3. Two simple words
remind us that great ideas
shatter expectations.
Two simple words
set Ketchum apart.
break through
www.ketchum.com
4. Agency Report Card 2013
the
HOLMES
REPORT
PR AGENCY
REPORT CARD
Paul A. Holmes
CEO
Arun Sudhaman
Partner and Managing Editor
Greg Drury
Partner and President - U.S. Operations
Aarti Shah
Senior Editor
Annabel Davis
Chief Internet Officer
Amanda Busby
UK Administrative Manager
Patrick Drury
Account Executive
Celeste Picco
Chief Administrative Officer
James Beer/Logo Logo
Design
Anthony S. Picco
Layout & Print Production
The Holmes Report, PR Agency Report Card 2013
(ISBN 978-0-9913575-0-5) is published once a year by The Holmes Group,
Address: 271 West 47 Street, Suite 23-A, New York, NY 10036, USA
Tel: (212) 333-2300; Fax: (212) 333-2624
Second class postage is pending at New York, NY, and additional offices.
POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to The Holmes Report,
271 West 47th Street, Suite 23-A, New York, NY 10036.
Individual copies of The Holmes Report
EMEA Consultancy Report Card 2013 are priced at $69.95.
2 www.holmesreport.com
5. MESSAGE
MATTERS.
If you want to connect, you must reach people where they
are. In the new, turbulent world of health care, we’re religious
about understanding your audience, creating compelling
messages and content, and converting people to your cause.
Times are changing. Time for a revival.
thinkrevivehealth.com
6. Agency Report Card 2013
CONTENTS
“The first signs of an
economic recovery meant
that revenue increases in the
US public relations business
continued to outpace
Europe—where the major
markets are still suffering
from government austerity
and corporate caution—and
demonstrate that there is still plenty of room for
growth in a business that continues to expand the
breadth and depth of its service offering to meet the
challenges of a new communications era.
In terms of breadth, it is clear that many public
relations firms continue to expand into digital
and social media. PR firms have demonstrated
the ability to compete with other marketing and
communications services firms in the content
creation and curation arena, offering a wide range of
channel-neutral solutions across paid, owned and
shared media as well as the earned space in which
PR agencies have traditionally dominated. And more
and more firms are expanding their capabilities in
data and analytics, using third-party services and
their own custom tools to offer better research,
planning and metrics.
In terms of depth, the best firms in the consumer
space have moved far beyond product publicity
to offer genuine insight into customer wants and
needs, and to deliver brand-building campaigns
that a few years ago were the province of either ad
agencies or specialist brand consultancies. In the
corporate arena, meanwhile, the high-end strategic
consulting firms have demonstrated that they are
more than capable of competing with management
consultancies and law firms in areas such as
change management and public affairs, and of
holding down a seat at the same table as financial
and legal advisors.
As a result, industry growth last year was close
to 10 percent, with independent firms leading the
way—many of those featured in this review grew by
double-digits or better, and are on track for similarly
impressive performance in 2014.
There is no doubt that the communications
landscape is more challenging than ever. But
equally, there is no doubt that the best and the
brightest PR firms are rising to that challenge.”
Paul A. Holmes
Paul Holmes, Editor
EDITORIAL.............................................................................................................................................................. 04
TEN WAYS TO DESIGN THE AGENCY OF THE FUTURE..................................................... 06
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)...................................................................................... 12
AGENCIES OF THE YEAR........................................................................................................................... 14
ALPHABETICAL INDEX................................................................................................................................. 20
GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX.............................................................................................................................. 24
SPECIALTY INDEX............................................................................................................................................ 26
MULTINATIONAL, FULL-SERVICE FIRMS......................................................................................... 28
SPECIALISTS, BOUTIQUES, SMALL & MID-SIZE FIRMS....................................................... 68
4 www.holmesreport.com
7. what engages you?
We are in the business to be “engaging, always.” So the
people who work here are a highly engaged group. There are
photographers, bass guitar players, PhDs, lawyers, stand-up
comics, synchronized swimmers (yes, we have one). And every
day they bring their unique perspective and skills to engaging
people with the brands and issues that matter to them.
To learn more, go to webershandwick.com.
8. Agency Report Card 2013
1
0
WAYS TO
DESIGN
THE
AGENCY
OF THE
FUTURE
by Paul Holmes
THE FINANCIAL, POLITICAL, TECHNOLOGICAL AND
media worlds have changed dramatically since the
start of the 21st century. The global economic crisis,
stagnation in the developed economies and growth
in emerging markets, the rise of digital and social
communications channels and the fragmentation of
mainstream news outlets—these changes have all
prompted new threats, and opened up new opportunities, for the public relations business.
But to take advantage of these changes, public
relations firms need new business models, new—and
more diverse—talent, and new ways of thinking. To put
it mildly, a public relations agency designed to meet
the major challenges of the 20th century is unlikely to
succeed in the 21st.
Yet many of the world’s largest agencies, and
a surprising number of midsize firms, continue to
operate as if little has changed. Their infrastructure
is a legacy from a different age, they have the same
practice areas (often conflating actual practices
such as corporate communications and product
marketing, with industry sectors such as healthcare
and technology), the same geographic structures, the
same silos that served them (not always well) a decade
or more ago.
And many of them have failed to integrate new
ideas, new technologies and new media, into the way
they do business—often treating changes that ought
to disrupt existing models as if they can simply be
bolted on to the old model.
Every time they do that, they miss an opportunity
to create something genuinely disruptive, and they
double down on their investment in traditional,
vestigial, thinking—increasing their vulnerability to new
firms with new ways of thinking.
Many of the firms in this volume are already acting
on some, perhaps many, of the ideas presented here.
Some have radically restructured their business using
their own ideas of what the future will demand. It’s
doubtful whether anyone has all the answers when it
comes to creating a new model for the public relations
firm, but there are several ideas that all agencies
should be exploring or considering.
1. Big data at the center
Three years ago, I found myself in Davos—at a
conference called Communication on Top—debating
the future role of public relations in a shifting world.
6 www.holmesreport.com
9. ACTIVIST
DEFAULT
ANONYMOUS
SHAREHOLDER
LITIGATION
A N ALYST R E P ORT
CONGRESSIONAL
HEARINGS
SOURCE
PRODUCT RECALL
LBO SHUTDOWN
FBI RAID
SAY ON PAY
CONSENT DECREE
PRESS CONFERENCE
SPIN-OFF
FIGHT LETTER
MERGER
UNSOLICITED OFFER
INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER
INVESTOR MEETING
PROXY CONTEST
ACQ U I S I T I O N
VALUE
LABOR DISPUTE
CFIUS
CLEARANCE
STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES POISON
TAKE CONTROL
IPO
SURPRISE
13D SEC INQUIRY
RESTRUCTURING
STRIKE
MEDIA INTERVIEW
RESTATEMENT
EARNINGS
EARNINGS
ROAD SHOW
SHORT ATTACK
WOLF PACK
CHAPTER 11 UNCONFIRMED RUMOR
WHITE KNIGHT
HOSTILE TAKEOVER
BOYCOTT
WELLS NOTICE
ANTITRUST REVIEW
BANKRUPTCY
COVENANT BREACH
SOCIAL MEDIA
MANAGEMENT CHANGE
LAYOFF
PILL
RELEASE
joelefrank.com
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
LITIGATION SUPPORT
INVESTOR RELATIONS
RESTRUCTURING & BANKRUPTCY
TRANSACTION COMMUNICATIONS
PRIVATE EQUITY
CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS
& SPECIAL SITUATIONS
SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM
& CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
10. Agency Report Card 2013
My own optimistic view was challenged by
Marshall Sponder, an expert in web analytics.
His major complaint: that PR people did
not understand how to use big data; his
big prediction: that within a couple of years,
every PR agency that wanted to be taken
seriously would have a chief data officer,
playing a significant role in the leadership of
the organization.
To say that progress on this score has been
mixed would be extremely generous to the
industry as a whole. There has been plenty of
evidence that putting data and analytics at the
center of communications can be incredibly
powerful—the Obama re-election campaign
is the most obvious example—but there has
been incremental progress at best when it
comes to using data to drive marketing and
corporate communications more broadly, and
only a handful of firms have anyone in a role
roughly equivalent to Sponder’s chief data
officer role.
2. Insight to drive
meaningful creativity
One reason data is important is that it lays
the foundation for the kind of insight—into
stakeholder attitudes, values, beliefs and
actions—that ensure relevance.
For too long, many public relations
people—like the baseball scouts in Michael
Lewis’s Moneyball who believed that they
could identify a good baseball player based
on little more than attitude, posture, and
physique—have operated on the assumption
that their years of experience alone meant
that they knew a good PR campaign when
they saw it.
But all too often, the ideas they generated
were creative just for the sake of it. They
resonated with reporters, but not with the
wider audiences they were intended to reach.
They provided entertainment value but didn’t
do anything to influence behaviour. They were
“great” PR ideas with no business benefit.
Great data alone will not ensure great PR
programming. But better data will lead to
better insights. And better insights will lead to
more creative public relations ideas—ideas
that solve real business problems.
