LONDON: Japanese electronics company Ricoh is rethinking its engagement strategy in EMEA, calling an agency pitch as it seeks to expand its corporate PR activity in the region.

The pitch comes two years after Burson-Marsteller won the six-figure mandate. The agency is believed to be defending the brief, with budgets expected to rise.

The Holmes Report understands that Ricoh has invited several international PR agencies to take part in the London-based pitch.

A source familiar with the situation said that the review reflected an increasing boardroom focus on the power of PR. “There is an increased desire to do bigger, and more, corporate communication.”

Burson-Marsteller’s brief encompassed stakeholder engagement, international business media relations, digital comms and pan-EMEA coordination. The account does not include in-market activity.

Javier Diez-Aguirre heads Ricoh corporate communications in EMEA. Diez-Aguirre did not respond to request for comment.

Ricoh specialises in digital offices solutions, including printing, copying and scanning equipment, and also makes cameras. The company’s key rivals include HP and Xerox.