Constant evolution is paramount to staying ahead of the social, economic, political and technological changes influencing our modern world. Action is constantly growing and changing to reflect the need to leverage ever-changing consumer trends and client demands. As a part of this transformation, our bespoke digital communications solutions are now an integral part of our core client service offering.
We recognise that today, people don’t simply want to buy a product or service, they want to engage with a brand in a relevant way as individuals or groups. Every campaign we create provides relevant insights to build trust and generate meaningful connections for our clients and their audiences.
Drawing on long-term partnerships, some for over 40 years, we take pride in a hands-on approach, working closely with clients to capture the essence of their needs and identify the most effective strategy to achieve their goals.
Across our diverse network, we believe in keeping things simple and offering clients communications solutions that deliver immediate results, and are relevant and impactful to their commercial objectives. In delivering localised campaigns in multiple markets, we work seamlessly across borders via international hub teams which provide a single contact point to ensure efficient communication, the integrity of the campaign message and realise our clients’ goals in the best possible way.
The historic relationship between Action and BA began in 1969 before Action had even been established, when the company’s Founder Tony Christodoulou and BOAC, which would later become BA, signed what is the longest running aviation PR contract in the world.
Tony Christodoulou established Action PR, later Action Global Communications, the first PR agency in the region, which he started with his wife Mickey out of a spare room in their Nicosia home. This was the Eastern Mediterranean’s first introduction to the real benefits of public relations.
Action crosses both industry and international boundaries, opening its first wholly owned office in neighbouring Greece, the first dedicated PR agency to do business in the country. This hallmark event officially began the development of Action’s award winning regional network.
Realising the potential for growth that existed in the MENA region, Action expanded its horizons further into North Africa by beginning its longstanding affiliate partnership in Tunisia, raising the benchmark for PR and communications in the country.
Always staying one step ahead of where there was a demand for PR, Action saw the massive potential in Dubai and launched a regional hub. Today, award-winning MCS Action in Dubai is one of the leading agencies in the UAE and across the GCC.
Further expansion into North Africa saw Morocco become the newest market to welcome an Action office. One of the first of Action’s campaigns in the market was the organisation of an exclusive fashion show for long-time client British Airways, hosted on the wings of one of their legendary and luxurious concord aircraft.
1996 was a huge year for Action, seeing the company expand its network across the Balkans; Eastern Europe; the Caucasus and Central Asia, with new operations in Romania; Bulgaria; Croatia; Serbia; Bosnia; Slovenia; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Azerbaijan; Georgia and Armenia.
To offer one point of contact for international clients wanting to work with Action in multiple markets, Action set up a global hub team of experts to centrally coordinate the work done across the network and offer a centralised service, integrated communications, and strategy and consultation. International clients have included British Airways (40 markets), Boehringer Ingelheim (16 markets), OMV (15 markets), BMW and Mini (8 markets), Rolls Royce (5 markets), Aston Martin (8 markets) and the EU to name just a few.
Consistent with the company’s reputation for helping to boost PR in emerging markets, Action launched in Pakistan with an experienced team of local PR professionals, boasting unmatched on-the-ground insight into the sensitive market.
Action opened a wholly owned regional hub office in Russia, bringing a full range of integrated PR and communications services into every corner of this vast market and the surrounding region.
Taking advantage of a clear niche in the market, Action launched a wholly owned office in Ukraine and saw the birth of the now long-standing partnerships with affiliate agencies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
New offices Action Arabia in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Action Kuwait were launched to serve clients directly with teams on the ground in each country.
Increasingly known internationally as an agency with an expertise in sensitive or emerging markets, Action opens an office in Iraq. Due to events that led to severe instability in the market, the office had to be made dormant for a number of years, but resumed its operations in 2016 through local freelance PR professionals.
Action began operating in Kosovo just five years prior to the South-eastern European state gaining its official independence in 2008.