3. Understanding the
human brain
Edward L Bernays would insist loudly to
anyone who would listen that public relations
was “applied social science.” That was true in
the industry’s early days, when Bernays and
8 www.holmesreport.com
others were pioneering a new discipline, and it
remains true today.
What has changed is that we have new
ways of understanding how the human mind
words, how people decide what to believe,
how they process information, how they make
choices.
the second. There is probably still a very
good living to be earned that way—effective
communication remains important; but firms
that can help their clients earn the right kind of
reputation—by helping to shape policy rather
than explain it—will deliver and derive far
greater value in the future.
A PR PERSON WHO LOOKS AT A CLIENT
FROM A TRUE JOURNALISTIC PERSPECTIVE
SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNEARTH BOTH
POSITIVE NEWS (AUTHENTIC STORIES
THAT REINFORCE THE MESSAGES
A COMPANY WANTS TO COMMUNICATE
ABOUT ITSELF) AND NOT-SO-POSITIVE
NEWS (HELPING CLIENTS IDENTIFY
AREAS OF REPUTATION RISK).
Most PR people could benefit from going
back and reading Bernays’ classic The
Engineering of Consent. But they should also
be reading more recent volumes such as The
Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, Nudge by
Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Made to
Stick by Chip Heath, or Contagious by Jonah
Burger. Or listening to neuroscientists like
David Eagleman, who presented at our first
Global Public Relations Summit in 2012 and
provided numerous insights—some of them
quite shocking—into the ways emotional
responses can overrule the rational mind, and
the unconscious supersede the conscious.
Understanding the latest thinking in this
area is essential for anyone hoping to change
attitudes and behaviors.
4. Managing reputation
is about more than just
communicating reputation
There are two necessary preconditions if
a company is to have a good reputation (by
which we mean a reputation that strengthens
the relationship between a company and its
key stakeholders, reducing risk and providing
greater opportunity). First, it must earn that
reputation; then it must communicate what it
has done to earn it.
The first of those things is by far the most
important; traditionally, public relations firms
have spent far more time and energy on
This requires an understanding of corporate
culture, and corporate values, and how
to communicate them so that executives
communicate them through their words
and—infinitely more important—their deeds;
employees believe in them and live them; and
external stakeholders understand them and
believe that they are authentic.
5. Becoming real brand
journalists
The public relations industry has always
recruited former journalists. But historically,
it has demanded that they stop acting
like journalists. Their perceived value was
their ability to craft stories that their former
colleagues would find interesting or appealing.
But that approach ignored their true value.
Real brand journalism is not just about
telling good stories, it’s about identifying and
researching and developing those stories.
By hiring people who think and act like
journalists, and encouraging clients to allow
these “brand journalists” full access, PR firms
can provide tremendous value. A PR person
who looks at a client from a true journalistic
perspective should be able to unearth
both positive news (authentic stories that
reinforce the messages a company wants
to communicate about itself) and not-sopositive news (helping clients identify areas of
reputation risk).
12. Agency Report Card 2013
6. Being truly channel
neutral
The ideal of channel neutrality has been
on the communications industry agenda
for decades. It has (at least theoretically)
been at the heart of several approaches to
integration—“orchestration,” “the whole egg,”
and more. But it has proven incredibly difficult
to realize, perhaps because the wrong people
have been driving the process.
True channel neutrality is difficult for
advertising agencies, because the financial
rewards of persuading a client to invest in
one channel—paid advertising—provide an
almost irresistible attraction. Given the choice
between telling the client he or she needs a
billion dollar ad campaign or a $100,000 PR
initiative, most ad firms have found ways to
convince themselves—and their clients—that
the ad campaign is the best solution.
(The new generation of digital firms has
a slightly different challenge: by focusing
on and recruiting for a single channel of
communication, they lack the expertise to be
channel agnostic.)
But PR is not a channel, or a medium,
or a vehicle; it’s a process. There is no
reason why PR people should not be just as
comfortable suggesting a flashmob as they
are recommending a press conference; a
mobile app rather than a media release; or
even an ad campaign rather than a publicity
program.
No reason, that is, except that they lack the
talent in-house. If a PR firm is staffed entirely
with media relations experts, it is going to find
channel neutrality just as challenging as any
ad agency or digital specialist.
7. Eliminating internal
barriers
As public relations firms evolved, they
traditionally broke their businesses down in
a number of different ways: by the intended
audience (practice areas such as consumer
and corporate, public affairs and investor
relations); by industry section (healthcare,
technology, financial services); and—in the
case of the largest firms—by geography.
This made agencies more manageable—
and created opportunities for senior staff—but
it also erected barriers between the various
business units, often creating obstacles to
assembling the best people from multiple
practices, sectors and geographies. Those
barriers have become more problematic as
communications challenges have become
10 www.holmesreport.com
more complex. And ironically, there are more
of those barriers at the largest agencies,
which are often called upon the handle the
most complex, global issues.
Agencies need to ask themselves whether
these vestigial structures still make sense.
Is the “corporate” audience really so distinct
from the “consumer” audience? If so, is a
CSR campaign corporate (because a major
objective in enhanced reputation) or consumer
(because done right, CSR can help drive
sales)? Wouldn’t your public affairs efforts be
better served if they included an employee
communications component, motivating
ordinary employees to get involved?
And does having a “digital” practice make
any more sense than having a “print” practice
or a “radio” practice? Or does it perhaps
another barrier, one that actually makes it
more difficult to come up with channel-neutral
solutions?
8. Recruiting differently
There are people working in public relations
firms today who are more than capable
of doing many, perhaps all, of the things
described so far in this article.
There are (contrary to popular perception)
PR people who understand and even love
hard data; who have studied neuroscience
and applied its findings to their work; who
counsel their clients’ CEO on his actions
as well as his words; who are just as
comfortable recommending an ad campaign
as a PR program, if it’s the right solution to a
client’s problem.
But there are not enough of them, and
there won’t be enough of them until PR firms
change the way they recruit and target a
broader, more diverse range of people, taking
a risk on hiring candidates not only from
journalism and politics and finance, but from
marketing and research and academia and
a range of other disciplines that may seem
completely unrelated to PR as we currently
know it.
9. Creating new career
paths
Once those people have been recruited,
agencies will need to offer them career paths
that don’t necessarily look like the traditional
trajectory of a successful PR executive.
For one thing, that traditional trajectory
has never served agencies as well as they
might think. It has all too often resulted in
promoting a great PR person until he or she
is gradually shifted away from client work and
into the management of a “P&L”—often with
the result that the agency loses a great client
counselor and gains a mediocre (at best)
manager.
Many firms have been experimenting with
alternate career paths that keep their best
PR people close to their clients, turning
them into “client relationship managers”
running complex global accounts, but
there is still a perception that the top jobs
in most agencies—the ones that earn the
most money and the most respect—involve
managing a practice or an office.
That will need to change, as experts in data
analysis, those with a flair for insights and
creativity, those comfortable in the C-suite,
and those whose expertise involves internal
investigative journalism or content creation,
demand public relations careers that are as
fulfilling and as rewarding as those who are
excited by the prospect of managing a P&L—
or their own firm.
10. Make it matter
The final challenge, another one the
industry has been wrestling with for
decades, involves making sure that all of
this activity—improved use of data, better
insights, application of the latest science,
radical restructuring, recruitment and career
mapping—pays off in business terms.
Fortunately, there is recent research that
provides a map for PR measurement. Fred
Reicheld’s “net promoter score” approach
has focused primarily on demonstrating that
when consumers are more likely to advocate
for a brand—by recommending it to their
friends and peers—there is a real payoff in
terms of future performance. (Similarly, when
consumers are actively critical of a brand,
there is a measurable negative impact on
performance.)
There is no reason why this methodology
cannot be applied to other stakeholder
groups, and public relations people should
start every new campaign by asking, will this
increase the number of advocates and reduce
the number of detractors for the company,
organization, product or service. And they
should measure every campaign by figuring
out who the ratio of advocates to detractors
changed—and making sure management
understands how that ratio is relevant to
sales, profits and share price.
13. What’s a
KWittKen?
A beastcreature found primarily in New York,
with reported sightings in London, Dubai, and
Tokyo. It’s mayor of the internet, is able to tweet
141 characters and has earned more badges than an
eagle scout that married a girl scout that had a baby
that became an eagle scout. It’s a morning person,
afternoon person, evening person and morning
person. If it were on TV it wouldn’t be on the Home
Shopping Network , but if it was, your mom would
TM
buy a dozen of whatever it was selling. It may
occasionally raise its voice, but it does so in such a
way that you feel better about your future, meet the
love of your life, and are cured of your persistent
case of tennis elbow. Kwittken is only pretty good
at cat whispering, but it’s good as hell at PR*.
*Kwittken + Company is a freaking awesome agency that works with different
clients in a ton of different industries. (646) 277-7111 kwittken.com
Kwittken [kwit-tken]
14. FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
Agency Report Card 2013
HOW WERE FIRMS SELECTED
FOR INCLUSION IN THE
CONSUL
TANCY REPORT CARD?
THERE are several criteria for inclusion.One
is size. We made every effort to include the
largest pan-regional agencies as well as the
leaders in individual markets.
Awards were another indicator of quality,
and we included many firms that had won
awards in their local markets or in international
competition.
