Communications & New Media May 2018 I Vol. 32 No. 5

ANNUALPUBLIC RELATIONS RANKINGS FIRMS RANKED BY ISSUE NET FEES, ANNUAL GROWTH, PR SPECIALTY AND GEOGRAPHY

PR FIRMS RANKED BY 2017 NET FEES, PG. 50 FIRMS RANKED BY SPECIALTY, PG. 38 FIRMS RANKED BY REGION, PG. 54 FIRMS RANKED BY

RANKINGS OF Technology & HIGH-TECH pr firms, pg. 26 FINANCIAL & INVESTOR RELATIONS firms RANKED, pg. 30 O’DWYER’S rankings OF HEALTHCARE pr firms, pg. 36

May 2018 | www.odwyerpr.com Agencies shouldn’t just talk diversity, they should act Using chatbots to support social media storytelling

PR FIRMS RANKED BY ANNUAL GROWTH, PG. 53 PLUS: 5G: are we asking the right questions?

Vol. 32. No. 5 MAY 2018 EDITORIAL SOCIAL, MARKET FACTORS TEST FINANCIAL FIRMS AMERICANS LIKE—AND 6 28 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF DISTRUST—FACEBOOK 8 30 FINANCIAL PR FIRMS CONSUMERS LEERY OF HEALTHCARE PR THRIVES 37 SHARING INFORMATION IN MIDST OF DISRUPTION SERVING COMPANIES 9 32 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF THAT SERVE A PURPOSE HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS INTERPRETING COMPLEX 10 36 SUBSCRIPTION-BASED COMMS FOR THE C-SUITE 12 37 NEWS IS THE FUTURE THE RIGHT PEOPLE ARE O’DWYER’S RANKINGS KEY TO FUTURE SUCCESS 13 38 OF PR SPECIALTIES 50 INFLUENCER MARKETING: INTEGRATED MEDIA SETS www.odwyerpr.com CHOOSE WISELY 14 42 PR UP FOR BIG GAINS Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news WHY MARKETING AND O’DWYER’S RANKINGS PR NEED EACH OTHER OF MAJOR US PR FIRMS 16 50 LEADING GAINERS CHATBOTS CAN TELL AMONG PR FIRMS SOCIAL MEDIA STORIES 18 53 O’DWYER’S REGIONAL PR PROS DISCUSS THE RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WORLD OF STARTUPS 54 20 PEOPLE IN PR CONSIDERING YOUR POST-SALE PLANS 56 HUMOR AND OPPORTUNITY EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2018 21 January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide 5G: ARE WE ASKING THE 57 February: Environmental & P.A. RIGHT QUESTIONS? PROFILES OF RANKED March: Food & Beverage 22 PR FIRMS April: Broadcast & Social Media HOW AGENCIES CAN 58 May: PR Firm Rankings RIDE THE TECH WAVE WASHINGTON REPORT June: Travel & Tourism 24 July: 50th Anniversary Special DON’T JUST TALK 84 August: Financial/I.R. DIVERISTY—ACT ON IT columns September: Beauty & Fashion PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT October: Healthcare & Medical 25 Fraser Seitel 82 November: High-Tech O’DWYER’S RANKINGS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OF TECH PR FIRMS 26 83 Richard Goldstein December: Entertainment & Sports ADVERTISERS 5WPR...... 3 ICR...... 29 Peppercomm...... 5 APCO Worldwide...... 7 Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher...... 31 Racepoint Global...... 27 Bliss Integrated Communication...... 17 LaVoieHealthScience...... 35 rbb Communications...... 49 Crosby...... 19 Marketing Maven...... Inside Front Cover Sloane & Company...... 61 Edelman...... 44-45 Omega World Travel...... 77 Health Unlimited...... Back Cover Padilla...... 15 Tonic Life Communications...... 33 The Hoyt Organization ...... 9 PAN Communications...... 11 Weiss PR, Inc...... 23

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EDITORIAL Lies, lies and more lies

ove him or hate him, James Comey nails it. On the first page of his book, A High- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF er Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, the former FBI Director clearly lays out Jack O’Dwyer Lthe problem of living in our current post-truth era. [email protected] “We are experiencing a dangerous time in our country, with a political environ- ment, where basic facts are disputed, fundamental truth is questioned, lying is nor- ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER malized, and unethical behavior is ignored, excused or rewarded,” wrote Comey in John O’Dwyer the 300-page tome. “This is not just happening in our nation’s capital, and not just [email protected] in the US. It is a troubling trend that has touched institutions across America and around the world — boardrooms of major companies, newsrooms, university cam- SENIOR EDITOR puses, the entertainment industry and professional Jon Gingerich and Olympic sports.” [email protected] The post-truth era makes a PR person long for the SENIOR EDITOR good old days of “spin,” where facts were repackaged Kevin McCauley to appeal to an audience’s emotions or instincts to [email protected] prompt group action. Spin, at least, had facts at its core. ASSOCIATE EDITOR Donald Trump, of course, is the ringmaster of the Steve Barnes circus of deceit and confusion. [email protected] The Washington Post’s Fact-Checker blog reported CONTRIBUTING EDITORS on May 1 that the President made 3,001 false or mis- Fraser Seitel Richard Goldstein leading claims in his first 466 days of office. Perhaps feeling more comfortable — or desperate — in the job, the President has stepped up the pace of EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS & RESEARCH falsehoods, according to the WaPo. Trump averaged Jane Landers 4.9 bogus claims daily during his first 100 days. That jumped to 6.5 claims daily during the 466-day period. Trump is a firm believer in the Big Lie theory, where the falsehood is repeated John O’Dwyer again and again. Advertising Sales Manager The Post reported the President has made the same 113 false claims at least three [email protected] times. They include whoppers such as he passed the biggest tax cut in history (ac- tually it was the eighth largest) and that the Democrats really don’t care about the O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that Trump killed. a year ($7.00 a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. Comey, who may have the best insight into the mind of Trump, told CNN last 271 Madison Ave., #600 month that Trump makes a “series of assertions about the great things that he has New York, NY 10016. done” and they just “wash over you like a wave and even if you disagree the waves (212) 679-2471 Fax: (212) 683-2750. keep coming.” He numbs people into submission. © Copyright 2017 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. In Comey’s view, it’s pointless to try to correct every exaggeration that flows out of Trump’s mouth because you would be constantly interrupting him. Other Publications: The former G-Man is wrong. That’s just what the nation needs. www.odwyerpr.com My grandmother used to threaten me that she’d wash my mouth out with soap if I Breaking news, commentary, useful data- ever lied. The White House could use a shipment of soap right about now.  bases and more. O’Dwyer’s Newsletter A four-page weekly with general PR —Kevin McCauley news, media appointments and placement opportunities. O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms Listings of more than 1,250 PR firms throughout the U.S. and abroad. O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide Products and services for the PR industry in 50 categories. jobs.odwyerpr.com O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hosts resume postings.

6 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT Americans like Facebook, distrust Facebook Two-thirds of Americans professed that they still like Facebook, yet more than half admitted they no longer trust the platform, according to a recent poll on Americans’ perceptions of tech companies. By Jon Gingerich acebook continues to face a major spite its high rate of user distrust, Facebook the House Energy and Commerce Com- trust backlash in light of its ongoing came in third for most-liked company. mittee. FCambridge Analytica scandal, yet par- LinkedIn, Uber and Twitter followed the Facebook continues to face mounting adoxically, an overwhelming number of social media giant, but of those companies, criticism after data analysis and political Americans said they still like the platform. only Uber trailed Facebook in the distrust consulting firm Cambridge Analytica im- Two-thirds of Americans — 66 percent department. properly gained access to the personal data — professed liking Facebook, while 55 The Bospar poll asked Americans how of 87 million of the site’s users in a bid to admitted they no longer trust the site, ac- long is too long for a company to wait be- pitch them Trump-related materials for cording to a recent poll on Americans’ per- fore responding to a crisis, and found that the 2016 election. Facebook admits that ceptions of tech companies released by San more than one in three — 35 percent — it knew about the problem as far back as Francisco-based tech firm Bospar. answered 24 hours. Nearly a third — 29 2015, but didn’t publicly confirm the leak Overall, the study found that Americans’ percent — said 48 hours, and 16 percent until the New York Times broke news of the favorite tech company is Google. An im- followed with 72 hours. scandal in March. pressive 88.9 percent of respondents said The poll’s findings came as Facebook When asked what recent tech-related PR they like the search engine giant, and 78 CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before crisis was handled the best, nearly half of percent said they also trust the compa- Capitol Hill lawmakers last month, first respondents cited Apple’s admissions in ny. Microsoft took a close second place, appearing at a five-hour hearing before a December 2017 that it had intentionally earneingd an 83.7 percent favorability rat- joint session of the Senate Judiciary and slowed down the performance of older ing and a trust rating of 77.6 percent. De- Commerce Committees and then before iPhone models via its operating software updates. The least admired crisis response involved the recent security breach of ath- TV news jobs top newspaper reporters letic apparel brand Under Armour’s My- FitnessPal app, which compromised as Local TV newsrooms employ more staffers than daily newspapers, many of 150 million user accounts. according to a joint survey conducted by Hofstra University and Bospar’s study was conducted in early broadcast and journalism organization Radio Television Digital April by market research company Pro- peller Insights and polled more than 1,000 News Association. By Jon Gingerich U.S. adults online.  eporting on the survey’s findings, the the past year were jobs dedicated to digi- RTDNA in a statement said it’s the tal platforms (web, social media or other Mobile ad spends Rfirst time total local TV news employ- digital media positions). Nearly 20 percent ment has surpassed total daily newspaper of newly-created positions at newsrooms to top TV in ’18 employment in the annual survey’s 25-year were digital-focused, and digital roles early 70 percent of all digital adver- history. The average TV newsroom has had overall (web/mobile writer or producer, tising is slated to appear on mobile more staffers than the average daily news- social media producer or editor and digi- Ndevices this year, with mobile ac- paper for several years now. tal content manager) increased an average counting for nearly 34 percent of total U.S. The 2018 RTDNA/Hofstra report shows of .2 percent, from 2.1 in 2016 to 2.3 in ad spends in 2018, according to recent esti- that local TV newsroom employment cur- 2017. The report also found that various mates by digital market research company rently stands at 27,100, just below the in- web/digital responsibilities have become eMarketer. dustry’s all-time high of 27,900 in 2001. By increasingly integrated into existing news- TV ads, meanwhile, are expected to com- contrast, the report said total daily news- room roles. prise a 31.6 percent share of total U.S. ad paper employment currently stands some- Finally, the report found that average hir- spends this year, meaning that mobile ads where between 24,000 and 25,000. ing at radio stations has remained virtually are now slated to outpace TV for the first The report mentions that total local TV unchanged in the last year, as has radio web time. news jobs actually declined slightly in 2017, staffing positions. Non-commercial radio Overall, eMarketer said mobile advertis- dipping 1.8 percent from 27,600 employees stations were three times more likely to ex- ing will grow at a rate of nearly 24 percent in 2016. Median newsroom size and aver- pect to add new staff than their commercial this year, surpassing total media’s com- age full-time total TV news staffing had counterparts. bined 6.6 percent growth by more than dipped slightly as well. The report cited a The 2018 RTDNA/Hofstra University three times. continued consolidation of local TV news Survey was conducted during the fourth By contrast, eMarketer expects that only for much of this loss. quarter of 2017 and polled 1,683 operating, 14.6 percent of the total U.S. ad share will According to the report, nearly 90 per- non-satellite TV stations as well as a ran- go to print this year, followed desktop/lap- cent of news directors said they expect dom sample of 3,542 radio stations. Tal- top’s 9.1 percent and radio’s 6.5 percent. staffing levels to either increase or remain lied responses came from 1,333 television eMarketer’s recent estimates predict that roughly the same within the coming year. stations (79.2 percent) as well as 415 radio mobile’s share will surge to account for The report found that the largest share of news directors and general managers repre- nearly half — 47.9 percent — of the U.S. ad newly-created newsroom positions over senting 1,110 radio stations.  market by 2022. 

8 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Consumers leery about third-party data access

In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, a new survey many calling for improved transparency suggests fewer consumers feel comfortable about the prospect of guidelines regarding the information that networks and third-party app developers third-party app developers acquiring and sharing their personal acquire and share. information. By Jon Gingerich The Vision Critical survey suggests that by adding a few transparency provisos, ewer than 17 percent— 16.7 percent they had an opportunity to edit or delete it. brands could go a long way in improving — of consumers said they’re comfort- Improving online consumer privacy pro- both how they treat consumers’ person- Fable with the idea of third-party app tections has become a sort of clarion call in al information as well as the relationships developers acquiring and using their per- the weeks following Facebook’s data crisis, they currently have with loyalists. sonal information for marketing purposes, in which Trump-linked data analysis and The survey found that an overwhelming according to a recent survey by intelligence political consulting firm Cambridge Ana- majority of respondents — 80.1 percent — platform Vision Critical. lytica illicitly harvested the data of an esti- said they’re comfortable sharing personal On the other hand, most consumers said mated 87 million Facebook users in order to information directly with brands for the they don’t mind sharing their personal data pitch them political messages in the months sake of receiving more personalized mes- if it adds value to their overall customer before the 2016 presidential election. sages. Nearly half of those polled — 41 per- experience, and particularly if brands are Consumer data has always been social cent — said they’re willing to share personal open and transparent regarding how that media networks’ bread and butter, yet the information if it results in more personal- information will be used. Cambridge Analytica scandal has appar- ized service or faster conflict resolution. The survey found that a majority of con- ently caught many consumers in disbelief More than half of those polled — 58 per- sumers — 66 percent — said they’re com- regarding the fact that the crumb-trail of cent — also admitted that they’re more fortable with the practice of sharing their data we leave behind in the digital realm likely to respond to personalized messages personal information, as long as brands is precisely why we’re invited to establish from brands. proactively tell them how they’re going to online residences on these channels for The Vision Critical survey polled more utilize that data. And nearly half of respon- free. As a result, consumers are now paying than 1,000 adults in North America who dents — 42 percent — also said they'd be more attention to the data they share on- said they’d made a digital purchase within more willing to share that information if line and what companies do with it, with the past year. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 9 REPORT Helping purpose-driven companies reach their goals How to lead integrated communications campaigns that enhance the impact and protect the reputations of purpose-driven clients. By Michael Roth hen articles began popping up personalized health ambitions, social de- Sometimes there are activities or inci- about “purpose-driven compa- terminants of health and the importance dents that fall outside of the company “pur- Wnies” years back, I must admit of localization of healthcare. They have be- pose,” or even fly in the face of that pur- that I found the concept kind of odd. come an ideal example of a purpose-driven pose: the death of a patient because a health Having worked in life sciences for more company. insurance claim was rejected, or a pill didn’t than two decades in therapeutic areas like What is a real purpose-driven company? work right, or an exploding product that ALS, Parkinson’s, Depression, Gaucher’s There are, of course, numerous compa- creates institutional mistrust. Even pur- Disease and Oncology, it was clear that the nies in other industries that share a pur- pose-driven businesses are subject to fail- “purpose” of our clients’ work was improv- pose-driven heritage: industries like travel, ure because of human or other mistakes, in ing and saving people’s lives. Similarly, the utilities, transportation, professional ser- spite of a company’s best intentions. “purpose” of healthcare communications vices and even banking. But heritage is not Proving purpose after a setback was to help people understand the value of a prerequisite for building a purpose-driven The biggest setback — and potential turn- these medical breakthroughs that impact company. Many companies in the modern around — that I’ve seen in recent years to them or their family members and help as age are trying to figure out exactly where a brand purpose started many people gain access to the product or they fit into this not-so-new, conceptual on April 12 in a Penn- device as possible. We were under no illu- paradigm. How can they be purpose-driv- sylvania Starbucks. Two sion that profit — and sometimes, greed — en, and if it’s not about corporate heritage black men were wrong- played a big role in the industry, but above or even product or service output, what ex- fully arrested in a ra- all of this was a greater “purpose.” actly is a purpose-driven company? cially-biased incident. For this reason, many people in health- While there’s no definitive definition, it’s Starbuck’s purpose is care communications tend to cast a jaun- clear that “purpose-driven” companies of to inspire and nurture diced eye at other industries: consumer all kinds are born out of one simple idea: the human spirit: one goods, banking, travel. In our collective it is the obligation of every business (and person, one cup, one Michael Roth minds, their only “purpose” is to make every person) to improve the world in even neighborhood at a time. money. The truth is, many other industries the smallest way. And this incident directly contradicted that have a noble and purpose-driven heritage. A purpose-driven business need not be purpose. Let’s take two high profile American in- totally selfless or philanthropic, but you Starbucks’ CEO acted immediately to surance companies as examples. MetLife’s must identify a genuine need within soci- make certain that their purpose was not “purpose” is to provide a financial safety ety (e.g., psychological, emotional, physi- compromised. In addition to firing the net for American families that are looking cal) and work hard to fill that need. Your manager that used poor judgement and to protect all that they have built in their work must have a positive impact on the had the men arrested, their CEO met with lives. MetLife began its journey in 1863 communities that you serve including di- the two men to apologize directly to them when a group of New York City business- rect targets, employees and non-customers. for the harm that his company has caused men raised $100,000 to found the National The rationale for becoming a pur- them and the community. Starbucks an- Union Life and Limb Insurance Company. pose-driven business is also simple. When nounced that it will close all its coffee shops The company insured Civil War sailors and there’s a real emotional connection to a on May 29 to provide racial bias training to soldiers against disabilities due to wartime brand, there’s more trust between the cus- nearly 175,000 employees. The training — wounds, accidents, and sickness. In any- tomer, community and the company. And aimed at preventing discrimination at Star- one’s mind, a truly noble purpose. In 1868, this relationship is more conducive to a bucks shops — comes in response to swift the Company changed its name to Metro- fruitful business relationship. It makes public outcry and the company’s commit- politan Life Insurance Company and shift- common sense. ment to accountability and change. ed its focus to the life insurance business. Purpose-driven doesn’t mean perfect Interviews with Starbucks’ CEO after While the Company evolved, the purpose One would think that a company’s al- the meeting with the two men wrongfully remained: to serve the community with legiance to positively impacting society arrested demonstrated his authentic dis- real individual impact. would make it easier to map out its narra- tress and regret. Starbucks is vested in the Similarly, Aetna had a purpose-driven tive, messaging, content, thought leader- community, and they will now work hard heritage: to help victims of fires recover ship and social media. Not so fast. There’s to make sure that racial discrimination is from devastation that seemed to be epi- still the age-old nemesis of advocacy-based never tolerated in its stores or communi- demic in American cities in the 1800s. Aet- communications, which is the reality of the ties. We’ll see what happens in the com- na was known for many years as Aetna Fire situation. Persuading the public that they ing months, but the corporate response of Insurance Company. While their business need sneakers because it will help fix the strong words, combined with clear action, model has evolved quite a bit over time, a dearth of inner city jobs, or that they need seemed to be elevated by its institutional steadfast dedication to purpose and impact a five-dollar cup of coffee because fair trade belief in its purpose. upon the community that they served was and the rain forest is critical to us all, is a Working with purpose-driven companies never an issue. In recent years, Aetna has tough sell. There must be real connective Following are five tips to help map out an evolved from a health insurance company utility, substance and transparency behind integrated communications campaign to to a healthcare company, focusing on its the brand promise, vision and “purpose.” members’ wellness (versus sickness), their Consumers must feel and see the impact. _ Continued on page 13

10 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Breaking down complex comms for the C-Suite

Public relations professionals fall in love with our own jargon, That resulted in a shift to different messen- gers for different audiences. using words like “visibility,” “content,” “reach” and “frequency,” Smart companies know when they are “impressions” and “channels.” It’s no wonder that sometimes not the best messenger. We all know that a C-Suite leaders don’t know what to do with us. major corporation telling a teenager not to By Matt Kucharski text and drive will have zero impact, which is why AT&T’s successful “It Can Wait” n the other hand, PR pros’ role has — driven by a well-documented increase in campaign uses stories from real people who never been more critical. Important skepticism and lack of trust in traditionally have been victims — or perpetrators — of Ogoals and initiatives will succeed if venerated institutions. Aristotle coined the distracted driving. they are clearly understood and widely ap- words ethos, pathos and logos to categorize Using the right messenger is fundamental preciated, and we make that happen. It’s a the three main persuasive methods. Ethos to effective social media strategy. A brand complex time for communicators, but we focuses on experience, pathos focuses on that posts about itself will usually receive a must avoid the trap of transferring that to passion and logos focuses on logic. less desirable response the people and organizations we serve. C-Suite executives love ethos messages: when compared to that Clear purpose and well-defined stake- talking about years of experience, market same message delivered holders are foundational. After that, the share, breadth and depth of product offer- by more trusted and be- keys to success break down into the Mes- ings, and other key points that demonstrate lievable members of the sage, the Messenger and the Method. authority and longevity. They say, “trust me, social media communi- Taking a different view of “the message” I’ve been here and I know what I’m doing.” ty. It’s urgent for brands The most common C-Suite complaint is The problem is, people don’t care. If you and companies to build “we need a better message.” Let’s unravel say you’ve been in business 150 years, a their network of social that. What makes them think it’s wrong? Millennial just thinks you’re old. If you talk media followers before Matt Kucharski What does “better” look like? More impor- about your market share, a consumer thinks a critical issue occurs, tantly, the executive, by making the claim in you have too much control. A customer so that they can be leveraged as advocates the first place, demonstrates a lack of under- doesn’t want breadth and depth of prod- during difficult times. standing of what good messaging really is. uct line; they want products specifically for The right method among the madness There’s never been a communications their needs. When ethos messaging doesn’t And then there’s the method. We all know challenge that didn’t require changing opin- apply, we fall back on logos messaging, cit- the PESO model, where an “integrated” ions and behaviors of multiple groups of ing scientific studies and test results to show campaign is supposed to have paid, earned, people, all with different interests and mo- why “we’re right.” shared and owned channels. tivations. One message to get them all on But as Richard Thaler, winner of the No- The problem is, the PESO model isn’t like board is wishful thinking. Instead, we need bel Prize for his work in behavioral eco- choosing a sandwich at the deli: pick your key message sets for each audience that all nomics has proved, it’s often our emotions bread, pick your meat and cheese, pick your roll up under a common narrative. that drive decision making, which has re- condiments, warm it up or take it cold. It’s At Padilla, we use a Message Pyramid that sulted in more need for messaging based about picking the method of communica- starts with a core theme or idea (what execs on pathos. Not-for-profits have focused on tion that is going to achieve the most effec- mistakenly refer to as “the message”), an el- pathos (probably to an unhealthy extreme) tive outcome. evator story (often termed “the narrative”), for years, and we’re seeing it emerge as an Companies today are no longer break- key message sets (organized by audience important messaging approach in corporate ing news with national business outlets or topic), and proof statements (reasons to settings as well. like the Wall Street Journal or the New York believe).­ A “single message” is not only unrealistic, Times, but instead are opting for the most There’s been a shift in the types of mes- it’s also ineffective. Instead, we need to be us- influential online trade publication because sages that resonate with different audiences ing a mix of ethos, pathos and logos-based that’s what their customers and employees messaging, choosing the right mix with the are reading. Likewise, a public service an- PR news brief help of research-based audience insights. nouncement that used to be pitched to nu- Joele Frank backs Germany’s Don’t pick the wrong messenger merous television news outlets now has just Knauf in fight for USG In contrast to “the message,” very few ex- as much chance of getting viewed by mak- Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher supports ecutives point to “the messenger” as a key ing it available on Vimeo, YouTube, Ama- Germany’s Knauf in its proxy fight with building prod- part of the strategy, assuming it as a given or zon, iTunes, or Hoopla (or a combination of ucts competitor USG Corp. of Chicago. dismissing it as unimportant. all). Knauf, which has made a $5.9 billion bid for USG, is But a great message will be squandered if So, when the CEO comes to you and tells urging shareholders to vote against four USG director nominees at the May 9 annual meeting. delivered by the wrong messenger. you that the company needs your help in USG, which relies on Sard Verbinnen & Co., said Sometimes the CEO is the best choice. communicating a major initiative, instead Knauf’s bid is “wholly inadequate, opportunistic and Sometimes not. When Facebook was called of discussing the complexity of the chal- does not reflect the intrinsic value of the company.” before Congress to account for its mishan- lenge, break it town into the Message, the Knauf, which owns about 10 percent of USG, knocks it for failing to engage in serious negotiations dling of user personal data, the only right Messenger and the Method. Not only will or show “substantive evidence to support its claim messenger was CEO Mark Zuckerberg. he or she appreciate your ability to simplify that the company is worth more than $42 per-share.” When Tony Hayward, CEO of B-P during the complex, you’ll improve the likelihood Joele Frank, Ed Trissel and Annabelle Rinehart the Deepwater Horizon accident, said he that Communications is seen as an essential represent Knauf. SV&C’s Jim Barron and Pam Greene “wanted his life back” in the midst of the part of the company’s success. work the media for USG. company’s disaster response, he was fired. Matt Kucharski is President of Padilla. 

12 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM You need the right people today to succeed tomorrow

Having the right people on your leadership team when growing and scaling advertising and PR companies is paramount in today’s constantly-evolving communications industry. By Christine Barney

“ ven if you are on the right track, you the communications track are moving fast- thoughtful, senior executives in the same will get run over if you just sit there.” er than ever. Far too many companies have room with CEOs, COOs and CMOs and E This quote from Will Rogers is a hu- jumped off the tracks and remain stranded give them straight counsel is just as critical. morous warning to today’s business own- on the sidelines offering the same tradition- Smart counselors bring new perspectives to ers. What got you where you are today is al advertising and PR services. help C-level execs forge new business strat- often not enough to ensure you’ll be suc- Those companies who embrace technol- egies, create new revenue streams and pro- cessful tomorrow. ogy, understand the changing information tect their brands. Continued growth is a challenge every needs of today’s consumer and are flexible We can only imagine what will be in our business faces and the ability to scale is of- enough to bring the right tools to each sit- communications arsenal ten heralded as proof of success. As rbb em- uation are the ones who will succeed. That’s tomorrow. In fact, at rbb braced its aggressive growth plans to create why rbb has consciously evolved to become we spend quite a bit of the communications agency of the future a fully integrated communications firm of- time imagining and cre- and double in size by 2020, we knew those fering marketing, digital/social, advertising/ ating the tools and strat- plans required broader shoulders. creative, PR and reputation management. egies we believe brands That’s why we invested in growing our When it comes to solving a client’s prob- will need to grow and leadership team over the last decade and lems, we start with a strategic consulting deliver exceptional cus- are excited that nine senior members have process that determines the best combina- tomer experiences. become equity partners at the agency. These tion of tools. Otherwise, the adage holds With a leadership team aren’t phantom stock partners: they jumped true: If you only have a hammer then every- aligned for the future, rbb Christine Barney in with both feet and bought their stock in thing looks like a nail. expects to help clients rbb to get real equity. Brands today require and deserve a stay on track and take the curves with flair. The importance of “having the right peo- 360-degree view of how to use communica- Christine M. Barney, APR is Chief Exec- ple on the bus” was a hallmark of Jim Col- tion to build their bottom line. rbb’s Break- utive Officer and Managing Partner of rbb lins’ book “Good to Great.” out Brand philosophy is based on the idea Communications. She is also author of the “If you have the right people, you can that communication success — for both Breakout Brand strategy, is accredited by change direction faster and will have internal and external audiences — comes the Public Relations Society of America and self-motivated leaders who produce the best from creating emotional connections. oversees the strategic development of all cli- results to do something great,” Collins said. Today that means using video, third-party ent programs.  “Great vision without great people is irrel- influencers, apps galore, crowdsourcing and evant.” employee engagement tools, as well as hav- PR news brief These new partners not only believe in ing the skills of a digital ninja to cut through Tusk pitches world’s first legal rbb’s ability to grow, they also understand the clutter. tender cryptocurrency that what has worked before is not the road- That doesn’t mean the focus is all internet map for the future. The trains coming down and apps. Being able to put experienced, Tusk Ventures is promoting the Republic of the Mar- shall Islands’ plan to introduce the world’s first legal tender cryptocurrency. Purpose-driven companies RMI has partnered with Neema Ltd, an Israeli start- up that facilitates global money transfers via app and _ Continued from page 10 when they’re “off purpose.” Leverage your target audiences: the has used blockchain technology to create a digital currency called the Sovereign (SOV). beneficiaries of your purpose-driven The PacificO cean nation has passed a law making further a purpose-driven client’s business work. If there is a true positive impact, your the SOV its official legal tender and is working with objectives and enhance and protect its cor- customers should want to speak about it. Neema to ensure a smooth roll-out. porate reputation. Leverage their words and personification of Tusk’s statement of work says the firm is shaping your purpose. SHOW how you impact the the narrative to build support from the media, regula- Executives exposed to media must be tors, investors, pundits and crypto advocates/skeptics. authentic, believable and transparent. community. It will pitch the SOV’s value proposition and show The death knell of any purpose-driven Don’t be afraid to acknowledge other how it will benefit the people of theR MI by promot- corporation are people that don’t carry the purpose-driven companies. You’re par t ing transparency and good government. Tusk also will brand purpose with them during inter- of a community. The old idea of compe- demonstrate how legal tender cryptocurrencies could help other small countries. views, regardless of the audience. Similarly, tition isn’t all that appealing to the next The New York-based firm will educate the US employees that appear to be oblivious to ­generation. Companies are less like a foot- Treasury, State Dept., Securities and Exchange Com- their brand promise can hurt the reputation ball game than a giant music festival. There mission and Internal Revenue Service about RMI’s of the entire company. are no enemies, just different companies strategy. Corporate narrative and messaging playing in different places. Wish everyone Tusk’s compensation will be split 50/50 between U.S. dollars and SOVs. must be tied to the purpose. Top down: well. Bradley Tusk was New York Mayor Mike demonstrate with words and actions how Michael Roth is a Partner and Head of the Bloomberg’s campaign manager and New York Sena- you’re fulfilling your purpose. Healthcare Practice at Bliss Integrated Com- tor Chuck Schumer’s communications director. Have the courage to tell your client munication. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 13 FEATURE Influencer marketing: choose wisely

