Brann Baltimore Celebrates 15th Anniversary.

Business Editors

BALTIMORE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2002

Brann Baltimore is celebrating its 15th year in business in the Baltimore region beginning this fall.

The full-service advertising, direct marketing and multimedia agency will mark the milestone with a number of events throughout the year, including a grand re-opening of its office on October 3, 2002. In recognition of the agency's longtime home, employees redesigned six of the office's conference rooms to feature distinctive Baltimore themes.

The resulting rooms--The Poe Room, The John Waters Room, The Aquarium, The Crab Hut, The Maryland Heritage Room, and the Skybox--pay tribute to the city's people, culture, and institutions.

The agency first opened an office in suburban Baltimore in 1988 as a satellite of Connecticut-based Barry Blau and Partners, with seven employees working on a single client account. The agency continually added clients and employees, and underwent several ownership and name changes. Barry Blau and Partners was acquired by Snyder Communications and its subsidiary Brann Worldwide in 1998, and renamed Brann Blau.

When the agency's parent company was acquired by Havas Advertising in 2000, the name evolved again to Brann Baltimore. The agency moved to its current Baltimore Inner Harbor offices four years ago.

Brann Baltimore now has more than 70 local employees, and is recognized as a premier, full-service communications agency. Traditionally known for its expertise in direct mail, the agency now offers the full spectrum of communications services utilizing television, radio, print, web, mail, outdoor, and telecommunications marketing.

Brann Baltimore's current clients include First USA, The Bermuda Department of Tourism, Bank One, Marriott Senior Living, Genealogy.com, Roy's, United Way of Central Maryland, and BMW Financial Services.

Brann Baltimore has fostered a corporate culture based on a casual, professional environment. This extends from holding in-house and off-site staff events, to creating a workspace that is a pleasant environment for clients and employees to interact and think creatively.

The 15th anniversary and a shared fondness for Baltimore inspired the employees to redecorate the agency's conference rooms using themes distinctive to the city. Employees split into six design teams, were allotted a $1500 budget per team, and tasked with incorporating a particular Baltimore theme into their meeting room.

The resulting rooms convey to national and international clients visiting the office the unique character of Baltimore, and provide employees with workspaces that are an inspiration to innovative thinking. Invited guests at the October 3 grand re-opening party will be able to vote on their favorite room design.

"We are particularly proud of the success that Brann Baltimore has sustained over the past 15 years here," said Paul Walczyk, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Brann Baltimore. "We owe a large part of that success and our ability to offer world-class communications services to the hard-working, can-do spirit our employees share with the city of Baltimore."

Brann Baltimore is an office of Brann Worldwide, a subsidiary of Havas Advertising. For more information on Brann, please visit www.brann.com.