Finally, we gave special consideration to
members of the various international networks
of independent public relations consultancies,
on the grounds that these firms are particularly
focused on the kinds of international clients to
whom this Report Card is distributed.
Of course, we were dependent on the
participation of the firms themselves. We
contacted many firms to invite them to submit
the detailed information we needed in order to
create a thorough and accurate profile. Some
of them failed to respond and several declined
to participate.
DO YOU EVER WRITE NEGATIVE
REVIEWS OF THE FIRMS YOU
INCLUDE?
NOT usually. Firms are included because we
believe they are good enough to recommend
to our client-side readers. If we don’t think
a firm is good enough to be included, we
exclude it, rather than wasting our valuable
space and our readers’ valuable time with a
negative review.
HOW DID YOU SELECT YOUR
CONSULTANCIES OF THE YEAR?
WE met with many of the firms included in
this Report Card personally, sitting through
credentials presentations and discussions
about philosophy, culture, values, and strategy.
In addition to those meetings we spoke with
more than 100 clients and industry experts. In
almost every case, we asked the individuals
which firms they most respected.
We also took into consideration growth and
industry recognition such as awards, which
provide us with a unique insight into the way
participating consultancies think.
Both historic positioning in a market—consistent leadership over time—and more recent
accomplishments and performance were taken
into consideration.
HOW CAN MY FIRM PARTICIPATE
IN NEXT YEAR’S CONSULTANCY
REPORT CARD?
SIMPLY contact our editor, Paul Holmes at
pholmes@holmesreport.com. Be prepared to
answer questions about your firm ranging from
the general (what makes your firm different
from its competitors) to the specific (recent
new business successes, awards and recognition earned) and to include client references or
testimonials.
We will start pulling together information
for the 2014 Report Card soon. E-mail Paul
Holmes at the address above.
IS THERE ANY COST FOR
INCLUSION?
ABSOLUTELY not. Because the Report Card
reaches an extensive client-side readership—both in the U.S. and globally—several
participating firms have chosen to advertise,
but firms are included on merit, not because
they have bought ads, and we would never
exclude a firm that didn’t advertise.
12 www.holmesreport.com
15. Davies
transforms public perception
PRSA PRism - Winner, Public Affairs 2013
PRSA PRism - Winner, Community Relations 2013
O’Dwyers - 3rd Largest Environmental Firm in the U.S. 2013
Holmes Report - Best Agency to Work For 2005-2013
American Assoc. Political Consultants - Public Affairs and Issue Advocacy 2013
American Assoc. Political Consultants - Public Affairs Direct Mail 2013
American Assoc. Political Consultants - Best Facebook Page 2013
SABRE - Energy and Natural Resources, Gold B2B 2013
SABRE - Excellence in Content Creation, Silver 2013
SABRE - Certificate of Excellence 2013
Hermes - Corporate Image Video, Platinum 2013
Hermes - Social Media/YouTube, Platinum 2013
Hermes - Publications Brochure, Platinum 2013
Hermes - Website Overall Informational, Platinum 2013
Hermes - Public Relations Video, Platinum 2013
Hermes - Website Element and Design, Gold 2013
Hermes - Video Public Relations, Gold 2013
Holmes Report - Public Affairs Agency of the Year 2012
PR News - Top Places to Work in PR 2012
PRism - Excellence in Public Affairs 2012
American Assoc. Political Consultants - Best in Show 2012
DAVIESPUBLICAFFAIRS.COM | LOS ANGELES | SANTA BARBARA | WASHINGTON, DC
16. AGENCIES
OF THE YEAR
Agency Report Card 2012
LARGE AGENCY
OF THE YEAR:
GOLINHARRIS
A little under two years ago, GolinHarris announced a
comprehensive restructuring of its business, replacing
the traditional practice areas with a radically reimagined
structure that divided its people between four communities: strategists (for insight and analytics), creators (for
content), connectors (for engagement), and catalysts
(account leaders). It was a bold move, designed to help
one of the smaller full-service multinationals compete
with their larger peers—and the early evidence suggests
that it has succeeded. GolinHarris enjoyed perhaps the
best year in its history in 2012. Growth of 17 percent
(about half of it organic) was among the best of the
large agencies. New business from the likes of Walmart,
Cisco, Baxter, Lilly, American Greetings, Mondelez,
and The Hartford demonstrated that it was capable of
competing against and beating larger firms for prestige
accounts. Award-winning products like real-time marketing offer The Bridge showed a commitment to innovation. And high marks on our Best Agencies to Work For
research indicated that employees have bought into the
new model.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Edelman, Fleishman-Hillard, Ketchum, Weber
Shandwick
MIDSIZE AGENCY
OF THE YEAR:
GIBBS & SOELL
FOR most of its 40-year history, Gibbs & Soell has been
a steady performer, content with consistent single-digit
growth and a reputation for rolling up its sleeves and delivering solid media results for its clients. But 2012 was a
break with tradition in more ways the one. First, the firm
restructured: refocusing on a few key industries in which
it has genuine depth, including advanced manufacturing,
agribusiness and food, home and building and professional services. Second, developing a suite of digital
and creative service. And third, launching new business
consulting, employee engagement and sustainability
groups that provided value-added strategic aspects to
the firm’s offer. The payoff was impressive: 34 percent
growth, taking the firm to within a whisker of $20 million
in fees; new business in every key sector, including
Hafele, Trudeau, Xuber, Lord Corporation, Gevo, Intertek,
Harris Interactive, Rexel, Panasonic Power Tools, and
Florida East Coast Railway; thought leadership including its Sense & Sustainability study an conference; and
creative recognition, including Silver SABRE Awards
for its media relations work for Harris Interactive and its
creation of a new brand identity for Syngenta.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Cone, DKC, Havas PR, MWW
14 www.holmesreport.com
SMALL AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
SHIFT COMMUNICATIONS
AFTER winning Digital Agency of the Year in 2012, SHIFT
continued its impressive upward trajectory over the past
12 months, growing around 20 percent to almost $15m, a
rate that suggests it will soon outgrow this category. Just
as importantly, the firm continued to evolve an offering that
blends earned, paid and owned media, via an industryleading approach to content and analytics. Significantly,
a strong new business haul reflected the firm’s expansion
beyond its technology heartland, illustrated by such new
clients as McDonald’s, Toyota and Tyson Foods, along
with eye-catching work for Rethink Robotics and Zoosk.
There were some high-profile creative and digital hires and,
notably, the firm became one of a handful to implement an
employee stock ownership plan.—ASu
HONORABLE MENTION:
Fahlgren Mortine, Jackson Spalding, Kwittken &
Company, Mitchell Communications Group
BOUTIQUE AGENCY
OF THE YEAR:
FOODMINDS
SINCE its launch in 2006, FoodMinds has established
itself as a thought leader in the food and beverage sector,
growing at an impressive rate—fees were up 38 percent in
2012, to close to $5 million—and taking a lead role in the
dialogue on nutrition topics. The firm added 13 new clients
last year, including the Almond Board of California, the
American Heart Association, the Council for Responsible
Nutrition, the Institute of Food Technologists, Micropharma
and its Cardioviva product, and Nestlé, and deepened
a bench of experts that already included partners Laura
Cubillos, Bill Layden and Susan Pitman with five registered
dietitians. The firm also picked up a 2012 Gold SABRE for
its public affairs campaign on behalf of the National Potato
Council, ensuring that potatoes keep their place on school
menus.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
360 Public Relations, Borders & Gratehouse, Brew,
Southard Communications
NEW AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
THE HATCH AGENCY
LAUNCHED in January 2012 by OutCast alumni Reema
Bahnasy and Amy Swanson, this next-generation Silicon
Valley boutique has already driven three high-profile exits:
Karma, acquired by Facebook; Snip.It by Yahoo; and
Mailbox by Dropbox. Beyond this, the agency maintains a
stellar portfolio of innovation players, especially considering this is only its second year of business. These clients
include Dropbox, Highlight, Path, Quora and Beats by Dr.