Online influencer programs always carry an element of risk, leading Personalize your outreach approach. many to rethink whether influencer marketing is the right strategy Once you find the right partner(s), tai- for their brand. lor your communication and invitation to By Ashley Butler work together based on what you’ve learned about them. Show this person you’ve done or a while now, you may have heard the for a promotional post on the platform. your homework and how your brand is a mantra that influencer marketing is a Picking the right influencer for your brand good fit for their community. This is the first Fstaple in any well-rounded social media Whether you are considering micro-or step to developing a strong relationship. program. Yet, you’ve seen cases where it’s macro-influencers, there’s a science to se- Build in backups. Cast a wide net for gone bad. From headlines about fake news, lecting the right ones. Doing your home- your search initially to account for influenc- to “bots” posing as followers, to celebrity en- work upfront to identify the appropriate in- ers who decline to participate, which could dorsements hurting big brands. Many savvy fluencers to partner with will pay dividends be as high as 80 percent. There are many marketers are left questioning: is influencer on the back end. factors that play into influencer participa- marketing a fad or a solid strategy? Start by aligning the evaluation process to tion, including level of Like any successful communications ef- your overall social media strategy. Ensure effort of the request (are fort, an influencer marketing program re- you identify partners who will elevate your you asking for a vid- quires a focused approach and disciplined brand message, not dilute it. Outline pro- eo or just a text-based execution. When done right, influencer gram objectives, target audiences, content tweet), turnaround marketing can add third-party credibility themes and guidelines for influencer con- time (influencers have to a brand, help companies become more tent, as well as key performance indicators. busy personal and work accessible to consumers, and, depending These elements will directly inform the in- lives, too; make sure the on the type of influencer, amplify your fluencer selection criteria. From there, fol- production schedule al- content without heavy paid media dollars. low these best practices for developing ef- lows for at least a week However, there’s risk in putting a brand in fective partnerships and content that deliver or ideally two) and con- Ashley Butler the hands of a stranger and, therefore, in- your brand’s message to the right people. tent topic (is it sensitive fluencer marketing requires an investment Think relevance. Relevance measures the in nature). Just like your brand on social in time and resources to execute properly. contextual fit for your brand and is critical media, many influencers follow their own Consider the macro and micro view when thinking about the parameters of se- content strategy and scheduling to build an As most marketers know by now, influ- lecting influencers. Starting with a large list engaged follower base. encers are commonly categorized by reach, of influencers, assess those who would be Establish your goals and how to track or audience size, and status, and fall into one most relevant to your audience based on them. Essential to tracking results is setting of three groups: Celebrity, a well-known your brand. This can be done by applying clear goals and metrics upfront. Define your superstar who has mass reach; Macro-in- brand personas to determine who is appro- metrics, including the targeted quality and fluencer, a person with a large following priate to engage with based on the catego- quantity of interactions. Then closely mon- grown from building their online person- ries and topics they are discussing. Define itor community engagement. Ask yourself: al brand; and Micro-influencer, someone your campaign’s purpose and slot influenc- Does the influencer engagement feel au- with a following of fewer than 10,000. ers into those categories based on their con- thentic? What are the comments and ques- While celebrities and macro-influencers tent themes, persona and audience engage- tions from the community? Did the overall have gotten much of the fanfare to date, mi- ment. Find people who naturally connect effort drive the desired levels of reach, click cro-influencers are proving their value. Mi- to your mission, topics, product or service. throughs or other impact? Based on your cro-influencers have a hyper-engaged audi- Determine resonance. Identify the influ- learnings, make changes and optimize your ence in a targeted topic area that engenders encer’s level of engagement to determine program in real time. strong communication and engagement resonance. Focus on influencers who have a Employ technology. Once you define and, in many cases, higher conversion rates. committed and engaged following as this is your influencer parameters, consider using Research supports several advantages a strong indication of authenticity. A strong tools such as GroupHigh, TapInfluence and to working with micro-influencers. In the influencer posts content that is consum- IZEA to tap into influencer databases to case of quality over quantity, a study by able and likeable. As they say, it’s not how build a long list of influencers. These tools Markerly found that as someone’s number many friends you can count, but how many can help you parse the digital landscape to of followers increases, the engagement rate friends you can count on to create engage- get access to influencer names, social foot- decreases. Furthermore, research from Ex- ment and build brand awareness. print, personal performance metrics and percity shows micro-influencers’ conver- Evaluate the message. Be sure to vet the contact information. Some of these tools sion rates are 22.2 times higher than other influencer’s content, thoroughly. As en- also facilitate outreach and can help man- influencers, perhaps because they are found gaged as followers may be, sometimes an age the full transaction. to be 74 percent more likely to encourage influencer’s content doesn’t fit your brand. Influencer marketing programs remain followers to buy or try a product or service. For example, does the influencer have a a highly viable yet evolving opportunity. Finally, the cherry on top as regards work- strong following and post beautiful photos Know the risks and rewards before diving in ing with these influencers—they are often that would speak to your audience, but also too deep. Invest the hard work to choose so- more affordable. According to Bloglovin’, 97 employs controversial commentary? Might cial media mavens wisely so that these influ- percent of micro-influencers charge $500 not be a good fit. Be vigilant when vetting encers actually influence to your advantage. or less for a sponsored post on Instagram, content for highly political posts, obscenity, Ashley Butler is a Senior Social Media compared to Kylie Jenner, who can report- and competitor mentions, otherwise your Strategist with Crosby Marketing Commu- edly get hundreds of thousands of dollars campaign could quickly backfire. nications. 

14 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Why marketing and PR need each other

The most successful organizations are the ones in which marketing and PR programs share strategies and messaging, and coordinate on tactics as they work side-by-side to provide optimum results for a business. By Jessica Tiller

ho feels like they’re an expert in public relations in order to create mean- Unifying messages both marketing and public rela- ingful content. Having hard data from Both marketing and PR departments Wtions? Or better yet, who within the marketing department can help PR to need to be on the same page — and use the the communications industry can clear- sharpen its audience focus and refine the same messaging — in order to optimize ly describe the difference to someone at a tactics it employs. That, in turn, brings add- efforts and initiatives intended to reach networking event? We’ve all been in that ed credibility to the PR effort and a direct current and prospec- situation at some point in our careers. And correlation between activities and results. tive clients. What is the to add to the complications — and blur the Consistency point of pushing out an lines even further — today’s communi- Today’s business prospects and clients e-newsletter or updat- cations pros are usually juggling a mix of are bombarded with a seemingly limit- ing the website if the PR online marketing, advertising, and public less stream of information and an endless team is using messages relations. number of options. Surprising as it sounds, that are outdated, fo- All too often, businesses tend to think the average individual is hit with between cusing on the wrong as- of marketing and PR as one and the same. 4,000-10,000 brand messages per day! As a pects of the business, or Even worse, some companies tend to define result, psychologists have determined that describing the company Jessica Tiller marketing as responding to RFPs, while it takes a minimum of seven mentions for in completely different public relations is often reduced to sending a brand to even begin to register with the terms? out news releases and securing media cov- intended target. Here’s a case in point: Several years ago, erage. Obviously, that approach is doomed To cut through all of that “noise,” busi- we were helping a client in the benefits to failure (and probably the reason some nesses need to constantly remind their key space to develop a strategic communica- executives discount the importance of both audiences who they are, what products or tions plan. The top two executives could disciplines). services they offer, and why those products/ not understand why no one in their market Given that, let’s start with some basics. services are preferable to those of competi- seemed to know what they did. Some even While today we hear about everything from tors. Creating and then maintaining ongo- mistook the company for a law firm, given relationship marketing to content market- ing marketing and PR initiatives will help its name. ing, marketing ultimately comes down to organizations to do exactly that. No initia- In speaking to each of the executives, developing a demand for a specific prod- tive will have true success without the con- neither could quickly identify what their uct or service, analyzing data to determine sistency. company was about or who their key audi- what is or isn’t work and fulfilling the cus- Greater awareness ences were. When they did start discussing tomer’s needs. Public relations, on the other By employing complementary marketing these topics, they disagreed with each oth- hand, is defined as the strategic communi- and PR tactics, you will gain greater visi- er. Clearly, if there’s no agreed upon inter- cations process that builds mutually bene- bility for your business, helping you stand nal messaging, how will key audiences, who ficial relationships between organizations out from your competition. Marketing’s are bombarded daily with other brands, be and their audiences. tactics are often focused on self-generated able to understand who you are and what Clearly, you can see how PR and market- activities, such as company newsletters, services you offer? ing tend to — or should — be joined at the electronic and printed materials, and bro- The bottom line: marketing and pub- hip, with both supporting a company’s sales chures, while public relations activities are lic relations need each other to provide efforts and/or advancing an organization’s focused on earned opportunities, such as ­optimum results. It’s not a line item that is overall business objectives. To have market- media coverage, awards, and speaking en- negotiable. In today’s competitive business ing and public relations departments oper- gagements. climate, a comprehensive, ongoing mar­ ate within individual silos at any company, Through a cohesive communications keting and public relations program is a large or small, really does a disservice to strategy — utilizing both marketing and must. the organization. While we may be a little PR — a business will be able to expand Worth remembering are the words of Bill biased, the most successful organizations awareness of their organization’s products Gates: “If I was down to the last dollar of my tend to be the ones with cohesive market- or services. marketing budget, I’d spend it on PR.” ing and PR programs working side-by-side Allow for synergy Jessica Tiller is Executive Vice President to promote a business. Think of marketing Marketing and PR can, and should, work and Co-Founder of Weiss PR, Inc. Cele- and PR like peanut butter and jelly or milk together to better reach an intended audi- brating its 10th year in business, Weiss PR and cookies — they just go together. ence. Because marketers and PR profes- helps businesses and non-profit organiza- What, then, are the benefits of a coordi- sionals already work in many of the same tions reach, engage, and influence the right nated communications program, incorpo- areas, it makes sense that their work could audiences in order to achieve their commu- rating both marketing and PR? be done cooperatively. Marketing and PR nications and business objectives. For more Credibility need to share strategies, messaging and in- information, contact the author at jtiller@ Utilizing marketing activities, such as formation, and then coordinate on the tac- weisspr.com or visit the website www.weis- compiling and analyzing data, informs tics moving forward. spr.com. 

16 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Using chatbots to support social media storytelling How communication pros can leverage chatbots in their arsenal of storytelling and strategic communications tools. tion is a two-way street. Understand how to By David Perez communicate with your audience. Build a customer service bot to help your current hatbots are the newest trendy toy evolving into brand ambassadors. Building customers. Do not ignore those relation- everyone’s talking about, and a tech- the perfect conversation takes practice, re- ships. Chatbots are an ideal way to engage Cnology that PR pros are racing to test search and occasionally updating the bot as with your audience as a customer service. out on their marketing campaigns. But how necessary. Spreading awareness is important, but you use chatbots and the ways in which Content distribution building loyalty is imperative to reaching they’re integrated into your communica- Ever wonder why you only have 10 views out to new customers. We have returned tion strategy makes all the difference inso- during your Facebook Live event? The to our favorite store because of exception- far as whether you’re utilizing this powerful ability to send direct information to your al customer service. As tool effectively. followers has been simplified. With plat- more people are shop- Chatbots are artificial intelligence de- forms that are used to create chatbots like ping online, we want to signed to emulate human interaction. The ManyChat and Chatfuel, communications build a communication digital era has grown to intertwine public pros can send direct information to their network that helps and relations and marketing. Social media has audiences. The chatbot can distribute a new continues to strengthen erupted as one of the ultimate ways to com- piece of content, statement from the com- relationships. Pre-load- municate and reach your target audience. pany or product launch right into your us- ed messages can be New and creative ways of reaching our au- er’s notification. When building a chatbot, drafted to contact cus- diences can be seen through responses on help guide your user by asking them ques- tomer service or send a messaging apps like Facebook Messenger tions. Simple buttons can be added when link to the latest article David Perez and WhatsApp. Chatbots are here to stay, building the chatbot. Understand where to fix a minor concern. and as communications professionals, here your audience wants to end. Your end goal This time saving tool can help increase con- are simple ways to integrate chatbots into is imperative when mapping out the jour- sumer satisfaction. Making the consum- your communication plans. ney. Ask for their permission to be able to er feel heard is important when retaining Storytelling receive notifications and exclusive compa- those relationships. Using chatbots to communicate with your ny news. Making them feel part of an ex- Building your virtual assistant can bridge audience is an effective way to let them clusive club, receiving items they can only your communication gap. Strategize on know your story. It is ultimately still good- view on Messenger, creates bigger want and where and how to integrate your chatbot old-fashioned storytelling. Get person- a driving force to join in on the fun. into your plan. Understand your commu- al and guide them through your journey. Data collection nications goal and use this tool to create a People connect with people, but one thing What is it your audience really wants to better line of communication. Whether you hasn’t changed, and it’s the power of stories. hear? What type of content should we create are telling your story, distributing content As professional storytellers, we can develop and share? We all have heard that content or asking questions, this powerful tool will the bot to guide our Facebook user to pick is king. As we move into a new era, qual- help you distribute to a new range of audi- their own adventure within our story. Guide ity content targeted to a specific audience ences and create ambassadors. the customer through the journey with an becomes more imperative than the quantity What story will you program your bot to end goal. People like to share stories with produced. Communications professionals tell? value. They share stories that make them need to understand what content will res- David Perez is based out of Marketing Ma- feel like insiders and stories of emotion. The onate with a specific audience. As your bot ven’s Los Angeles headquarters. He can be more creatively we build our own story of interacts with your audience, you can start reached at [email protected].  adventure, the more memorable it becomes. developing custom content built on your PR news brief Chatbots can help communicate our mes- audience’s responses. Instead of asking a sage, building an engaged following. question through your newsfeed, create a Comcast taps Tulchan in bid for Sky Direct communication question on Messenger. Build exclusivity Comcast is using Tulchan Communications to han- Email marketing 2.0 has been a term used and have interactions. Build your bot to dle its $31 billion offer to buy Sky, European pay TV to describe how to generate more interest, walk through a series of questions that will operator, setting up a potential bidding war with 21st- Century Fox. awareness or sales for a product. While generate more data. As communicators, we Sky, which had agreed to a takeover by 21CF, has many communication gurus continue to are always talking and looking for ways to now ended that pact because of the superior Comcast practice the art of email marketing, some reach new audiences. We need to listen and offer. 21CF, which owns a 39 percent stake in Sky, have moved into direct communications understand what our audiences want. Once says it’s committed to acquiring the remaining shares. through messenger platforms such as Face- we understand our target audience, we can Comcast sees Sky’s 23 million customers in the UK, Italy and Germany as a platform for further growth on book Messenger and WhatsApp, via chat- create a fluid distribution method generat- the Continent. bots. The ability to connect “one to one” ing an increase in buzz. A specific post may The Philadelphia-based owner of NBCUniversal is more powerful than the “one to many” be shared and engaged in more due to the says the addition of Sky’s customer base will enable it approach. This form of communication “How to…” video clip you created. All gen- to invest in more original and acquired programming. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts pledges to preserve creates the ability to build brand loyalty erated from your chatbot. Your audience Sky’s editorial independence and refrain from acquir- and establish a relationship with your au- will continue to build and create the ability ing a majority interest in any British newspaper for dience. Of course, you will get those people to awareness. five years to help ensure media diversity. who opt out eventually, but your audience Customer service Tulchan’s Andrew Grant and Tom Murray are work- becomes an engaged audience, ultimately Make the user feel heard. Communica- ing the Comcast bid.

18 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT PR pros on startup growth impact, community trends

trants are now competing with established best PR agencies. For startups looking to By Lisa Astor players. The industry that showed the most draw attention to their brands from the VC s we reflect on the first quarter of promise — fintech — has also fallen. Any- community, dial down the product rheto- 2018, some interesting trends have thing related to blockchain is super hot, ric (that’s sales’ job) and make sure you’ve Astarted to evolve in the VC and start- and I expect it will stay that way for some got a great story. Every VC and reporter up communities. I took some time with time. Digital currencies are skyrocketing has heard it all before — you’re not going my colleagues to dig into what markets are (overall) and VCs are falling over each oth- to teach them anything new. But you can trending and how PR pros can better es- er to get in on the underlying technology. bring them around to a new way of think- tablish relationships with the movers and Trusted social networks, or even niche so- ing about your business if you have a solid shakers in the VC community. cial networks, are another potential area of story. You have to know why you matter to What are some of the markets or industries interest that have gotten some play. Face- the world, what big problem you’re solving. you are seeing funded today? book may be the sacrificial lamb in a much Blair: It’s an exciting Ryan Wallace, VP & GM, New York: Ad- broader trend relating to the security of time for the South- vanced Manufacturing is a critical industry. individual data — what they’re willing to east as opportunity is In fact, NYC is the number one market for share vs. pay for, and whether communities knocking. The major- 3D printing. Robotics, cybersecurity and can and should be trusted or accountable ity of companies here health & life sciences are also burgeoning to users. are looking for ways to markets in New York right now. Blair: I think we will continue to see differentiate their prod- Jennifer Malleo, VP & GM, San Francis- growth in SaaS organizations. With a grow- ucts/solutions and com- co: I see money flowing into any company ing presence of Fortune 500 companies lo- pete on a national and that’s got a security play, and lots of “mid- cated in the Southeast, B2B SaaS startups global scale. Messaging dleware” brands, i.e., the companies that continue to attract large amounts of inves- and product positioning Lisa Astor create the connections between other B2B tor capital, commanding over $4.5 billion in are paramount as many businesses. Middleware has been a dirty more than 1,600 deals since 2012. Biotech/ of these organizations may have never word in PR, but the acquisition of Mule- pharma and consumer technology also are worked with a PR pro before and are look- Soft, Twilio’s IPO, the much-anticipated growing sectors in the Southeast, with over ing to build visibility for their brand for the Palantir IPO, and our own SF client roster $7 billion invested collectively, since 2012. first time. It’s important to be aware that tell a different story. These companies are Astor: Advanced data analytics is the you will likely be starting at the ground printing cash and investors know it. future of tech in Boston. Our great univer- level. For PR pros looking to break into Katie Blair, VP & GM, Orlando: In the sities attract and retain a lot of talent and the Southeast VC community, it all comes Southeast, the biggest opportunities are in interest in technologies such as blockchain, down to good old-fashioned networking. the fintech, biotech, healthcare, martech IoT and big data. Data analytics and ad- The Southeast is made up of tight-knit tech and cybersecurity markets. vanced manufacturing technologies will communities that support each other and Lisa Astor, SVP & Co-Lead, Client Re- continue to grow as they are fueled by ma- thrive on two-way collaboration. Dust off lations, Boston: Boston has always been jor tech brands funding innovation centers those mingling chops and get to know your a hub of innovation for healthcare IT and and labs across the city. local tech and VC communities. traditional data and security technologies. From an Integrated Marketing and PR Astor: A big opportunity is to attend We’re also the home to robotics since the perspective, are there particular strategies the wide range of tradeshows that Boston launch of iRobot and MIT’s significant in- that play best to the VC communities and hosts, including the Cloud Foundry Sum- vestment in the space. And of course, bio- startups in your region? What tips do you mit, BIO, the Forbes Under 30 Summit tech continues to be a cash cow with more have for PR pros? and INBOUND, to name a few. The great- than 1,000 biotech companies in Massa- Wallace: PR pros should try to connect er Boston area is also home to hubs of the chusetts. with their counterparts at VCs to identify major analyst firms, including Gartner and How has this changed over the past few market needs and understand their local Forrester. There’s opportunities to network years? What are the next hot markets? marketplace. Connect with your commu- with these analysts who have their eyes on Wallace: Manufacturing in particular has nication counterparts at the leading invest- the trends and companies that are import- started to grow and expand in “Industry ment firms that are shaping the stories and ant in the local markets. When looking City,” Brooklyn. Robotics has found a new the markets. To get in at the startup level for opportunities to further establish your home here as well. There is a real renais- and reach the “next big thing” you need to clients’ brands, our local reporters and in- sance for manufacturing — from retail and network and form relationships with the fluencers know these markets better than apparel to biomedical to tech. It’s exciting VCs. Become a player in the VC commu- anyone and developing relationships with to see this evolving in real time. We have nity, not just an observer. And to reach the them is critical. seen heightened investment and significant investment community, we need to talk to In sum, 2018 is setting up to be an excit- deals closing in the New York market and, VCs in their language through contributed ing year for investments and growth in the generally speaking, people are excited to content that 1) establishes the business im- startup industry nationwide. We’ll be keep- see the cash flowing again in “Silicon Al- pact your client can have and 2) spotlights ing a close watch on how things shake out ley,” at a level we haven’t seen since 2015. the unseen financial benefits of your solu- and the ones to watch. Malleo: I can tell you who it isn’t. First, tion to investors and customers. Lisa Astor serves as Senior Vice President apps are out of luck: They were the hottest Malleo: VCs in the Bay Area are PR savvy. & Co-Lead of Client Relations at PAN. In funding sector up until a few years ago, and If you want to win them over, send in your this role, she manages client engagement the money has dried up. SaaS-anything best people to talk to them. They probably and strategy across the firm’s technology and is also dead in the water because new en- have better media relationships than the healthcare portfolios. 

20 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM The next chapter: considering your post-sale plans

Serious reflection is in order regarding your plans and future options before signing the dotted line on an agency merger or acquisition. By Art Stevens

re you planning to sell your agency I’ve met many CEOs who knew from day hours to support peers or non-profit orga- sometime soon? Have you thought one of the sales process that they wanted nizations. Aabout where you see yourself four to get out “while the getting’s good.” The For those of you who may be consider- years after the ink dries? majority of these owners started the retire- ing retirement, as someone who created a With any public relations agency merger ment process over the course of the two to “second” career more than eight years ago or acquisition, there are numerous ques- three years “burnout” phase following the — and still loving it — I urge you to think tions you must ask yourself before signing sale of their agency. twice. Some people believe that retirement on the dotted line, including getting smart Other executives have different plans they will allow them the lux- about your future options. hope to pursue after selling their agency. ury to sit back and smell For example, are there any distinct land- For example, one head of a firm I sold a few the roses. However, after ing spots with a clear path to advancement years ago wanted to start a consumer prod- some time has passed, I for you in the combined entity? You also uct business with her daughter. Another believe those roses don’t may wonder how the merger will affect owner said she’d always dreamed of moving want to be smelled. In your agency’s overall position in the indus- to Israel from New York and eventually fol- other words, it’s import- try and its reputation, as well as its financial lowed her path there. ant to realize that retire- standing. There’s also another category of agen- ment may not ultimate- When I sold my agency after many years cy sellers: those executives that are in the ly resolve all of your Art Stevens in the business, I had a very clear vision prime of their lives and want to join forces quality of life issues. about what I wanted to do moving for- with an organization that will help them As an alternative, I ward: I wanted to give something back to enhance their career, giving them the op- suggest either starting a second career — the industry that had been so good to me by portunity to make a quantum leap into a as I did — or think about re-engaging and providing consulting work and facilitating more integral role — on a higher level — dedicating your time to related activities, agency acquisitions. My goal was to remain within the newly formed entity. with a goal of contributing to the perpetuity in the PR space, yet serve it in a new, more Finally, there’s the scenario that I can re- of the industry. pertinent capacity. late to the most: that it can get very lone- Go with the flow, but go for what you want Keep your eye on the prize ly at the top. Some agency owners pursue If you’re in the process of selling your PR As someone who’s worked closely with a merger because they just don’t want to agency, you should start to lay the ground- more than 100 PR agencies over the last work alone anymore (assuming they own work for your future life now. Be sure to 12 years, I encourage any agency owner to 100 percent of the firm). factor in enough time to allow yourself to carve out time for some serious reflection This circumstance is precisely what hap- slow down in stages so that you can try about what they want to do with the rest of pened in my experience as an agency own- your hand at different things. their life following a sale. I believe it is es- er. After realizing that I didn’t have anyone Remember, some people have very con- sential to figure out what is really important within my firm on an equal level to make crete reasons as to why they’re selling their to you in life, including why you are work- decisions with, I started investigating op- agency, especially because they have a solid ing so hard in the first place. tions to merge with another agency. The post-sale game plan in place. However, oth- I can personally attest that owning and rest is history. ers don’t always have all of the answers. operating a PR agency can be all consum- Brainstorm your options In my case, after my PR agency was ac- ing. And being thrust into the world out- There are several things I urge you to quired and before I started formally con- side of your agency life following a sale can consider as you think about your post-sale sulting, agency owners almost immediately often lead to culture shock and disorienta- plans. For starters, learn how to say “no.” began reaching out to me for tips and ad- tion if you are unprepared. Just because you want to step back from vice. They shared their stories, asked me Yes, there’s life after agency business the business eventually doesn’t mean that questions and appreciated my advice. It was Developing a plan that tackles how you your appetite to create and contribute to at that point that I realized I had something want to monetize your business — and fac- the world of PR has disappeared altogether. to contribute. tors in your future ambitions — can yield If anything, your passions may accelerate The bottom line: by exploring and pur- significant dividends, both financially and once you have time to rest and regroup. suing your true interests during any tran- personally. Of course, the options and In many cases, after an agency sale, indus- sition period or agency sale, you will allow combinations vary from one person to the try peers will line up to share new oppor- yourself time to figure out your true pas- next. tunities and partnership ideas, including sions, helping you to ultimately rediscov- For instance, if you’re hoping to make a board of director positions, industry orga- er the greater world around you and your solid break from the industry, the scenario nizations and more. agency. will obviously require a different exit plan I also recommend paying it forward. Af- Art Stevens, APR, Fellow PRSA, is Man- strategy versus someone who simply wants ter taking the time you need to rediscover aging Partner of The Stevens Group consul- to “slow down” for a few years, gently bow your personal and professional desires, you tants to the PR agency profession, focusing out of the business and remain fairly active may find fulfillment serving as an industry on mergers, acquisitions and management in the PR industry. advisor or mentor, or dedicating volunteer consulting. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 21 REPORT 5G: are we asking the right questions?

Advances in 5G technologies could alter the very fabric of is something for children and poets, not tel- innovation, yet a significant distance remains between the hype cos and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Or is surrounding 5G and the technical, financial and political challenges it? 5G will change our world: it will bring facing the technology. the IoT, mobility, the auto industry, medi- By Peter Prodromou and RJ Bardsley cine, education and AI forward in new and he promise of 5G is bright: it offers a The clouds fantastic ways. What’s left for people to do host of possibilities for the world in However, there’s a significant distance is to reimagine what we can invent and how Teverything from medicine to auton- between hype and reality around 5G to- we can apply this to less agnostic challenges omous vehicles to entertainment. Indeed, day. As Semiconductor Engineering EIC, we face today. For instance, how will we use it’s the talk of the technology world these Ed Sperling recently wrote, “5G is coming, 5G technology to solve days. So far in 2018, both major industry but not everywhere and not all at once, and poverty? How will we trade shows — CES and MWC — high- not the fastest version of this technology use it to improve priva- lighted a number of advances in 5G tech- right away.” While the 5G promise is out cy? Safeguard human nologies. It seemed you could hardly move there and the commitments from giants rights? Secure IP? Pre- without bumping into a sign regarding the like Huawei, AT&T, and Verizon are solid vent theft? Ensure per- latest promise of unfettered access and a evidence that a 5G world will come to pass, sonal freedoms? super-fast IoT. In the U.S., AT&T and Veri- there are still several challenges that need to We’re not sure about zon have both announced the rollout of 5G be solved before it becomes a reality. you, but we don’t read a networks in 2018, and while they haven’t Technical challenges start with reception lot of these issues when given specifics around speeds, they have issues. 5G signals run at high frequency, we read about 5G. Per- Peter Prodromou likened performance to wired networks which means that trees, shrubs, buildings, haps that’s really where and promised vast improvements over 4G cars, even people can disrupt the signal. we’re falling down. LTE ­products. This leads to the need for a larger physical Don’t get us wrong, A cloudy horizon footprint for base stations, repeaters and we’re excited about the So, what will life on 5G be like? Greater small cells to establish reliable access. It also prospect of download- speeds and greater bandwidth mean that means that the rollout will take a lot longer ing a high-def movie in things like remote medical operations will and require more investment than previous less than a minute, but be possible; instant super-high-def enter- 3G and 4G LTE rollouts. if we’re truly looking at tainment will be an everyday occurrence; The need for backward compatibility and the horizon of a new fully functioning driverless cars and maybe the ability to process much more data at technology this big even aircraft will be the norm. It also opens faster speeds also requires close collabora- and this far-reaching, RJ Bardsley up the door for a host of less dramatic but tion between a variety of segments in the shouldn’t we be think- still impressive feats: massive enhance- technology industry, from networks to chip ing of solving more than the technical chal- ments to the Internet of Things that will re- makers to device manufacturers. lenges of today? sult in new levels of connectivity. But per- Even at the device level, 5G technology is Peter Prodromou is President and CEO of haps the true promise of 5G is how it could still coming into its own. Issues from anten- Racepoint Global and RJ Bardsley is Chief change the very fabric of innovation. The na efficacy to battery drain pose new chal- Strategist, Global Tech Practice at Racepoint increase and speed and bandwidth that 5G lenges for device makers. The handoff from Global.  brings is so critical that it has the potential older networks to newer ones will have to to alter the way we design everything from be seamless, and the 20-plus hour battery PR news brief apps to networks to operating rooms. life that consumers have come to expect To provide some context for 5G speeds, must remain table stakes in the mobile Finsbury works Takeda’s the average internet speed in the U.S. today market. sweetened bid for Shire is 6.5 megabytes per second. At MWC last Finally, at the political level, different Finsbury is handling Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ fifth year, Samsung showed off a new 5G router countries are vying to own 5G in ways that bid for rare drug specialist Shire PLC of Dublin. with speeds of 500 megabytes per second we didn’t see in earlier network evolutions, If successful, the sweetened $60 billion cash/stock (4 gigabits per second). This is the equiva- at least not so publicly. The truth about 5G offer would mark the largest-ever Japanese acquisi- tion of a western firm and propel Takeda into the top- lent of moving from an economy driven by is its development relies on a global ecosys- ranks of global drug companies. horses and steam engines to one driven by tem of partners. If governments implement Takeda notes the improved bid represents a 58 per- internal combustion and jet engines. At the protectionist policies to help boost a single cent premium over the closing price of Shire shares turn of the last century, we lived in a world country’s advantage in 5G, it’s likely that the on March 23, the day before rumors surfaced about designed around horses; everything from a takeover bid. exact opposite will happen. It said that completion of the deal would give Shire public space to grocery lists changed with Dreaming about what’s next shareholders “a very meaningful stake in a leading the move into advanced modes of trans- The technical, financial and political global biopharmaceutical company” and benefits from portation. It’s not impossible to compre- problems will be solved by different camps. the synergies flowing from the deal. hend the scale of potential change, but it is What remains after those solutions are Shire is considering Takeda’s latest bid. Finsbury’s London team of James Murgatroyd Rollo a little challenging to imagine exactly what found is the biggest challenge of all: how to Head and Anjali Unnikrishnan are working the Takeda new things will come to pass in a world of reinvent the way we dream. There are better bid with Kal Goldberg and Chris Ryall in New York. innovation powered by 5G. words than “dreaming.” After all, dreaming

