Burson Cohn & Wolfe

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Background

Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) is a public relations (PR) company that was established in 2018 by a merger between two PR agencies owned by WPP; Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe. This merger reportedly made BCW one of the largest global communications agencies in the world.1

WPP is a PR and advertising conglomerate, and the parent company of several companies that have longstanding links to the tobacco industry.

In 2024, WPP announced a merger between BCW and another of its communication company’s, Hill & Knowlton, to form ‘Burson’.2 According to the statement, Burson was due to be operational from July 2024, and would have more than 6,000 employees worldwide. It also stated that Hill & Knowlton would still “operate within Burson serving a select group of clients globally through strategic communications, advisory and public affairs services”.2

Relationship with the tobacco industry

Providing services to Imperial Brands

A transparency register published by the Public Affairs Board of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA), a British PR association, shows that BCW started working for Imperial Brands between December 2019 and February 2020.345678

Channelled loan from PMI to Australian organisation to lobby for vaping deregulation

BCW worked with the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) between August 2019 and July 2020 to support ARAs newly established lobby group, the Australian Retail Vaping Industry Association (ARVIA).9

The Australian Financial Review reported that, in February 2020, BCW contracted ARA to lobby for the deregulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) in Australia. It was reported that the funds for the contract had been channelled from Philip Morris International (PMI).9

There was an option for ARA to renew the contract 6 months later, however when ARA appointed a new CEO in August 2020, ARA cancelled the renewal and shut down ARVIA.910

In February 2021, BCW stated that it worked with PMI from August 2019 until July 2020, but that “PMI is no longer our client and we ended our work with them last year”.9

Tobacco Tactics Resources

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References

  1. ↑WPP, WPP announces the merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe, 27 February 2018, archived January 2019, accessed July 2023
  2. ↑abWPP, WPP unites BCW and Hill & Knowlton to create Burson, a global leader built for a new era of communications, website, January 2024, accessed March 2024
  3. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st December 0019 – 29th February 0020, accessed July 2023
  4. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st September 2019- 30th November 2019, accessed July 2023
  5. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st March 2020 – 31st May 2020, archived September 2020, accessed July 2023
  6. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st December 2022 – 28th February 2023, accessed July 2023
  7. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st June – 31st August 2022, accessed March 2024
  8. ↑PRCA, Public Affairs Board: Register for 1st September 2021 – 30th November 2021, accessed March 2024
  9. ↑abcdN. Chenoweth, The secret money trail behind vaping, The Australian Financial Review, 20 February 2021, accessed February 2021
  10. ↑N. Chenoweth, Australian Retailers Association cancels secret tobacco contract, The Australian Financial Review, 20 February 2021, accessed July 2023

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