Dre. The 14-person shop takes the approach that influence
17. Agencies of the Year
still matters, defining this— not only by solid
media relations—but also with experiential events
and content creation.—ASh
HONORABLE MENTION:
CONSUMER AGENCY OF
THE YEAR:
ZENO GROUP
Hotwire, M&C Saatchi, the 10 company, Zing ZENO Group has more doubled in size in
the US since Barby Siegel took over as chief
executive three years ago, and in 2012 it added
international operations, opening European
CANADIAN AGENCY OF
office in London and Amsterdam and an Asian
THE YEAR:
hub. Growth over the past 12 months was
close to 50 percent—it ended the year with
CITIZEN OPTIMUM
more than $20 million in fees—and there were
A year after Optimum rebranded to become Citinew clients across four core practice areas
zen Optimum—a part of the international Citizen
(consumer, corporate, health and technology)
Relations group that also includes the former
including Allergan, Bausch & Lomb, Kmart,
PainePR in the US—the firm has restructured
McAfee and Pinkberry. The firm also added
its practices and launched several new sersenior talent, recruiting John Hollywood from
vices under the leadership of Canadian general
Cohn & Wolfe to lead consumer and industry
manager Nick Cowling, and Isabelle Perras, who
veteran Ame Wadler to lead healthcare. But
leads the French Canadian offer out of Montreal
perhaps the most important achievement it
and Quebec City offices. Canadian fee income
carving out a distinctly different personality,
grew by about 22 percent in 2012, to around $8
based on its “fearless” positioning, from parent
million (US), picking up new work from marquee
Edelman, evidenced by its outstanding creative
client Procter & Gamble, and produced awardwork for clients such as Pizza Hut and Four
winning work for the Pampers brand, Tourism
Seasons.—PH
British Columbia, and Capital One Canada’s
HONORABLE MENTION:
financial literacy initiative.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Edelman, Energi, Hill+Knowlton Strategies,
NATIONAL Public Relations
LATIN AMERICAN
AGENCY
OF THE YEAR:
Catalyst, DeVries, Marina Maher
Communications, PMK*BNC
CORPORATE AGENCY OF
THE YEAR:
PROSEK PARTNERS
IT was a busy year for Prosek Partners, which
changed its name (from CJP Communications),
opened a wholly-owned London office, made
an impression in the hypercompetitive mergers
and acquisition arena (ranked 11th in the US by
volume of deals and by value of deals, according to mergermarket) and grew by 20 percent
to end the year with fees of $15 million and a
place among the top 25 independent in the US.
The firm, which is best known for its work in the
financial and professional services arena, works
for big corporate names such as GE Capital,
RBS, Lloyd’s, Edward Jones, OppenheimerFunds, Franklin Templeton and ING and picked
up new assignments from RBC and Genworth as
well as working on a high-profile crisis assignment
for Dow Jones.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Dix & Eaton, Gagen MacDonald, Sloane &
Company, Widmeyer Communications
CREATIVE AGENCY OF
THE YEAR:
CARMICHAEL LYNCH SPONG
WITH 57 Silver Anvils and 21 SABREs to its
name, no midsize public relations agency has
won more major awards over the years than
Carmichael Lynch Spong—which makes it a little
strange that the firm had never won our Creative
BURSON-MARSTELLER
BURSON-MARSTELLER was a pioneer in the
Latin American region, opening its first regional
office in São Paulo in 1977 and building and
maintaining its network through periods of
economic and political instability. Today—after a
year of healthy double digit growth in 2012—the
firm has more than 300 people in offices in
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia (the fastest
growing market right now), Mexico, Peru, Puerto
Rico, Uruguay and Venezuela. New business last
year came from Akzo Nobel, Mondelez, PIMCO,
Procter & Gamble, and Unilever, abd there was
growth from existing clients including Ford and
Intel. One highlight last year was the growth of
the digital and social media practice under the
leadership of Cely Carmo; another was winning
a Global SABRE Award—the first presented to a
Latin American campaign—for public affairs work
on behalf of Mars’ Pedigree pet food brand.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
FSB, Imagem Corporotiva, Llorente &
Cuenca, JeffreyGroup
41 East 11th Street, New York 10003 • (212) 905-6060
www.TrylonSMR.com
18. Agency Report Card 2012
Agency of the Year award until now. But its three Silver SABREs (a guerrilla marketing effort for Save-a-Lot, a Twinkie-themed publicity stunt for
Supervalu and Jewel-Osco, and photographic work for Merrick Pet Care
signaled an especially good year for the firm, as did four Gold SABRE
nominations. That kind of work has helped CLS retain its large, sevenfigure clients over a long period of time: Sherwin-Williams, Supervalu,
DSM, Jack Link’s, Trane, American Standard and Rapala have all called
CLS agency of record from eight to 21 years. And new business in 2012
came from Tempur-Pedic, Merrick, and First Bankcard.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Coyne PR, Exponent, Ketchum, RF Binder
FINANCIAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
SARD VERBINNEN
‘Obamacare’ brief, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the
American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, and Brigham & Women’s
Hospital, and growth from existing clients such as Novartis and the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Perhaps most impressive, however,
was the launch of Element, a new scientific communications specialty
that draws on MDs, PhDs, MSs and other scientific experts across the
Weber Shandwick network.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
Biosector 2, Cohn & Wolfe, Dodge Communications, GCI Health,
ReviveHealth
PUBLIC AFFAIRS AGENCY
OF THE YEAR:
SINGER ASSOCIATES
IN 2012, Sard Verbinnen was recognized as the number one M&A PR
advisor in terms of both value and volume of deals in the United States
by mergermarket, and continued to be one of the leaders in crisis
communications and litigation support, investor relations, and corporate
positioning work. Highlights included advising Deutsche Telekom and
T-Mobile on the contested pending acquisition of MetroPCS; McGraw-Hill
on the DOJ lawsuit against Standard & Poors; NYSE Euronext on its
pending acquisition by ICE; Forest Laboratories on its successful proxy
defense against Carl Icahn; and Alibaba Group on the privatization of
Alibaba.com.—PH
HAVING established itself as the go-to public affairs shop in Northern
California, Singer Associates continued its high-profile streak of business in 2012 with clients that include the City of San Bruno as it fought
to collect $70 million in damages from PG&E for a 2010 natural gas
explosion. Last year, the agency grew 15 percent, pulling nearly $5 million
in revenue with only 12 full-time staff. Among its new clients were the City
of Los Angeles, AirBnB, Hilton Hotels and Safeway, adding to its existing
base that includes Chevron, Calpine, Bay Area Rapid Transit and the City
of Oakland.—ASu
HONORABLE MENTION:
Burson-Marsteller, Fleishman-Hillard, Global Strategy Group,
Ogilvy Government Relations
Abernathy MacGregor, Brunswick, Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer
Katcher, Kekst and Company
HONORABLE MENTION:
DIGITAL AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
W2O GROUP
LONG before “big data’ became one of the most fashionable terms in the
public relations lexicon, W2O was investing in the kind of resources that
could establish it as a leader in the space. That investment continued
apace in 2012, acquiring Mettle Consulting in the UK to build analytics
products and offerings focused on reputation, trust and governance,
and Ravel in the US to deliver a combination of historical information and
real-time insights to clients; creating MDigital Life to help understand how
physicians are using social media to improve patient health; and launching W2O Group/Newhouse Center for Social Commerce in partnership
with Syracuse University to build on the social commerce leadership of
founder Jim Weiss and social media guru Bob Pearson.—PH
HONORABLE MENTION:
M Booth, Edelman, Grow, Social@Ogilvy
HEALTHCARE AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
WEBER SHANDWICK
IN the 21st century, it is no longer enough for a healthcare public
relations firm to have a large roster of big pharma clients, and no firm
has done a better job of diversifying its portfolio than Weber Shandwick. Under the leadership of Laura Schoen, its global health practice
has a strong portfolio of clients in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical,
consumer health, medical devices, health IT, insurance, professional associations, health systems and hospitals, with major new assignments
in 2012 including the high-profile Health & Human Services Department
16 www.holmesreport.com
TECHNOLOGY AGENCY OF THE YEAR:
THE OUTCAST AGENCY
MORE than two years after its founders Margit Wennmachers and
Caryn Marooney departed the firm, OutCast remains among the most
respected and sought after—tech agencies. Under the leadership of
—
new CEO Alex Constantinople, the agency has retained a high-profile
client portfolio that includes Facebook, Amazon, Box, Zynga, Andreesen Horowitz, Spotify, Dolby, and Pinterest. OutCast continues to
assemble an all-star roster that is diversified beyond pure tech players
with additions, such as, L’Oreal, GE and Sephora. With revenues of
$18.7 million generated by 90 employees primarily in San Francisco and
New York, the agency is well-placed, especially as it makes investments
in creative services and brand/integrated marketing this year.—ASh
HONORABLE MENTION:
SparkPR, Edelman, Waggener Edstrom, Access Communications
19. Finemanpr.com | San Francisco | F T @finemanpr
Celebrating 25 years of award-winning
public relations campaigns, BRAND PR
programs, fully integrated strategies +
industry accolades.
L L L L L L
WE’VE GOT YOUR
C-SUITE COVERED.