22 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT How agencies can ride the continuing tech wave healthcare and construction — areas that With consumers, products and services transforming at lightning have historically been slower to evolve — speed, PR professionals must adapt to new ways of addressing are now embracing innovation,” she said. audiences as well as understand the brave new world that the tech The widening scope of what it means to marketplace has become. be tech company should result in a steady By Steve Barnes wave of growth for the sector, according to W2O’s Pearson. “Our definition of technol- n today’s world, the tech sector encom- Because of that, agencies must be able ogy will continue to evolve and drive every passes much more than just technolo- to hit the ground running when It comes industry,” he said. “The tech sector should Igy, making it both a daunting challenge to the digital sphere. “No one has time to drive growth for the entire economy.” and a big opportunity for PR professionals micromanage or second So, if the tech sector is entering a solid working with tech-based companies and guess their PR partner,” wave of growth, what are the best methods clients. From self-driving cars to currency said Highwire principal firms can use to help tech clients get out that that only exists in the digital space, tech- Carol Carrubba. Ac- message? What are the best channels to use nological developments are changing both cording to Carrubba, to make that connection what consumers buy and the methods they agencies must work fast with consumers? use to buy it. They are also transforming to gain the trust of tech “It may be far from the political and personal arenas, resulting partners. “Perhaps be- an original statement, in consumers who are every bit as changed cause of the complexity but any one-size-fits-all as the products and services they use. of subject matter, the standardized approach “Activity across a number of areas has fu- pace of innovation and Bob Pearson to communications is eled tech sector growth,” said Bo Park, who the extremely compet- rarely a recipe for suc- leads the tech, media and telecom practice itive market,” she said, “technology clients cess,” ICR’s Park said. at ICR. “We’ve seen an explosion of block- consistently look for expertise, experience “With that in mind, chain and cryptocurrency that is still com- and a sense of personal accountability there are no best or Carol Carrubba ing into focus, while areas such as food de- when picking a PR partner.” worst communications livery and ‘last-mile’ delivery have matured Park also noted the “lightning pace” of channels for tech companies.” to the extent that they the tech sector, and the unique commu- Tailoring the communications channel to are spurring sub-sec- nications practices which that pace makes the desired audience becomes even more tors supporting them.” necessary. “Making these programs effec- pivotal in a digitally connected world. “If Park also sees the in- tive means firms must bring a deep un- you’re aiming to connect with a ‘deskless’ creasing globalization derstanding and 360-degree view of where audience,” she said, “then traditional media that e-commerce has their clients stand in the corporate lifecycle may not make sense as your primary com- made possible as a piv- and what their primary pain points are.” munications channel.” On the other hand, otal development in the Park said the level of speed at which the she notes that for audiences such as insti- sector. tech market operates means that not only tutional investors, relying on channels like But the changed con- is there a constant level of change in the social media is likely not the way to go. sumer, as well as the Bo Park products and services being offered by cli- Hotwire’s Kernah- changing rules for com- ents, there’s also a shifting definition of who an also said that the municating with that consumer, is also a is a tech client and who is not. “One of the increasing number of force to be reckoned with. “Technology more remarkable trends that has and will communications chan- is moving from learning to lifestyle,” said continue to have a major impact on the tech nels makes the one size W2O Chief Innovation Officer and Vice sector is established companies wanting to fits all approach increas- Chairman Bob Pearson. “In communica- reinvent themselves as tech companies.” ingly a thing of the past. tions, we can speak directly with a brand’s Heather Kernahan, Hotwire’s President “Everything is now in- customers and influencers, shaping their of North America, also sees that process tegrated,” she said, “and ecosystem via new digital techniques, in- of reinvention at work. “Markets like retail, it often begins with sights-driven analytics, strong listening earned media, which is Heather Kernahan tools and compelling stories.” As a result, then supported by paid, he adds, “there has never been a better time shared and owned. The brands seeing the to align the desires of an audience with a most success understand this and are able brand’s benefits and purpose.” to utilize each of these elements to establish Helping tech companies tell their stories authority, extend their reach and educate and make productive connections with prospects.” audiences requires a more complex under- Pearson said that the increasing complex- standing of how consumers form opinions ity and number of channels is throwing at- and make decisions. “We are moving from tention back on the human factor present a Coverage model (traditional media) to an in all communication. “The new channel is Influencer model,” Pearson said. “This new a network of humans who determine the model shifts the power of opinion forma- relevance and importance of your brand tion to those who are actively engaged in social and digital.” O’Dwyer’s technology PR rankings, pg. 26 _ Continued on page 37

24 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Agencies shouldn’t just talk diversity, they should act

PR companies that continue debating the role diversity plays in their organization may ultimately find themselves playing catch up with the rest of the industry. By Aerial Ellis and Rick Gould

fforts to bolster diversity throughout and helps to create new revenue opportuni- Partner with diversity advocates the PR industry have begun to accel- ties that might not otherwise be available. Senior PR execs must actively build part- Eerate. However, in order to create those oppor- nerships that promote a deeper under- In February, the Public Relations and tunities, PR agencies must commit to pro- standing between the PR industry and di- Communications Association — Europe’s viding the resources to ensure diversity is verse publics. In order to tap into the needs equivalent to the Public Relations Society baked into the firm’s business operation, of a multicultural consumer base, C-level of America — launched its Diversity and from hiring to retention to promotion. execs must align with Inclusion Guidelines. With that in mind, here are three ways membership organiza- The guidelines were developed in re- PR firm owners and C-level execs can tions that serve specif- sponse to the PRCA’s commitment to im- make diversity part of the company’s over- ic cultural groups and prove diversity within the UK industry, all business strategy. Stick-to-itiveness is advocate for diversity. after its 2016 PR Census showed that that key. These groups include the industry is still 91 percent white and 83 Budget for training programs chambers of commerce, percent British. PR pros rarely receive the education Small Business Devel- Agencies are stepping up to the plate as ­needed to navigate the issues related to di- opment Centers and well. London-based Dynamo PR, for ex- versity and inclusion. PR firm owners must civic organizations. PR ample, recently debuted what it calls the PR budget for training, whether in-house or firm owners can help Aerial Ellis industry’s first “blind recruitment scheme,” outsourcing. Before starting any diversi- to create networks of deleting name, education and gender re- ty training initiative PR firm owners and colleagues from var- quirements from job applications in a bid C-level execs must decide how they are ious backgrounds, to end bias and boost diversity, according going to measure the program(s). The goal scout smaller minori- to PR Week. of these programs is so agencies learn the ty-owned agencies to These types of programs must proliferate. cultural nuances of audiences and employ- assist with projects, and The future of the PR profession depends ees who come from nontraditional back- ask for referrals among on it. Just take a look at U.S. population grounds and bring a different frame of these various groups. projections, per the Pew Research Center, reference to the table. PR firms have made Agency leaders also can showing profound changes in the country’s adequate investments in time and money host client roundtables Rick Gould demographics. so that all their employees understand the periodically as a way to The time for chatter regarding diversity historical, theoretical and societal issues cultivate diverse part- is past, and companies that continue to ­related to diversity and inclusion. Resourc- nerships, build new alliances and share debate diversity may ultimately find them- es are available via the PRSA, Institute what’s working (and what’s not). selves playing catch up. of Public Relations, PR Council and The Of course, there are other types of diver- The Ketchum-Fast Company survey of Plank Center for Public Relations, among sity initiatives. Much depends on the firm’s 500 creative professionals released last others. culture and the level of resources allotted. summer uncovered an important dichot- Recruit with a multicultural mindset The larger takeaway is that owners must omy: Respondents believe diversity of As demand for more diverse firms grows start to put these programs in place and let thought is valued by their organization (72 among clients and prospects, firm owners them evolve. Otherwise, buyers will start to percent), yet an overwhelming majority must create an inclusive work environment look upon PR firms as antiquated. think their organization still needs to do that attracts, develops and retains talent Aerial Ellis is Managing Principal of Advi- more to encourage diversity of ideas (85 from diverse backgrounds. It’s crucial that sory 83, a communication consultancy spe- percent). PR firms and corporate communications cializing in strategic planning and diversity/ In order to truly build a more diverse in- departments reflect the audiences and inclusion. She is the author of “The Original dustry, PR firm owners and C-level exec- communities they serve. To ensure a more Millennial” and PR professor in the depart- utives must get out of their comfort zone, diverse pipeline of talent, agency own- ment of communications and journalism at which tends to hover near Caucasians with ers should connect with historically black Lipscomb University. degrees in PR, marketing or communica- colleges and universities as well as schools Rick Gould, CPA, J.D., is Managing tions. with emerging-majority populations. Partner of Gould+Partners, a management Rather, PR managers and C-level exec- Firms can align with these institutions via consulting firm specializing in creative utives have to create their own bridges to sponsorships and/or participation in stu- services firms and M&A. He is the author encourage blacks, Latinos, and Asians to dent-focused events, for example. Diver- of “Doing It The Right Way: 13 Crucial join the industry; and not just people pos- sity and inclusion is much more effective Steps For A Successful PR Agency Merger or sessing PR and media savvy but folks who when PR firm owners recognize the value Acquisition,” and “The Ultimate PR Agency are adroit at videographer, digital analytics, of multicultural employees; go beyond ste- Financial Management Handbook: How To paid media and other skill sets that are be- reotypes of race, age and gender; and avoid Manage By The Numbers For Breakthrough coming core to PR services. putting a person in a box based on his or Profitability Of 20% Or Greater” (4th Diversity, of course, is good for business, her identity. Edition). 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 25 RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN TECHNOLOGY

Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $259,839,000 36. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA $1,348,738 2. Hotwire, New York, NY 33,249,507 37. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 1,300,000 3. Finn Partners, New York, NY 26,420,000 38. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,251,553 4. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 20,037,000 39. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 1,035,000 5. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 19,348,817 40. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 955,179 6. ICR, New York, NY 17,168,965 41. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 922,953 7. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 17,019,030 42. Greenough, Boston, MA 869,432 8. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 15,080,445 43. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 830,000 9. Spark, San Francisco, CA 13,000,000 44. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 801,411 10. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 12,875,000 45. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 631,620 11. The Hoffman Agency, San Jose, CA 12,719,000 46. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 527,620 12. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 12,447,340 47. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 500,151 13. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,440,000 48. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 481,363 14. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 11,196,700 49. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 375,015 15. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 10,365,568 50. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 305,199 16. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 9,613,606 51. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 300,000 17. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 8,932,702 52. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 273,000 18. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,678,584 53. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 234,459 19. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 7,295,844 54. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 229,245 20. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 5,700,000 55. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 212,000 21. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,474,331 56. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 204,000 22. March Communications, Boston, MA 4,077,235 57. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 195,727 23. Peppercomm, New York, NY 4,064,635 58. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 192,602 24. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 4,034,810 59. The Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 166,726 25. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 4,016,802 60. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 156,000 26. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,964,357 61. 27. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 3,205,075 Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 144,322 28. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,500,000 62. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 100,000 29. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 2,410,195 63. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 96,483 30. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 2,173,034 64. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 91,435 31. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 2,016,260 65. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 91,322 32. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,605,000 66. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 62,000 33. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 1,576,984 67. The uzzB Agency, Delray Beach, FL 60,827 34. Hunter PR, New York, NY 1,500,000 68. LANE, Portland, OR 32,783 35. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,400,882 69. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 20,000

26 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.

REPORT Volatile markets, social purpose test financial firms Financial PR firms faced a watershed year in 2017 as clients were impacted by extreme market volatility, corporate tax cuts, threatened trade war with China, cyber-threats, increased stakeholder activism, deregulation and the growing demand to highlight corporate social responsibility. By Kevin McCauley resident Trump’s willingness to use his social media, tweets, blogs and 24/7 news, such Twitter hashtags as ‘#BoycottDelta’ or Twitter platform to criticize individ- management must do a better job of posi- “BoycottNRA” underscored how quickly Pual companies added another chal- tioning — with clear and compelling mes- public opinion forms and surges — and also lenge for financial PR firms. Amazon, for sages that convey a company’s distinctive can fade — in the era of social media,” said instance, lost billions in market valuation value proposition,” Dukas said. “In this con- McBride. “This volatility can have signifi- following a Presidential tweetstorm. text, DLPR believes earned media remains cant effects on the perceptions and behavior Richard Dukas, Chief of Dukas Linden a highly influential and effective channel of customers, employees, shareholders, dis- Public Relations, told O’Dwyer’s his firm and should have a prominent role alongside tributors, regulators and the legal commu- put a strong focus on financial broadcast the newer trend of ‘content creation’ cam- n it y.” news to help clients gain visibility in a me- paigns.” Data from RF|Binder’s whitepaper, “Nav- dia landscape increasingly crowded by 24/7 Developing social purpose igating Risk in the Age of Corporate Pur- Trump reports. Corporate boards will look back on 2017 pose,” shows that boards will not easily The New York-based firm, which gener- as a time when managing reputational risk sidestep the public’s increasing tendency to ated $5.2 million in financial fee income, became significantly more challenging, said see corporate behavior through the lens of arranged guest hosting segments for cli- Bill McBride, Senior Ad- social impact. ents on business programs such as CNBC’s visor at RF|Binder Part- More than three quarters of respon- “Squawk Box” and “Closing Bell,” Fox Busi- ners, which registered dents said they either “strongly support” ness Network’s “Mornings with Maria” and $4.6 million in financial or “somewhat support” companies taking a PBS’ “Nightly Business Report.” fees. stance on increased access to health care or During 2017, DLPR got more than 600 “After spending 2017 on environmental sustainability. broadcast interviews for clients, primarily dodging Presidential Seventy percent “strongly support” or on CNBC, Bloomberg and Fox. Twitter darts, corporate “somewhat support” companies that adopt Dukas said his firm’s knowledge of invest- boards entered 2018 a position on gender equality. ment trends also drove market-moving me- with a warning from Bill McBride “In this volatile, fractious communica- dia placements. the biggest global asset tions environment, corporate clients are At a time of investor managers — the titans of index investing coming to understand activism, DLPR show- — to expect more intense scrutiny of the the importance of de- cased campaigns by ac- social impact of their business models,” said veloping ‘purpose’ as the tivist short-sellers Mud- McBride. “Adding to the pressure was new touchstone for all their dy Waters Research and research refining the concepts of the ‘ma- internal and external Spruce Point to uncover teriality’ of environment, social, and gov- relationships,” said Mc- corporate wrongdoing. ernance factors in corporate performance, Bride. “Successful com- The firm presented tightening the connection between social panies in this new era of Okapi Partners, a top impact and company valuations.” hyper-connectivity will proxy solicitor for com- He noted that the shooting at Marjo- be those who develop an Richard Dukas panies and investors, in ry Stoneman Douglas High School thrust authentic, purpose-driv- Luke Lambert activist situations. weapon manufacturers, retailers, logistics en approach to commu- As the financial world continues to debate companies and financial service companies nicating the value of their organization.” “passive versus active” investment strategies, into the center of a public debate on gun Consider entire value chain DLPR raised the visibility of ETF investors violence, one of society’s most contentious Luke Lambert, CEO of G&S Business such as Global X Funds and ARK Invest. issues. Communications, said his firm’s approach Looking ahead, Dukas said renewed equi- “In the wake of Stoneman, the surge of to financial communications is based on a ty market volatility may increase investment modern definition of business value as mea- in non-correlated assets such as real estate, sured by the three R’s: Reputation, Risk and private equity and hedge funds, causing al- Return. ternative investment firms to seek PR assis- The goal is to add greater dimensions to tance. client strategies by providing data-driven He noted that financial services firms are insights that differentiate a company’s finan- showing more interest in digital commu- cial performance or investments. nications, although they remain cautious “In today’s hyper-connected, hyper-com- about using tools such as LinkedIn, Hub- petitive marketplace, our goal is to iden- Spot, Twitter, etc. due to compliance issues. tify meaningful advantages for clients by Crisis communications will take center considering their entire value chain,” said stage, as companies seek to develop “what Lambert. “Because our agency’s business if” plans to address cyber-threats, #MeToo communicators bring in-depth knowledge issues, regulatory shifts and volatile­ markets. “Given the information overload from O’Dwyer’s financial PR rankings, pg. 30 _ Continued on page 34

28 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FINANCE

Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $78,688,000 24. Verasolve, Potomac, MD $842,000

2. ICR, New York, NY 39,918,042 25. 360PR+, Boston, MA 834,369

3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 36,039,367 26. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 816,632

4. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 11,996,400 27. LANE, Portland, OR 813,344

5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 7,070,280 28. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 808,019

6. Vested, New York, NY 6,171,277 29. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 772,229

7. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 5,374,600 30. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 740,832

8. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 5,288,592 31. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 704,800

9. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 4,600,000 32. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 424,302

10. Intermarket Communications, New York, NY 4,050,000 33. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 375,000

11. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 3,682,000 34. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 250,445

12. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 2,798,142 35. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 222,082

13. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 2,650,000 36. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 221,104

14. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 2,410,000 37. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 200,000

15. Finn Partners, New York, NY 2,100,000 38. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 187,610

16. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,548,175 39. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 176,000

17. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,400,000 40. Hunter PR, New York, NY 100,000

18. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,268,889 41. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 95,309

19. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 1,204,306 42. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 81,333

20. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 1,067,888 43. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 50,000

21. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 1,023,041 44. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 35,075

22. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 1,009,797 45. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 28,655

23. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 937,624 46. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 19,000

30 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.

REPORT Healthcare PR thrives amid historic disruption

Shifts in the policy and technological landscapes have ushered in big changes and bigger challenges for communicators working in today’s healthcare sector. By Jon Gingerich ealthcare is a multi-trillion-dollar in- cine, law, and public health but also inclusive of the agency’s strategic dustry. The organizations and compa- of the audiences we and our clients seek to growth comes down Hnies inside this ecosystem are invested reach with health messages — people from to its staff, and foster- in solving some of the world’s most complex differing cultural and ethnic backgrounds ing an environment issues, and this landscape is being upend- and experiences who bring perspectives, that inspires employees ed by historic changes, among them myri- fresh new thinking and creative ideas.” to make a difference ad policy and technological developments Already, the newly-minted agency has in the lives of patients affecting the industry both externally and signed a portfolio of new clients, including and caregivers while internally. opioid addiction treatment specialist Indiv- meeting the needs of its Jonathan Wilson Coinciding with this disruption is the no- ior, Sickle Cell Disease therapeutics compa- health and science cli- tion that today’s healthcare industry is also ny Global Blood Therapeutics, women’s re- ents. breaking down virtually every silo we’ve productive research and policy organization “This philosophy has attracted a team of known. Healthcare clients want to leave a Guttmacher Institute and autism research experienced, passionate and focused com- legacy of meaningful change; they demand specialist SPARK. munications leaders who, in turn, inspire unique experiences from communications Bird said client satisfaction remains high all our teams to champion client needs,” pros who understand today’s commercial, because the agency makes it easy for them Wilson said. “Combined with the flexibili- healthcare, public policy and patient advo- to get an agile PR-led team ty of being independent and our integrated cacy environments and can help them solve of specialists who can model, teams are empowered to focus on complex challenges while delivering results demonstrate ROI and exceeding expectations in their work to im- they can’t find at other agencies. deliver results vital to im- prove the health landscape.” In the middle of this are the 68 firms proving and saving lives. Wilson also noted that while “innovation” boasting major healthcare operations in “It is a key focus for has become a buzzword, there’s no denying O’Dwyer’s 2018 rankings of PR firms, all us as a health-specialist it’s needed in every facet of today’s health- of whom have undoubtedly learned that agency,” Bird said. “Our care industry. innovation and integration are paramount clients cannot continue “While a perceived inertia amongst indus- for success in this competitive, constantly to make investments in try outsiders has driven them to engage to changing environment. Timothy Bird delivering new treat- try accelerating healthcare innovation, ul- Global health consultancy and commu- ments, improvements timately, the industry still plays a large role nications agency Health Unlimited was to existing approaches and public health in driving progress in all areas from drug ranked #4 in healthcare by O’Dwyer’s, tak- interventions without seeing measurable development to caregiv- ing in nearly $26 million in healthcare-re- improvements in health outcomes. We take er support,” Wilson said. lated net fees in 2017. that responsibility very seriously.” “To keep innovation Health Unlimited was founded when U.S. Spectrum, the D.C.-based health, life sci- coming, pharma needs agencies Cooney Waters Unlimited and ences and consumer PR firm, accounted for to look both within and Corkery Group Unlimited, as well as UK $24 million in healthcare-related net fees in to external players in consultancies Red Door Unlimited, Rock 2017, ranking #5 for healthcare PR in O’Dw- order to inspire contin- Unlimited, Loooped Unlimited, DJM-PAN yer’s rankings this year. uous, meaningful inno- Unlimited and Search Unlimited, formally Spectrum President and CEO Jonathan vation — and, as health united in a bid to deliver a wide array of cli- Wilson told O’Dwyer’s that a crucial part communicators, it’s part ent solutions across varying health-related of our job to assist.” David Jarrard disciplines. Healthcare specialist Global CEO Timothy Bird said clients Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Inc. ac- have more choice nowadays, and as a result, counted for $9.8 million in healthcare net the healthcare PR industry needs to com- fees in 2017, ranking #9 in O’Dwyer’s rank- pete harder for new clients and work more ings of healthcare PR firms this year. diligently for existing ones. More and more David Jarrard, President and CEO of the of today’s clients want a full-service agency Nashville-based agency, believes healthcare under one roof and one P&L that provides will continue to outpace many other com- efficiencies beyond the mere financial bene- munications sectors this year and beyond as fits; they want teams with nuanced perspec- the healthcare landscape is roiled by inter- tives and multi-disciplinary experience they nal change as well as a new breed of exter- can rely on to deliver results and succeed. nal competitors such as Amazon, CVS and “Talent engagement, retention and re- WalMart. cruitment remains key,” Bird said. “Our Jarrard also believes that PR agencies success depends not just on our ability to known for their strong data analytics will recruit experienced healthcare specialists from diverse backgrounds in science, medi- O’Dwyer’s healthcare PR rankings, pg. 36 _ Continued on page 34

32 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

Lazar said the healthcare industry can ex- sive roster of clients that Healthcare roundup pect to see dramatic changes in the coming includes Gore Medical, _ Continued from page 32 years as scientific breakthroughs such as TransCelerate, Procure artificial intelligence, machine learning and and the American Geri- prove highly competitive in the coming diagnostic innovation transform data into atric Society. year. knowledge, allowing clinicians to deliver Roth cited a number “In the big picture, the ongoing conver- personalized, precision care to patients in a of factors for the agen- gence of siloed communication practic- bid to improve outcomes. cy’s success, including es — public relations, marketing, content “Such transformation underscores the a dedication to hiring management — will continue to reshape the need for communications practitioners to talented, passionate staff. Michael Roth expectations of our clients and, ultimately, deliver original, informative content that But the biggest factor be- our industry,” Jarrard told O’Dwyer’s. catalyzes action from healthcare stakehold- hind Bliss’ recent gains, he said, lies in a deep Healthcare agency Lazar Partners was #15 ers,” Lazar said. “We must also recognize the B2B heritage that understands the complex- this year, boasting nearly $5.4 million in advantages of an integrated approach to our ities of the evolving healthcare landscape as healthcare-related net fees. marketing as new channels that reach doc- well as an expertise in the health business Founder and CEO Fern Lazar said the tors, patients and caregivers emerge.” where it intersects with life sciences. agency experienced New York-based shop Bliss Integrated “Our role as communicators is becoming growth from all health- Communication skyrocketed in O’Dwyer’s much more consultative, and clients rely on care segments last year, healthcare rankings this year, moving from their agencies to partner with them to think and the New York-based #39 in 2017 with $866,000 in healthcare-re- through a complex range of issues,” Roth shop’s expertise in med- lated net fees to take the #29 position this said. “This shift in the industry requires that ical technology, scientif- year with $1,848,000 in healthcare-related agencies place more emphasis on integrat- ic communications and earnings, representing a gain of 113 percent. ed communication strategy versus tactical patient-to-patient com- Bliss’ healthcare group, which was formed execution and content creation. Our clients munications were what only five years ago, brought in some impres- tell us that they see great value in our hybrid especially drove the bulk sive healthcare account wins in 2017, in- teams and a more consultative approach to Fern Lazar of its revenue in 2017. cluding Aetna, adding to an already impres- communications.”  Financial roundup cific reforms—among them workforce di- tions to our client roster and capacity in _ Continued from page 28 versity, pay parity and social responsibility 2018.” — that drive long-term value and uphold Intermarket chalked up $4.1 million in fi- the social license to operate.” nancial income. about heavily regulated industries, such as Strengthening social capabilities Countering fake news agriculture and food, clean energy and fi- Martin Mosbacher, CEO of Intermarket, Peppercomm worked with the Institute nancial services, corporate clients also rely said his firm used 2017 to evolve from its fo- for Public Relations in 2017 to study the on us to advise their strategic investment cus on the intersection of finance and tech- challenges faced by CCOs and CMOs in the units. nology. business work, said Jaqueline Kolek, Man- “These investment arms of global compa- “After a few sluggish years, Intermarket, aging Director of the nies are uncovering some of the most excit- rebounded last year with the addition of firm with $7.1 million ing growth opportunities, many in emerg- Overstock.com’s tZero unit, blockchain/ in financial income. ing business areas that seek to solve the crypto-currency, BioCatch (cybersecurity) The first study found world’s toughest challenges, such as food and Aperion Investment Partners (Lon- respondents were con- security and climate change. don-based venture capital group). cerned about the un- “Our guidance and programs support On the more traditional front, Intermar- certainty of the Trump these portfolio companies as they achieve ket, which generated 2017 financial fees of Administration’s com- scale, seek new routes to market, or encoun- $4 million, began work with AST (share- munications policies ter pressure from competitors, regulators, holder ownership services provider) and and were increasing legislators or suppliers,” said Lambert. New Frontier Advisors (institutional re- efforts to be better pre- Jacqueline Kolek G&S, which had $1.2 million in financial search and investment advisory firm). pared to respond (or not income, counsels corpo- Intermarket renewed ties with NASDAQ, respond) if the Administration does some- rate issuers on how to expanded business with RBC Wealth Man- thing that affects their organization. provide a more complete agement and formalized a longstanding re- Kolek said the second study dealt with picture of their material lationship with the University of Chicago how communicators were reacting to the value to shareholders. Booth School of Business as the school’s PR rapid evolution of digital and data and “Our sustainability ex- agency. found that while most agreed that imple- perts and analysts work In addition to client work, Intermar- menting digital and data is critical to their closely with CFOs and ket placed a new emphasis on expanding success, they are struggling with how to de- CCOs to develop inte- its content development and social media scribe and deploy these technologies. grated financial reports teams,” said Mosbacher. “Utilizing the PESO She said Peppercomm’s 2018 priorities Martin Mosbacher that disclose risk and model we are able to provide our clients with include helping clients prepare for and nav- returns in terms of envi- 360 degree communications advice, strategy igate potential issues and crisis situations in ronmental, social and governance factors,” development and service.” today’s highly-politicized, fake news envi- said Lambert. “Lack of transparency will He said the firm is “developing new modes ronment and to communicate their corpo- be no longer tolerated as major investment of content development and placement and rate purpose to align themselves with orga- companies and fund managers call for spe- expecting to make some significant addi- nizations that share their values. 

34 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

People in PR RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HEALTHCARE

Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $157,315,000 35. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO $1,164,089 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 124,263,000 36. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 1,135,475 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 27,523,600 37. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,104,841 4. Health Unlimited, New York, NY 25,890,471 38. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,004,850 5. Spectrum, Washington, DC 24,000,000 39. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 865,000 6. Finn Partners, New York, NY 17,251,000 40. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 828,150 7. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 13,987,802 41. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 800,000 8. Tonic Life Communications, Philadelphia, PA 12,000,000 42. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 711,639 9. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 9,866,079 43. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 675,000 10. KYNE, New York, NY 9,696,497 44. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 656,392 11. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 9,300,000 45. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 612,500 12. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 9,182,471 46. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 601,604 13. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 6,425,767 47. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 582,971 14. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 5,950,000 48. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 481,431 15. Lazar Partners, New York, NY 5,393,183 49. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 479,100 16. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,400,000 50. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 432,033 17. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster, NJ 3,823,501 51. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 401,839 18. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 3,395,186 52. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 387,500 19. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 2,887,874 53. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 335,422 20. Hunter PR, New York, NY 2,750,000 54. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 297,376 21. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 2,661,255 55. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 217,000 22. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,573,953 56. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 182,647 23. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 2,476,977 57. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 168,822 24. Greenough, Boston, MA 2,348,055 58. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 150,000 25. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 2,196,332 59. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 129,713 26. LaVoie Health Science, Boston, MA 2,117,940 60. LANE, Portland, OR 117,668 27. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 2,085,947 61. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 99,558 28. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 2,033,710 62. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 97,328 29. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 1,848,000 63. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 85,967 30. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 1,480,794 64. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 80,000 31. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 1,399,483 65. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 68,300 32. Merryman Comms., Inc., Redondo Beach, CA 1,229,868 66. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 57,781 33. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 1,213,137 67. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 41,000 34. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,188,000 68. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 4,200

36 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COMWWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. Why subscription-based news is the future

A growing distrust in clickbait headlines and the corrosive Great story, but is it true? atmosphere of fake news is sending the public fleeing digital news Once again, our news sources appear to sources and returning to subscription-based media properties that be party-run, if not in name then in spir- it. Democrats don’t trust Fox News and offer quality reporting and great storytelling. By Todd Barrish Republicans don’t trust MSNBC. In truth, most of us understand that both outfits espite what you may have heard ing technology after the Civil War prompted tend to present a biased interpretation of about the “failing New York Times,” the rise of cheap newspapers distributed in events rather than objectivity. Dthe newspaper had a bang-up year the cash-and-carry method by paper boys. One offshoot of the fake news crisis is that in 2017. Digital-only subscriptions to the In this environment, the most sensa- there’s more skepticism for unknown news Times jumped 46 percent in 2017 and over- tionalistic headlines sold the most papers. brands. While the New York Times and the all subscription revenue eclipsed $1 billion Truth was irrelevant, because the idea was Wall Street Journal make for the year. In fiscal 2017, meanwhile, the to win the day’s sales. Such yellow journal- mistakes, people tend to Wall Street Journal added 300,000 digital ism led to the Spanish American War. In realize that stories from subscriptions. the 1890s, the Adolph Ochs-led New York both are much more On the other hand, we’ve seen the public Times countered the spread of yellow jour- likely to be true. But perception of some newer media proper- nalism by promoting his paper as the op- people are now less will- ties slide. A University of Missouri survey posite: a sober publication that emphasized ing to give the benefit of of consumers last year found that Occupy truth over sensationalism. the doubt to stories from Democrats, BuzzFeed and Breitbart were news organizations they the least-trusted news sources. Atop the don’t recognize. In 2015, list of the most-trusted was The Economist, you might have seen a Todd Barrish whose subscriptions rose 30.8 percent in headline in your news 2015. The Economist is on a mission to dou- feed from an obscure source and thought ble its circulation profits by 2020. “great story.” In 2018, the default is “Great What we’re seeing is a flight to quality. story. But is it true?” Facebook’s latest “friends and family” al- We’re wiser than we were a few years ago. gorithm tweak has watered down the effect Most of us no longer take any web-based of clickbait headlines. Though there’s still a news at face value unless it’s attached to a market for such fare on Google News, Goo- brand we trust. This, of course, tilts the ad- gle itself has recently announced a $300 vantage to incumbents, but newcomers can million commitment to support quality make their mark with accurate reporting news outlets. That initiative includes Sub- and great storytelling that’s uninfluenced scribe With Google, a feature that will let Sound familiar? The digital equivalent of by click-through and share rates. The good readers subscribe to news sources via their shouting newsboys is the flurry of clickbait news is that we’re working towards a base- Google accounts. Welcome back to the age headlines on Facebook and Google. But line of truth that will curtail the corrosive of subscription-based news. now Facebook has choked off the supply atmosphere of fake news. The bad news is, Back to the future and Google is at least taking steps to weed if you want that truth, you’re going to have The earliest American newspapers were out fake news and promote the idea of sub- to pay for it. subscription based because they were out- scriptions rather than impression-based Todd Barrish is Founder and President of growths of political parties. But mass print- news sources. Indicate Media in New York. 

