Weber Shandwick First Global PR Firm to Pilot Facebook at Work, Explores New Platform as Communications & Collaboration Tool for Clients to Engage Employees

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Weber Shandwick, one of the world's leading global communications and engagement firms, will be the first global PR firm to pilot Facebook's enterprise collaboration platform, Facebook at Work. The test, which will begin today with a portion of the agency's global employees, is part of Weber Shandwick's ongoing effort to explore and understand new innovative communications platforms for clients engaging important constituencies, including employees.

"As a leading social agency, we systematically pursue beta partner opportunities that offer clients new angles for engagement," said Chris Perry, Chief Digital Officer, Weber Shandwick. "Our partnership with Facebook for internal collaboration is particularly timely given that employee engagement is ripe for innovation and an emerging area of focus for our clients."

Weber Shandwick employees across various teams and global locations will be a part of the pilot program initially. The agency pilot will include teams with varied organizational structures and workflows to understand the platform's best use-cases for different types of clients, as well as for the firm itself. To determine its usability and effectiveness, the team will collect insights on usage, engagement, knowledge sharing, collaboration, culture and connectivity.

"A very select group of companies around the world can access Facebook at Work right now so we're excited to be the first company to look at this from our clients' perspective to see how it could work as a communications tool for engaging one of our clients' key constituencies – their employees," said Adam Clyne, head of digital, EMEA, Weber Shandwick. "Collaboration is inherently part of Weber Shandwick's culture, so it will be interesting to see how the platform strengthens our own teamwork, particularly as it relates to working on mobile with teams who are truly global, cross-practice and cross-office. About a quarter of our workforce across six continents is taking part in our trial to really get to grips with how Facebook at Work can enhance internal collaboration and communication."

As a mobile first platform, Facebook at Work is also a separate and secure professional resource, allowing only the coworkers within a company to see information that's posted.

"At work it is important to collaborate with and share information with the right people," said Julien Codorniou, director of global platform partnerships, Facebook. "Everyone looks for quicker or simpler ways to work together and we believe that Facebook at Work will help create a more productive and connected workplace."

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications and engagement firm in 76 cities across 34 countries and operations extending to 124 cities in 81 countries. The firm's diverse team of strategists, analysts, producers, designers, developers and campaign activators has won the most prestigious awards in the world for innovative, creative approaches and impactful work, including being honored as an Ad Age A-List Agency in 2014 and 2015, The Holmes Report's Global Agency of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and PRWeek's 2015 Global Agency of the Year. Weber Shandwick and its Prime unit have won a combined 25 Cannes Lions since 2009. Weber Shandwick was also named a Best Place to Work by Ad Age in 2014 and 2015 and PRWeek in 2013 and 2014. The firm deploys deep expertise across sectors and specialty areas, including consumer marketing, corporate reputation, healthcare, technology, public affairs, financial services, corporate social responsibility, financial communications and crisis management, using proprietary social, digital and analytics methodologies. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com.

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