The PR pitches and M&A highlights for May, with Andrew Bloch

In the May 2026 edition of the PRmoment Podcast, host Ben Smith sits down with new business maestro Andrew Bloch (AAR, PCB Partners) to dissect a shifting UK communications landscape. The overarching theme of the month highlights a widening divide between agencies riding massive waves of momentum and those experiencing localized, procurement-driven hesitation.Before diving into the market data, Ben shares two critical industry diary dates for your radar:AI in PR Masterclass (July 2nd, 2026): Titled The Age of Algorithms, Predictive Analytics, and Risk, this event is a comprehensive guide to navigating future-facing tech. Secure your virtual or face-to-face London spot at PRmasterclasses.com.The Creative Moment Awards: The absolute final entry deadline is closing fast on Friday, 19th June 2026. Ensure your team's best creative work is in the running by submitting over at creativemomentawards.co.Key Themes1. The procurement squeeze and market polarizationAndrew Bloch defines the current climate as one of "cautious optimism" mixed with macro anxiety. Pipelines are active, but growth is unevenly distributed. Agencies with sharp specialisms—particularly in sports, consumer lifestyle, and social—are thriving, while others face gridlocked client sign-offs. Furthermore, clients are heavily relying on procurement to extract maximum commercial impact, shifting expectations entirely away from traditional "column inches."2. The independent "David vs. Goliath" surgeA massive takeaway from May's pitch cycle is the clear dominance of independent agencies over legacy network holding companies. Clients are progressively prioritizing agile storytelling and pure earned media capabilities over sheer corporate scale.3. M&A Strategy: earned media as strategic platform glueWhile private equity (PE) and trade buyers are exercising strict valuation discipline, high-quality independents remain hot targets. Private equity is increasingly viewing standout consumer PR agencies as anchor platforms to bolt on smaller social, data, and AI-enabled services.Major pitch wins & M&A DealsNotable Wins: Words and Pixels scooped the coveted UK/Ireland brief for tech giant Pinterest, beating out legacy networks. Newly launched Joe Public landed Sneak Energy, and The Romans expanded their sports footprint by securing Oakley’s global and North American remit. Other wins included Grayling taking the Croatian National Tourist Board and Hope and Glory onboarding Ask Italian.M&A Highlights: Publicis made a massive $2.2 billion bet on tech infrastructure by acquiring data collaboration platform LiveRamp at a 30% premium. Meanwhile, Havas snapped up Paris-based corporate influence firm Format, and Mike Worldwide acquired workplace communications agency Hudson Lake.Quotes from Andrew BlochOn maintaining agency momentum:"In a market like this where budgets could disappear overnight, momentum is really the closest thing you can get to having security... You can't stand still in this market. Standing still is going backwards."On why private equity is hunting for PR firms:"What's really encouraging for the PR space is they're seeing earned media as actually the glue that ties together lots of different bits of the marketing mix."On the resurgence of pure storytelling:"A lot of agencies have almost forgotten the art of storytelling and the art of earned media... Let’s not forget how important earned media is. That’s where PR is."