Tech roundup firms looking to work with clients in the countability and the impact that process will _ Continued from page 37 tech sector. have on the space. Additionally, tech compa- But Pearson believes that the current con- nies’ approaches to raising capital appear to and its story,” he said. “If you know which troversies may also point the way to positive be evolving.” humans matter for a brand, you can figure new strategies. “We believe the recent Face- What will almost certainly remain the out the rest.” book questions relate to a larger trend,” he same, however, is the need for firms to con- And, as is the case with all human inter- said. “Data is on a path to freedom. As we ceive of communications that anticipate the action, the level of trust is of ever-growing become stewards of our own ‘me-nome,’ we desires of audiences, as well as the crises that importance in developing relations between will be able to aggregate the variety of data can affect any company, regardless of its re- companies and clients. “It is imperative that streams that we all create during an average lationship to technology. the agency wins the confidence of the tech day from our bodies, cars, phones, devices Carrubba said that “in an era of record client by always bringing new ideas, having and more. It is time for personal clouds to funding for tech startups and digital trans- a back-up plan to the back-up plan and de- have their place in society.” formation mandates from enterprises; livering results,” Highwire’s Carrubba said. Park sees the importance of trust as just where blockchain, AI and autonomous mo- With the bad rap that digital communica- one of the forces shaping the future of the bility suddenly seem to be everywhere and tions are getting in the wake of the contro- tech space and the role PR can play in that where new leaders emerge in years not de- versies surrounding Facebook, Google and space. “Looking ahead,” she said, “there are cades, smart communications programs can Cambridge Analytica, ensuring the security a few trends that will be interesting to watch help to establish leadership and progress an of information, as well as trust, is a must for — such as digital advertising’s quest for ac- agenda.” 

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 37 Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE Entertainment cont. RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS & LEISURE Travel & Economic Development cont. 1. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY $17,459,225 7. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN $684,648 1. Taylor, New York, NY $9,630,000 28. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA $211,745 2. Edelman, New York, NY 14,101,000 8. Greenough, Boston, MA 539,500 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 5,708,953 29. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 181,776 3. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 2,457,000 9. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 475,000 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,800,000 30. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 165,493 4. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 2,369,970 10. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 426,000 4. Edelman, New York, NY 1,692,000 31. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 151,857 5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 2,335,099 11. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 389,093 5. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 1,116,600 32. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 151,000 6. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 721,923 12. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 325,874 6. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,070,787 33. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 136,230 7. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 652,693 13. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 270,000 7. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 878,829 34. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 100,000 8. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 278,332 14. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 256,760 8. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 518,000 35. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 98,000 9. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 209,946 15. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 238,073 9. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 417,000 36. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 72,000 10. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 16. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 233,000 10. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 355,826 37. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 38,520 11. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 50,393 17. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 201,637 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 327,000 38. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 37,485 12. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 25,000 18. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 12. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 174,000 39. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 33,726 13. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 6,000 19. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 100,000 13. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 173,700 40. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 21,550 20. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 93,671 14. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 161,573 41. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 19,782 21. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 87,750 15. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000 42. Peppercomm, New York, NY 15,000 22. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 79,307 16. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 142,411 43. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 6,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN BEAUTY & FASHION 23. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 71,309 17. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 96,301 1. Edelman, New York, NY $32,523,000 24. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 46,231 18. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 79,099 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,864,007 25. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 36,000 19. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 66,269 ENVIRONMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 3. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,600,000 26. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 34,650 20. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 61,300 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC $37,035,800 4. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 3,305,781 27. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 25,340 21. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 60,179 2. Edelman, New York, NY 17,013,000 5. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,600,000 28. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 23,512 22. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 50,000 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,489,774 6. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 1,470,000 29. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 23,000 23. Greenough, Boston, MA 12,500 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 6,229,000 7. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 674,105 30. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 22,625 24. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 11,050 5. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,890,818 8. Peppercomm, New York, NY 516,800 31. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 15,000 9. Hunter PR, New York, NY 500,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 6. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 3,816,290 7. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 3,262,022 10. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 499,966 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HOME FURNISHINGS TRAVEL & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 11. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 489,500 8. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 1,701,402 12. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 466,355 1. Edelman, New York, NY $58,948,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $44,966,000 9. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,263,240 13. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 448,000 2. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,137,467 2. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 11,700,000 10. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 1,050,000 14. 360PR+, Boston, MA 417,184 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 3,500,000 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 10,260,700 11. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 870,651 15. Quinn, New York, NY 245,853 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 3,400,000 4. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 9,953,941 12. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 800,000 16. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 236,500 5. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 3,124,344 5. NJF, an MMGY Global company, New York, NY 9,279,419 13. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 676,211 17. J Public Relations, New York, NY 202,480 6. Hunter PR, New York, NY 2,500,000 6. J Public Relations, New York, NY 8,493,561 14. Peppercomm, New York, NY 668,275 18. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 142,489 7. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,291,283 7. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 7,963,228 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 525,496 19. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 122,000 8. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,251,553 8. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 7,499,273 16. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 500,000 20. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,100,000 9. Finn Partners, New York, NY 6,875,000 17. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 413,481 21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 97,988 10. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,004,597 10. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 5,007,837 18. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 403,087 22. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 64,500 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 541,000 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 5,006,414 19. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 391,266 23. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 50,000 12. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 356,128 12. Quinn, New York, NY 4,388,357 20. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 334,276 24. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 46,064 13. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 324,442 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,768,638 21. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 307,800 25. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 28,625 14. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 233,850 14. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,033,573 22. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 283,303 26. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 28,500 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 220,698 15. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,700,000 23. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 227,098 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 6,000 16. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 218,407 16. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,500,000 24. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 210,643 28. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 4,382 17. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000 17. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,448,299 25. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 170,042 18. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 141,784 18. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,332,934 26. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 169,325 19. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 132,000 19. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,251,553 27. Greenough, Boston, MA 166,802 20. 20. 28. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 151,505 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENTERTAINMENT Peppercomm, New York, NY 128,000 LANE, Portland, OR 1,060,309 21. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 97,328 21. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 918,720 29. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 118,704 1. Edelman, New York, NY $27,028,000 22. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 78,605 22. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 694,745 30. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 60,000 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,475,000 23. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 49,683 23. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 481,431 31. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 28,655 3. Taylor, New York, NY 5,023,000 24. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 39,600 24. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 413,437 32. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 25,000 4. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 2,122,003 25. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 29,075 25. Hunter PR, New York, NY 400,000 33. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 14,168 5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,759,304 26. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 20,500 26. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 220,000 34. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 12,000 6. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 944,577 27. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 4,500 27. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 212,000 35. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 5,250

38 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE Entertainment cont. RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS & LEISURE Travel & Economic Development cont. 1. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY $17,459,225 7. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN $684,648 1. Taylor, New York, NY $9,630,000 28. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA $211,745 2. Edelman, New York, NY 14,101,000 8. Greenough, Boston, MA 539,500 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 5,708,953 29. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 181,776 3. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 2,457,000 9. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 475,000 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,800,000 30. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 165,493 4. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 2,369,970 10. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 426,000 4. Edelman, New York, NY 1,692,000 31. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 151,857 5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 2,335,099 11. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 389,093 5. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 1,116,600 32. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 151,000 6. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 721,923 12. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 325,874 6. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,070,787 33. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 136,230 7. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 652,693 13. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 270,000 7. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 878,829 34. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 100,000 8. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 278,332 14. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 256,760 8. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 518,000 35. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 98,000 9. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 209,946 15. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 238,073 9. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 417,000 36. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 72,000 10. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 16. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 233,000 10. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 355,826 37. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 38,520 11. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 50,393 17. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 201,637 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 327,000 38. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 37,485 12. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 25,000 18. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 12. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 174,000 39. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 33,726 13. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 6,000 19. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 100,000 13. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 173,700 40. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 21,550 20. The Power Group,Dallas, TX 93,671 14. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 161,573 41. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 19,782 21. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 87,750 15. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000 42. Peppercomm, New York, NY 15,000 22. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 79,307 16. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 142,411 43. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 6,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN BEAUTY & FASHION 23. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 71,309 17. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 96,301 1. Edelman, New York, NY $32,523,000 24. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 46,231 18. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 79,099 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,864,007 25. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 36,000 19. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 66,269 ENVIRONMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 3. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,600,000 26. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 34,650 20. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 61,300 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC $37,035,800 4. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 3,305,781 27. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 25,340 21. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 60,179 2. Edelman, New York, NY 17,013,000 5. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,600,000 28. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 23,512 22. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 50,000 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,489,774 6. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 1,470,000 29. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 23,000 23. Greenough, Boston, MA 12,500 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 6,229,000 7. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 674,105 30. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 22,625 24. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 11,050 5. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,890,818 8. Peppercomm, New York, NY 516,800 31. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 15,000 9. Hunter PR, New York, NY 500,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 6. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 3,816,290 7. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 3,262,022 10. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 499,966 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HOME FURNISHINGS TRAVEL & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 11. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 489,500 8. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 1,701,402 12. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 466,355 1. Edelman, New York, NY $58,948,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $44,966,000 9. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,263,240 13. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 448,000 2. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,137,467 2. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 11,700,000 10. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 1,050,000 14. 360PR+, Boston, MA 417,184 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 3,500,000 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 10,260,700 11. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 870,651 15. Quinn, New York, NY 245,853 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 3,400,000 4. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 9,953,941 12. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 800,000 16. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 236,500 5. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 3,124,344 5. NJF, an MMGY Global company, New York, NY 9,279,419 13. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 676,211 17. J Public Relations, New York, NY 202,480 6. Hunter PR, New York, NY 2,500,000 6. J Public Relations, New York, NY 8,493,561 14. Peppercomm, New York, NY 668,275 18. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 142,489 7. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,291,283 7. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 7,963,228 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 525,496 19. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 122,000 8. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,251,553 8. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 7,499,273 16. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 500,000 20. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 120,358 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,100,000 9. Finn Partners, New York, NY 6,875,000 17. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 413,481 21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 97,988 10. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,004,597 10. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 5,007,837 18. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 403,087 22. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 64,500 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 541,000 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 5,006,414 19. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 391,266 23. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 50,000 12. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 356,128 12. Quinn, New York, NY 4,388,357 20. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 334,276 24. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 46,064 13. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 324,442 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,768,638 21. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 307,800 25. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 28,625 14. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 233,850 14. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,033,573 22. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 283,303 26. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 28,500 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 220,698 15. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,700,000 23. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 227,098 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 6,000 16. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 218,407 16. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,500,000 24. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 210,643 28. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 4,382 17. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000 17. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,448,299 25. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 170,042 18. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 141,784 18. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,332,934 26. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 169,325 19. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 132,000 19. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,251,553 27. Greenough, Boston, MA 166,802 20. 20. 28. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 151,505 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENTERTAINMENT Peppercomm, New York, NY 128,000 LANE, Portland, OR 1,060,309 21. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 97,328 21. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 918,720 29. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 118,704 1. Edelman, New York, NY $27,028,000 22. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 78,605 22. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 694,745 30. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 60,000 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,475,000 23. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 49,683 23. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 481,431 31. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 28,655 3. Taylor, New York, NY 5,023,000 24. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 39,600 24. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 413,437 32. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 25,000 4. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 2,122,003 25. The Power Group,Dallas, TX 29,075 25. Hunter PR, New York, NY 400,000 33. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 14,168 5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,759,304 26. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 20,500 26. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 220,000 34. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 12,000 6. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 944,577 27. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 4,500 27. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 212,000 35. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 5,250

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COMWWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 39 RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FOOD & BEVERAGE

Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $88,639,000 28. Verasolve, Potomac, MD $893,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $112,839,000 25. The Power Group, Dallas, TX $645,154

2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,765,000 29. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 862,700 2. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 19,424,800 26. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 586,889

3. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 8,122,081 30. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 605,000 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 16,344,533 27. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 586,395 4. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 6,886,281 31. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 597,484 4. Hunter PR, New York, NY 15,250,000 28. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 425,000 5. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 6,069,866 32. Greenough, Boston, MA 490,000 5. Taylor, New York, NY 7,547,000 29. J Public Relations, New York, NY 379,200 6. Infinite Global, New York, NY 4,616,068 33. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 393,050 6. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 5,300,000 30. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 329,680 7. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 4,251,203 34. LANE, Portland, OR 329,806 7. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,175,000 31. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 324,897 8. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 4,077,000 35. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 303,000

9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,800,000 36. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 301,930 8. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 4,600,000 32. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 315,000

10. Quinn, New York, NY 3,315,803 37. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 287,305 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,000,000 33. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 270,000

11. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 3,314,539 38. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 283,143 10. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,991,006 34. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 264,000

12. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 3,252,101 39. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 236,000 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 3,574,896 35. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 200,117

13. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 2,889,312 40. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 222,907 12. 360PR+, Boston, MA 3,337,476 36. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 180,537 14. ICR, New York, NY 2,863,422 41. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 211,432 13. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 3,040,687 37. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 178,655 15. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 2,822,507 42. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 208,337 14. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 2,654,820 38. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 170,022 16. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 2,559,937 43. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 200,589 15. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 1,429,000 39. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 148,590 17. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,990,997 44. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 196,962 16. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 1,378,103 40. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 125,411 18. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,923,570 45. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 168,484

19. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,800,000 46. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 140,015 17. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,242,000 41. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 120,000

20. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,771,559 47. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 136,800 18. RMD Advertising, Columbus, OH 1,165,179 42. LANE, Portland, OR 103,655

21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,689,944 48. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 121,580 19. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 1,067,026 43. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 100,044

22. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 1,400,000 49. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 20. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 866,708 44. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 66,239 23. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 1,323,935 50. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 67,925 21. Quinn, New York, NY 813,125 45. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 50,000 24. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 1,212,680 51. Akrete, Evanston, IL 55,102 22. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 811,000 46. Greenough, Boston, MA 45,000 25. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,117,820 52. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 40,000 23. Peppercomm, New York, NY 774,440 47. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 35,000 26. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 1,023,087 53. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 37,013 24. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 707,000 48. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 6,145 27. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 946,400 54. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 7,500

40 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FOOD & BEVERAGE

Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees Firm 2017 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $88,639,000 28. Verasolve, Potomac, MD $893,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $112,839,000 25. The Power Group, Dallas, TX $645,154

2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,765,000 29. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 862,700 2. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 19,424,800 26. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 586,889

3. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 8,122,081 30. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 605,000 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 16,344,533 27. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 586,395 4. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 6,886,281 31. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 597,484 4. Hunter PR, New York, NY 15,250,000 28. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 425,000 5. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 6,069,866 32. Greenough, Boston, MA 490,000 5. Taylor, New York, NY 7,547,000 29. J Public Relations, New York, NY 379,200 6. Infinite Global, New York, NY 4,616,068 33. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 393,050 6. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 5,300,000 30. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 329,680 7. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 4,251,203 34. LANE, Portland, OR 329,806 7. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,175,000 31. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 324,897 8. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 4,077,000 35. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 303,000

9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,800,000 36. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 301,930 8. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 4,600,000 32. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 315,000

10. Quinn, New York, NY 3,315,803 37. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 287,305 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,000,000 33. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 270,000

11. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 3,314,539 38. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 283,143 10. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,991,006 34. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 264,000

12. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 3,252,101 39. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 236,000 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 3,574,896 35. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 200,117

13. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 2,889,312 40. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 222,907 12. 360PR+, Boston, MA 3,337,476 36. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 180,537 14. ICR, New York, NY 2,863,422 41. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 211,432 13. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 3,040,687 37. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 178,655 15. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 2,822,507 42. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 208,337 14. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 2,654,820 38. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 170,022 16. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 2,559,937 43. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 200,589 15. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 1,429,000 39. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 148,590 17. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,990,997 44. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 196,962 16. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 1,378,103 40. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 125,411 18. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,923,570 45. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 168,484

19. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,800,000 46. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 140,015 17. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,242,000 41. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 120,000

20. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,771,559 47. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 136,800 18. RMD Advertising, Columbus, OH 1,165,179 42. LANE, Portland, OR 103,655

21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,689,944 48. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 121,580 19. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 1,067,026 43. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 100,044

22. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 1,400,000 49. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 20. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 866,708 44. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 66,239 23. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 1,323,935 50. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 67,925 21. Quinn, New York, NY 813,125 45. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 50,000 24. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 1,212,680 51. Akrete, Evanston, IL 55,102 22. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 811,000 46. Greenough, Boston, MA 45,000 25. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,117,820 52. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 40,000 23. Peppercomm, New York, NY 774,440 47. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 35,000 26. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 1,023,087 53. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 37,013 24. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 707,000 48. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 6,145 27. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 946,400 54. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 7,500

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 41 REPORT Integrated strategies boost PR’s profile, bottom line A 24/7 content cycle and an increasingly digital, increasingly segmented media landscape has led to a rapid integration of marketing and PR efforts across a convergence of paid, earned and owned channels that will continue to bring new opportunities for the communications industry. Gone are the days of the traditional PR firm; PR pros have realized they’re storytellers first and foremost, armed with a suite of multi-channel services and strategies to engage audiences and mobilize them to act. By Jon Gingerich he PR industry has entered a new “We expect a client leader to understand Washington D.C.- era. Case in point: The top indepen- all forms of media and deliver what is re- based PR and public Tdent PR firms ranked by O’Dwyer’s quired, not what is available. This approach affairs giant APCO this year accounted for a combined total of is resulting in more opportunities, bigger Worldwide was #3 more than $3.14 billion in net fees, more and bolder ideas and attracting clients who this year, topping $128 than double the $1.4 billion recorded by want to make a major difference for their million in net fees, ac- this magazine a year ago. Number-one PR customers. The revenue numbers are sim- counting for gains of giant Edelman, with its 2017 earnings of ply the result,” Pearson told O’Dwyer’s. 6.3 percent from 2016’s nearly $894 million, is on track to break Advances in technology and data sci- $120.6 million. the billion-dollar mark within the next few ence will influence the evolution of virtu- “2017 was a year of years. ally every model of communications and tremendous growth Evan Kraus CEO Richard Edel- marketing in the not-too-distant future, and progress for man said business at his Pearson said. And he predicted that we’ll APCO,” said APCO Global President Evan firm was slow during see an emergence of search media relations Kraus. “Our growth was fueled by a recom- the first half of 2017, but and media plans that encompass earned, mitment to our own independence that has picked up as the year shared, owned and paid channels, usually given us an ability to reinvest in our peo- progressed. He noted in that order. Pearson specifically cited two ple like never before. We’ve started and ex- that Edelman had out- key drivers that he sees as responsible for panded exciting work helping C-Suite lead- performed the big agen- moving the industry forward in 2018 and ers deal with disruption and world leaders cy networks, but refused beyond: technology and common sense. make their global mark. We entered 2018 Richard Edelman to accept single-digit “From a technology standpoint, machine more excited than ever about the future, growth as the “new nor- learning is arguably the most important ad- and look forward to continuing this prog- mal,” saying the inde- vance in how we measure, learn and build ress in the years ahead.” pendent shop must battle ad agencies and mechanisms to create campaigns that mat- Finn Partners is up six percent, from digital outfits for market share. ter and then retain that knowledge for the $76.7 million in 2016 to just under $81.3 Top 10 tops expectations next campaign,” Pearson said. “Common last year, taking the fourth position in Every one of the top-ten firms in O’Dw- sense occurs when great client service lead- O’Dwyer’s 2017 rankings. yer’s rankings this year saw gains, compared ers realize that a strong earned and shared Founding Managing Partner Peter Finn to eight in our rankings last year. Twen- strategy can impact the paid media plan or said that healthcare and tech were two ty-one of the top 25 firms were up in bill- a media relations professional knows who practice areas where the global indepen- ings in 2017, with 11 revealing double-digit the top influencers are for each square inch dent agency saw particularly strong gains. growth. Of the 124 PR agencies participat- of the 1,9,90 model. New media models are The agency also benefitted from a combina- ing in the O’Dwyer’s rankings in 2018, 92 of enabling us to focus on what is relevant, tion of recent acquisitions as well as organic them — or 74 percent — posted year-over- create a wider offering of what is possible growth from new accounts and expanding year gains. and remain agile enough to change based existing client relationships, trends that Tech-focused independent network W2O on the needs of our customers. That is pret- have continued into 2018. Group took O’Dwyer’s #2 slot, accounting ty cool.” “This year has start- for $144 million in net ed off fantastically well fees in 2017, up 17.6 for us. It’s the best first percent from 2016’s quarter we’ve ever had, $123 million, adding with lots of big wins another banner year with new clients as well on top of the San Fran- as with existing clients,” cisco-based marketing Finn said. and communications Finn also said the network’s 33 percent agency has several climb in 2017. pending acquisitions in Peter Finn Bob Pearson W2O Vice Chair and the pipeline that it plans Chief Innovation Offi- to announce later in the cer Bob Pearson cited year. the agency’s ability to scale offerings, team Finn cited a fundamental cultural divide talent and innovation concurrently as one between independent PR firms and the cause for the firm’s success. O’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms, p. 50 shops owned by multinational conglomer-

42 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM ates as one reason why independents have portance and increasingly, the mishandling lion. Casey said all of that new business is been outperforming the holding companies of stakeholder communications results in now in full-swing, and the agency has al- in recent years. reputational and valuation damage,” Ryan ready more than made up for its 2017 lull “Independents are founder-led and driv- said. “As far as by product, we expect to during the year’s first quarter. en by common culture and a core set of make strides in digital media, crisis com- Casey said she expects the industry to values, and I think that culture and that munications, general business and financial lean into earned influence even more than shared sense of core values is what’s real- media advice and strategic investor rela- ever, as well as taking advantage of the ly helped drive our agency forward,” Finn tions.” disintegrating boundaries between paid, said. “The public holding companies gener- Financial firm Prosek Partners moved earned, shared and owned disciplines. ally don’t have that. They’re not founder-led from #7 to the #6 slot this year, charting “There is some business optimism emerg- and they’ve evolved a great deal over time growth of 33.2 percent to nearly $41 mil- ing despite the geo-political uncertainty of and they’re not driven by a sense of shared lion, the largest gaining firm in O’Dwyer’s the past 18 months. Digital engagement values, and these are differentiating factors top 10. heavy with visual content is exploding for that I believe have affected our success.” Managing Partner Jen Prosek cited sea those firms equipped to do great work in On the other hand, Finn said the trend to- changes in the U.S. financial sector, as well this arena for clients. We are learning better ward integrated services puts a large inde- as growth in the agency’s special situations, how to compete with ad agencies, digital pendent like Finn Partners in a good posi- crisis and transactions business, as factors agencies and others for this work, and are tion, because many of the smaller agencies contributing to the agency’s impressive driving more integrated programs versus often don’t have the ability to bring in the double-digit growth. tucking our ‘traditional’ competencies into resources or talent needed to grow in these “The financial sector is an emerging mar- a program that others have created,” Casey innovative spaces. ket for marketing. There said. “It’s an exciting time to be in this busi- “Clients are looking for solutions to their are firms we represent ness!” problems, and those aren’t just PR prob- who have just recently Tech PR specialist Hotwire continues lems,” Finn said. “As a result, our agency is decided — for the first to rise up in O’Dwyer’s annual rankings, absolutely becoming more integrated ev- time — to allocate se- gaining 4.9 percent in 2017 to take the #8 ery day, and we now have people working rious marketing dollars position this year with $33.2 million in net here who aren’t traditional PR pros but are to communications and fees. experts in many aspects of the digital and brand,” Prosek said. Hotwire North America President Heath- creative world, be it analytics or creating “Additionally, there is er Kernahan told O’Dw- websites or email marketing or any number more demand for ho- yer’s that the agency, a of other digital services we now provide. listic marketing solu- subsidiary of Austra- Jen Prosek Many of the smaller independent agencies tions — paid, earned lia-based marketing can’t necessarily afford to move into these and owned — among network Enero Group spaces. But the holding companies, on the our target client base, in which Prosek can Limited, has innovat- other hand, have all the resources to invest offer both marketing and communications ed within the last year in those services, but they’re too siloed to solutions.” by evolving its business offer truly integrated solutions. So, we’re in Prosek predicted that the industry will model, expanding into a great spot.” see AI and analytics make communications new geographies with Financial communications and investor more powerful, targeted and measurable. pop-up offices in Min- Heather Kernahan relations mainstay ICR was #5 this year, She also believes that Generation Z and neapolis and Mexico gaining an impressive Millennials will continue to have a huge and rebranding to better 13.9 percent from 2016’s impact on the expectations of how senior serve clients and showcase its qualities as a $55.6 million to $63.4 management communicates internally and challenger brand. million. externally on social issues, a movement that “As an agency, if you stand still you fall CEO Thomas Ryan she believes will peak this year. Finally, she behind. We grow by innovating and by told O’Dwyer’s the firm noted that a continued erosion of trust and working with innovation companies. We’ve won more than 100 a media environment rife with fake news seen more non-tech companies realizing new retainer clients and would result in an increased reliance on the value of being in- performed communica- communications firms novation brands and tions work for 27 IPOs as trusted advisors. turning to Hotwire to last year, compared to Padilla ended 2017 help them tell the story Thomas Ryan nine in 2016. The firm’s only slightly — 1.5 per- of their business. This digital/social media cent — above 2016, the innovation positioning group also outperformed nicely, as did its result of the turnover helps them hire, in- special situations comms. team. Finally, of a major client as well crease their valuation ICR ended 2017 with 176 team members, as slow starts to much and to continue being a seven percent increase from 2016. Client of the new business the relevant in their com- revenues were also up 30 percent. agency acquired last petitive industries.” Thomas Coyne Ryan told O’Dwyer’s that the agency ex- Lynn Casey year, according to Chair Parsippany, NJ-based pects to see more of the same in 2018, and CEO Lynn Casey. Coyne Public Relations and particularly anticipates growth in the The Minneapo- rounded out 2017 with a 2.6 percent gain to agency’s technology, retail, real estate and lis-headquartered agency, which also owns $28 million, taking the #9 spot in O’Dwyer’s healthy living industry groups. food and nutrition consulting division “The role of PR continues to rise in im- FoodMinds, was #7 this year, at $40 mil- _ Continued on page 46

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 43

$157.3 million in healthcare PR fees and Mortine cited a series O’Dwyer’s rankings $259.8 million in technology. W2O Group of digital challenges fac- _ Continued from page 43 was #2 in healthcare at $124.2 million, ing the industry in the followed by APCO Worldwide at $27.5 coming year, includ- ranking this year. million. Hotwire ($33.2 million) and Finn ing how to effectively CEO Thomas Coyne attributed the agen- Partners ($26.4 million) rounded out the use PR as a vehicle for cy’s growth to the hard work and attitude of top three technology PR firms. SEO (particularly with the Coyne team. He predicts the industry Edelman dominated the rest of the spe- mobile), how to use will witness expanded business opportuni- cialty charts, including beauty and fashion hyper-targeting and ties across industry sectors this year with a (28 firms), entertainment (30 firms), fi- micro influencers in an noted emphasis on media and influencers nancial (45 firms), food and beverage (47 increasingly segmented Neil Mortine playing a critical role in delivering informa- firms), home furnishings (27 firms), pro- media landscape, how tion. Other trends driving the industry in- fessional services (53 firms) and travel & to metricize PR/earned media that informs clude privacy and disclosure, an expansion economic development (43 firms). bottom-line business insight, and how to of the marketing of American-made prod- Edging out Edelman for agriculture PR is produce engaging content at a higher vol- ucts and CSR efforts surrounding the fair New York’s G&S Business Communications ume at a fraction of the cost. and equal treatment of all citizens. with $17.4 million in net fees to Edelman’s “In the modern age of marketing, the role “The industry has had some very exciting $14.1 million. of PR is evolving, and understanding of its growth in recent years due to the expansion APCO Worldwide took the top spot for value is being elevated. Our challenge is to into paid and owned opportunities,” Coyne environmental PR & PA with $37 million embrace and foster PR’s role in an increas- said. “In the next year, I see the ‘other ser- in net fees to Edelman’s $17 million. Davies ingly digital world,” Mortine said. vices’ normalizing following some of the came in at a close third with $10.4 million. Healthcare and life sciences shop Spec- fast expansion into digital marketing as it Taylor is #1 for sports PR with $9.6 mil- trum had another great year in 2017, surg- evolves from a specialty to a service. PR’s lion in net fees, followed by French | West | ing 20 percent to the #16 spot with $24 mil- role will continue to expand into social me- Vaughan at $5.7 million, Coyne at $2.8 mil- lion in net fees. The gains follow a similarly dia and traditional media as clients look for lion and Edelman at $1.6 million. spectacular 2016, when the Washington, guidance about how to best tell brand en- Underscoring the strength of specialities D.C.-based agency projected 34.8 percent hancing stories and cultivate an appropriate this year was the performance of Fahlgren growth with $20 million in net fees. It’s connection to the ‘right’ influencers.” Mortine, which ranked #12, up 10.4 per- the agency’s third consecutive year of dou- New York’s 5WPR broke into O’Dwyer’s cent in 2017 to nearly $27 million com- ble-digit revenue growth, with a significant top 10 for the first time this year, gaining pared to 2016’s $24.4 million. portion of those gains attributed to organic 13.3 percent in 2017 The Columbus, OH-based agency, which activity. to $27.5 million from owns New York-based travel subsidiary Spectrum President and CEO Jonathan 2016’s $24.3 million. Turner, also increased profit by 35 percent, Wilson said this transformative growth is 5W President and added 50 new clients to its roster and grew part of a larger trend over the past four years CEO Ronn Torossian its B2B business 10 percent in 2017 In to- to create a forward-looking agency struc- said integration is key tal, those new business efforts yielded a 200 tured to meet clients’ future needs, now to PR’s future success, percent year-over-year increase in new rev- organized into practice citing the industry’s enue, not counting organic client growth in areas, fully-integrated ability to further im- spending. teams and a dedicated plement creative strat- President Neil Mortine said deep cate- focus on building an egies and storytelling Ronn Torossian gory experience and expertise was a factor extraordinary agency through earned, owned behind much of this growth, as well as in- culture. and paid channels, craft- tegrated viewpoints on the marketing and “With clients start- ing “a cohesive narrative that connects with communications challenges presented to ing to ask for real-time, the consumer and evokes emotion.” the agency and a dynamic staff that com- comprehensive strate- “5W is continually growing and innovat- petes fiercely on behalf of its clients. gies, we’re seeing being ing as the media landscape changes every ahead of the curve in Jonathan Wilson day. We’ve significantly expanded our dig- our model start to pay ital team which includes seasoned experts off,” Wilson said. from big-name companies across the media Wilson also cited a “responsive, in- industry,” Torossian said. “In addition to sights-first strategy” as a requirement for our ability to adapt to the needs of our cli- successful communications programs of ents, we offer full-service PR and marketing the future. capabilities across consumer, corporate and “What we’re seeing in market today is technology divisions. This is a key strength based on the landscape of that moment, but of 5W’s, and a big reason why brands come most are not designed to be nimble or re- to us for their PR efforts.” sponsive as conversations evolve. In order PR specialties see leaps and bounds to engage and drive value, clients and agen- O’Dwyer’s ranks firms by 12 PR special- cies alike are realizing that programs must ties. Technology and healthcare PR re- adapt in real-time to reflect what’s happen- mained the most popular specialties this ing,” Wilson said. “We use our marketing year, ranking 69 and 68 firms, respective- intelligence platform, Galileo6, to focus on ly. Edelman topped both of these lists with O’Dwyer’s rankings by PR specialty, pg. 38 media relevance. This provides the unique

