Socket Public Relations Joins Blanc & Otus Family

Strategic merger emphasizes brand strength and leverages talent and resources nationally

SAN FRANCISCO/ATLANTA – June 5, 2002 – Blanc & Otus and Socket Public Relations today announced that they have merged to create one of the largest, full-service technology public relations firms in the nation.

SocketPR now is operating under the Blanc & Otus brand and all SocketPR employees have become B&O employees. With Socket, B&O embodies one of the most comprehensive technology networks in the U.S. with operations in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, San Francisco and Washington DC.

“The decision to combine SocketPR and Blanc & Otus was a natural,” said Greg Spector, president and chief executive officer of Blanc & Otus. “With the merger, B&O is able to provide clients even broader capabilities and an expanded geographical reach into the Southwest and Southeast markets.” B&O, founded in 1986, was acquired by Hill and Knowlton Inc. in 1999.

Socket Public Relations, founded in 1992, has expertise in all areas of technology products and services including Internet, telecommunications, enterprise applications, security and enabling technologies for health care companies. Blanc & Otus has a reputation for working with the hottest start-ups, enterprise and software companies. Over the years, the two companies have represented such diverse companies as Sybase, Sony, E.piphany, Dun & Bradstreet, NetIQ, TiVo, Motorola and Compaq.

“We are delighted to take on the B&O brand and become part of the B&O family,” said Peter Baron founder of SocketPR. “We have been working closely with B&O since our acquisition by Hill & Knowlton in August 2000. By blending our agencies, we immediately expand our resources and gain vital ‘on the ground’ presence on the East and West Coasts that will immediately benefit our clients and staff.”

H&K/SocketPR
Beverly McDonald and Peter Baron will be co-general managers of B&O’s Atlanta office. Craig Parks, who has headed SocketPR’s Austin office for five years, will continue in that role for B&O.

“B&O and SocketPR have been leading the way in tech PR for years,” said Maureen Blanc, director of H&K’s Global Technology Practice and a founder of Blanc & Otus. “H&K is one of the largest technology practices in the world, and is committed to building B&O into one of the top tech megabrands. The merger with SocketPR is an important step towards that goal.”

“This speaks precisely to Hill and Knowlton’s acquisition strategy – to build a top technology brand as part of our family of offerings,” said Paul Taaffe, president of Hill and Knowlton, Inc.

About Blanc & Otus:
Blanc & Otus (www.blancandotus.com) is a high-tech communications agency for startup, high-growth and Global 2000 companies that want to create new markets, change market behavior, and be industry leaders. B&O fields multi-disciplinary teams of technology PR and marketing professionals who use the B&O Lifecycle methodology to create market-specific, stage-appropriate communications programs and services. The company has a 16-year track record for generating superior, on-strategy results for its clients. Blanc & Otus, a Hill and Knowlton company, has operations in San Francisco, Boston, and Washington, D.C., and serves as headquarters for H&K's Global Technology Practice.

About Socket Public Relations
Socket Public Relations (www.socketpr.com) provides public relations, analyst relations and strategic marketing counsel to technology companies. Drawing from nearly a decade of building and executing strategic public relations campaigns for a wide range of companies from startups through publicly traded corporations, the agency develops stage-appropriate strategies and tactics designed to establish and strengthen its clients’ positions in the marketplace. Founded in 1992, Socket Public Relations was acquired in 2000 by Hill and Knowlton. Socket Public Relations has offices in Austin, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia.

About Hill and Knowlton
Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Hill and Knowlton Inc. is a leading international public relations and public affairs firm based in New York, with 65 offices in 35 countries as well as an extensive associate network. The agency is part of WPP Group plc (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world’s largest communications services groups. WPP Group provides services to local, multinational and global clients, including more than 300 of the Fortune Global 500. Hill and Knowlton was recently named “Agency of the Year 2001” by The Holmes Report.

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