CUBA STANDARD — A day after the United States and Cuba announced they will resume full diplomatic relations, New York-based Burson-Marsteller and London-based WPP said they are now offering Cuba-related services.
Public relations and communications firm Burson-Marsteller said in a press release that its Miami office now offers “strategic counsel on the political and economic environments in both the U.S. and Cuba, as well as advice and guidance in planning for and communicating effectively about eventual Cuba market entry.”
Communication services giant WPP announced the same day it is opening an office in Havana’s Miramar neighborhood. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP.
Claiming to be the “first major international communications services group with a presence in Cuba,” WPP said it now has a permanent executive and office in Havana, after signing a contract with state-owned Grupo Palco.
“WPP is looking to deliver all its communications services according to the specifics of the Cuban market and seeks to contribute to the economic development of the island with its global network of agencies,” the statement said. “Since February 2015, WPP has been in contact with a number of Cuban agencies and enterprises with a view to establishing partnership and cooperation agreements for its companies’ lines of business.”
These include data investment management, public relations and public affairs, branding and identity, healthcare communications, direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing and more.
“The Obama administration’s decision to reinstate diplomatic ties with Cuba, and the evolving regulatory situation, make clear there will be significant opportunities for many enterprises in Cuba,” said Donald A. Baer, Burson-Marsteller’s chairman and CEO. “To take advantage of those opportunities successfully, organizations will require counsel that provides comprehensive expertise about this evolving market.”
The company’s Miami-based Cuba Specialty Team, led by Ramiro Prudencio, includes employees across the organization and sister companies such as grass-roots communications firm Direct Impact and public-opinion research firm Penn Schoen Berland.