46 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM opportunity to take an ing down prospective business. and further accelerate its content creation active role in shaping “Growth is one of those good challenges, and distribution capabilities. campaigns and trends as and it’s all about developing an openness Crosby also identified three factors that they develop.” and comfort with constant change,” said will particularly matter as the industry Healthcare and B2B Monaghan. “In the last year, it meant that turns to the future: creativity, integration tech agency PAN Com- we got to a size where I had to rewrite our and integrity. munications was the company values and think about ways to “Creativity because it’s easy to get lost #23 firm this year, up infuse our values into our culture better. in the march toward algorithms, analyt- 13.7 percent to $17.7 Tomorrow, it might be a better way to track ics and artificial intelligence,” Crosby said. Philip Nardone, Jr. million in net fees after our time.” “Ideas and experiences are still at the heart 2016’s similarly impres- “We are in a time of tumult when trust is of making human connections and moving sive gains of 18.6 per- at stake for every organization in America. people to action. Integration because you cent. We have fake news to go with our alterna- have to be able to deal with the never-end- President and CEO Philip Nardone, Jr. tive facts and the pressure for clear com- ing complexity of audiences, media chan- attributed two key factors to the agency’s munications from trusted spokespeople is nels, content and digital transformation. It’s performance this year. The first was the intense,” Monaghan continued. “A byprod- all so interconnected that siloed approaches agency’s ability to provide truly integrated uct of this environment is the re-insertion come up short. Earned media, while still in- services and combine them with a sophis- of businesses into the discourse on political, credibly valuable, will get harder and harder ticated measurement platform. The second environmental and social good. We call this to come by. Reliance on shared, paid and was having a well-organized HR team dedi- evolution of CSR ‘purpose-driven PR’ be- owned channels will only increase. Integrity cated to attracting top talent. PAN hired 65 cause times have changed, and communica- because everyone in the ecosystem (clients, new staffers in 2017 across its four offices, tions strategies must too.” agencies, media partners) needs to be held a 45 percent year-over-year increase, which Annapolis, MD-based Crosby, which spe- to a higher standard in an era of withering Nardone said allowed the agency to meet cializes in marketing programs for health- corporate ethics, fake news, and paid influ- customers’ integrated marketing demands care, government and nonprofits, grew an encers. The communications industry can and produced results that contributed to its impressive 23.8 percent in the last year to be a leader instead of a pawn in this game.” overall growth. $15.1 million, following “Integration, integration, integration” “The industry’s continued digital trans- the 21 percent growth San Jose-based tech shop The Hoffman formation means PR is no longer a stand- the agency experienced Agency was #32 this year, up 12.2 percent alone field,” Nardone said. “The remainder in 2016. to $12.7 million. of 2018 will focus on the further integration Crosby President and CEO Lou Hoffman listed investments the of marketing and PR efforts, honing in on CEO Raymond Cros- agency made into being good shepherds of influencer marketing and voice of the cus- by listed several factors its brand as well as the ability to win and tomer as drivers of brand awareness and that contributed to the service multi-country clients across multi- building customer connections. Brands agency’s multi-year, ple markets as factors that drove the agen- will learn to lean on agencies to implement double-digit growth cy’s growth. influencer marketing programs and show- Raymond Crosby wave, including a selec- Hoffman also said the agency’s proprietary case how these relationships will position tive client retention his- methodology for storytelling was an effort them as industry leaders. Agencies will re- tory and a strong focus that delivered positive results. Every agency spond by tuning in to customer feedback on serving healthcare and nonprofit clients, under the sun touts storytelling these days, and preferences by establishing voice of the as well as engaging the military and veter- but Hoffman said the inconvenient reality is customer programs to enhance their rela- an community. Crosby also cited digital that storytelling, by the conventional defini- tionships. This is where we’ll see growth in transformation and social media as being tion, often can’t be applied in business com- the use of data and analytics to prove ROI big drivers of growth, as well as a concerted munications. of these trends, which will quickly become effort to continue building out the agency’s “Can you imagine a a commonplace for PR and marketing pro- in-house video and multimedia facilities company executive re- fessionals.” sponding to each ques- B2B technology PR specialist InkHouse tion from a journalist grew by 13 percent in 2017 to $16.2 million, with a story that has a ranking #27 this year. start, an end and some- CEO Beth Monaghan highlighted sev- thing going astray in eral contributing factors to the Waltham, between? Our approach MA-based agency’s suc- around storytelling cess, namely, a focus techniques solves this Lou Hoffman on growing responsibly issue, particularly for as opposed to grow- B2B clients which is our ing fast. This entails sweet spot. Many agencies talk about being working with admired a digital-first agency. I think of us as a nar- companies and attract- rative-first agency. Content is at the core of ing talent with diverse what we do.” backgrounds and areas Like everyone else, Hoffman sees an in- of expertise. Sometimes Beth Monaghan it might also mean turn- O’Dwyer’s rankings of top gainers, pg. 53 _ Continued on page 48

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 47 $10 million in net fees. O’Dwyer’s rankings CEO David Jarrard cited two important _ Continued from page 46 trends — a transformation of the healthcare industry as well as a growing appreciation creasing amount of PR work migrating from industry leaders for taking a strategic, toward digital and integrated campaigns holistic approach to communications — as that bring together earned, paid and owned factors that accounted for the firm’s dou- media. Hoffman said he’s also beginning to ble-digit growth last year. see communication agencies increasingly “It’s hard to overstate the disruption un- implementing more B2B campaigns with derway in healthcare, especially among a direct tie to sales lead generation. Com- hospitals and other providers of patient municators of all stripes are beginning to care. Our boutique firm was built from the realize that content is at the foundation of ground to help these Jamie Sigler and Sarah Evans marketing efforts, not just PR. organizations. It’s all we “Because of the onslaught of content, I Miami-based marketing PR firm rbb do,” Jarrard said. believe that we are going to see more niche Communications shot up 23.5 percent in Jarrard predicts that firms thrive and become better versed in 2017 to $11.4 million, taking the #37 slot in the industry will see a a singular industry rather than across the O’Dwyer’s rankings, compared to #42 last continued consolidation board,” Evans said. “We always say at JPR year. of traditional agencies that you can’t be an expert in everything.” President and Partner Lisa Ross said rbb’s this year, with manage- Sigler also noted that experiences remain healthcare, professional services and travel ment consulting firms in demand over material possessions when practices saw year-over-year growth and further competing for it comes to messaging in travel PR. added several new global brands. The agen- David Jarrard strategic communica- “There’s a desire to be part of a larger com- cy also experienced high demand for inte- tions business and for munity and technology fuels travelers to grated programs, with more than 40 percent “smart, data-driven ana- seize the moment like never before,” Sigler of its clients adding digital or creative proj- lytics to make us sharper in our work, even said. ects. as it threatens traditional practices and bud- New York’s North 6th Agency, Inc. was When asked where she sees the industry gets,” Jarrard said. #59 in 2018, surging in the O’Dwyer’s rank- headed in the next year, Ross’ answer was Travel, hospitality and luxury lifestyle ings from the #71 spot last year with an im- clear: “Integration, integration, integration.” agency J Public Relations gained 16.6 pressive 38.1 percent gain to $6 million in “Integration has reached new levels of percent in 2017 to account for $9 million, net fees. importance with an increasing number of moving up two positions in the O’Dwyer’s CEO Matt Rizzetta said N6A has invest- clients looking for discipline-agnostic strat- rankings to #47. ed heavily in its company culture and in- egies that play across all communication J PR Partner Jamie Sigler said the agen- frastructure, hiring dedicated department sectors from advertising to marketing and cy has remained focused on the custom- heads for various functions and breaking digital to public relations. rbb approaches er experience, growing relationships with ground on a new office in SoHo, which has all client programs from an integrated per- existing clients by cultivating their brands helped the agency with recruiting. Last year spective and seeks to develop campaigns through social content and paid digital also marked N6A’s first acquisition, pur- that are multi-platform to engage audiences campaigns. chasing Atlas Communications, a top social on their preferred channel of communica- Sigler also cited the role internal inno- media shop in Toronto, which enables the tion.” vation has played in the agency’s success. agency to expand into the Toronto market Ross said clients are searching for prod- Agencies get weighed down with busy work, and improve its social media service capa- ucts and custom solutions to support brand she said, losing site of major results and of- bilities. growth and sales goals. To meet this de- ten leaving teams little breathing room to “All of these investments have supported mand, her agency has connect with clients on a meaningful level. our strategic growth objectives and posi- created digital store- And ensuring that those meaningful con- tioned us advantageously as we scale to the fronts for multi-location nections remain sometimes results in turn- next level in the coming years,” Rizzetta clients to review, access ing down work. said. and purchase a range “Being tuned into our strengths has Rizzetta said that in of marketing services. helped define our success, and today we’re the next year, he expects Data is now a critical selective about clients who are in sync with to see more agencies component of market- our specificities,” said J PR Partner Sarah of similar size steering ing for most companies, Evans. “We say ‘no’ when it’s not the right fit away from traditional she said, making insight and go all-in when it is.” billable hourly mod- Lisa Ross into real-time client data While there are more modes of commu- els in favor of models that allows the agency nication today than ever — and unlimited which place premiums to make better decisions streams of content — Evans believes rela- on speed, efficiency and paramount. Finally, the agency is advising tionships and face-to-face communication measurement. N6A has Matt Rizzetta clients to review reputation protection strat- remain paramount. Evans said it’s the job of already invested heavily egies in advance of crisis situations. communicators to understand clients’ busi- in building in-house software and propri- Nashville-based healthcare specialist Jar- ness and what’s driving ROI, and to specifi- etary data systems to get ahead of this future rard Phillips Cate & Hancock ticked up cally target the people and outlets that make trend. Rizzetta also said he’d witnessed no- three spots in the O’Dwyer’s ranking this the most impact. “It’s no longer about being year to #41, gaining 18.8 percent to nearly everywhere,” Evans said. _ Continued on page 52

48 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS Firm 2017 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2016 1. Edelman, New York, NY $893,591,000 5,940 +2.1 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 144,300,000 651 +17.6 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington,DC 128,236,300 682 +6.3 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 81,290,000 533 +6 5. ICR, New York, NY 63,427,224 177 +13.9 6. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 40,818,192 137 +33.2 7. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 40,078,469 206 +1.5 8. Hotwire, New York, NY 33,249,507 222 +4.9 9. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 28,000,000 139 +2.6 10. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 27,538,768 148 +13.3 11. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 27,275,329 146 +12.6 12. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 26,975,583 160 +10.4 13. Health Unlimited, New York, NY 25,890,471 122 -5.3 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 25,241,802 103 +8 15. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 25,105,128 148 -9.4 16. Spectrum, Washington, DC 24,000,000 94 +20 17. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 23,434,937 150 +11.6 18. Hunter PR, New York, NY 22,500,000 116 -3.5 19. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 22,313,223 67 +12.3 20. Taylor, New York, NY 22,200,000 105 -3.1 21. Peppercomm, New York, NY 19,322,830 80 +5.3 22. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 19,001,464 116 +9.2 23. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 17,741,700 124 +13.7 24. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 17,157,774 123 +3.1 25. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 17,019,030 81 +21.3 26. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 16,340,000 93 +8.3 27. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 16,225,618 94 +13 28. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 15,160,935 81 +23.8 29. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 15,100,000 52 +4.1 30. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 14,353,811 77 +25 31. Spark, San Francisco, CA 13,000,000 50 -7.3 32. The Hoffman Agency, San Jose, CA 12,719,000 32 +12.2 33. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 12,447,340 59 +18.7 34. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 12,100,000 55 -2.4 35. Tonic Life Communications, Philadelphia, PA 12,000,000 40 +2 36. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,919,100 54 +1 37. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 11,409,196 60 +23.5 38. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,489,774 34 +3 39. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 10,476,319 34 -5.1 40. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 9,953,941 60 even 41. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 9,866,079 34 +18.8 42. KYNE, New York, NY 9,696,497 37 +64.3 43. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 9,607,000 49 +3.5 44. NJF, an MMGY Global company, New York, NY 9,279,419 51 +9.3 45. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 9,182,471 31 +19.2 46. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 9,080,000 70 +10.7 47. J Public Relations, New York, NY 9,075,241 57 +16.6 48. Quinn, New York, NY 8,763,938 63 +3.6 49. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,678,584 79 +7.8 50. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach, FL 8,426,524 120 +13.7 51. 360PR+, Boston, MA 8,343,690 40 +4 52. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 8,134,581 37 +9.2 53. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 8,123,629 65 +3.5 54. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 7,610,000 47 +8.6 55. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 7,499,273 40 +4 56. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 7,319,325 38 +14.6 57. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 6,697,313 35 +10.7 58. Vested, New York, NY 6,171,277 22 +73.4 59. North 6th Agency, Inc., New York, NY 6,017,886 46 38.1 60. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 5,742,000 29 even 61. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 5,564,550 29 +17 62. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 5,412,953 38 +7

50 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COMWWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS Firm 2017 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2016 63. Lazar Partners, New York, NY $5,393,183 24 +6.4 64. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 5,288,592 22 +2.7 65. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 5,267,141 41 -15.9 66. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,201,357 19 -3 67. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 5,007,837 33 +9.7 68. Infinite Global, New York, NY 4,616,068 21 +16.9 69. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,593,980 23 +2 70. Greenough, Boston, MA 4,471,289 23 even 71. March Communications, Boston, MA 4,077,235 25 +9.8 72. Intermarket Communications, New York, NY 4,050,000 18 +5.9 73. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,890,818 18 -36.2 74. MCS Healthcare Public Relations, Bedminster, NJ 3,823,501 19 +10.4 75. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,548,334 18 -0.9 76. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 3,538,762 14 +16.6 77. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,420,000 21 -6.9 78. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 3,244,261 17 +20.2 79. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 3,233,507 20 +3.3 80. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 3,205,075 35 +34.6 81. LANE, Portland, OR 3,057,564 18 -13.1 82. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,987,321 19 +19.5 83. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury, CT 2,985,000 29 +10.8 84. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 2,882,562 18 +65.7 85. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 2,798,142 17 -1 86. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2,750,000 17 +10 87. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,695,000 14 +2.2 88. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 2,686,572 13 even 89. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,641,000 16 +18.8 90. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,573,953 17 +5.2 91. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 2,331,882 14 +12.8 92. Gatesman, Pittsburgh, PA 2,283,500 11 -16.4 93. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 2,191,872 13 -11.4 94. Stanton Communications, Washington, DC 2,182,000 15 -3 95. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 2,120,088 14 +2.2 96. LaVoie Health Science, Boston, MA 2,117,940 11 -3 97. Hollywood Agency, Hingham, MA 2,041,574 12 even 98. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,926,017 10 +8 99. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 1,888,774 8 -10.2 100. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,723,378 9 -11 101. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 1,576,984 11 +17.7 102. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,573,710 15 +41 103. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 1,543,278 14 +3 104. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 1,463,382 8 +27 105. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,400,882 15 +13 106. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,323,992 4 +16.5 107. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 1,301,041 8 -9.8 108. The Hoyt Organization Inc., Torrance, CA 1,250,000 9 +4.2 109. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 1,239,433 9 +46 110. Merryman Communications, Inc., Redondo Beach, CA 1,229,868 9 +16.5 111. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 1,190,814 8 -16 112. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,189,339 13 +9.8 113. RMD Advertising, Columbus, OH 1,165,179 8 +2.9 114. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 955,179 4 +3.6 115. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 947,459 7 -4.3 116. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 878,150 5 +9.5 117. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 863,270 7 -6.7 118. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 846,757 4 -12.3 119. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 669,509 7 +4.7 120. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 642,122 6 -8.3 121. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 573,111 3 -6.4 122. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 499,966 5 +6.8 123. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 481,363 4 +25.8 124. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 477,230 3 -30.2

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 51 gration and marketing automation, as well supporting media attri- O’Dwyer’s rankings as investing heavily in its digital design and bution. _ Continued from page 48 analytics capabilities. Carnett also sees nat- “We are no longer a traditional PR firm, ural foods, consumer ticeable growth in various emerging market but instead provide a suite of integrated technology and health- sectors such as cybersecurity and identity, digital marketing and communications ser- care as some of the PR cannabis, data and analytics, travel and hos- vices that directly and quantifiably, drive sectors gaining rapid pitality, recruiting and employment, finan- client success,” Schneider said. popularity, and cited cial services and cryptocurrencies. In Schneider’s opinion, forward-think- education around new “We believe we are as well-positioned in ing PR firms are mov- markets, such as block- these areas as any agency of our size, and ing rapidly into the chain and cannabis, and Lindsey Carnett these will be critical assets for us as we ex- integrated marketing services such as influ- ecute on our strategic growth plans in the world. Separation be- encer marketing, integration of chatbots future,” Rizzetta said. tween earned and paid and reputation management for products Beehive Strategic Communication, media no longer exists. relying on ecommerce sales, as some of the which specializes in consumer, healthcare, “Consumers are trends we can expect to see gaining traction education and professional and financial smart. Agencies must in the coming year. services, gained 16.6 percent in O’Dwyer’s be smarter. We’re con- 14 firms join rankings, regions expand rankings this year to $3.5 million, taking the stantly optimizing to More than a dozen new agencies joined #76 slot compared to #79 last year. move the conversation Joan Schneider O’Dwyer’s rankings this year. New to the Beehive CEO Lisa Hannum said to watch towards action and/ charts this year are: Matter Communica- for a surge in purpose-driven strategies or purchase decisions,” tions (#24, $17.1 million, up 3.1 percent), from traditional businesses in the com- Schneider said. “We are always testing, and Tonic Life Communications (#35, $12 mil- ing year, a shift that will likely influence perfecting our campaigns based on what lion, up two percent), Tunheim (#60, $5.7 agencies and brands alike. Hannum also the data tells us. And data analysis is now million, even), Lazar Partners (#63, $5.3 believes the growth of a big part of what we do. The key driver be- million, up 6.4 percent), Infinite Global in-house agencies will hind this tidal wave of digital marketing is (#68, $4.6 million, up 16.9 percent), March continue. Agencies will accessibly to content, speed to market and Communications (#71, $4 million, up 9.8 increasingly be tapped the consumer’s desire for creative content percent), Brownstein Group (#88, $2.6 for high-level thinking that is to the point. While traditional PR is million, even), Stanton Communications that offers brands fresh part of the equation, now there’s so many (#94, $2.1 million, down 3 percent), Hol- insights and innovative, more strategies and channels to add to the lywood Agency (#97, $2 million, even), creative ideas designed marketing mix.” Bellmont Partners (#103, $1.5 million, up to differentiate, both Los Angeles-based Marketing Maven 3 percent), Merryman Communications inside and outside. As Public Relations gained 12.8 percent in (#110, $1.2 million, up 16.5 percent), RMD a result, agencies need 2017 to $2.3 million, taking the #91 spot in Advertising (#113, $1.1 million, up 2.9 per- Lisa Hannum to be prepared to hand O’Dwyer’s rankings. cent), Butler Associates (#116, $878,000, up off activation and cheer CEO and President Lindsey Carnett told 9.5 percent) and Weiss PR (#121, $573,000, from the sidelines. O’Dwyer’s that in addition to attracting down 6.4 percent). “Beehive understands business first, and more international companies in the pri- O’Dwyer’s also ranks firms in 13 key cit- we move fast, which makes us a valuable vate sector, the agency has also expanded ies/region. The New York area dominated partner. The pace of change is accelerating its work in the government arena while in- again, with 39 firms either calling New York in every industry. Our clients rely on us to creasing the number of influencer market- City home or having a presence there. Top navigate change with clarity and then drive ing campaigns and comprehensive market- firms are Edelman, Prosek Partners and action for business growth. Fast,” Hannum ing integration strategies it does. Hotwire. said. “Expectations are rising. Employees, Carnett sees the industry becoming even The Boston area revealed 13 firms. PAN partners, customers and communities want more fragmented over the next year. Early Communications edged out newly-ranked to work for and buy from brands that au- adoption of new technology will be key in Matter Communications for the top spot. thentically share their beliefs.” providing measurable results to clients and Racepoint Global is third. Boston’s Schneider Associates was #78 Twenty-five firms covered the Southeast. this year, up 20.2 percent to $3.2 million French | West | Vaughan continued to lead and gaining four positions in O’Dwyer’s in this region, followed by Jackson Spalding rankings after a bumpy 2016 saw the firm and Edelman in Atlanta. dip 6.3 percent to $2.69 million. Twenty-four firms hail from the Midwest, CEO and Founder Joan Schneider told with 14 in Chicago, including chart-topper O’Dwyer’s the agency has implemented an Edelman. Columbus-based Fahlgren Mor- aggressive transformational strategy to in- tine and Minneapolis-based Padilla round tegrate the full spectrum of marketing and ed out the top three Midwest firms. communications services into its client Firms tracked by the rankings with loca- offerings. By investing in strategic senior tions in cities throughout California and executive hires, staff training and through Oregon totaled 37 this year, with 21 reveal- networking across industry sectors, the ing offices in the San Francisco area and 14 agency has been able to expand its offerings revealing offices in the Los Angeles area. to include digital advertising, paid social, W2O topped the San Francisco chart and lead generation and nurturing, CRM inte- O’Dwyer’s rankings of firms by region, pg. 54 Edelman was #1 in L.A. 

52 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM LEADING GAINERS AMONG PR FIRMS

Firm 2017 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2016

Firms in the top 25 1. Prosek Partners, New York, NY $40,818,192 137 +33.2 2. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 17,019,030 81 +21.3 3. Spectrum, Washington, DC 24,000,000 94 +20.0 4. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 144,300,000 651 +17.6 5. ICR, New York, NY 63,427,224 177 +13.9 6. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 17,741,700 124 +13.7 7. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 27,538,768 148 +13.3 8. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 27,275,329 146 +12.6 9. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 22,313,223 67 +12.3 10. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 23,434,937 150 +11.6

Firms ranked 26 through 50 1. KYNE, New York, NY $9,696,497 37 +64.3 2. Bravo Group, Harrisburg, PA 14,353,811 77 +25.0 3. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 15,160,935 81 +23.8 4. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 11,409,196 60 +23.5 5. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 9,182,471 31 +19.2 6. Jarrard Philips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 9,866,079 34 +18.8 7. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 12,447,340 59 +18.7 8. J Public Relations, New York, NY 9,075,241 57 +16.6 9. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 16,225,618 94 +13.0 10. Hoffman Agency, San Jose, CA 12,719,000 32 +12.2

Firms ranked 51 through 100 1. Vested, New York, NY $6,171,277 22 +73.4 2. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 2,882,562 18 +65.7 3. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 6,017,886 46 +38.1 4. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 3,205,075 35 +34.6 5. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 3,244,261 17 +20.2 6. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,987,321 19 +19.5 7. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,641,000 16 +18.8 8. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 5,564,550 29 +17.0 9. Infinite Global, New York, NY 4,616,068 21 +16.9 10. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 3,538,762 14 +16.6

Firms ranked 101 through 121 1. WordWrite Communications, LLC, Pittsburgh, PA $1,239,433 9 +46.0 2. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,573,710 15 +41.0 3. The Power Group, Dallas, TX 1,463,382 8 +27.0 4. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 481,363 4 +25.8 5. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 1,576,984 11 +17.7 6. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,323,992 4 +16.5 7. Merryman Communications, Inc., Redondo Beach, CA 1,229,868 9 +16.5 8. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,400,882 15 +13.0 9. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,189,339 13 +9.8 10. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 878,150 5 +9.5

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 53 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl. CONNECTICUT NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY 1. ICR, Norwalk $28,053,204 59 1. Edelman $200,405,000 935 2. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury 2,985,000 29 2. Prosek Partners 40,818,192 137 3. Hotwire 33,249,507 222 4. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 28,000,000 139 CHICAGO 5. Finn Partners 27,855,000 186 1. Edelman (includes Detroit) $108,191,000 584 6. 5W Public Relations 27,538,768 148 2. Walker Sands Communications 8,678,584 79 7. Health Unlimited 25,890,471 122 3. Greentarget Global LLC 8,134,581 37 8. Hunter PR 22,500,000 116 4. Finn Partners (includes Detroit) 7,962,000 48 9. ICR 21,895,895 72 5. Padilla 6,017,189 21 10. APCO Worldwide 16,990,100 62 6. Kivvit 5,431,932 19 11. Peppercomm 16,895,750 77 7. G&S Business Communications 5,423,250 34 12. Taylor 12,800,000 60 8. Public Communications Inc. 5,267,141 41 13. RF | Binder Partners 12,100,000 55 9. L.C. Williams & Associates 4,593,980 23 14. Kivvit 11,510,162 31 10. APCO Worldwide 3,717,000 16 15. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI) 9,953,941 60 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications 2,641,000 16 16. KYNE 9,696,497 37 12. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,323,992 4 17. Bliss Integrated Communication 9,607,000 49 13. Taylor 905,000 5 18. NJF, an MMGY Global company 9,279,419 51 14. Infinite Global 219,813 1 19. J Public Relations 9,075,241 57 FLORIDA 20. Lou Hammond Group 7,499,273 40 1. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee $15,100,000 52 21. Padilla 6,929,514 24 2. rbb Communications, Miami 11,409,196 60 22. Vested 6,171,277 22 3. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach 8,426,524 120 23. Quinn 6,132,894 46 4. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee 7,319,325 38 24. North 6th Agency, Inc. 6,017,886 46 5. Fish Consulting, Hollywood 3,233,507 20 25. CooperKatz & Co. 5,564,550 29 6. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale 2,750,000 17 26. Lazar Partners 5,393,183 24 7. Quinn, Miami 2,170,244 15 27. Dukas Linden Public Relations 5,288,592 22 8. Edelman, Orlando 1,956,000 8 28. G&S Business Communications 5,264,719 35 9. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale 1,573,710 15 29. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations 5,007,837 33 10. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach 863,270 7 30. Intermarket Communications 4,050,000 18 11. Kivvit, Miami 705,350 4 31. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster NJ 3,823,501 19 12. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton 642,122 6 32. Infinite Global 1,978,315 9 13. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale 380,000 3 33. Rosica Communications, Paramus NJ 1,301,041 8 34. Butler Associates, LLC 878,150 5 BOSTON 35. Feintuch Communications 846,757 4 1. PAN Communications $17,741,700 124 36. AMP3 Public Relations 499,966 5 2. Matter Communications 17,157,774 123 37. Stuntman PR 477,230 3 3. Racepoint Global 16,473,090 77 38. Inkhouse 382,449 7 4. Inkhouse 16,225,618 94 5. 360PR+ 8,343,690 40 PENNSYLVANIA 6. Rasky Partners, Inc. 6,069,191 27 1. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg $14,353,811 77 7. ICR 4,556,853 6 2. Tonic Life Communications, Philadelphia 12,000,000 40 8. Greenough 4,471,289 23 3. Gregory FCA, Ardmore 9,080,000 70 9. March Communications 4,077,235 25 4. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia 2,686,572 13 10. Schneider Associates 3,244,261 17 5. Gatesman, Pittsburgh 2,283,500 11 11. BackBay Communications 2,798,142 17 6. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh 1,239,433 9 12. LaVoie Health Science 2,117,940 11 7. Infinite Global,Philadelphia 219,813 1 13. Hollywood Agency 2,041,574 12 MIDWEST CITIES WASHINGTON, D.C. 1. Edelman (includes Detroit), Chicago, IL $108,191,000 584 1. Edelman $71,898,000 275 2. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 26,975,583 160 2. APCO Worldwide 40,570,000 153 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 14,699,079 84 3. Spectrum 24,000,000 94 4. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,678,584 79 4. IMRE, Baltimore, MD 16,340,000 81 5. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 8,134,581 37 5. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 15,160,935 81 6. Finn Partners (includes Detroit), Chicago, IL 7,962,000 48 6. Finn Partners 13,148,000 54 7. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 7,610,000 47 7. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,919,100 54 8. Padilla, Chicago, IL 6,017,189 21 8. JPA Health Communications 9,182,471 31 9. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 5,742,000 29 9. Kivvit 4,684,231 13 10. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 5,431,932 19 10. Rasky Partners, Inc. 4,407,128 7 11. G&S Business Communications, Chicago, IL 5,423,250 34 12. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,987,321 19 12. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 5,267,141 41 12. Stanton Communications 2,182,000 15 13. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,593,980 23 13. Racepoint Global 1,395,307 6 14. APCO Worldwide, Chicago, IL 3,717,000 16 14. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,189,339 13 15. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,548,334 18 15. Padilla 1,177,209 12 16. Beehive Strategic Comm, St. Paul, MN 3,538,762 14 16. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 573,111 3 17. O’Malley Hansen Comms, Chicago, IL 2,641,000 16 17. Dale Curtis Communications LLC 481,363 4 18. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 1,543,278 14

54 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2017 Net Fees Empl.

