WPP Group Gobbling up PR Firms

I may be a bit late in picking up this news, but it appears that the WPP group, a massive London-based conglomerate of communications, marketing and lobbying firms around the world, has just gobbled up two communications/public affairs firms that have a significant presence here in DC.

First, I read in Jeff Birnbaum's column yesterday (second item) that WPP has acquired Public Strategies, which is based in Austin but has a presence here in DC. The list of Public Strategies' DC staff includes Hill vets Mark Schuermann and Mary Meagher, and ex-Hardball producer and White House asst. press secretary Adam Levine.

Birnbaum teases that

Rumor has it that WPP is about to buy another K Street company soon.

So this morning I read in PR Week that WPP has also acquired the Dewey Square Group, a very well-known Democratic firm that does grassroots, public affairs, and communications, for a mix of corporate and campaign clients. PR Week says it was announced last Thursday the 17th, so I'm sort of scratching my head that it wasn't mentioned in Birnbaum's column. Anyway, Dewey Square is home to such Democratic campaign vets as Kiki McLean, Minyon Moore, and Michael Whouley, whom the press can't seem to write about without calling him "reclusive" and "press-shy."

Who might be next on WPP's shopping list?