The Holmes Report
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| The Holmes Report | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Holmes Report |
| Type | Trade publication |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Paul Holmes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London |
| Language | English |
The Holmes Report was a London‑based trade journal covering public relations and communications professionals, agencies, and corporate communications teams. Founded by Paul Holmes in 2009, it became known for industry news, analysis, and lists used by practitioners, consultancies, and academics across United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and Singapore. The publication intersected with numerous organizations, agencies, and awards in the advertising and marketing sectors and was cited by outlets such as Financial Times, The Guardian, Bloomberg and Reuters.
History
The site launched in 2009 after Paul Holmes left the PRWeek stable and built on earlier work with The Holmes Report predecessor projects and conferences tied to agencies such as Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Weber Shandwick, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and Burson-Marsteller. Early coverage tracked major episodes involving WPP, Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, Interpublic Group and independent firms like Havas, Ketchum, M&C Saatchi, and Porter Novelli. Over time editorial decisions reflected trends highlighted by industry matters involving clients such as BP, Nestlé, Google, Facebook, Amazon and government communications in jurisdictions including 2016 United States presidential election and crises like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Editorial Focus and Content
Editorially the publication emphasized agency rankings, practitioner interviews, and case studies featuring people such as Richard Edelman, Margaret Thatcher (referencing archival crises), Sir Martin Sorrell, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Theresa May, and corporate communications leaders at Microsoft, Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics and Sony. It carried analysis of campaigns tied to events like the 2012 Summer Olympics, COP21, Brexit referendum, Arab Spring, and corporate responses from Toyota, Volkswagen, BP plc, and Shell plc. Regular features linked agency work with award circuits including Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Effie Awards, and regional prize programs in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, European Union contexts and national markets such as Australia, Canada, India, Brazil, and South Africa.
Awards and Rankings
The publication produced agency rankings and lists akin to league tables used by network groups like WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, Interpublic, Havas Group and boutiques such as Brunswick Group, Finsbury, Teneo, Paine Schwartz Partners portfolio companies, and independent consultancies. Its lists highlighted firms and leaders competing for prizes including Cannes Lions, PRWeek Awards, The Sabre Awards, Clio Awards, D&AD Awards, and national honors administered by bodies such as Institute of Directors and trade bodies in United Kingdom, United States, and Australia.
Events and Conferences
The editorial team organized and promoted industry gatherings, symposiums, and award ceremonies that attracted speakers from institutions such as Harvard University, London School of Economics, Columbia University, Stanford University, Yale University, and corporate communication chiefs from IBM, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo. Events often intersected with festivals and trade shows like Cannes Lions, Advertising Week, South by Southwest, and regional summits in Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, and New York City.
Ownership and Business Model
Initially independent under Paul Holmes, the publication’s business model combined subscription, sponsorship, event ticketing, and sponsored content tied to agency marketing efforts by firms such as Edelman, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Golin, Ketchum and corporate communications teams at Intel, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Over its lifetime the outlet engaged in commercial partnerships and syndicated reporting with larger media players and consultancy networks while steering editorial policies to balance advertising relationships with coverage of clients and controversies involving conglomerates like WPP plc, Publicis Groupe, Omnicom Group, and regulators in United Kingdom and European Commission competition inquiries.
Reception and Influence
Practitioners, academics, and C‑suite communications officers cited the publication alongside long‑established outlets such as PRWeek, Ad Age, The Drum, Campaign, and mainstream newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. It influenced hiring, pitching, and procurement decisions at multinational clients such as General Electric, Siemens, Boeing, Airbus, HSBC, Barclays, and Goldman Sachs and shaped debate around crisis communications in episodes like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Equifax data breach, and corporate social responsibility drives tied to United Nations Global Compact initiatives. Critics compared its rankings methodology to those used by academic and industry auditors such as Gartner, Forrester Research, and Ipsos.