CONNECTICUT NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY 19. Akrete, Evanston, IL $1,323,992 4 8. ICR $8,921,271 9 1. ICR, Norwalk $28,053,204 59 1. Edelman $200,405,000 935 20. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 1,190,814 8 9. Edelman (Silicon Valley), San Mateo 6,574,000 34 2. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury 2,985,000 29 2. Prosek Partners 40,818,192 137 21. RMD Advertising, Columbus, OH 1,165,179 8 10. Finn Partners 5,684,000 20 3. Hotwire 33,249,507 222 22. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 955,179 4 11. Inkhouse 5,551,003 30 CHICAGO 4. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 28,000,000 139 23. Taylor, Chicago, IL 905,000 5 12. Singer Associates, Inc. 5,201,357 19 5. Finn Partners 27,855,000 186 24. Infinite Global, Chicago, IL 219,813 1 13. Peppercomm 2,427,080 7 1. Edelman (includes Detroit) $108,191,000 584 6. 5W Public Relations 27,538,768 148 14. Racepoint Global 2,163,282 15 2. Walker Sands Communications 8,678,584 79 7. Health Unlimited 25,890,471 122 TEXAS 3. 15. Infinite Global 1,978,315 9 Greentarget Global LLC 8,134,581 37 8. Hunter PR 22,500,000 116 1. Edelman (includes Dallas & Houston), Austin $22,294,000 102 4. 16. Padilla 1,891,366 7 Finn Partners (includes Detroit) 7,962,000 48 9. ICR 21,895,895 72 2. Pierpont Communications, Houston 6,697,313 35 5. Padilla 6,017,189 21 17. 10. APCO Worldwide 16,990,100 62 3. Idea Grove, Dallas 3,205,075 35 Perry Communications Group, Sacramento 1,888,774 8 6. Kivvit 5,431,932 19 11. Peppercomm 16,895,750 77 4. Champion Management Group, Dallas 2,882,562 18 18. Landis Communications 1,723,378 9 7. G&S Business Communications 5,423,250 34 12. Taylor 12,800,000 60 5. SPM Communications, Dallas 2,191,872 13 19. Karbo Communications 1,400,882 15 8. Public Communications Inc. 5,267,141 41 13. RF | Binder Partners 12,100,000 55 6. The Power Group, Dallas 1,463,382 8 9. L.C. Williams & Associates 4,593,980 23 14. Kivvit 11,510,162 31 7. BizCom Associates, Plano 669,509 7 WESTERN CITIES 10. APCO Worldwide 3,717,000 16 15. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI) 9,953,941 60 1. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA $144,300,000 651 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications 2,641,000 16 16. KYNE 9,696,497 37 SOUTHEAST 2. Edelman, San Francisco, CA 40,116,000 191 12. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,323,992 4 17. Bliss Integrated Communication 9,607,000 49 1. 3. Edelman, Seattle, WA 35,939,000 182 13. Taylor 905,000 5 French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC $25,241,802 103 18. NJF, an MMGY Global company 9,279,419 51 2. 14. Infinite Global 219,813 1 Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 23,434,937 150 4. Edelman (includes Beverly Hills), Los Angeles, CA 27,997,000 145 19. J Public Relations 9,075,241 57 3. Edelman, Atlanta, GA 21,292,000 110 5. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 19,001,464 116 FLORIDA 20. Lou Hammond Group 7,499,273 40 4. G&S Business Communications, Raleigh, NC 16,587,355 77 6. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 17,019,030 81 1. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee $15,100,000 52 21. Padilla 6,929,514 24 5. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 15,100,000 52 7. Spark, San Francisco, CA 13,000,000 50 2. rbb Communications, Miami 11,409,196 60 22. Vested 6,171,277 22 6. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 11,409,196 60 8. The Hoffman Agency,San Jose, CA 12,719,000 32 23. 3. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach 8,426,524 120 Quinn 6,132,894 46 7. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 9,866,079 34 9. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 12,447,340 59 24. North 6th Agency, Inc. 6,017,886 46 4. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee 7,319,325 38 8. Finn Partners, Nashville, TN 9,782,000 65 10. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,489,774 34 25. CooperKatz & Co. 5,564,550 29 9. 5. Fish Consulting, Hollywood 3,233,507 20 JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach, FL 8,426,524 120 11. ICR, San Francisco, CA 8,921,271 9 26. Lazar Partners 5,393,183 24 10. Padilla, Richmond, VA 8,360,366 43 6. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale 2,750,000 17 12. Edelman, Portland, OR 8,667,000 49 7. Quinn, Miami 2,170,244 15 27. Dukas Linden Public Relations 5,288,592 22 11. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 8,123,629 65 28. G&S Business Communications 5,264,719 35 12. Taylor, Charlotte, NC 7,500,000 35 13. Edelman (Silicon Valley), San Mateo, CA 6,574,000 34 8. Edelman, Orlando 1,956,000 8 14. Finn Partners, San Francisco, CA 5,684,000 20 9. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale 1,573,710 15 29. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations 5,007,837 33 13. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 7,319,325 38 15. Inkhouse, San Francisco, CA 5,551,003 30 10. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach 863,270 7 30. Intermarket Communications 4,050,000 18 14. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,420,000 21 11. Kivvit, Miami 705,350 4 31. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster NJ 3,823,501 19 15. APCO Worldwide, Raleigh, NC 3,060,100 13 16. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 5,412,953 38 12. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton 642,122 6 32. Infinite Global 1,978,315 9 16. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2,750,000 17 17. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,201,357 19 13. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale 380,000 3 33. Rosica Communications, Paramus NJ 1,301,041 8 17. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,573,953 17 18. Finn Partners, Los Angeles, CA 4,577,000 33 34. Butler Associates, LLC 878,150 5 18. Quinn, Miami, FL 2,170,244 15 19. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,890,818 18 BOSTON 35. Feintuch Communications 846,757 4 19. The Hodges Partnership, Richmond, VA 2,120,088 14 20. Edelman, Sacramento, CA 3,727,000 18 1. PAN Communications $17,741,700 124 36. AMP3 Public Relations 499,966 5 20. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 1,576,984 11 21. LANE, Portland, OR 3,057,564 18 2. Matter Communications 17,157,774 123 37. Stuntman PR 477,230 3 21. Hemsworth Comms, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,573,710 15 22. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,695,000 14 3. Racepoint Global 16,473,090 77 38. Inkhouse 382,449 7 22. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 863,270 7 23. Finn Partners, Portland, OR 2,446,000 13 23. Kivvit, Miami, FL 705,350 4 4. Inkhouse 16,225,618 94 PENNSYLVANIA 24. Peppercomm, San Francisco, CA 2,427,080 7 5. 360PR+ 8,343,690 40 24. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 642,122 6 25. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 2,331,882 14 1. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg $14,353,811 77 6. Rasky Partners, Inc. 6,069,191 27 25. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 380,000 3 26. Racepoint Global, San Francisco, CA 2,163,282 15 2. Tonic Life Communications, Philadelphia 12,000,000 40 7. ICR 4,556,853 6 26. Infinite Global, Raleigh, NC 219,813 1 27. Infinite Global, San Francisco, CA 1,978,315 9 3. Gregory FCA, Ardmore 9,080,000 70 8. Greenough 4,471,289 23 28. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,926,017 10 9. March Communications 4,077,235 25 4. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia 2,686,572 13 LOS ANGELES 29. Padilla, San Francisco, CA 1,891,366 7 10. Schneider Associates 3,244,261 17 5. Gatesman, Pittsburgh 2,283,500 11 1. Edelman (includes Beverly Hills) $27,997,000 145 11. BackBay Communications 2,798,142 17 6. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh 1,239,433 9 2. Davies, Santa Barbara 10,489,774 34 30. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 1,888,774 8 12. LaVoie Health Science 2,117,940 11 7. Infinite Global,Philadelphia 219,813 1 3. Konnect Agency 5,412,953 38 31. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,723,378 9 13. Hollywood Agency 2,041,574 12 4. Finn Partners 4,577,000 33 32. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,400,882 15 MIDWEST CITIES 5. Cerrell Associates 3,890,818 18 33. The Hoyt Organization Inc.,Torrance, CA 1,250,000 9 WASHINGTON, D.C. 1. Edelman (includes Detroit), Chicago, IL $108,191,000 584 6. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood 2,695,000 14 34. Taylor, Los Angeles, CA 1,010,000 5 1. Edelman $71,898,000 275 2. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 26,975,583 160 7. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo 2,331,882 14 35. Padilla, Los Angeles, CA 1,003,744 4 2. APCO Worldwide 40,570,000 153 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 14,699,079 84 8. BLAZE, Santa Monica 1,926,017 10 36. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 947,459 7 3. Spectrum 24,000,000 94 4. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,678,584 79 9. The Hoyt Organization Inc., Torrance 1,250,000 9 37. Quinn, Los Angeles, CA 460,800 2 4. IMRE, Baltimore, MD 16,340,000 81 5. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 8,134,581 37 10. Merryman Communications, Inc., Redondo Beach 1,229,868 9 5. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 15,160,935 81 6. Finn Partners (includes Detroit), Chicago, IL 7,962,000 48 11. Taylor 1,010,000 5 6. Finn Partners 13,148,000 54 7. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 7,610,000 47 12. Padilla 1,003,744 4 The firms ranked in the O’Dwyer Co. rankings of PR firms have sat- 7. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,919,100 54 8. Padilla, Chicago, IL 6,017,189 21 13. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach 947,459 7 isfied O’Dwyer’s ranking rules, supporting fee and employee totals 8. JPA Health Communications 9,182,471 31 9. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 5,742,000 29 14. Quinn 460,800 2 with income tax and W-3 forms and providing a current account list. 9. Kivvit 4,684,231 13 10. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 5,431,932 19 The O’Dwyer rankings should be regarded as an expression of our 10. Rasky Partners, Inc. 4,407,128 7 11. G&S Business Communications, Chicago, IL 5,423,250 34 SAN FRANCISCO & NORTH CALIFORNIA judgment of a firm’s standing within the industry, and are not warrant- 12. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,987,321 19 12. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 5,267,141 41 1. W2O Group $144,300,000 651 ed to comply with any specific objective standards. 12. Stanton Communications 2,182,000 15 13. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,593,980 23 2. Edelman 40,116,000 191 13. 14. APCO Worldwide, Chicago, IL 3,717,000 16 Racepoint Global 1,395,307 6 3. LaunchSquad 19,001,464 116 Firms are added to O’Dwyer’s rankings throughout the year. Go to 14. 15. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,548,334 18 ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,189,339 13 4. Highwire PR 17,019,030 81 odwyerpr.com for an up-to-date version of the rankings. 15. Padilla 1,177,209 12 16. Beehive Strategic Comm, St. Paul, MN 3,538,762 14 5. Spark 13,000,000 50 16. Weiss PR, Inc., Baltimore, MD 573,111 3 17. O’Malley Hansen Comms, Chicago, IL 2,641,000 16 6. The Hoffman Agency, San Jose 12,719,000 32 17. Dale Curtis Communications LLC 481,363 4 18. Bellmont Partners, Minneapolis, MN 1,543,278 14 7. Bateman Group 12,447,340 59

© Copyright 2018, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 55 PEOPLE IN PR

source of energy for so long. However, I be- Turett also was Media Relations and PA Louisiana PR legend lieve it is in the best interests of the business Director at Mount Sinai Hospital in New if I step down now. I leave the company in York.  Weill dies very good hands, as the Board knows.” Andrew Scott, WPP’s Corporate Devel- us Weill, Louisiana PR man, political opment Director and Europe COO, and Barker to be talent strategist and writer, died April 13 at Mark Read, Wunderman CEO, will share Ga hospice in Baton Rouge. He was 85. the COO role at WPP.  scout for Edelman Son of a Lafayette mule salesman, ­Weill opened an advertising agency in Baton arie-Claire Barker will become Rouge after a three-year stint in the Army. Gillespie moves into Global Chief Talent Officer at He worked for Gov. Jimmie Davis and on MEdelman on July 23 and report to the Pelican State presidential campaign for WCG president post COO Matt Harrington. John F. Kennedy. She will join from Weill though made ngela Gillespie, who returned to WPP’s Wavemaker, his mark while man- W2O two years ago as Healthcare media, content and aging the gubernato- APractice Leader and Chief Strategy technology operation rial campaign of long- Officer, has been named President of its where she was talent shot candidate John W2O WCG unit. She reports to Jennifer lead for the 8,500-per- McKeithen, whom he Gottlieb, W2O President. son firm. Earlier, would then serve as Gillespie has more than 20 years of Barker was Global Tal- Executive Secretary. healthcare marketing experience, support- ent Officer at Ogilvy & Marie-Claire He went on to man- Gus Weill ing the initiatives of pharmaceutical, con- Mather in charge of Barker age gubernatorial rac- sumer health, device/ recruiting, learnings, es for Edwin Edwards and Dave Treen and diagnostic and payer/ development and succession planning. mentored the likes of James Carville. provider networks. Harrington views Barker’s experience Weill hosted the “Louisiana Legends” She exited WCG in as an “incredible resource” as the PR firm public broadcasting series for more than 2010 for a series of key evolves into an integrated marketing orga- two decades. He wrote plays that ran off and posts at Boston Scien- nization with expertise in data analytics, on Brodway and eight novels through “The tific (Clinical Strate- paid media, C-suite advisory and digital Cajuns,” which was reviewed as a powerful gist/Educator), Covi- transformation.  look at 1950s bayou country. dien (Venous Vascular Angela Gillespie Weill experienced the loss of son, Gus, Jr., Therapies unit Market who worked at Edelman and took his own Development Leader) Slavich takes WB life in 2004. He was 42. Weill is survived by and NeuWave Medical (VP-Marketing). his grandson, Gus Solomon Weill.  Gillespie owns Gillespie Family Wines in publicity post Argentina.  ichelle Slavich has been named Ex- Sorrell quits WPP ecutive VP, Global Publicity and Edelman Health MStrategy, at Warner Bros. Pictures. artin Sorrell, architect & CEO of Slavich comes to Warner Bros. Pictures WPP, resigned April 14 follow- Founder Turett Joins from Google, where she most recently Ming the probe launched earlier last served as Head of Entertainment Commu- month into allegations of his “personal mis- APCO nications for YouTube. conduct” and misuse of corporate assets. In the last two years, Roberto Quarta, ancy Turett, who founded and led her team launched over Chairman of WPP, Edelman Global Health and its 50 publicity campaigns moves into the execu- NHealth Barometer, has joined APCO for YouTube Original tive chairman slot un- in New York as Execu- series and movies. til a replacement for tive Director. Before Google, Slav- Sorrell is announced. After a 24-year run, ich was VP, Publicity Sorrell’s departure Turett left Edelman in at Universal Studios wraps up the investi- 2012 to serve as Prin- Home Entertainment. Michelle Slavich gation, “which did not cipal of WholeView, She began her career involve amounts that Martin Sorrell advising corporate at the Shoah Foundation, Steven Spielberg’s are material,” said a and NGO officials on nonprofit organization dedicated to the re- statement from WPP. personal and public cording of Holocaust survivor testimonies Quarta called Sorrell “the driving force health issues. Nancy Turett for educational use. behind the expansion of WPP to create the It has partnered with At Warner Bros. Picutures, Slavich will global leader in marketing services.” the World Health Organization, United Na- oversee publicity and work proactively with Sorrell, via a statement from his crisis tions, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, her teams to develop global publicity strat- PR rep Project Associates, said he’s sad to Harvard University, Columbia University egies on all releases from Warner Bros. Pic- leave WPP. “It has been a passion, focus and and Merck. tures and New Line Cinema. 

56 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Humor brings B2B firms business opportunities Some of the most highly regulated and closely scrutinized industries produce the most humorous marketing campaigns, without forfeiting their overall message. By Tom Faust

oes humor belong in business com- By using humor to drive the message, equivalent of crickets chirping. When munications? Cisco not only does an effective job of sep- talking a humorous approach to market- D If you ask B2B marketers, the an- arating itself from the pack, but also makes ing, brainstorm carefully. Bring in top sales swer more often than not will be “no way,” its message more compelling. reps to get a sharper sense of what makes or it’s “too risky.” Think about it: B-to-B buyers are con- customers tick. Don’t get too far afield from Quel dommage. stantly inundated by ads and messages with your audience. Make sure the humor de- Using comedy for branding may alienate a somber if not funereal tone. Depending ployed doesn’t turn into a head-scratcher some customers, partners and/or vendors on the brand, B-to-B messaging may even for customers. The au- and spark more trouble than it’s worth, so try and shame people into purchasing their dience needs to be in B2B companies can be forgiven for keeping product to ensure their business’s future. on the joke. humor at bay when it comes to marketing There’s only so much serious information Don’t get too messages or managing crises. people can take before their eyes start to edgy. In order to work But, at the same time, a mythology has glaze over. effectively, the humor been constructed that B2B brands should As traditional methods of communicat- deployed in commu- avoid humor in their marketing efforts. ing with business customers are upended, nications must harmo- The reality suggests otherwise. perhaps b-to-b marketers should think nize with the audience Some of the most highly regulated and about how they can appeal to the funny and connect with the closely scrutinized industries also produce bone instead. company’s overall val- Tom Faust some of the most humorous marketing All the product-driven messaging in the ues. It’s a fine line be- campaigns, without forfeiting their overall world is no match for delivering a message tween humor and inane. message. that makes B-to-B buyers laugh and bring- Be (slightly) self-deprecating. People Exhibit A: the insurance industry. ing some levity to their hectic schedules. are drawn to companies that can laugh at Progressive Corp., which offers business They’ll remember a funny message the next themselves and still send a strong message. insurance policies, has relied on Flo, a fic- time their purchasing cycle begins anew. B-to-B brands are no exception. The mes- tional character, to get the word out about However, before taking this step, Job One sage needs to convey the benefits of the the company for a decade. Progressive’s ads is to make sure the brand of humor syncs products and services being sold, of course. are light hearted—silly even—but reinforce up with brand attributes. It’s also important But by taking a humorous approach, com- the discounted rates that distinguish the in- that employees are on board with the effort, panies demonstrate to consumers that they surer from its competitors. because they’re the ones who will be asked are good people to work with and are not B-to-B giant Cisco Systems also embraces about it, and may have to defend it. all about the sale. That makes people feel humor to get its message out. Run a beta campaign by some media sav- good when they think about your company, Take Cisco’s marketing campaign de- vy employees and see if it resonates with which is the coin of the realm. signed to promote one of its computer them or falls flat. Go backward and deter- By taking humor more seriously, B-to-B servers. Using all the tropes of coupledom, mine where the campaign might backfire marketers have a better shot at cutting Cisco developed the campaign to coincide with the market. through the proverbial and growing clutter with Valentine’s Day. When ready to allocate budget for a hu- online, and to connect more closely with The ad features still shots of young cou- morous campaign, brand managers should customers and prospects who are less and ples, as a voiceover intones: “How many also keep these three tips in mind. less beholden to individual companies. ways can a man tell his sweetheart, ‘I love Make sure the audience shares in the Don’t laugh. It works. you.’ Until now, the answer was three: He humor. There’s nothing like an attempt at Tom Faust is Managing Director of Stan- could buy her expensive diamonds; he humor turning into the communications ton.  could take her on a tropical vacation or he could carve his initials into a tree, then carve a heart, then carve her initials. Most online forms go uncompleted “But now, he can give her the ultimate expression of his everlasting affection — survey by The Manifest revealed that to leave, and 10 percent said they’d been the Cisco ASR 9000. Because nothing says 81 percent of respondents admitted provoked to abandon the process because ‘Forever’ like up to 6.4 terabytes per sec- Ato clicking away from an online form of unnecessary questions. ond, nothing says ‘Commitment’ like up to recently and never returning to complete it. The survey also suggested that once some- 400 GPS per slot and nothing says, ‘I love The main reasons for doing so: form one leaves a form, they’re not likely to re- you,’ like six times the Mobile Mac Haul ca- length and concerns surrounding online se- turn to it. 67 percent said they abandon pacity …” curity. The survey found that more than a the process entirely after quitting the form, The Cisco ad is illustrative for B-to-B quarter of respondents — 27 percent — said compared to only 20 percent who admitted companies and their PR/marketing agen- they ditched an online form because it was following up with the company later. cies. The ad touts the major benefits of the too long, and slightly more — 29 percent — A majority of those polled — 67 percent product, uses keywords, and never loses cited security worries. 11 percent said ad- — said they’d filled out at least one online sight of brand value or customers’ needs. vertisements or upselling compelled them form within the past week. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 57 O’Dwyer’s guide to RANKED PR FIRMS

5W Public JustWorks, KRUPS, Lenda, Life- nental Mills, Drizly, Eagle Foods, APCO Worldwide styles Condoms, Loews Hotels, Gerber Childrenswear, Giant Food, Relations McDonald’s, Medifast, Millen- Harpoon, Harvest Hill Beverage 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW nium Hotels, Patina Restaurant Company, Hasbro, HomeAway, Suite 300 230 Park Ave., 32nd floor Group, Payoneer, Publisher’s Honeywell Home Environment, Washington, DC 20004 New York, NY 10169 Clearing House, Purity Vodka, illy, Jelly Belly, Liberty Mutual 202/778-1000 212/999-5585 Rowenta, RxAdvance, SAP NS2, Insurance, Lightlife Foods, Mere- Fax: 202/466-6002 Fax: 646/328-1711 [email protected] [email protected] Servcorp, SMEG, Sparkling ICE dith Publishing, Nasoya, National www.apcoworldwide.com www.5wpr.com by Talking Rain, Spring Owl As- Geographic, National Institution set Management Storyblocks, of Yerba Mate, Nintendo, Peapod, APCO Worldwide is a glob- Ronn D. Torossian, Pres. & CEO Sure Fit, T-Fal, The Jackie Robin- Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, al communications consultancy Dara Busch, Matthew Caiola, son Foundation, The New Jersey Safety 1st, Sagamore Spirits, based in Washington, D.C. and Exec. VPs Chamber of Commerce, The Pee- Stonyfield Organic, Tommee Tip- operating in more than 80 markets. bles Corp., The Trade Desk, Voices pee, Travelpro, Vida Shoes Inter- APCO brings a campaign mind- Since 2003, New York City- Against Brain Cancer, Wendy Wil- national, Virgin Atlantic Airways, set and the latest in digital tools based 5W Public Relations (5WPR) liams, Inc., Zeta Global and ZICO Walkers Shortbread, WellPet and to help corporations, nations and has worked with widely known and Coconut Water. Wolverine Worldwide. organizations enact change and emerging brands, corporations and make an impact for themselves and high-profile individuals. Our prac- the world around them. For more tice areas include Consumer Prod- 360PR+ AKRETE, INC. than 30 years, APCO’s work has ucts & Brands, Food & Beverage, improved reputations and bottom Health & Wellness, Beauty, Appar- 200 State St. Chicago, IL (Aon Center) Boston, MA 02109 lines; created and protected jobs; el & Accessories, Home & House- Evanston, IL (CoLab Evanston) 617/585-5770 Boston, MA (Post Office Square) shaped issues important to society; wares, Travel & Hospitality, En- Fax: 617/585-5789 www.Akrete.com improved workplaces and com- tertainment & Sports, Corporate, www.360PR.plus Twitter: @TeamAkrete munities; gained visibility for and Technology, Public Affairs & Gov- Twitter.com/360PRplus LinkedIn.com/company/akrete gave voice to those who may not ernment Relations, Nonprofit, Cri- Linkedin.com/company/360prplus Facebook.com/TeamAkrete typically be heard; and much more. sis Communications, Events and Simply put, our work has impact, Digital & Social Media. We have a Additional locations: NYC, San Margy Sweeney, Founder & CEO is meaningful, solves problems 360-degree approach to PR, social Francisco, CA ([email protected]) and creates opportunities. APCO media, branding and digital mar- Nicole Stenclik, Vice President, Laura Tomasetti, CEO is a proud majority-employee and keting that delivers game-changing Boston ([email protected]) Rob Bratskeir, EVP Renata Pasmanik, Marketing women owned business. results to our clients. Matthew Lenig, Creative Director ([email protected]) Our 150 tenacious and creative Stacey Clement, Kalley Jolly, ARPR communications practitioners de- Caitlin Melnick, Victoria A boutique national content mar- velop and execute creative cam- Renwick, Michael Rush, SVPs keting and public relations firm, 675 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE paigns that connect our clients Jenni Brennan, Melinda Bonner, we articulate and promote busi- Ali Kavulich, Sean McNair, VPs Suite 9800 with their target audiences in mem- ness growth stories. We specialize Atlanta, GA 30308 orable ways. Every aspect of our Melissa Perroni, Employee Engagement Director in business launches and major www.arpr.com programs is designed to impact expansions, financial services and Twitter & IG: @ar__pr our clients’ bottom line, bringing Born in the digital age, 360PR+ commercial real estate. We write Linkedin: Linkedin.com/company/ leading businesses a resourceful, is perfectly built for today’s rapidly to inspire individual people to arpr bold and results-driven approach action: clients, prospects, media Facebook: https://www.facebook. evolving consumer and commu- com/ARPRLLC/ to communication. nications worlds. As a consumer and influencers alike. We speak 5WPR’s diverse roster of clients specialist agency, we’re constantly the language of business — and Additional locations: New Orleans, includes Sparkling ICE, All-Clad, thinking about how to build, en- can translate to B2H (Business to San Francisco It’s a 10 Haircare, jane iredale, gage and mobilize consumer au- Human) in ways that connect in- JetSmarter, The Trade Desk, Wen- diences and do precisely that for vestors, clients and companies in Anna Ruth Williams, CEO dy Williams and Zeta Global. Our category-leading and challenger growth mode. Blair Broussard, SVP innovative programs have received brands. We are media-agnostic, No subject matter is too com- Renee Spurlin, VP of Analytics recognition and we have won many holistic marketers, offering clients plex, no growth vision too ex- and Digital Marketing awards including PR Agency of pansive for #TeamAkrete’s 20+ Evan Goldberg, VP of Client the industry’s very best talent in the Service the Year, PR Executive of the Year, areas of earned media, influencer person team of senior storytellers. Product Launch of the Year and programming, social media strate- Our services range from thought Founded in 2012 and built from Business to Business Program of gy, digital activations and experi- leadership to digital consulting, the ground floor up, ARPR has the Year. ential events. Our highly creative media and public relations to CEO always been a different agency Clients: Aerosoles, All-Clad and collaborative team members, counsel and social media strategy. — one fueled by a culture and an Metalcrafters, Ashley Stewart, including a hands-on senior team, Our vibrant, strategy-shaped mar- approach that works for both cli- BornFree, Bowlmor AMF, Camp are all in with our clients every day, keting, ghostwriting and public ents and employees. Today, ARPR Bow Wow, CheapOAir.com, Crepe producing business-driving results. relations campaigns are delivered is one of the fastest growing tech Erase, Decléor, Diono, Duane 360PR+ has been recognized as with high-touch service, and at- PR and integrated communications Reade, Ethique, Empire Govern- an Agency of the Year and Best tention to timelines that accelerate agencies in the U.S. — growing by ment Strategies, FULLBEAUTY Place to Work, and is a member of business. Accept no substitute for double digits year over year and Brands, Gray Line New York, Go- PROI Worldwide, the largest glob- strong content; our team can make earning a reputation for creatively Health, Hess Toy Trucks, IMUSA al partnership of independent PR your ideas come alive and help you telling high-impact stories that in- USA, Indie Beauty Expo, It’s a 10 firms. achieve meaningful media cover- tersect technology, innovation and Haircare, jane iredale, JetSmarter, Clients: Avis, Cars.com, Conti- age. business.