CONSUMER
CORPORATE
CRISIS
CREATIVE
CONTENT
CONVERSATION
20. Agency Report Card 2013
ALPHABETICAL INDEX
A
The Abernathy MacGregor Group................ 68
Access Communications ............................ 67
Ackermann PR............................................ 70
Airfoil Public Relations.................................. 70
Allidura Consumer....................................... 71
Allison+Partners.......................................... 71
APCO Worldwide........................................ 28
Arketi Group................................................ 71
Atomic PR................................................... 72
B
Biosector2................................................... 72
Bite ............................................................. 73
Blaze PR..................................................... 73
Blick&Staff Communications........................ 74
Bliss Integrated Communications................ 74
Bolt Public Relations.................................... 74
M Booth ..................................................... 75
Max Borges Agency.................................... 75
Brew Media Relations.................................. 76
Brodeur Partners......................................... 76
Brunswick Group......................................... 77
Burson Marstellar........................................ 32
C
Capstrat...................................................... 78
Carmichael Lynch Spong............................. 78
Catalyst....................................................... 79
Chamberlain Healthcare PR......................... 79
Chandler Chicco Agency............................. 80
Citizen Relations.......................................... 80
Cohn & Wolfe.............................................. 34
Cone........................................................... 81
Cooney/Waters Group................................. 82
CooperKatz & Company.............................. 82
Coyne Public Relations................................ 83
Crenshaw Communications......................... 83
Crossroads.................................................. 84
D
DKC............................................................ 84
Davies Public Affairs.................................... 85
DeVries Public Relations.............................. 86
Dix & Eaton................................................. 86
Dodge Communications.............................. 87
E
Eastwick...................................................... 87
Edelman...................................................... 36
energi PR.................................................... 88
Englander Knabe & Allen............................. 88
Exponent..................................................... 88
F
Fahlgren Mortine.......................................... 89
Fineman PR................................................. 90
Finn Partners............................................... 90
5W.............................................................. 91
FleishmanHillard.......................................... 40
FoodMinds.................................................. 91
Formula PR................................................. 92
Joele Frank Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher....... 92
French/West/Vaughan................................. 93
G
GCI Health................................................... 94
18 www.holmesreport.com
Gable PR..................................................... 95
Gage........................................................... 95
Gagen MacDonald...................................... 95
Gibbs & Soell............................................... 96
Global Results Communications.................. 97
Global Strategy Group................................. 97
Glover Park Group....................................... 98
GolinHarris................................................... 42
Goodman Media International...................... 98
Graham & Associates.................................. 99
Green Room................................................ 99
Grisko.......................................................... 99
The Grossman Group................................ 100
GroundFloor Media.................................... 100
Group Gordon...........................................101`
McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations...... 120
Middleberg Cmmunications....................... 120
William Mills Agency.................................. 120
Mitchell Communications Group................ 121
H
PAN Communications ............................... 123
PMK*BNC................................................. 123
Padilla CRT............................................... 124
Pollack PR Marketing Group...................... 124
Peppercomm............................................ 125
Porter Novelli............................................... 58
Prosek Partners......................................... 126
Public Communications, Inc...................... 126
Lou Hammond & Associates..................... 102
Hatch ....................................................... 102
Havas PR.................................................. 102
Hennes Paynter Communications.............. 103
Highwire PR ............................................. 103
Hill & Knowlton Strategies............................ 44
The Hoffman Agency................................. 104
Horn ......................................................... 104
Hotwire...................................................... 104
Hunter PR................................................. 105
I
Inner Circle Labs........................................ 106
Intermarket Communications..................... 106
J
JPA Health Communications..................... 107
JSH&A Communications........................... 107
Jackson Spalding...................................... 108
JeffreyGroup.............................................. 108
K
K/F Communications................................. 109
Kaplow...................................................... 109
Karwoski & Courage.................................. 110
Kearns & West........................................... 110
Kekst and Company.................................. 111
Ketchum...................................................... 48
Kel & Partners........................................... 111
Kohnstamm Communications................... 111
Konnect PR .............................................. 112
kwittken + company worldwide................. 112
L
LVM Group................................................ 113
LaGrant Communications ......................... 113
Landis Communications............................ 113
Lane PR.................................................... 114
LaunchSquad............................................ 114
Levick Strategic Communications.............. 115
Lewis PR................................................... 115
Lippe Taylor Brand Communications......... 116
M
MBS Value Partners................................... 116
MCS Healthcare Public Relations.............. 116
MGA Communications.............................. 117
MRB.......................................................... 117
MSLGroup................................................... 50
MWW Group............................................... 52
Marina Maher Communications................. 118
Makovsky + Company............................... 118
March PR.................................................. 119
N
National Public Relations........................... 121
O
Ogilvy PR Worldwide................................... 56
Olson Engage............................................ 122
O’Malley Hansen Communications............ 122
The OutCast Agency ................................ 123
P
R
rbb Public Relations................................... 127
RF|Binder.................................................. 127
Racepoint Group....................................... 128
Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications.128
ReviveHealth............................................. 130
Rogers & Cowan....................................... 130
Ruder Finn................................................... 60
S
Sard Verbinnen & Co................................. 131
Schneider & Associates............................. 131
Shift Communications............................... 132
Singer Associates...................................... 132
Sitrick & Company..................................... 132
Sloane & Company.................................... 134
Smith & Harroff.......................................... 134
Southard Communications........................ 135
Sparkpr..................................................... 135
The Standing Partnership.......................... 136
Stevens Strategic Communications........... 136
Story Partners........................................... 136
Stuntman PR............................................. 137
Sunwest Communications......................... 137
SutherlandGold......................................... 138
T
Taylor ........................................................ 138
the 10 company........................................ 139
Text 100.................................................... 139
360 Public Relations^139
Trevelino Keller Communications Group..... 140
Trylon SMR................................................ 140
Tunheim..................................................... 141
W
W2O............................................................ 62
Waggener Edstrom...................................... 64
Warschawski............................................. 141
Weber Shandwick....................................... 66
Z
Zapwater................................................... 141
Zeno Group............................................... 142
Zing........................................................... 142
21. It’s Not What You Say About Yourself That Matters
But What Others Say
Here’s what has been said about Sitrick And Company:
“The City’s Most Prominent Crisis Management Firm.”
The New York Times
“Now (they) have hired Michael Sitrick, whose Los Angeles public-relations firm is known for going
atomic on opponents, using “truth squads” (which dig up alleged inaccuracies in the media), “wheel-ofpain” tactics (negative publicity to quicken settlements), and high-profile journalists (who write profiles).”
— Business Week
“The firm is also home to perhaps the most concentrated congregation of journalistic talent in the public
relations business. The vast majority of its senior professionals are former editors, reporters, and correspondents at such publications as Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, CBS News,
and NPR, with most of the others having spent time in senior corporate communications positions.”
— The Holmes Report
“Like more than one figure caught in a media cyclone, (he) had turned to one of the most accomplished practitioners of the dark arts of public relations ... The Winston Wolf of public relations had arrived. Wolf, as you
will recall, was the fixer in Pulp Fiction … he washed away assassins’ blood and gore. Sitrick cleans up the
messes of companies, celebrities, and others, and he’s a strategist who isn’t adverse to treating PR as combat.”
— Fortune
To learn more about what people are saying about Sitrick And Company, go to our website:
www.sitrick.com
Corporate, Financial, Transactional, Reputational and Crisis Communications
Los Angeles • New York • San Francisco • Chicago • Washington, D.C.
800-288-8809
22. Agency Report Card 2013
GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX
ALABAMA
birmingham
Story Partners.................................. 136
ARKANSAS
fayetteville
Mitchell Communications Group....... 121
ARIZONA
phoenix
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
CALIFORNIA
irvine
Bolt Public Relations........................... 74
Citizen Relations................................. 80
Global Results Communications......... 97
los angeles
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Biosector2.......................................... 72
Blaze PR............................................ 73
Brew Media Relations......................... 76
Catalyst.............................................. 79
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
Crenshaw Communications................ 83
DKC................................................... 84
Davies Public Affairs........................... 85
Englander Knabe & Allen.................... 88
Finn Partners...................................... 90
Formula PR........................................ 92
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
GCI Health.......................................... 94
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
Glover Park Group.............................. 98
Goodman Media International............. 98
Konnect PR ..................................... 112
LaGrant Communications ................ 113
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
PMK*BNC........................................ 123
Padilla CRT...................................... 124
Pollack PR Marketing Group............. 124
ReviveHealth.................................... 130
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
Southard Communications............... 135
Taylor ............................................... 138
Text 100........................................... 139
Zeno Group...................................... 142
Zing.................................................. 142
sacramento
Kearns & West.................................. 110
san diego
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Formula PR........................................ 92
Gable PR............................................ 95
san jose
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
20 www.holmesreport.com
san francisco
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Access Communications ................... 67
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Biosector2.......................................... 72
Bite .................................................... 73
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Citizen Relations................................. 80
Eastwick............................................. 87
Fineman PR........................................ 90
Finn Partners...................................... 90
GCI Health.......................................... 94
Graham & Associates......................... 99
Hatch .............................................. 102
Highwire PR .................................... 103
Horn ................................................ 104
Hotwire............................................. 104
Inner Circle Labs............................... 106
K/F Communications........................ 109
Kearns & West.................................. 110
Kekst and Company......................... 111
Landis Communications................... 113
LaunchSquad................................... 114
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
Olson Engage................................... 122
The OutCast Agency ....................... 123
Peppercomm................................... 125
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Shift Communications...................... 132
Singer Associates............................. 132
Sloane & Company........................... 134
Sparkpr............................................ 135
SutherlandGold................................ 138
Text 100........................................... 139
Finn Partners...................................... 90
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
Glover Park Group.............................. 98
JPA Health Communications............ 107
Kearns & West.................................. 110
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Story Partners.................................. 136
Zeno Group...................................... 142
FLORIDA
ft lauderdale
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
miami
Max Borges Agency........................... 75
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
rbb Public Relations.......................... 127
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
tampa
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
GEORGIA
atlanta
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Arketi Group....................................... 71
Dodge Communications..................... 87
GCI Health.......................................... 94
Jackson Spalding............................. 108
William Mills Agency......................... 120
Trevelino Keller
Communications Group............... 140
ILLINOIS
chicago
MARYLAND
baltimore
Warschawski.................................... 141
MASSACHUSETTS
boston
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Cone.................................................. 81
GCI Health.......................................... 94
Green Room....................................... 99
JPA Health Communications............ 107
Kel & Partners.................................. 111
LaunchSquad................................... 114
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
March PR......................................... 119
PAN Communications ...................... 123
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Rasky Baerlein
Strategic Communications........... 128
Schneider & Associates.................... 131
Shift Communications...................... 132
Sloane & Company........................... 134
Text 100........................................... 139
360 Public Relations......................... 139
MICHIGAN
detroit
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
MINNESOTA
minneapolis
Carmichael Lynch Spong.................... 78
Exponent............................................ 88
Gage.................................................. 95
Karwoski & Courage......................... 110
Kohnstamm Communications.......... 111
Olson Engage................................... 122
Padilla CRT...................................... 124
Tunheim............................................ 141
Prosek Partners................................ 126
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Bliss Integrated Communications....... 74
DKC................................................... 84
Finn Partners...................................... 90
FoodMinds......................................... 91
Gagen MacDonald............................. 95
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
Grisko................................................. 99
The Grossman Group....................... 100
Havas PR......................................... 102
Highwire PR .................................... 103
JSH&A Communications.................. 107
Olson Engage................................... 122
O’Malley Hansen Communications... 122
Public Communications, Inc............. 126
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Southard Communications............... 135
Taylor ............................................... 138
Zapwater.......................................... 141
Zeno Group...................................... 142
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
LOUISIANA
Coyne Public Relations....................... 83
washington
new orleans
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
DKC................................................... 84
Story Partners.................................. 136
MCS Healthcare Public Relations..... 116
silicon valley
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Eastwick............................................. 87
The Hoffman Agency........................ 104
COLORADO
boulder
Glover Park Group.............................. 98
GroundFloor Media........................... 100
denver
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
Kearns & West.................................. 110
MGA Communications..................... 117
CONNECTICUT
hartford
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
stamford
MISSOURI
kansas city
Crossroads......................................... 84
st. louis
Blick&Staff Communications............... 74
O’Malley Hansen Communications... 122
The Standing Partnership................. 136
NEW HAMPSHIRE
portsmouth
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
NEW JERSEY
freehold
MRB................................................. 117
parsippany
summit
23. When
Judgement + Experience
Matter Most
When facing serious challenges that demand immediate and effective
communications strategy and execution, public and private companies as
well as not-for-profit institutions count on KEKST for sound judgment and
experience that make the difference.
