I just returned from two days in Moscow where our recently acquired business Edelman/Imageland continues to grow at breathtaking speed. We opened in Russia because we had a number of clients asking us to, but since we have, even more seem interested and are engaging us. A population of 140 million may not make the big three in Asia, but it is by far the biggest single market in Europe and as wages increase and prosperity grows consumer, healthcare and technology companies from the ‘developed’ economies are flooding in. And whilst there has been a cooling on the political front between Russia and the EU, the US and definitely the UK, business continues to be done at a very rapid pace. And it’s not all one-way either; we have identified nearly 60 companies looking to IPO in the UK in the near future and we are getting around as many of those as we can.
Walking around Moscow on Monday night (it was warm and still light at 10pm) you can see the speed with which things are changing at consumer level – there are loads of dining and drinking choices now. I hope the images from the Champions League final add to the attraction and it looked to me very much like Moscow was making a big effort. The staff at Domodedovo airport for example, were all wearing England football tops – a brilliant and simple idea. If I was looking to turbo-charge my PR career I would be getting on the first plane and seeing if I could get work there – Russia experience will be as valuable as China experience in the very near future and probably a good deal rarer.
Red Exile gives a cultured view of life in PR in the Russian capital as does James Barbour the Press Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow. Anyone interested in becoming a real global PR person should contact me….we are always looking for talent willing to travel.
[tags] Edelman; Edelman/Imageland; Moscow; Red Exile; James Barbour; Champions League [/tags]
sixtysecondview.blog 
Must have just missed each other – I was in the Hard Rock Cafe on Monday night with the BBC.
What’s really significant, as you point out, is that you, and up to 40,000 others, have left here with such an overwhelmingly positive impression of modern Russia. Moscow owes itself a large pat on the back.
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It does indeed….though I’m not sure John Terry will hurry back and the rain was, well, Manchester-like. We should definitely hookup next time.
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“talent willing to travel”. Willing? Who isn’t willing? The way I read this, “Great career opportunity AND you get to travel!” If the work’s right, I’ll go anywhere, learn any language…
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Brendan. You are in Tokyo already though. Did you meet Alan Vandermolen and our guys out there yet?
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I’ve emailed Alan and he was going to get back to me. I gave him another buzz the other day, but I guess he’s been busy recently. I’d love to give you guys a hand in the Tokyo office if I could make myself useful – sniff this industry out a bit.
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