5858 AMAYPRIL 20182015 | WWW..ODWYERPR..COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

In 2016, ARPR earned recogni- Rachael Cassidy, Ben Friedland, tion as one of PR News’ Top Places Kerry Tescher, VPs to Work, and was named Bulldog Jennifer Steinle, VP of Operations Reporter’s Technology Agency James Niccolai, Marc Samson, of the Year. The agency followed Dirs. of Content up by generating quality results Victoria Butler, Mina Manchester, Jen Woods, Acct. Dirs. to be named a Top Tech Agency Elise Chambers, Candice by O’Dwyer’s PR in 2017 as well. DeForest, Katie Garagozzo, Nikki With over 35 awards on its shelf, Garcia, Elena Keamy, Chrissy ARPR’s dynamic approach to cli- Lee, Alexis Meisels, Adam Pryor, ent service tightly integrates me- Katie Sullivan, Scott Westover, dia relations, social media, content Acct. Mgrs. marketing and lead generation and pushes the limits of what a PR firm 45 Main St., #718 Brooklyn, NY 11201 can truly achieve. Just like its tech 347/410-7983 clients, ARPR is always focused on PRopelling what’s possible. Tyler Perry, Partner & Gen. Mgr. Hugh Collins, Sarah Spitz, Amy BackBay Ziari, VPs Chris Heine, Dir. of Content & Communications Media Strategy Lauren Scherr, Dir. of Content 20 Park Plaza, Suite 801 Grace Emery, Acct. Dir. Boston, MA 02116 The ARPR team’s culture is rooted in a simple motto: Believe the best IN Hanna Johnson, Jordyn Lee, 617/391-0790 each other. Want the best FOR each other. Expect the best FROM each Puneet Sandhu, Acct. Mgrs. www.backbaycommunications.com other. Bateman Group is a content-led 14-16 Great Chapel Street services firms including marketing year in a row and was recognized PR agency focused on helping London, W1F 8FL technology companies at every +44 (0) 203 475 7552 strategy, content development, me- in late 2017 as Communications dia relations, brand research and Firm of the Year by M&A Advisor. stage make a positive impact on the way we live and work. We believe Bill Haynes, President & CEO message development, creative de- BackBay also consistently ranks as sign and multi-channel distribution a top ten global PR Agency in The crafting these stories requires a dif- BackBay Communications is of company news and perspectives Deal’s private equity league tables. ferent way of thinking about PR an integrated public relations and to build brand awareness, credibil- and an exceptional team capable content marketing firm focused on ity and drive new business for our of delivering on its powerful possi- the financial services sector, with clients. Bateman Group bilities. We’re distinguished by our special expertise in the private eq- Solely focused on financial ser- people-first culture and progres- 1550 Bryant St., #450 sive workplace policies, allowing uity, asset management and fintech vices since its founding in 2005, San Francisco, CA 94103 industries. With fifteen employees, BackBay has unparalleled industry us to maintain one of the highest 415/503-1818 employee retention averages in the and offices in Boston and London, expertise and strong relationships [email protected] BackBay is a specialty agency with the major business and finan- industry — 90 percent on average www.bateman-group.com since inception. serving companies across the Unit- cial trade media. A boutique agen- www.bateman-group.com/banter ed States, Europe, and elsewhere, cy, every client account is staffed Bateman Group has a very leveraging global partners. with senior team members dedi- Fred Bateman, CEO and Founder well-defined, distinctive compa- BackBay takes a brand-centric, cated to providing clients a high- Bill Bourdon, Partner & Pres. ny culture. The agency’s motto is content-driven approach to devel- Shannon Hutto, Exec. VP & Gen. “Invest in Team First” — in other touch, results-oriented experience. Mgr. oping and executing market po- BackBay was recently ranked words, to deliver exceptional client Paula Cavagnaro, Syreeta service and award-winning work, sitioning and integrated commu- #1 in Boston for financial services Mussante, Exec. VPs nications programs for financial PR by O’Dwyers for the second Elinor Mills, Sr. VP of Content _ Continued on page 60

BackBay Communications: Financial Services PR and Integrated Market- Bateman Group’s Bill Bourdon, Partner and President; Fred Bateman, CEO ing Specialists and Founder; and Tyler Perry, Partner and GM of New York City.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 59 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Jennifer Clarin, Michelle Griffith, BATEMAN GROUP VPs _ Continued from page 59 Boardroom Communications is the agency first must invest in its a full-service public relations and people. While fast growth often integrated marketing agency de- comes at the cost of employee turn- livering results for many of Flori- over, Bateman Group has grown da’s most successful professionals, an average of 33 percent for the corporations, entrepreneurs and last three years with an average non-profit organizations. Now in employee retention rate of 90 per- our 29th year, we leverage the cent — among the highest in the skills and connections of our staff, industry. which includes former journalists, seasoned PR and marketing profes- sionals — to secure earned media. Beehive Clients turn to us when they want Strategic creative solutions to increase visi- bility, establish credibility and ulti- Communication mately make their phones ring. Boardroom Communications 1021 Bandana Blvd. E.Suite 226 helps bridge traditional and new St. Paul, MN 55108 media to generate newspaper, mag- 651/789-2232 www.beehivepr.biz azine, trade journal, radio, tele- vision and online coverage. Our Lisa Hannum, President & CEO digital expertise includes website Becky McNamara, CFO development, blog and social me- Nicki Gibbs, Senior Vice President dia management and email cam- Ayme Zemke, Senior Vice As one of the leading independent PR firms in the country, Bravo Group paigns. Perhaps most important in President­ can help you win tough fights anywhere. today’s Internet-driven economy, Rebecca Martin, Vice President our online campaigns incorporate Beehive Strategic Communica- online research, search engine ahead of trends and will not rest Deforest, VPs optimization (SEO), pay-per- tion uses the power of communica- on the laurels of past successes. tion to build better businesses for a Bliss Integrated Communication click (PPC) and online reputation Our media strategies are meaty, management (ORM). We offer better world. Our energized culture creative and on-point because they is a 42-year old integrated market- fuels fresh insights, creative strat- ing communication agency that full-service branding capabilities are backed by a thoughtful process consisting of logo, ad and collat- egies and meaningful connections that considers the particular world partners with top-tier healthcare, that create enduring value for our financial and professional services eral materials design, copywriting of each brand. and video production. With offices clients. Recent Awards: PR Week, Best companies — and those who live Beehive’s team of senior strat- “in between” — to build reputa- in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Places to Work; LA Business Jour- Palm Beach, Orlando and Tampa, egists and savvy specialists bring nal, Best Places to Work; One Plan- tion and sales through strategic PR, curiosity and optimism to every- thought leadership, targeted digital we are positioned to serve clients et Awards, Gold — PR Campaign across Florida and beyond. thing we do. We have partnered of the Year; One Planet Awards, media and analytics. Bliss focus- with businesses locally, globally Bronze — Product Launch of the es on finding the whitespace that and in virtually every industry. Year makes each business unique, driv- Bravo Group, ing toward business goals and se- That shortens our learning curve. Clients include: AmaWaterways, Inc. And we have especially deep ex- Chronic Tacos, ESPN, Fragrant curing real results. Clients include perience in the education, financial some of the most respected names Jewels, Heat Holders, Marriott Ho- 20 N. Market Square, #800 services, healthcare, and retail and tels, Melora Manuka, Naked Nu- in the industries served; average consumer industries. tenure among large clients is eight- Harrisburg, PA 17101 trition, NutraWise, Omax Health, 717/214-2200 Our expertise includes research, Pathobiome, Performance Bike, plus years. What sets Bliss apart is Fax: 717/214-2205 communication strategy, brand po- Santa Barbara Airport, Simon its dedicated and experienced ex- bravogroup.us sitioning, employee engagement Malls, Spectrum Sports, Weihen- ecutives, an understanding of how Twitter.com/bravogroup and internal communication, pub- stephan and Woodside Homes. to forge deep, long-lasting client Facebook.com/BravoGroup lic relations, social and digital mar- partnerships and an unwavering Instagram.com/bravo_group keting, and crisis communication. commitment to success. Bliss Integrated Want to learn more? Contact us Additional Offices: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. BLAZE PR Communication at [email protected]. Chris Bravacos, President & CEO Member of The Worldcom Public Dennis Walsh, President, 1427 Third Street Promenade Relations Group Boardroom Suite 201 Government Relations Santa Monica, CA 90401 500 5th Ave., 16th Floor Communications Topper Ray, President, 310/395-5050 New York, NY 10110 Communications [email protected] 212/840-1661 Inc. Megan Madsen, VP, www.blazepr.com Fax: 212/840-1663 Communications www.blissintegrated.com 1776 No. Pine Island Rd., #320 Matt Kovacs, President Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33322 When you’re doing everything Elizabeth Sosnow, Meg Wildrick, 954/370-8999 right but you’re still not winning, BLAZE is the go-to PR agen- Mng. Partners [email protected] you turn here. cy for lifestyle brands hungry for Cortney Stapleton, Partner www.boardroompr.com We work on behalf of companies a real piece of the marketshare. Michael Roth, Partner, Healthcare and causes where government and Vicky Aguiar, SVP Julie Talenfeld, Pres. Fresh and seasoned, our boutique Alexis Odesser, Greg Hassel, Don Silver, COO public opinion affect business and agency is comprised of veteran Todd Templin, Exec. VP Julia Mellon, Keri Toomey, _ Continued on page 62 practitioners who stay one step Reed Handley, Sally Slater, Liz Caren Berg, Sr. VP

60 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

Profiles of Ranked PR Firms BRAVO GROUP, INC. _ Continued from page 60 organization objectives. We focus on winning to help clients recog- nize the fight they are in. Whether it be a short-term challenge or long- term problem, we bring together dynamic skills and do everything possible to help our clients win. Our people come from market- ing, public relations, political cam- paigns, digital analytics, research, digital and broadcast journalism, and government. We win because we deliver a superior, choreo- graphed approach using advanced strategies and tools to overcome even the most difficult public chal- lenges. Partial Client Roster: Aqua, American Cancer Society, Chris- tiana Care, Comcast Cable, Dela- ware Healthcare Assn., Genentech, Hospital & Healthsystem Assn. of Crosby President & CEO Raymond Crosby with members of the firm’s leadership. Pennsylvania (HAP), Mercy Ships, New Jersey Resources, Penn- Hilton West Palm Beach, Delray tions Global Network, a consor- others. In addition to its offices sylvania Dept. of the Treasury, Open (ATP Tennis), Chris Evert tium of 50 independent agencies in New York and New Jersey, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, PhRMA, Charities Celebrity Tournament, from markets around the world. agency’s footprint spans across PPL, Transource, The Food Trust, Boca Raton Championship (PGA 115 cities, in 49 countries on six UPMC and Williams. Champions Tour), Boca West Coyne Public continents through its partnership Country Club, Big Time Restau- in The Worldcom Public Relations Relations ® The Buzz rant Group, among others. Group . 5 Wood Hollow Rd. Agency Parsippany, NJ 07054 Crosby COOPERKATZ & 973/588-2000 104 W. Atlantic Avenue COMPANY, INC. www.coynepr.com 705 Melvin Avenue Delray Beach, FL 33444 Annapolis, MD 21401 Additional Office: 101 Bradley Place, Suite 208 410/626-0805 1400 Broadway, 36th & 37th floors Palm Beach, FL 33480 205 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor www.crosbymarketing.com New York, NY 10018 855/525-2899 New York, NY 10016 212/938-0166 [email protected] 917/595-3030 Raymond Crosby, President thebuzzagency.net Fax: 917/326-8997 Joel Machak, Executive Creative www.cooperkatz.com Thomas F. Coyne, CEO Rich Lukis, John Gogarty, Director Julie Mullen, Co-Founder & Presidents Denise Aube, Healthcare Practice Partner CooperKatz & Company is an Leader award-winning public relations Kelly Dencker, Jennifer Elizabeth Kelley Grace, Co- Kamienski, Tim Schramm, Meredith Williams, Government Founder & Partner agency headquartered in New York Lisa Wolleon, Executive Vice Practice Leader City, proudly serving a national Presidents Pam Atkinson, Director of The Buzz Agency is an energetic, client base across diverse industry Connection Planning forward-thinking, women-owned sectors. As one of the Top 10 Indepen- Suresh John, Director of Digital communications firm with offices We combine the muscle of a dent PR Firms in the U.S., Coyne Strategy & Analytics Lindsey Goebel, Director of in Delray Beach and Palm Beach, global agency with the care of a PR delivers programs built on a Content Marketing Florida. Founded in 2009 by South smaller firm. Our six integrated foundation of stand-out creative, Florida-based industry leaders Ju- service areas are public relations, integrated thinking and activation The Crosby team is passionate lie Mullen and Elizabeth Kelley strategy and consulting, social me- capabilities to effectively convey about helping clients Inspire Ac- Grace, The Buzz Agency employs dia and influencer relations, con- messages across paid, earned, tions That Matter™ — actions that a team of dynamic professionals tent marketing, events and a full shared and owned channels for its positively impact people’s lives with collective know-how to man- Creative Services studio. We have clients. These programs have been and contribute to the greater good. age PR, social media and commu- deep expertise in such specialized recognized with more than 900 in- Crosby helps clients make pow- nity engagement for a variety of areas as crisis communications, dustry awards since the agency’s erful connections with their cus- clients, regionally and nationally. media and presentation skills train- inception in 1991 and led to the tomers, constituents and commu- The Buzz team has generated im- ing, video production and more. agency being named the 2016 Best nities to shape attitudes, inspire pressive, award-winning results for Clients include such top brands Agency to Work For Globally by behavior change, and motivate clients in industries such as com- as Coldwell Banker Real Estate, The Holmes Report. action. The firm’s award-winning mercial and residential develop- Memorial Sloan Kettering Can- Spanning 20 industry verticals, campaigns, which integrate paid, ment, travel/hospitality, restaurant/ cer Center and Fiserv. Numerous Coyne’s client roster includes many earned, shared and owned media, retail, corporate/general business awards include “Agency of the of the most respected companies in have touched the lives of virtually and not-for-profits. Year” in our size category from the world and those who want to be, every American. Clients include Aviation Week The Holmes Report and “Best Plac- including The Walt Disney Compa- The firm has specialized prac- Events, Hair Club, Discover The es to Work in New York City” from ny, Hard Rock International, Shell tices in Healthcare, Government, Palm Beaches, Seminole Casino Crain’s New York Business. Oil, Chrysler, Timberland, Pfizer, and Nonprofits & Causes. Clients Coconut Creek, Morikami Muse- CooperKatz is a member of the VTech, Allergan and the United include the Agency for Healthcare um & Japanese Gardens, Galley at PR Council and the Public Rela- States Golf Association, among Research and Quality (AHRQ),

62 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms American Kidney Fund, DAV (Dis- America; SAP National Security planners and the travel trade. Our abled American Veterans), EPA Services; and the Wireless Inter- goal always? Combine smart strat- ENERGY STAR program, Kaiser net Service Providers Association Development egy with the right tactics to deliver Permanente, Military OneSource, (WISPA). Counsellors powerful results. Pacific Western Bank, Qlarant, DCI is globally connected Social Security Administration, Davies International through TAAN Worldwide, a net- USDA, U.S. Dept. of Health & (DCI) work of 46 agencies in 29 coun- Human Services, and The Wallace 808 State Street tries. Foundation. Santa Barbara, CA 93101 215 Park Ave. South, 14th Floor Crosby is #28 on O’Dwyer’s na- 805/963-5929 New York, NY 10003 Dukas Linden tional ranking of PR firms, #7 for [email protected] 212/725-0707 healthcare PR, and is a member www.DaviesPublicAffairs.com www.aboutdci.com Public Relations of the PR Council and American Regional Offices: Denver; Los Los Angeles 100 W. 26th St. Association of Advertising Agen- 310/395-9510 Angeles; Toronto cies (4As). The firm has offices in New York, NY 10001 212/704-7385 Maryland’s state capital of Annap- Washington, D.C. Karyl Leigh Barnes, President, Tourism Practice [email protected] olis and in Washington, D.C. To 202/580-8930 www.dlpr.com see case studies and capabilities, Julie Curtin, President, Economic visit www.crosbymarketing.com. John Davies, CEO Development Practice Andrew Levine, Chairman Richard Dukas, Chmn. & CEO Taylor Canfield, President Seth Linden, Pres. Joshua Boisvert, EVP Carrie Nepo, Chief Financial Dale Curtis Officer Zach Leibowitz, Exec. VP Communications Creating wins for clients facing Dukas Linden Public Relations public opposition and major crises One Agency. Two Specialized (DLPR) is a communications part- LLC for 35 years. Practice Areas. Established in ner for leaders in finance, asset Davies is a full-service strate- 1960, Development Counsellors management, professional ser- International (DCI) focuses exclu- 1120 G Street NW, Suite 450 gic and crisis communications vices, fintech and B2B technology. Washington, DC 20005 agency that employs insightful sively on economic development We create compelling narratives 202/495-3700 public opinion research to craft and tourism marketing. During the that expand our clients’ share of www.dalecurtiscommunications.com thought-provoking materials that last half century, we have worked voice, enhance their brand value [email protected] share client stories. We uncover with more than 500 cities, regions, and — most important — engage Twitter: https://twitter.com/ and motivate vocal public support, states, provinces and countries to key audiences in a global market- dalecurtiscomm soothe crisis and thwart opposition help them attract business invest- Facebook: https://www.facebook. place. through hands-on community acti- ment, visitors and talent. Experts We’re driven by a passion to com/DaleCurtisCommunications/ in economic development mar- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ vation and thoughtful strategy. deliver targeted strategies and cre- in/dalecurtis/ Davies delivers the power of keting and lead generation, DCI ative solutions that provide mea- public support for clients engaged knows how to elevate your com- surable benefits to clients — and Dale Curtis, Founder & CEO in local, state, and federal envi- munity’s image, increase project help their businesses grow and suc- Marsha Smith, Director of ronmental regulatory permitting inquiries and help you create new ceed. Our full suite of integrated Operations battles and land use entitlement investment opportunities and good communications services includes: Founded in 2009, Dale Curtis challenges. jobs for your citizens. Our tourism comprehensive messaging and me- Communications helps companies When trouble strikes, Davies marketing team partners with des- dia relations across multiple plat- and causes advance their public af- manages crisis response with fo- tinations to increase leisure, corpo- forms, content development, crisis fairs agendas through strategic, in- cused management, message driv- rate and association visitor arrivals and special situations communica- tegrated communications in Wash- en communications and strategic and spending. How? By winning planning that calms the media and the support of key influencers — ington, DC and beyond. _ Continued on page 64 DCC provides public-affairs-ori- public storm. media, digital influencers, meeting ented PR and content services to a variety of clients in sectors includ- ing technology, telecommunica- tions, public safety, DC affairs, and nonprofit issues. Each client bene- fits from a customized, integrated strategy and action plan. Our team offers decades of expe- rience in senior positions in Con- gress, the White House, Executive Branch, local government, busi- ness, nonprofits, and the media. In-house specialties include stra- tegic counsel and planning, mes- saging and content, news media relations, digital media, graphic design, video, and events. We also maintain a network of adjunct pro- fessionals in a variety of disciplines who can be activated as needed. Clients have included IPC-The Electronics Association; BSA-The Software Alliance; the High-Tech Digital TV Coalition; InterDigital; LyondellBasell; NASSCOM; NE- NA-The 9-1-1 Association; SAP The Dale Curtis Team. (L to R) Breyana Franklin, Ram Uppuluri, Dale Curtis, Marsha Smith.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 63 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

DUKAS LINDEN PR _ Continued from page 63 tions, online reputation manage- ment and internal communications. We serve clients globally through a strategic partnership with one of the U.K.’s ten largest PR firms. DLPR’s clients include both well-known and emerging compa- nies in key areas of finance, includ- ing: mutual funds, ETFs, wealth management, hedge funds and pri- vate equity, institutional investing, and investment banking. DLPR’s has proven professional services experience within accounting, business consulting, compliance, cybersecurity, economics, risk management, management con- sulting and law. DLPR also has strong experience in fintech and B2B technology. Feintuch senior team members (L-R) Doug Wright, Henry Feintuch, Rich Roher and Rick Anderson Edelman agency is a member of the global sel, experience and tactical support superior business partner in each IPREX network. to a broad range of organizations and every client engagement. 250 Hudson St., 16th Flr. Key industries include B2B, — from the Fortune 500 to emerg- Clients include: BorderX Lab, New York, NY 10013 CPG, economic development, ing companies, non-profits and as- BasisCode, HDMI Licensing Ad- 212/768-0550 healthcare, higher education, man- sociations. ministrator, Healbe, Klarna, Le- Fax: 212/704-0117 ufacturing, logistics, retail, tech- We focus on delivering business clanché, Legrand, LifeThreads, www.edelman.com nology, and travel and tourism. results — helping our clients build MPOWER Financing and ZeeVee. Our integrated model differenti- distribution, sell more products or Edelman is a leading global com- ates the Fahlgren Mortine experi- services, improve their corporate or munications marketing firm that ence by allowing us to pursue the brand image and achieve other busi- French/West/ partners with many of the world’s best solution to our clients’ chal- ness outcomes. And every client Vaughan largest and emerging businesses lenges regardless of the medium. engagement is managed — hands- and organizations, helping them We consistently achieve a Net Pro- on – by a senior practitioner who is 112 East Hargett St. evolve, promote and protect their moter Score placing us in what the responsible for results. We provide Raleigh, NC 27601 brands and reputations. Edelman metric creator deems the “world- clients with an integrated blend 919/832-6300 owns specialty firms Edelman In- class” range, and it means clients of public relations, social media, www.fwv-us.com telligence (research) and United enthusiastically recommend us to advertising/marketing, investor re- Entertainment Group (entertain- their peers. lations, web/digital marketing and Rick French, Chairman & CEO David Gwyn, President / Principal ment, sports, experiential), a joint The agency consistently earns other services. Strategic practice venture with United Talent Agency. Natalie Best, Executive Vice Best Place to Work and Agency of areas include technology; financial President / Director of Client the Year honors from various trade services, fintech; AV; energy and Services / Principal FAHLGREN organizations. clean tech; media and marketing; TURNER, a travel, tourism and and professional services. French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is MORTINE active lifestyle public relations In our delivery of sophisticated the leading integrated marketing agency, is a Fahlgren Mortine com- public relations services, we focus firm in the Southeast and one of 4030 Easton Station, Suite 300 pany. on specific needs - such as media the nation’s 15 largest independent Columbus, OH 43219 public relations, advertising and 614/383-1500 relations, new product launches, Fax: 614/383-1501 Feintuch corporate identity and branding digital media agencies. FWV is the www.fahlgrenmortine.com — as well as broader-based ini- only N.C.-headquartered public re- Communications tiatives including industry analyst lations firm to earn Agency of the Neil Mortine, President campaigns, trade and consumer Year honors, with 19 nominations [email protected] 245 Park Ave., 39th Fl. outreach, social media programs, and 12 wins, including seven in the Aaron Brown, Executive Vice New York, NY 10167 awards and honors programs, past 18 months. The firm is the win- President 212/808-4901 [email protected] speaking platforms and association ner of the Bulldog Reporter 2017 [email protected] marketing. Stars of PR Awards, including the Marty McDonald, Executive Vice www.feintuchcommunications.com President www.PRWorldAlliance.com We serve on the board and are Grand Prize for Best PR Agency of [email protected] a partner in PR World Alliance 2017. FWV earned top honors for Henry Feintuch, President (www.PRWorldAlliance.com), a Midsize and Consumer PR Agency Fahlgren Mortine is an integrat- Richard Roher, Managing Partner global partnership of premier inde- of the Year, and was also named the ed marketing and communications Rick Anderson, Senior Managing pendent communications consul- country’s Most Innovative Agency. company headquartered in Colum- Director tancies. In addition, the firm is the Holmes Doug Wright, Senior Account bus, Ohio, with locations in Cleve- Director Our goal is to provide the expert Report 2016 Consumer Agency of land and Dayton, Ohio; Charles- service, experienced counsel and the Year winner and is a 2018 Mid- ton, W. Va.; Boise, Idaho; Denver, Feintuch Communications is an hands-on support that our clients size Agency of the Year finalist. Colo.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Miami; award-winning boutique strategic need to meet their business objec- Founded in April 1997 by Chair- Chicago and New York City. The relations firm offering senior coun- tives. Our commitment is to be a man & CEO Rick French, FWV

64 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms employs more than 100 public rela- [email protected] GWG, HEAD, Knowles, Littel- increases sales, market share and tions, public affairs, social media, Twitter: @gs_comms fuse, Lord Corporation, Manning- brand affinity. advertising and digital marketing LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin. ton Mills, Martin Marietta, Medi- We combine critical and creative experts between its Raleigh, N.C. com/company/gs-business- cal Mutual, Miele USA, Million thinking to produce ideas and con- headquarters and New York City, communications/ Dollar Round Table, Mitsubishi tent that stem from research and Los Angeles and Tampa offices. Electric Automation, MonoSol, insights to disrupt, educate and en- In addition to ranking FWV Luke Lambert, Pres. & CEO Motorola Solutions, National Ele- gage consumers, media and the in- #14 nationally, O’Dwyer’s placed Mary Buhay, Sr. VP, Marketing vator Industry, Inc., Neolith, Neo- dustry. We believe in research, so FWV #1 in the Southeast, a posi- G&S is an independent business via Logistics, Panasonic, Ply Gem, much so that we invest more than tion it has occupied for more than communications firm with head- Radian Group, Schindler Elevator, $200,000 annually in tools and re- 15 years. Among the top agencies, quarters in New York, offices in Standard Textile, Syngenta, The sources to benefit your business. FWV ranks second in both Beau- Chicago, Raleigh, N.C., and Basel, Nature Conservancy and Trex. Founded in 2006, Gatesman is a ty/Fashion and Sports Marketing, Switzerland and PROI Worldwide privately held corporation owned fourth in Entertainment Marketing affiliates in 50 countries. To tack- Gatesman by partners John Gatesman and and eighth in Agricultural Market- le our clients’ complex businesses Shannon Baker. Gatesman is an ing. The agency’s work in Food & award-winning, full-service pub- and value chains, G&S commu- 444 Liberty Avenue, Suite 700 Beverage, Home Furnishings, Pro- nicators collaborate as divergent Pittsburgh, PA 15222 lic relations practice that ranks fessional Services, Travel/Tourism thinkers who unlock diverse ideas 412/381-5400 nationally within the top 100 inde- and Economic Development, and and refine them to inspire action [email protected] pendent PR firms, and is a partner Environmental/Public Affairs also that drives results. www.gatesmanagency.com in IPREX, a global communica- earned category rankings in the top Facebook.com/GatesmanAgency tion network. G&S focuses on key markets 20. Instagram.com/gatesmanagency/ where we have deep experience Over two decades, FWV has rep- Linkedin.com/company/gatesman- and offer valuable insight: Ad- resented iconic brands like Wran- agency/ Greenough vanced Manufacturing, Agribusi- gler, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, Twitter.com/GatesmanAgency ness and Food, Clean Technology Brand Slim Jim, Justin Boots, Pendleton and Energy, Emerging Technology Susan English, SVP, PR & Social Whisky, Volvo Trucks and many Storytellers Ventures, Financial and Business Media others, as well as the Greater Ra- Services, and Home and Building John Gatesman, CEO leigh Convention & Visitors Bu- Shannon Baker, Partner, 1 Brook St. Solutions. reau, Bassett Furniture, Saft, ABB President Watertown, MA 02472 and Teen Cancer America. We combine our strengths in 617/275-6500 business strategy and tactical We are writers, researchers and www.greenough.biz skills with communications and news hounds. [email protected] G&S Business marketing tools to offer these ar- Gatesman PR tackles your Twitter: @GreenoughPR eas of expertise: B2B Intelligence, toughest business and commu- Facebook: Greenough LinkedIn: Greenough Communications Branding Strategy, Content Strat- nications challenges — whether egy, Creative, Digital & Social, it’s to stand out in a competitive Phil Greenough, Founder and 60 East 42nd Street, 44th Floor Employee Engagement, Insights environment, change perception, CEO New York, NY 10165 & Analytics, Media Relations and protect your reputation or navigate Scott Bauman, EVP and General 212/697-2600 Sustainability & CSR. the rapidly evolving digital world. Manager Fax: 212/697-2646 Chicago: 312/648-6700 Partial Client Roster: Actagro, Our strategic consumer-centric Raleigh: 919/870-5718 AeroVironment, AgTech Accel- model puts your target audiences At Greenough Brand Storytell- Basel: +41 61 264-8410 erator, Cascades, Dow Chemical, at the forefront to motivate ac- ers, client satisfaction is our top www.gscommunications.com Flexible Packaging Association, tion and influence behavior that priority. Great storytelling starts with a boundaryless connection between brand and agency team, and this is measurable. In 2017, we once again scored a near per- fect 10 for being “extensions” of clients’ teams. 100 percent of those same clients surveyed said they’d recommend us to others. Great storytelling is also evident in outcomes. Our client successes begin with “Brand Journalism,” our approach to sourcing, devel- oping and distributing authentic stories. We’re a client’s in-house investigative reporting team, pre- senting industry trends and issues through stories that engage instead of sell — and we earn results for clients through consistent media coverage. We also tap owned and paid channels with integrated mar- keting programs that turn great stories into opportunities to en- gage, build audience affinity and generate leads. Our campaigns more effectively engage viewers, readers and listeners, and this At Greenough Brand Storytellers in Watertown, Mass., client satisfaction is a top priority. The team believes makes them think, share and take great storytelling starts with a boundaryless connection between brand and agency team. meaningful action.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 65 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Fort Lauderdale • New York • Atlanta • Orlando Samantha Jacobs, Founder & President Michael Jacobs, COO Kate Wark, Managing Partner Hemsworth Communications is a full-service public relations agency that specializes in travel and hospitality companies, tourism destinations and luxury lifestyle brands. Capabilities include brand strategy, media relations, promo- tions, social media, event planning, thought leadership and more. With an impressive global reach, Hemsworth leverages its Passion. Insight. Connections. to surpass each client’s expectations. The agency has been hired by compa- Hemsworth Communications launched the first-ever luxury hotel in space, Orion Span’s Aurora Station, earlier nies large and small because of this year. The agency generated more than 1,000 media placements around the world within 72 hours, including its track record for delivering out- feature stories in Robb Report, Conde Nast Traveler, CNN Travel, Fast Company, Space.com, AFAR, World News standing results with a distinctively Tonight with David Muir, BBC and more. personal touch. Ranked one of the country’s fast- Greentarget HEALTH lenging health issues. We have a est-growing agencies each year legacy of advancing landmark de- since its 2014 debut, Hemsworth Global LLC UNLIMITED velopments in global health and has received numerous accolades challenging, hard to treat health Chicago Board of Trade including HSMAI Adrian Awards, 111 Fifth Avenue conditions such as HIV/AIDS, American Business Awards, Ma- 141 W Jackson Blvd., Suite 3100 New York, NY 10003 Chicago, IL 60602 cancer, rare diseases, infectious gellan Awards and more. Founder 212/886-2200 diseases and vaccine preventable 312/252-4100 www.healthunlimited.com Samantha Jacobs was named to PR www.greentarget.com Facebook.com/Health.Unlmtd diseases. News’ Top Women in PR list for Greentarget is a strategic public Twitter.com/health_unltd We drive results for a diverse 2017. relations firm focused exclusively on Linkedin.com/company/health- group of companies and organi- Clients include Air Partner, business-to-business organizations. unlimited zations invested in solving the AmaWaterways, Best Western Ho- Founded in Chicago by John world’s most complex and chal- tels & Resorts, Coral Hospitality’s Tim Bird, CEO Corey and Aaron Schoenherr, Gre- lenging health issues in these ar- Georgia State Parks & Lodges, Karen O’Malley, Global Practice eas. Clients include medical de- Driftwood, Margaritaville, Massa- entarget has become a destination Chair, Public Health and Policy for talent. Our world-class team is vice, pharmaceuticals, government nutten Resort, Oasis Travel Net- Julia Jackson, Practice Leader, agencies, medical societies, advo- infused by the same entrepreneurial US Public Relations and Marketing work, Sonesta Fort Lauderdale, spirit that led to the firm’s creation Communications cacy organizations and consumer TCRM and others. in 2004. Susan Duffy, Chief Strategy health. Officer, US Highwire PR Our culture reflects the firm’s Hemsworth core values: hard work, risk-taking, Health Unlimited is a global authenticity, individual and team 727 Sansome St., #100 health consultancy and communi- Communications San Francisco, CA 94111 growth, and creative thinking. cations agency built by specialists Our proven client-engagement 415/963-4174, ext. 2 with unmatched experience, per- 1011 East Las Olas Blvd. [email protected] process empowers Greentarget cli- spective and expertise. For more Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 www.highwirepr.com ents to direct smarter conversations than 25 years we have been driving 954/716-7614 that influence their audiences, drive info@hemsworthcommunications. Emily Borders, Kathleen results for companies solving the com business objectives and create val- world’s most complex and chal- Gratehouse and Carol Carrubba, ue. Drawing on our deep expertise www.hemsworthcommunications.com Principals and extensive experience in craft- ing multi-layered communications programs, we deliver high-impact results to clients in professional services and others industries. Everything we do is informed and driven by our belief that busi- ness leaders who aspire to thought leadership have an obligation to elevate the conversations they’re participating in. That means em- pathizing with their audiences and delivering valuable insights in ac- cessible, compelling form through both earned and owned channels. Greentarget’s staff of 50 works across our Chicago headquarters and offices in New York, London, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Highwire PR’s March 2018 Company Kickoff.