• Crisis Communications
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Corporate Governance and Shareholder Activism
• Litigation and Regulatory Support
• Private Equity and Hedge Fund Communications
• Bankruptcy & Restructuring
• Corporate Positioning and Investor Relations
For further information visit www.kekst.com or call 212-521-4800
24. Agency Report Card 2013
NEW YORK
albany
DKC................................................... 84
new york
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Access Communications ................... 67
Allidura Consumer.............................. 71
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Biosector2.......................................... 72
Bite .................................................... 73
Bliss Integrated Communications....... 74
M Booth ............................................ 75
Brew Media Relations......................... 76
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Carmichael Lynch Spong.................... 78
Catalyst.............................................. 79
Chamberlain Healthcare PR................ 79
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
Citizen Relations................................. 80
Cooney/Waters Group........................ 82
CooperKatz & Company..................... 82
Coyne Public Relations....................... 83
Crenshaw Communications................ 83
DKC................................................... 84
DeVries Public Relations..................... 86
Finn Partners...................................... 90
5W..................................................... 91
Formula PR........................................ 92
Joele Frank
Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher............ 92
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
GCI Health.......................................... 94
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
Glover Park Group.............................. 98
Goodman Media International............. 98
Group Gordon.................................. 101
Lou Hammond & Associates............ 102
Havas PR......................................... 102
Horn ................................................ 104
Hotwire............................................. 104
Hunter PR........................................ 105
Intermarket Communications............ 106
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
Kaplow............................................. 109
Kekst and Company......................... 111
kwittken + company worldwide........ 112
LVM Group....................................... 113
Lane PR........................................... 114
LaunchSquad................................... 114
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
Lippe Taylor Brand Communications.116
MBS Value Partners.......................... 116
Marina Maher Communications........ 118
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
Middleberg Cmmunications.............. 120
National Public Relations.................. 121
Olson Engage................................... 122
The OutCast Agency ....................... 123
PMK*BNC........................................ 123
22 www.holmesreport.com
Padilla CRT...................................... 124
Pollack PR Marketing Group............. 124
Peppercomm................................... 125
Prosek Partners................................ 126
rbb Public Relations.......................... 127
RF|Binder......................................... 127
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Shift Communications...................... 132
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
Sloane & Company........................... 134
Southard Communications............... 135
Sparkpr............................................ 135
Stuntman PR.................................... 137
Taylor ............................................... 138
the 10 company............................... 139
Text 100........................................... 139
360 Public Relations......................... 139
Trylon SMR....................................... 140
Zeno Group...................................... 142
Zing.................................................. 142
rochester
SOUTH CAROLINA
charleston
Lou Hammond & Associates............ 102
TENNESSEE
knoxville
Ackermann PR................................... 70
McNeely Pigott & Fox
Public Relations........................... 120
nashxville
houston
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
alexandria
norfolk
raleigh
WASHINGTON
Bolt Public Relations........................... 74
Capstrat............................................. 78
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
seattle
OHIO
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
Text 100........................................... 139
cleveland
WEST VIRGINIA
Dix & Eaton........................................ 86
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
Hennes Paynter Communications..... 103
Stevens Strategic Communications.. 136
charleston
cinncinnatti
buenos aires
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
ARGENTINA
BRAZIL
dayton
são paulo
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
toledo
CANADA
calgary
National Public Relations.................. 121
portland
montreal
The Hoffman Agency........................ 104
Kearns & West.................................. 110
Lane PR........................................... 114
Citizen Relations................................. 80
energi PR........................................... 88
National Public Relations.................. 121
quebec city
Citizen Relations................................. 80
philadelphia
toronto
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
Citizen Relations................................. 80
energi PR........................................... 88
GCI Health.......................................... 94
National Public Relations.................. 121
Zeno Group...................................... 142
pittsburgh
Havas PR......................................... 102
london
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Biosector2.......................................... 72
Bite .................................................... 73
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
The Hoffman Agency........................ 104
Hotwire............................................. 104
Prosek Partners................................ 126
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Sparkpr............................................ 135
Text 100........................................... 139
Smith & Harroff................................. 134
PENNSYLVANIA
UK
INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS
charlotte
OREGON
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
Allison+Partners................................. 71
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Jackson Spalding............................. 108
LaGrant Communications ................ 113
Sunwest Communications................ 137
Padilla CRT...................................... 124
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
mexico city
dallas
NORTH CAROLINA
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
MEXICO
TEXAS
VIRGINIA
columbus
Citizen Relations................................. 80
National Public Relations.................. 121
PMK*BNC........................................ 123
Peppercomm................................... 125
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
ReviveHealth.................................... 130
Text 100........................................... 139
Catalyst.............................................. 79
Taylor ............................................... 138
vancouver
25.
