NEW YORK — Omnicom Group, which owns numerous PR firms including FleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Porter Novelli, has reported that its PR revenues grew 0.3% on an organic basis in 2017.

The group recorded PR revenues of $1.38bn in 2017, with PR revenues up 0.1% on an organic basis during Q4, following two consecutive quarters of decline, which prompted Omnicom Group CEO John Wren to say that leadership of the group's PR firms is being adjusted.

Since then the agency has named Barri Rafferty to replace Rob Flaherty as CEO of Ketchum, Omnicom's second-largest PR firm after FleishmanHillard. 

The group's PR revenue reached $363m during the quarter, up 1.1% on a reported basis. On an organic basis, PR lagged all of the group's other units, except for healthcare. Overall, the group grew global revenue by 1.6% on an organic basis for the quarter, and 3% for the year.

Despite returning to growth in 2016, Omnicom's PR firms — which includeFleishmanHillard, Ketchum and Porter-Novelli — has struggled to record sustained growth in recent years, helping to usher in the appointment of Karen van Bergen as CEO of the newly-constituted Omnicom PR Group two years ago.