As the Middle East continued on an upward trajectory, Action further expanded its network in the region, opening new wholly owned offices in Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, with teams of local, Arabic speaking experts.
After being contracted as communications partner for the MEDA project, Action opened their Brussels office to more effectively coordinate activities between their agencies in each of the ten MEDA countries and the EU Delegations. The success of Action’s involvement in the 3 year contract was followed by winning the ENPI communications contract which covered the East, in addition to the South for the next 6 years.
The addition of three new agencies based in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia make Action the first agency in the region with an established network of offices on-the-ground in all three of the Baltic States.
After five years in the country, Action joins forces with the results-driven local communications agency Heller Communications which resulted to the Action-Heller agency opening in Hungary.
Action garnered two five star awards and was named the Best PR Company at the CNBC Arabian Property Awards in Dubai for the second consecutive year, further cementing the agency’s long-standing reputation of successfully promoting real estate developments in the region. Upon winning the awards, CNBC also entered Action into the property award’s global finals.
Action Global Communications, one of the leading independent public relations agencies in the world, took away honours for Best International PR Company at the 13th annual CNBC International Property Awards in Las Vegas, selected as the best of the best among entries from 54 countries for the honour.
Complementing Action’s strong presence in Central & Eastern Europe, the now multinational agency widened its European reach, making a strong affiliation with a B2B and consumer agency in Austria. Today BrandensteinCOM’s roster of clients in Austria includes the European Commission; Ritter Sport and GlaxoSmithKline.
MCS Action is bestowed the accolade of Agency of the Year at the PR Measurement Summit, for demonstrating the best commitment and best implementation of PR measurement practice across all of its agency and client-related operations.
Following the region’s significant economic shifts, Action played an integral role in crafting a new way for brands to reach out to their target markets in Algeria.
Seeing a clear gap in the market for PR and communications agencies in Libya at a time when the country needed it, Action established its wholly-owned office in Tripoli. The office went dormant in 2014 for a short period due to severe instability, but in early 2016, Action was back on-the-ground in Libya through a new affiliate partnership with long-standing PR agency and expert Golden Tulip PR.
Following the three-years of work that went into producing a making-of documentary movie for longstanding oil and gas client OMV, Action Romania was recognised in the Video Productions category of the Romanian PR Award 2012 edition, showing that PR can be the lead in any type of communication.
The Holmes Report honoured Action with two key awards at the 2013 EMEA SABRE Awards ceremony. Founder, Tony Christodoulou received the SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement, in recognition of his lifetime of commitment to PR and pioneering approach to the industry, while the company itself was named Mediterranean Consultancy of the Year in recognition for its strong local leadership and willingness to enter emerging markets.
Continuing its award-winning habits, Action’s UAE office was awarded the top prize in the Internal Communications category at the prestigious Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) annual awards.
Action became the first international PR firm in the country, with the wholly owned office working out of Chisinau on large-scale national and international campaigns with the UN, various embassies, government ministries and organisations.
Action took the company’s award-winning, strategic approach to PR and communications in emerging markets into the digital realm, launching its very own digital agency effectively implementing strategies in local languages across all markets, and with dedicated digital hubs in Dubai and Moscow serving the Arabic and Russian speaking markets.
After the success of the long-running EU ENPI programme, Action was a finalist for both Sabre Awards and the Annual Gold Awards of PR Week.
Action Moldova was named the winner of the ‘Best Use of Social Media’ award at the Rockit Regional Digital Summit for its “Above the Sky” campaign on HIV/AIDS awareness, implemented for UNDP Moldova. The event is the first and largest regional digital and entrepreneurship conference organised in Eastern Europe.
To deliver game-changing ideas and authentic, relevant insights that shape perceptions, building and protecting reputations for our clients to be credible voices that build trust with audiences in diverse markets.
To use our expertise, commitment and creativity to help our clients build meaningful connections and rewarding relationships that lead to sustainable business growth across borders and communications channels.
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