26. Agency Report Card 2012
SPECIALTY INDEX
BOUTIQUE
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
Blaze PR............................................ 73
Brew Media Relations......................... 76
Graham & Associates......................... 99
Kohnstamm Communications.......... 111
LVM Group....................................... 113
Schneider & Associates.................... 131
Sunwest Communications................ 137
Karwoski & Courage......................... 110
Kel & Partners.................................. 111
Konnect PR ..................................... 112
Landis Communications................... 113
LaunchSquad................................... 114
Lippe Taylor Brand Communications.116
Marina Maher Communications........ 118
Mitchell Communications Group....... 121
O’Malley Hansen Communications... 122
PAN Communications ...................... 123
BRAND BUILDING
Pollack PR Marketing Group............. 124
Blick&Staff Communications............... 74
RF|Binder......................................... 127
Carmichael Lynch Spong.................... 78
Citizen Relations................................. 80
Cone.................................................. 81
DeVries Public Relations..................... 86
Southard Communications............... 135
Sparkpr............................................ 135
Middleberg Communications............ 120
Mitchell Communications Group....... 121
Peppercomm................................... 125
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Stevens Strategic Communications.. 136
Story Partners.................................. 136
360 Public Relations^139
Davies Public Affairs........................... 85
CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
Lippe Taylor Brand Communications.116
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
Zeno Group...................................... 142
Lou Hammond & Associates............ 102
Kaplow............................................. 109
Horn ................................................ 104
Kaplow............................................. 109
ENERGY
Zing.................................................. 142
JSH&A Communications.................. 107
M Booth ............................................ 75
CooperKatz & Company..................... 00
Stuntman PR.................................... 137
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
Hunter PR........................................ 105
DIGITAL
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Cone.................................................. 81
Joele Frank Wilkinson
Cohn & Wolfe..................................... 34
Edelman............................................. 36
FleishmanHillard................................. 40
GolinHarris.......................................... 42
Hill+Knowlton Strategies..................... 44
Ketchum............................................. 48
MGA Communications..................... 117
MSLGroup.......................................... 50
MWW Group...................................... 52
Ogilvy PR Worldwide.......................... 56
Padilla CRT...................................... 124
Porter Novelli...................................... 58
RF|Binder......................................... 127
Ruder Finn.......................................... 60
Stevens Strategic Communications.. 136
W20................................................... 62
Waggener Edstrom............................. 64
EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS
Weber Shandwick.............................. 66
Gagen MacDonald............................. 95
Zapwater.......................................... 141
The Grossman Group....................... 100
HEALTHCARE
Tunheim............................................ 141
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
ENTERTAINMENT
Biosector2.......................................... 72
Gagen MacDonald............................. 95
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Bliss Integrated Communications....... 74
GroundFloor Media........................... 100
Catalyst.............................................. 79
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Group Gordon.................................. 101
DKC................................................... 84
Capstrat............................................. 78
Kekst and Company........................... 00
Goodman Media International............. 98
Chamberlain Healthcare PR................ 79
Mitchell Communications Group....... 121
Chandler Chicco Agency.................... 80
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS (B2B)
PMK*BNC........................................ 123
National Public Relations.................. 121
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
Cooney/Waters Group........................ 82
Arketi Group....................................... 71
O’Malley Hansen Communications... 122
Marina Maher Communications........ 118
Olson Engage................................... 122
Schneider & Associates.................... 131
Taylor ............................................... 138
360 Public Relations^139
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
Havas PR......................................... 102
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
March PR......................................... 119
Peppercomm................................... 125
Brimmer Katcher............................ 92
Davies Public Affairs........................... 85
Peppercomm................................... 125
FINANCIAL SERVICES
DeVries Public Relations..................... 86
RF|Binder......................................... 127
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Dodge Communications..................... 87
Rasky Baerlein Strategic
Communications.......................... 128
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Sloane & Company........................... 134
Bliss Integrated Communications....... 74
energi PR........................................... 88
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Exponent............................................ 88
Joele Frank Wilkinson
5W..................................................... 91
Brimmer Katcher............................ 92
GCI Health.......................................... 94
CAUSE MARKETING
The Standing Partnership................. 136
Group Gordon.................................. 101
Green Room....................................... 99
Blick&Staff Communications............... 74
Sunwest Communications................ 137
Intermarket Communications............ 106
JPA Health Communications............ 107
Crossroads......................................... 84
the 10 company............................... 139
Kekst and Company........................... 00
MCS Healthcare Public Relations..... 116
Graham & Associates......................... 99
Tunheim............................................ 141
Lane PR........................................... 114
Marina Maher Communications........ 118
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
COMMUNITY RELATIONS
MBS Value Partners.......................... 116
PAN Communications ...................... 123
Englander Knabe & Allen.................... 88
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
RF|Binder......................................... 127
CONSUMER MARKETING
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
William Mills Agency......................... 120
ReviveHealth.................................... 130
Zeno Group...................................... 142
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Prosek Partners................................ 126
Access Communications ................... 67
Blaze PR............................................ 73
Cone.................................................. 81
RF|Binder......................................... 127
M Booth ............................................ 75
Englander Knabe & Allen.................... 88
Max Borges Agency........................... 75
GroundFloor Media........................... 100
CooperKatz & Company..................... 82
Hennes Paynter Communications..... 103
FOOD & BEVERAGE
JeffreyGroup..................................... 108
Coyne Public Relations....................... 83
Kekst and Company......................... 111
Exponent............................................ 88
Public Communications, Inc............. 126
Crenshaw Communications................ 83
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
FoodMinds......................................... 91
energi PR........................................... 88
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Kohnstamm Communications.......... 111
Fineman PR........................................ 90
Singer Associates............................. 132
Lane PR........................................... 114
5W..................................................... 91
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
Havas PR......................................... 102
Sloane & Company........................... 134
FULL SERVICE
Inner Circle Labs............................... 106
Stevens Strategic Communications.. 136
APCO Worldwide............................... 28
Jackson Spalding............................. 108
Sunwest Communications................ 137
Burson-Marstellar............................... 32
24 www.holmesreport.com
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
Sloane & Company........................... 134
HISPANIC MARKETING
Fineman PR........................................ 90
Formula PR........................................ 92
INTEGRATED MARKETING
Gage.................................................. 95
Smith & Harroff................................. 134
INTERNATIONAL
Intermarket Communications............ 106
27.
28. Agency Report Card 2012
Text 100........................................... 139
INVESTOR RELATIONS
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Dix & Eaton........................................ 86
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
Prosek Partners................................ 126
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
LIFESTYLE
Blaze PR............................................ 73
M Booth ............................................ 75
Catalyst.............................................. 79
DeVries Public Relations..................... 86
Highwire PR .................................... 103
Inner Circle Labs............................... 106
JSH&A Communications.................. 107
Kaplow............................................. 109
Konnect PR ..................................... 112
Landis Communications................... 113
Taylor ............................................... 138
360 Public Relations^139
LITIGATION
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
M&A
The Abernathy MacGregor Group....... 68
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Joele Frank Wilkinson
Brimmer Katcher............................ 92
Kekst and Company........................... 00
Prosek Partners................................ 126
Sard Verbinnen & Co........................ 131
MARKETING
Arketi Group....................................... 71
DKC................................................... 84
Grisko................................................. 99
Landis Communications................... 113
MOBILE
Global Results Communications......... 97
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Arketi Group....................................... 71
Rasky Baerlein Strategic
Atomic PR.......................................... 72
Communications.......................... 128
Bite .................................................... 73
Singer Associates............................. 132
Max Borges Agency........................... 75
MULTISPECIALIST
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
Brew Media Relations......................... 76
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
Sloane & Company........................... 134
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Smith & Harroff................................. 134
Dodge Communications..................... 87
Story Partners.................................. 136
Eastwick............................................. 87
Text 100........................................... 139
energi PR........................................... 88
Finn Partners...................................... 90
Tunheim............................................ 141
Finn Partners...................................... 90
Formula PR........................................ 92
REAL ESTATE
Kel & Partners.................................. 111
Carmichael Lynch Spong.................... 78
CooperKatz & Company..................... 00
Fahlgren Mortine................................. 89
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
Gable PR............................................ 95
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
Group Gordon.................................. 101
Havas PR......................................... 102
Jackson Spalding............................. 108
kwittken + company worldwide........ 112
LaGrant Communications ................ 113
Lane PR........................................... 114
National Public Relations.................. 121
Olson Engage................................... 122
The Standing Partnership................. 136
Trevelino Keller
Communications Group............... 140
MULTICULTUAL
LaGrant Communications ................ 113
NON-PROFIT
Landis Communications................... 113
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Schneider & Associates.................... 131
Hatch .............................................. 102
Jackson Spalding............................. 108
Highwire PR .................................... 103
LVM Group....................................... 113
The Hoffman Agency........................ 104
REGIONAL AGENCY
Inner Circle Labs............................... 106
K/F Communications........................ 109
McNeely Pigott &
Kel & Partners.................................. 111
Fox Public Relations..................... 120
LaunchSquad................................... 114
Public Communications, Inc............. 126
Lewis PR.......................................... 115
rbb Public Relations.......................... 127
MRB................................................. 117
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
William Mills Agency......................... 120
The OutCast Agency ....................... 123
Citizen Relations................................. 80
PAN Communications ...................... 123
Middleberg Communications............ 120
Racepoint Group.............................. 128
Mitchell Communications Group....... 121
Shift Communications...................... 132
Olson Engage................................... 122
Sparkpr............................................ 135
Shift Communications...................... 132
SutherlandGold................................ 138
SPORTS MARKETING
Catalyst.............................................. 79
Kohnstamm Communications.......... 111
LVM Group....................................... 113
MRB................................................. 117
Sitrick & Company............................ 132
Stuntman PR.................................... 137
SutherlandGold................................ 138
Trylon SMR....................................... 140
Warschawski.................................... 141
26 www.holmesreport.com
Text 100........................................... 139
Trevelino Keller
Communications Group............... 140
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
French/West/Vaughan........................ 93
Bliss Integrated Communications....... 74
Taylor ............................................... 138
Capstrat............................................. 78
STARTUPS
TRAVEL & TOURISM
Brew Media Relations......................... 76
Lou Hammond & Associates............ 102
LVM Group....................................... 113
Pollack PR Marketing Group............. 124
Horn ................................................ 104
STRATEGIC COUNSELING
Horn ................................................ 104
March PR......................................... 119
M Booth ............................................ 75
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Goodman Media International............. 98
Makovsky + Company...................... 118
Bolt Public Relations........................... 74
MEDIA RELATIONS
5W..................................................... 91
Hotwire............................................. 104
Dix & Eaton........................................ 86
Inner Circle Labs............................... 106
DKC................................................... 84
Horn ................................................ 104
Ackermann PR................................... 70
PUBLIC AFFAIRS & ISSUES MANAGEMENT
Coyne Public Relations....................... 83
Global Results Communications......... 97
Davies Public Affairs........................... 85
Rogers & Cowan.............................. 130
Bolt Public Relations........................... 74
Gibbs & Soell...................................... 96
Capstrat............................................. 78
Davies Public Affairs........................... 85
Englander Knabe & Allen.................... 88
FoodMinds......................................... 91
Global Strategy Group........................ 97
Glover Park Group.............................. 98
Grisko................................................. 99
Group Gordon.................................. 101
JPA Health Communications............ 107
Kearns & West.................................. 110
Brodeur Partners................................ 76
Brunswick Group................................ 77
Dix & Eaton........................................ 86
Gagen MacDonald............................. 95
Kearns & West.................................. 110
Kekst and Company........................... 00
Singer Associates............................. 132
the 10 company............................... 139
SUSTAINABILITY
Levick Strategic Communications..... 115
MGA Communications..................... 117
McNeely Pigott &
Fox Public Relations..................... 120
National Public Relations.................. 121
TECHNOLOGY
Access Communications ................... 67
Airfoil Public Relations......................... 70
Trylon SMR....................................... 140
Zeno Group...................................... 142
WOMEN
Lippe Taylor Brand Communications.116
Southard Communications................. 00
29. IT’S NOT THE
SIZE OF THE
DOG
SIZE OF THEIN THE
IT’S NOT THE
DOG
IN THE
FIGHT
FIGHT
IT’S
THE
SIZE OF THE
IN THE DOG
IT’S
THE
SIZE OF THE
IN THE DOG
Global communications
with impact
www.lewispr.com
30. Agency Report Card 2013
APCO WORLDWIDE
a small outpost north of the border in Ottawa.
