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Chunks of change at Chime?

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Branwell Johnson, Latest reporters' blogs March 11th, 2008 by Branwell Johnson

Chime Communications deserves a pat of the back for delivering strong homegrown results during a period of economic uncertainty - and in a not very gentlemanly partisan sense, it’s heartening to see advertising’s share of operating income up and PR down.

Advertising was up to 39 per cent up from 34 per cent and PR down to 53 per cent from 60 per cent. Much has been made lately of the resurgence in the PR industry and its increasing importance where “reputation management” is concerned. But it is VCCP, VCCP Search and other ad-allied departments that have strengthened the bottom line.

Deeper in the results we find that the partners of VVCP, launched as a start up in 2002, have achieved their full earn out triggering a payment of £15.5 million with the greater portion likely to be in cash. So, the question is are the founders Charles Vallance, Rooney Carruthers, Adrian Coleman and Ian Priest going to stick around now or will we see them start slipping out the door?

The agency just lost ING Direct but is part of the team that won the Olympiad and is shortlisted for the Government’s big budgeted anti-obesity campaign. The partners are still relatively young guns and hopefully the buzz of business keeps them hungry and involved. But the lure of that yacht and a consultancy … well?

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