAJORITY INTEREST IN AWARD
WINNING PR AGENCY KWITTKEN & COMPANY

Partnership Capitalizes on Strategic Importance of Corporate and B2B PR As Clients Move Away from Specialty Disciplines To Idea-based Marketing Born of Multiple Influences

NEW YORK, Sept. 9 /CNW/ - Kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners (kbs+p), a member of the MDC Partners network, announced today that they have acquired a majority interest in award winning public relations firm Kwittken & Company (KCO). Based in New York City, KCO boasts an impressive client roster, spanning the media/publishing, healthcare, financial services, technology/e-commerce, professional services, education, travel, luxury, retail, design and marketing industries. Their blue chip client list includes Stryker Corporation, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, and McGraw-Hill Education among others.

Founded in 2005 by industry thought leaders Aaron Kwittken and Jason Schlossberg, the agency reaches beyond traditional public relations offering clients a sophisticated blend of global reputation and brand management, crisis communications, issues management, trade and national media relations, corporate social responsibility, social media and integrated marketing communications. The firm has been recognized numerous times within the industry with PRWeek naming them one of the four best boutique agencies of the year in 2009. In 2007, the agency was the second fastest growing PR firm among the "Top 100 Independent PR Firms" in the United States according to O'Dwyers, and received honorable mention for small agency of the year from PRWeek. In 2006 the firm was named the best new agency of the year by The Holmes Report.

Kwittken & Company, now a kbs+p partner company, will maintain the same name, management team and staff. Kwittken and Schlossberg remain shareholders in the new company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Aaron and Jason are an ideal fit for the kbs+p culture. Not only do they bring deep public relations expertise to the table, they share our entrepreneurial spirit and passion for creativity that drives measurable results for clients," said Lori Senecal, president & CEO, kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners. "PR is taking on a higher strategic importance based on its unique role in amplifying a brand's message in today's digitally focused, social media world. Clients are no longer looking for a particular marketing service. They are looking for modern idea-based marketing programs born of multiple influences that will have maximum impact in the marketplace."

As a result of the deal, kbs+p significantly expands its public relations expertise and adds deep reputation and brand management, b2b and issues management capabilities to its family of partner companies. Kwittken & Company will work closely with LIME pr + promotion, another kbs+p partner company, which specializes in developing successful experiential, buzz, promotions, contests, events, consumer PR and partnership programs for consumer brands. Both groups have strong complimentary specialties and whenever possible will work as a fully integrated team.

In fact, the two teams have been supporting each other on individual projects over the past several months and recently partnered to win their first joint client, London-based WGSN, the world's leading fashion trend forecasting service.

Aaron Kwittken, who writes a regular column for Entrepreneur, called the PR Post and makes regular appearances on CNBC and FOX BUSINESS CHANNEL said about the partnership, "We are excited to become part of the kbs+p family where we gain access to an incredible array of inter-disciplinary capabilities, ideas, tools and talent to introduce to and implement on behalf of our broad range of clients. We stand to gain an even stronger competitive advantage through our alliance with an innovative creative advertising/marketing communications firm like kbs+p and this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to redefine the very notion of public relations for the future."

About kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners

kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners, a member of the MDC Partners Network, is a leading digitally integrated marketing communications firm headquartered in New York and Atlanta. kbs+p provides expert counsel across the full range of practices including brand and product innovation, emerging technologies, IP, advertising, public relations, eCRM, data & analytics, social media marketing, mobile and direct marketing. Its dedicated in-house media company, The Media Kitchen, offers full-service, state-of-the-art media planning and buying capabilities, SEM and real-time web analytics. Kbs+p is proud to serve a blue chip roster of clients that includes BMW, Berkshire Hathaway/NetJets, Cablevision, Church's Chicken, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, HomeGoods, Levi Strauss & Co., Mohegan Sun, Pinnacle Foods Group and Weight Watchers among others.

About Kwittken & Company

Kwittken & Company (KCO), a partner company of kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners and a member of The MDC Partners network, is an elite, multi-specialist public relations and marketing agency that provides its clients with results extending far beyond traditional PR. We're known as the intelligent communications agency because we believe thinking should always precede speaking. We work with established and emerging brands in the media/publishing, healthcare, financial services, technology, consulting, B2B, travel, luxury, fashion/retail, and design sectors to help them realize their business goals through intelligently designed, results-oriented communications campaigns. The agency, which is headquartered in New York City, was founded by Aaron Kwittken. The firm was awarded best new agency of the year in 2006 by The Holmes Report, given honorable mention for small agency of year in 2007 and named a finalist for boutique agency of the year in 2009, both by PRWeek. Clients include Stryker Corporation, Towers Watson, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, McGraw-Hill, Coursesmart, DSM Biomedical, The Beanstalk Group, ideeli.com, and ThomsonReuters. For more information, please visit http://www.kwitco.com.

For further information: Deborah Zdobinski, KBS+P, office: 212.352.4664, cell: 917.689.8323, [email protected]; William Nikosey, Kwittken & Company, office: 646.747.7150, [email protected]