INTERNATIONAL REACH
Margery Kraus
MOMENTUM
After taking a recession-related hit in 2009,
APCO has bounced back over the past three
years, seeing worldwide revenues increase
from just under $100 million to just over $122
million, and while growth in North America was
modest last year, it continued to positive trend.
New business came from a mix of existing
clients and new wins: Boeing, Coach, ebay,
GE, Honeywell, KFC, May Kay, Pepsi,
Rotary International, and the University of
Southern California.
NATIONAL REACH
APCO’s Washington, DC, office is still
a powerhouse, home to the majority of its
US workforce, a leader in public affairs,
with considerable additional strength in
corporate communications, and sector
expertise in healthcare, financial services and
energy. The firm’s New York office now has
about 40 people, with particular strength
in financial communications and corporate
social responsibility, supplemented by the
Strawberry Frog advertising and branding
operation, which maintains its own Madison
Avenue offices. There are smaller US offices
in Boston, Chicago, Raleigh-Durham,
Sacramento, San Francisco and Seattle, and
28 www.holmesreport.com
TALENT
APCO is still somewhat smaller across the
EMEA region than most of its multinational
peers, deriving only about a quarter of its
global revenues from its European operations.
Its largest EMEA office in London, with a team
of more than 50, and has evolved beyond
public affairs to include a broad range of
corporate reputation work while maintaining
the firm’s C-suite focus. The Brussels office,
meanwhile, remains focused on EU policy
work. But the most impressive growth has
come in the Middle East, where APCO
acquired local consultancy Ji-Win two years
ago. About $11.3 million of APCO’s $120
million worldwide fee income derives from its
Asia-Pacific operations, with the strongest
growth last year coming in South-East Asia.
Key clients in the region include Corning,
Diageo, Dow Corning, Huawei, Johnson &
Johnson, MasterCard, pharmaceutical trade
body PhRMA.
APCO remains one of the most top-heavy
of the large firms, its focus on high-margin
business and its independence providing the
freedom to make the kind of investment hires
that large holding companies discourage. New
over the past 12 months are Mike Tuffin,
former EVP of America’s Health Insurance
Plans, as managing director in Washington,
DC; Rebecca Boles from David All Group
as director of digital strategy; as well as a
number of key additions to the firm’s unique
and impressive international advisory council,
from former US Rep. Cliff Stearns to venture
capital firm partner Bob Kocher to ex-Harford
CCO and CMO Karen Tripp. They join a
formidable and largely stable leadership team
led by founder and chief executive Margery
Kraus, president and COO Neal Cohen,
and supported by an international advisory
board that provides the team with access to
the collective experience of a unique cadre of
veteran politicians, business execs, diplomats,
and communicators.
EXPERTISE
CULTURE
Thirty years after its launch as a one-person
public affairs subsidiary of a DC-based law firm,
APCO remains one of the go-to agencies for
policy issues in the nation’s capital, but much
of the firm’s recent growth has come in other
areas, including a wide range of corporate
reputation work (CSR, crisis and issues
management, employee communications,
and more) and expanding brand-building
capabilities. It has also established itself
as a major player in several sectors, most
notably healthcare and consumer goods, but
also financial services and energy and clean
technology (not coincidentally, highly-regulated
businesses). Throw in one of the best research
and insights groups in the business, and the
Studio Online digital practice, and APCO is a
much more well-rounded operation today than
it was three or four years ago.
APCO’s vision is “to be the trusted partner
of choice, creating value by challenging
conventional wisdom and providing global
service, culture by culture.” To focus on the
former, the firm redefined its employee value
proposition last year, urging employees to “try
something new every day” and “forge your own
path,” emphasizing the ability of individuals
to define their own “APCO Experience.” The
commitment to a one-firm approach to service,
meanwhile, manifests itself most obviously
with a transfer policy that saw 5 percent of
employees take secondments to other offices
in 2012, and aims to double that this year.
31. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR CREATIVE SCIENCE AT
MBOOTH.COM OR TELLMEMORE@MBOOTH.COM
32. Agency Report Card 2013
INTELLECTUAL
LEADERSHIP
APCO has been conducting some of the
most interesting research in the business
with its focus on “champion brands,” which
finds widespread agreement that public
expectations regarding corporate conduct
have become more demanding, that
companies have a role to play in shaping a
better society, and that the best companies
advocate for the things that are important
to their stakeholders, creating shared value.
The firm’s predictive risk modeling service,
meanwhile, seeks to identify stakeholder
concerns before they turn into full-blown
crises, while its Return on Reputation indicator
seeks to demonstrate the very tangible
benefits of a superior reputation—from
consumer sales to support for a company’s
policy positions to employee engagement and
ultimately share price.
PROGRAMS
The best illustration of APCO’s continued
drive to diversify beyond its public affairs
roots comes from the range of high-profile
assignments, from internal and external
communications surrounding CEO
succession at Coach to handling supply
chain and corporate governance issues for
Gap, to health and nutrition messages for
Mars, to work for Mary Kay that spans
cause related marketing—an anti-domestic
violence effort—and social media, including
a makeover competition. The firm’s financial
communications work, on corporate
restructuring at United, Universal Music
Group’s acquisition of EMI, and for the
MFGlobal bankruptcy trustee has been
particularly noteworthy, while in the public
affairs realm it worked with Sprint to oppose
the proposed AT&T-Tmobile merger and with
the American Beverage Association to
fight New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s
proposed ban on large sugary drinks.
30 www.holmesreport.com
BRAND
Traditionally, APCO’s marketing efforts have
been led by white papers and other thought
leadership, with in-depth looks at topics
of Strawberry Frog—really pay off. In the
meantime, the firm continues to diversify in
terms of the kind of work it does (without
losing its focus on high-value C-suite issues)
and expand its geographic base.
”THE FIRM CONTINUES TO DIVERSIFY
IN TERMS OF THE KIND OF WORK IT
DOES (WITHOUT LOSING ITS FOCUS
ON HIGH-VALUE C-SUITE ISSUES) AND
EXPAND ITS GEOGRAPHIC BASE”
ranging from cyber-security to the experience
of Chinese companies in the United States.
The firm has also published research around
its “champion brand” approach, and its Return
on Reputation methodology, the latter focused
on the pharmaceutical sector in 2012, with
new studies on food and chemicals to come
in 2013. And APCO renewed its commitment
to community service last year, supporting the
Clinton Global Initiative and the UN Global
Compact, and working with Yunus Social
Business and its founder, Mohammed Yunus.
All of that is supplemented by a growing social
media presence and contributes to a brand
that is well differentiated from the other large
multinational agencies.
THE FUTURE
To a certain extent, APCO is now waiting to
see whether some of the big bets it has made
over the past couple of years—expansion
in China, where there would appear to be
limitless opportunity for a firm that really
understands the government affairs business,
and in the Middle East; the acquisition
33. @joshmiko: Everything about today ruled. Meeting the
NY team @FinnPartners Going on a boat cruise, drinks on
a floating two story barge #newexperiences
@Heather_Gordon: On this #LaborDay, I’m thankful to
work for the best PR agency on the planet, @FinnPartners
#cheesybuttrue
@Zafar4Hope: Well done @finnpartners team! Another
successful year for the #HyundaiHopeOnWheels program.
Thank you for all your hard work.
@VisitJamaicaNow: Having a great time presenting
#SocialMedia & PR w/@FinnPartners at our tourism industry
seminar @SunsetJamaica. Thanks for joining us Finn!
@DanRatherReport: Quick words of tks to the great
@FinnPartners team for their partnership & support of
www.danrather.com & Rather Outspoken over past yr
@prosperitygal: Wanted to share with you @DavidBurkus
your #PR team is awesomesauce ;) talk to you next week
on #BBSradio
@AdvantixSystems: 2013 has been a great year for
@AdvantixSystems! Thanks to our customers and partners,
incl @FinnPartners, for helping us achieve greater EE
Best place to work,
best results for our
clients #justsayin