66 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms company operates in Asia Pacif- ic, Europe and the United States. Unlike traditional agencies handi- capped by their silo structure, The Hoffman Agency applies a collab- orative approach to implementing multi-country campaigns. This leverage of content and thinking across geographies ultimately gen- erates better results. Sample Clients: Adobe, Ap- pAnnie, Axis Communications, Chicago Booth, City of Fremont, Corning, LifeSize, Linde, Mojo Networks, Monaco, Nautilus, Nex- tFlex, Nokia, Nutanix, Revation, SpinTransfer, SuperMicro, Thin Film Electronics and Zscaler

Hollywood Agency

18 Shipyard Drive, Ste. 3A Senior leaders from Asia and Europe join the Hoffman U.S. team for a “portrait.” Hingham, MA 02043 781/749-0077 www.hollywoodagency.com Highwire is built on the promise to shape and tell the stories of the Operations most transformative era in histo- Instagram.com/hwdagency of delivering creative, results-ori- Defining communications broad- Twitter.com/hwdagency ented PR programs for innova- ry. Highwire’s client experience ly to include digital, content mar- Facebook.com/Hwdagency tive companies. Our team is 100+ includes some of the most well keting, thought leadership as well Linkedin.com/company/hollywood- strong and is comprised of veteran known brands in technology in- as traditional PR, The Hoffman public-relations communicators and former jour- cluding Akamai, GE Power, IBM, Agency knows how to differenti- nalists with technology industry Trulia, Qualys, Sunrun and Twilio. ate brands and deliver air cover for Additional Office: San Francisco knowledge from consumer to en- sales. With heritage in the technol- terprise across our offices in San The Hoffman ogy sector, the firm’s work today Darlene Hollywood, principal Francisco, Chicago, New York and cuts across a range of industries. Courtney Curzi, SVP Jeff Dillow, SVP Boston. Agency While campaigns vary by client A full-service communications and industry, all share one theme: At Hollywood Agency, we make agency, Highwire has been recog- 325 South 1st St., 3rd Floor the creation of content that reflects brands famous. Creativity, culture nized by numerous industry lead- San Jose, CA 95113 the tenets of storytelling. This 408/286-2611 and content drive us to ignite prod- ing publications for award winning means developing narratives that ucts, services and ideas that are Fax: 408/286-0133 prompt journalists to write and tar- work and as a top technology agen- [email protected] changing the game. Believing that cy. We’ve achieved this success www.hoffman.com get audiences to read — a far cry strategy and creativity should work with a simple formula: we believe from the “corporate speak” that harmoniously, Hollywood’s inte- in supporting our clients with stra- Lou Hoffman, CEO satisfies internal stakeholders. To- grated services include social me- tegic communications programs Stephen Burkhart, Gen. Mgr., ward this end, the firm conducts dia, media and influencer relations, built to achieve and exceed on North America storytelling workshops for internal Caroline Hsu, Mng. Dir., content creation, events, creative/ business goals. communicators, executives and digital services, and reputation Asia Pacific employees. We work with the world’s in- Mark Pinsent, Mng. Dir., Europe management. novative technology companies Lydia Lau, VP of Global For clients with global needs, the Ours is a serious business we conduct with earnest fun, because campaigns are rooted in imagina- tion ... and nothing stifles imag- ination like severity in approach or sterility of mindset. An inde- pendent boutique in practice and principle, being on our own has never stopped us from having a big impact. We don’t get excited about mo- notony. That’s why we maintain an eclectic mix of clients. We’ve immersed ourselves in the nuanc- es of food, fragrances, education, consumer technology, financial services, and a broad spectrum of B2B endeavors. We’re proud to call the following brands clients: Samsonite, Fine Cooking, TOMY International, HBX, The Edge Fit- ness Clubs, Secure Circle, and Fu- Hollywood Agency’s senior team speak(s) easy of the firm’s commitment to creativity.” sion Worldwide.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 67 w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms HOTWIRE

45 E 20th Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10003 [email protected] www.hotwireglobal.com Social Handles: @hotwireglobal

222 Kearny Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94108

Barbara Bates, Global CEO Heather Kernahan, President, North America Andy West, Chief Development Officer Adrian Talbot, Chief Financial Officer Alex Maclaverty, Chief Operating Officer, President of EMEA & ANZ Hotwire is a global communi- cations agency that helps CMOs better connect and engage with their customers. From Sydney to San Francisco, we operate with a borderless mind-set across 22 The Hotwire team in Barcelona at their annual bootcamp. locations including the UK, US, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and deliver your goals, giving you the Hunter Public Partners: Grace Leong, Jonathan Australia, together with co-brand- best ROI available. Lastly, proud Lyon, Mark Newman, Donetta ed partners in the Netherlands, to serve as the LA partner of the Relations Allen, Gigi Russo, Erin Hanson Belgium, the Middle East and Bra- Public Relations Global Network zil. Together we are #HWlimitless. (PRGN), THO has 45 internation- 41 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor Hunter Public Relations is an al partners in major submarkets New York, NY 10010-2202 award-winning consumer prod- www.hunterpr.com the HOYT around the globe, serving our cli- ucts and services public relations 212/679-6600 firm with offices in New York and ents globally as needed. Contact: [email protected] ORGanization (Samara Farber Mormar) London and a strategic footprint in markets across North America. Beginning with research-driven 23001 Hawthorne Blvd. insights, Hunter executes strate- Suite 200 gic public relations programs that Torrance, CA 90505 build equity, increase engagement 310/373-0103 and drive measurable business re- www.hoytorg.com [email protected] sults for branded consumer prod- fb: @thehoytorg ucts and services. A powerful blend IG: @thehoytorg of media relations, social and dig- twitter: @thehoytorg ital media, influencer engagement, LinkedIn: the-hoyt-organization and events and experiences engag- es the hearts, minds and spirits of Leeza Hoyt, President target consumers. Kent Barrett, VP Founded in 1989 with a spe- THO is a bit twisted and we love cialization in food and nutrition, it. As one of the continuously top- Hunter has grown into one of the ranked Los Angeles Business Jour- most respected mid-size marketing nal’s Independent PR Firms, The communications firms in the coun- Hoyt Organization, Inc., builds try, proudly serving a broad range success by developing strong of esteemed companies and brands strategies using the proper tactical in the food and beverage, home tools, setting the stage for dynamic and lifestyle, consumer services, PR programs. travel, health, wellness and beauty As a full-service integrated sectors. public relations agency serving With more than 120 full-time real estate, financial services, ed- staff professionals, Hunter remains ucational institutions, healthcare committed to delivering exception- foundations and technology-based al boutique-style marketing com- firms, we twist, blend and meld munications services to our clients various communications strategies and providing a rewarding career to make sure your program produc- experience for our employees. We es the best results possible. Noth- accomplish this by focusing on ing more. Nothing less. Founded three areas: earning consumer at- over 25 years ago by Leeza Hoyt, tention, earning client relationships APR, THO establishes our clients and earning staff dedication. Our as national industry thought lead- creative approach and client ser- ers who drive their markets. We The THO Staff viewing the great eclipse. vice-orientation has led to some

68 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms of the most enduring client rela- tionships in the business including Tabasco Pepper Sauce (29 years), 3M (22 years), Church & Dwight (12 years), DIAGEO (11 years) and Johnson & Johnson (10 years). ICR

685 Third Ave., 2nd Floor New York, NY 10017 646/277-1200 [email protected] www.icrinc.com

Thomas Ryan, CEO (tom.ryan@ icrinc.com) Don Duffy, Pres. (don.duffy@ icrinc.com) Established in 1998, ICR part- ners with companies to optimize transactions and execute strate- With more than 120 Hunter staffers and a geographic footprint that includes offices in New York and London gic communications programs with team members based in Miami, Orlando, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Toronto, Hunter PR still comes together that achieve business goals, build once a year for three days of an intensive off-site creativity training and “mandatory fun.” credibility and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm’s high- Gurus, Chunghwa Telecom Co. InkHouse Finagle A Bagel, Freight Farms, ly differentiated service model, Ltd., Cobalt Int’l Energy, Darden General Catalyst, Gradifi, Har- which pairs capital markets vet- Restaurants, Dole Food Co., Fleet- 260 Charles St., #200 vard, Hired, John Hancock Digital, erans with senior communications Cor Technologies, Inc., Fossil, Waltham, MA 02453 Liberty Mutual, Mass Art, Neuro- professionals, brings deep sector Inc., Freshpet, Genuine Parts Co., 781/966-4100 metrix, OSR, Perkins + Will, Ray- knowledge and relationships to Harman, Herbalife Ltd., HubSpot, [email protected] theon, Rockland Trust, Salesforce, more than 500 clients in approxi- IAC, Intel-Mobileye, Jamieson www.inkhouse.com Sisense, Toyota and Zimperium. mately 20 industries. Today, ICR Laboratories Ltd., Jarden Corp., Twitter: @InkHousePR is one of the largest and most La Quinta Holdings, Inc., Legg Facebook: @InkHousePR J Public experienced independent com- Mason & Co., LLC, lululemon ath- Beth Monaghan, Co-Founder & munications and advisory firms letica, Michael Kors, MongoDB, CEO Relations in North America maintaining of- Inc., New Relic, Ocwen Financial fices in New York, Norwalk, Los Corp., Paramount Group, Inc., InkHouse is breaking the agen- 530 7th Ave., #502 Angeles, Boston, San Francisco Planet Fitness, Inc., Red Hat, Inc., cy mold. We’re making traditional New York, NY 10018 and Beijing. Learn more at www. Shake Shack, Starwood Property media relationships relevant again. 212/924-3600 icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at [email protected] Trust, Tyme Technologies, Inc., And we’re breaking down creative www.jpublicrelations.com @ICRPR. VF Corp., Williams-Sonoma, Inc., silos with integrated PR, content, www.instagram.com Clients include: Boot Barn, Wingstop, Wintergreen Advisors social media, design, filmmaking jpublicrelations Cardlytics, Inc., CareDx, Inc., Car- and Workiva and paid editorial all in one place. We value progress over process, J Public Relations is an interna- but we also believe in the power of tional PR and social media agency measurement. We’re bi-coastal, 10 specializing in hospitality, travel years old, 100 people, and one of and luxury lifestyle brands with of- the fastest growing agencies in the fices in New York City, Los Ange- country. les, San Diego and London. JPR is Founded in 2007 by communi- a trusted leader in media relations cations veterans Beth Monaghan and brand strategy, trend forecast- and Meg O’Leary, InkHouse’s ing, brand partnerships, influencer steady growth can be attributed relations, social media strategy to the company’s longstanding and unparalleled media placements reputation for solid PR and con- worldwide. tent campaigns, and deep bench Established in 2005, the of experienced communications award-winning agency has consis- professionals, former journalists, tently risen to become one of the and creative thinkers on staff. With world’s fastest growing agencies offices in Boston, Providence, San in the luxury travel and hospital- Francisco, and now New York, ity spaces. JPR’s global roster in- InkHouse is well-positioned to cludes more than 125 hotels in the serve both national and interna- U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, tional clients looking for dynamic, Dubai, Europe, New Zealand, Asia thoughtful integrated communi- and more. JPR steadily garners and cations campaigns across the U.S. retains notable clients including market. Relais & Châteaux, Jumeirah Ho- Clients: Acacia Communica- tels & Resorts, Vail Resorts Hospi- tions, Bentley University, Carbon tality and Vail Mountain Resorts, Black, Consigli, Crucial, Eaze, Jamie Sigler O’Grady and Sarah Evans, Partners at J Public Relations Ecova, ERA Coalition, Ergotron, _ Continued on page 70

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 69 w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms cial media base, securing thought J PUBLIC RELATIONS leadership, executing eblasts and _ Continued from page 69 SEM campaigns or writing con- tent that contributes to your bot- tom line. Karbo Com has ushered Grace Hotels and many individual in technologies such as the cloud, Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts. SaaS, the Internet of Things, artifi- JPR is listed on the Observer’s cial intelligence, big data, mobile, annual “PR Power 50” as one of advertising tech, security, network- the country’s most powerful PR ing, augmented reality and wear- firms. The agency also garnered able technology. When it’s make or “Top Places to Work” by PR News break, you want the best. You want and “Agency of the Year” by Bull- a team that’s seen it all, yet knows dog Reporter in addition to multi- the latest and greatest trends, tech- ple trade and consumer awards for nologies and tools. At Karbo Com, company culture and brand suc- we have a track record of deliver- cess. The agency has recently been ing revenues, industry leading stat- featured in dedicated articles in Inc. ure, partners and funding. Magazine online and Forbes.com The TDK and Karbo Com team at January 2017 CES. The Karbo Com team has worked as an innovator and gamechanger extensively with both B2B and in travel PR and social media. high-stakes moments, including approach to reach the stakeholders consumer tech companies ranging Sampling of clients: Adare Man- leading communications and po- who drive change and engage oth- from small startups to global, bil- or, Adventures by Disney (project litical strategy for more than $45 ers within their reach. lion dollar brands including Apple, work), Aulani, a Disney Spa & billion in announced M&A. Our JPA is an independent, full-ser- eBay Advertising, the IoT World Resort (project work), Chateau du team of former journalists, po- vice communications agency. We Conference, Equinix, Cisco, De- Grand-Lucé, Chewton Glen, Clive- litical operatives and healthcare are proud of the award-winning fense.Net, NerdWallet, GoDaddy, den House, Discover Baja Califor- executives works alongside every work we get to do every day. We National Geographic, Oracle and nia, Four Seasons Resort Lana’i, client to build a custom strategy invite you to learn more by con- Intel. Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Great Wolf that delivers measurable results in tacting one of our offices: Wash- Clients include: 8th Wall, Fog Lodge, Gurney’s Resorts — Mon- the areas of M&A, issues and crisis ington, DC, Boston, and London. World Congress, Logitech, nCAP, tauk & Newport, Helena Bay, Ho- management, strategic positioning OnScale, Penguin Computing. RTI (Real-Time Innovations), Senzing, tel del Coronado, Iconic Luxury opportunities and systemic change Karbo Brand, InterContinental Los An- management. For more informa- SpaceAI and TDK geles Downtown, InterContinental, tion, visit jarrardinc.com. Communications Washington DC — The Wharf, Konnect Agency Lido House, L’Auberge de Sedo- JPA HEALTH 601 Fourth St., #204 na, Mountain Shadows, Perry Lane San Francisco, CA 94107 888 S. Figueroa St., Ste #1000 Hotel, Rancho La Puerta, Rancho COMMUNICATIONS 415/255-6510 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Valencia Resort & Spa, The Palms [email protected] 213/988-8344 www.karbocom.com [email protected] and The Shore Club, The Resort at 1420 K Street, N.W., Suite 1050 www.konnectagency.com Pedregal. Washington, D.C. 20005 202/591-4000 Julie Karbo, Founder & CEO Jarrard Phillips [email protected] Additional office locations: NYC, www.jpa.com Karbo Communications is a re- Austin Cate & Hancock, @JPAHealthComm spected and innovative PR and dig- www.facebook.com/JPAHealth ital marketing agency that delivers Sabina Gault, CEO Inc. on clients’ business objectives. The Monica Guzman, COO Amanda Bialek, Vice President Carrie Jones, Principal firm’s track record of helping com- The Horse Barn at Maryland Farms Michael O’Brien and Diane Wass, Carmen Hernandez, Managing panies boost sales and out-perform Director 219 Ward Circle Managing Directors formidable competitors draws Brentwood, TN 37027 Kara Taylor, JPA Labs Senior 615/254-0575 Strategist promising and prestigious clients With unmatched business acu- from around the world. Karbo men, Konnect Agency provides 150 N Wacker Dr., Suite 2925 At JPA Health Communications, Com’s services combine perenni- public relations, social media, Chicago, IL 60606 we share our clients’ commitment ally successful and inventive PR marketing and content creation 312/419-0575 to making people healthier. Some programs with the newest growth services for food & beverage, fran- might say we are obsessed with im- hacking solutions. A varied and chise, lifestyle and family brands. [email protected] proving and protecting lives. multi-talented team synthesizes Konnect develops strategic cam- www.jarrardinc.com This ideology inspires our work. the worlds of PR, journalism and paigns that keep brands relevant. David Jarrard, Kevin Phillips, digital marketing — with a Sil- Molly Cate, Anne Hancock It pushes us to combine data and We know what makes a brand at- Toomey, Magi Curtis, Jana heart to go deeper and see beyond icon Valley ethos. The resulting tractive to its target audience and Atwell, Kim Fox, partners the obvious. It drives sophistica- services reflect Karbo Com’s ever how to maximize marketing tactics tion and creativity to solve com- evolving view of what agencies to fast track growth and success. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, plex problems. can do to help their clients. Unlike More than that, we are proactive Inc. is a top-10 strategic communi- JPA’s exclusive focus on health most agencies, Karbo Com ensures collaborators who hustle to deliv- cations consulting firm devoted to means that our biotech/pharma, client teams are always led by se- er exceptional results for lifestyle helping the nation’s health systems device and diagnostics, provid- nior team members on a day-to- brands. Konnect is headquartered and health services companies nav- er and nonprofit clients can count day basis. With Karbo Com, you in Los Angeles with offices in igate confidently through change, on a team with experience and don’t get bench players. You get NYC and Austin. Clients include: challenge and opportunity. With perspective to deliver results. We the industry’s top marketing and Lyft, KRAVE, Sky Zone, Nautica, offices in Nashville and Chicago, generate positive media coverage PR teams working with you every The Goddard School, Kite Hill, Jarrard Inc. has guided leaders at through carefully cultivated rela- day, whether it’s developing posi- Tea Collection, The Flame Broil- more than 400 healthcare organi- tionships. Our influencer relations tioning, placing your company in er, Dave & Buster’s, and Nuna, to zations across the country through model uses a proprietary, targeted top media, growing an active so- name a few.

70 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

marketing communications agen- Donna L. LaVoie, Pres. & CEO cy that specializes in consumer, Douglas Russell, Sr. VP & Gen. Mgr. consumer technology, B2B, corpo- Beth Kurth, VP, IR rate and institutional public rela- Sharon Correia, VP, Integrated tions campaigns that help support Comms. each business’ identified goals. Lisa DeScenza, Asst. VP Through its Promised Results© re- LaVoieHealthScience is a health turn-on-investment program, LCI science focused, award winning provides tangible metrics for your integrated communications agency PR dollars. Clients include: Lucile providing IR and PR to build rec- Packard Children’s Hospital Stan- ognition, sales, and value for health ford, UCSF, Global Alzheimer’s science innovations. Our special- Platform, Walmart, Match.com, ized expertise in pharmaceuticals, California Bank & Trust, Brain biopharmaceuticals, biotechnolo- Health Registry, Carrington Col- gy and medical devices uniquely lege, Save the Redwoods League, positions us to help clients make Peninsula Open Space Trust, their health and science innova- MetLife, Whole Foods Market tions known, understandable, and and more. LCI is a proud member approachable to target stakeholders of the National Gay & Lesbian through carefully executed strate- Chamber of Commerce, is an of- gies and plans. ficial Corporate Diversity Supplier The agency has received 29 and certified as a Small Business awards over the past eight years in Enterprise by the City of San Fran- recognition of the work it has done cisco. LCI is the San Francisco for emerging and established indus- The KYNE team, February 2018. member agency of the Public Re- try leaders in life sciences, pharma- lations Global Network, with 50 ceuticals, health, and government KYNE isn’t just our ability to connect the affiliate agencies worldwide. Call helping our clients from devel- dots. It’s in creating programs that us at: 415/561-0888 or visit LCI opment to launch to commercial- ization. We bring 17 years of case 252 W. 37st Street, Suite 500E achieve real change, leveraging online at: www.landispr.com. New York, NY 10018 our skills, expertise and passion to studies and over 300 proven local, 212/594-5500 break down barriers. We develop LaVoieHealth- national and global strategies to [email protected] and deliver tailored programs to our clients offering direct connec- www.KYNE.com meet each clients’ goals and objec- Science tions to media, investors, advocacy Twitter.com/KYNE_INC tives. We love what we do, we live groups, and KOLs. We are focused Linkedin/company/KYNE on building trust and long-term what we do, and we truly believe in One Thompson Square, #403 Facebook.com/KYNEGlobal what we do. relationships based on the quality Instagram.com/KYNEGlobal Boston, MA 02129 Key Clients: AstraZeneca, The 617/374-8800 of the work that we deliver. Many of our client relationships go back David Kyne, Founder & CEO Carter Center, World Federation of [email protected] Maureen Byrne, Wendy Woods- Hemophilia www.lavoiehealthscience.com over a decade. Williams, Exec. VPs Amy Burstyn, Michael Grela, Michele Kleinmann, Amanda Landis Mulally, Darcy Sawatzki, Sr. VPs, Communications Lisa Mehigan, Director Julie O’Donnell, Global Head of Inc. Digital 1388 Sutter St., #901 KYNE is an award-winning spe- San Francisco, CA 94109 cialty health communications agen- 415/561-0888 cy dedicated to helping improve Fax: 415/561-0778 and save lives. We were founded [email protected] on the belief that communication www.landispr.com is a powerful health intervention. We have deep experience work- David Landis, Pres. Sean Dowdall, Gen. Mgr. ing with foundations, non-profits, Brianne Miller, Bus. Dev. Dir. government organizations and bio- David Cumpston, Dir. pharmaceutical companies around the world to address the most Named America’s #1 PR Agen- pressing health issues. Our team cy (Small Firm) (Ragan’s) and #1 is passionate and committed, with Healthcare PR Agency in America deep experience working across (Ragan’s) and called “the Bay Ar- sectors to make real differences in ea’s consumer/B2B PR and mar- health. But our greatest strength keting communications experts,” San Francisco-based Landis Com- The June issue of O’Dwyer’s will munications Inc. (LCI) is celebrat- profile Travel PR firms, as well as ing more than 25 years in business. Multicultural PR firms. LCI also is a Bulldog Award win- ner for social media and media re- If you would like to be profiled, lations and has been named the #1 contact Editor Steve Barnes at Social Media Agency in the U.S. 646/843-2089 or by TopPRAgencies.com. [email protected] LCI is a full-service public re- lations, digital/social media and LCI hunts for stories. ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 71 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms Lou Hammond issues management and crisis fuels and informs the strategies we communications, awareness and deploy to solve the business prob- Group promotional campaigns, thought lems and communications needs of leader advancement and internal our clients. Ours is a unique “un- 900 Third Avenue communications. der one-roof,” model comprised New York, NY 10022 212/308-8880 In addition to our strength in of in-house researchers, content Fax: 212/891-0200 working with all types of provid- specialists, and seasoned PR pros. [email protected] ers, we have long served as trusted Our Consumer Innovation Group’s www.louhammond.com and strategic counsel to health care shop within a shop structure en- companies that help support hospi- ables our dedicated team of con- Lou Rena Hammond, Founder Stephen Hammond, CEO tals and health systems, particular- sumer brand planners, strategists ly with their business development and social and influencer author- Lou Hammond Group (LHG) is and thought leadership needs. ities to tap into the knowledge of an award-winning firm specializ- Learn more about the firm at the specialist teams and technology ing in the key industries of travel, Lovell.com or on Twitter, Face- brainiacs in our broader orbit. economic development, destina- book or the company blog. We are a multi-award winning tions, food and drink, real estate, agency delivering smart, integrat- lifestyle, and technology. With of- March ed, creative PR programs to a di- fices in New York, Charleston, Mi- verse portfolio of emerging and es- ami and Los Angeles, the agency Communications tablished technology and consumer brands from across the US and has 40 employees offering brand 226 Causeway Street, 4th Floor development, public relations, Boston, MA 02114 around the world. March is recog- digital strategy, social media man- 617/960-9875 nized as a top place to work and has agement and analysis, creative pro- [email protected] offices in Boston and Chicago. gramming, and marketing strategy. For the past three decades, www.marchcomms.com Marketing LHG has been an industry leader www.marchcomms.com/blog/ category/hacks-and-flacks-podcast/ providing superior, results-driv- Twitter.com/marchcomms Maven en services to clients around the Facebook.com/ globe. Founded by industry trail- marchcommunications 1460 Broadway, 1st Floor blazer Lou Hammond, the agency Linkedin.com/company/march- New York, NY 10036 takes pride in remaining fiercely communications 212/967-5510 independent and departing from www.MarketingMaven.com business-as-usual. LHG contin- Martin Jones, CEO [email protected] ues to grow with an emphasis on Cheryl Gale, Managing Director [email protected] digital, social, design, advertising Jodi Petrie, EVP Juliana Allen, SVP Los Angeles Headquarters and branding in an ever-evolving March Communications’ Martin Liz S. Hosman, VP 310/994-7380 media landscape. With quality and Jones and Cheryl Gale. Meredith L. Eaton, VP trust as guiding principles, LHG Erica Frank, VP Lindsey Carnett, CEO & President has developed a proven yet agile Natalie Rucker, Director of Lazar Partners and strategic approach earning it March Communications is a PR Business Development recognition as one of the nation’s and integrated communications 420 Lexington Ave. most award-winning marketing agency. We partner with tech- With offices in Los Angeles and New York, NY 10170 and communications firms. nology and consumer innovation New York City, Marketing Ma- 212/867-1762 brands to shape and share their ven’s combination of PR, social [email protected] stories that bring innovation to life media and influencer marketing www.lazarpartners.com Lovell for companies, buyers and con- helps provide a competitive edge At Lazar Partners, we don’t just Communications sumers. Our insights-first approach to their clients. Marketing Maven deliver your message; we cata- lyze the connections that drive 2021 Richard Jones Rd. business results and enhance your Nashville, TN 37215 reputation. Our clients count on us 615/297-7766 www.lovell.com to deliver proactive strategic rec- Twitter.com/LovellComm ommendations as well as flawless Lovell blog: www.lovell.com/our- execution. For the last 17 years, outlook private and public companies have benefited from our proven ap- With a 30-year track record of proaches to strengthening relation- delivering strategic marketing and ships with healthcare professionals, public relations counsel and excep- patients, third-party organizations, tional client service, Lovell Com- the financial community, the media munications is an award-winning and business partners. Our com- firm serving a national roster of mitment to clients is to forge trust- health care clients. We specialize ing connections that build brand in protecting brand reputations and equity, increase ­goodwill and grow helping health care organizations shareholder value. navigate challenge, opportunity Yet even companies with great and change. reputations sometimes find them- Our firm offers clients deep ex- selves facing challenging situa- perience in every area of health tions that can harm their brand and care communication strategy and we stand with you to manage and management including merger overcome crisis situations. and acquisition communications, Marketing Maven CEO & President Lindsey Carnett

72 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms helps businesses grow their reve- the firm to the top. Our integrated nues by developing campaigns that PR and social media team prides engage a target audience, generate itself on long-standing client rela- sales then utilize advanced metrics tionships and an innate ability to to measure ROI. move within many spheres: tap- Named to the 2017 Inc. 5000 List ping media and industry influenc- of Fastest Growing Companies in ers, forging creative partnerships, America and Entrepreneur maga- uncovering strategic advantages, zine’s 2016 Entrepreneur 360 List and providing global perspective. as one of the Most Entrepreneurial Our campaigns are rooted in re- Companies in America, their ser- search and insights, and we are vices aid national marketing cam- master storytellers and content paigns and product launches with creators who know how to make reputation management, organic news out of simple concepts or SEO tracking, competitive analysis large-scale programs. We forge an reports and online product reviews emotional connection to reach our to help increase revenue. audiences where they live, work Marketing Maven is a federal- and play. ly recognized Native American Industry innovators and thought Owned 8(a) and WOSB certified leaders, NJF is the pioneer of Ho- company. We are also a certified tel Week NYC, and MMGY is the Small Business (SB) with the Cali- On behalf of client Visit Los Cabos, NJF has produced several large-scale author of the widely acclaimed fornia Department of General Ser- events for media and travel agents, featuring tourism board executives, Portrait of American Travelers® vices (DGS) and a certified Wom- local hoteliers and top chefs and mixologists to bring the colors, tastes annual research study. With offic- en’s Business Enterprise (WBE) and sounds of Los Cabos to life and showcase the destination’s diverse es in New York City, Kansas City, with the Women’s Business Enter- tourism offerings. Los Angeles, London, Madrid, Or- prise National Council (WBENC). lando, Washington, D.C. and an in- Specialties include: Multicul- clients and each other. This allows based in Los Angeles and have team ternational partner network, Trav- tural, beauty/fashion, professional us to provide an unmatched level members around the country. We’re el Consul, we serve many of the services, travel/hospitality, home of service, knowledge and exper- all seasoned veterans of global ad- world’s premier travel and tourism furnishings, financial PR/inves- tise to your business and the com- vertising and PR agencies, so we brands. Other MMGY Global areas tor relations, healthcare, food & munications channels that reach offer “big agency” know-how but of expertise include research and beverage, entertainment/sports, your audiences. with a boutique, specialty agency insights, strategic communications technology, environmental/public Clients include: 81qd, Allard, touch. Our virtual model helps your planning and implementation, affairs clients and social media. Allergan, Atlantic Health Systems, budgets go further, and you can rely brand marketing, traditional and Bracco Diagnostics, Cutanea Life on us to help you flourish. social media buying, digital/social MCS Healthcare Sciences, CSL Behring, Genen- media strategy, website develop- tech, Janssen, Level4 Orthotics and NJF ment and management, e-CRM, Public Relations Prosthetics, Merck and PhotoCure. and travel industry relations. an MMGY Global Company Clienst include: Borgata Hotel 110 Allen Road, Suite 303 Merryman 360 Lexington Avenue, 10th Floor Casino & Spa, Canyon Ranch, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 New York, NY 10017 Cheap Caribbean, Enchantment 908/234-9900 Communications 212/228-1500 Hotels, Eurail, Gansevoort Hotel [email protected] www.njfpr.com Group, Harley-Davidson Museum, www.mcspr.com 318 Avenue I, Suite 227 Hotel Vermont, Intrepid Travel, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 Nancy Friedman, Partner ITC Hotels, Lufthansa, One Al- Joe Boyd, CEO 424/262-0708 Julie Freeman, Mng. Dir. Lauren Kaufman, Sr. VP dwych, Playa Hotels & Resorts, Eliot Harrison, President connect@ Pod Hotels, Proper Hotels, Regent Chad Hyett, EVP merrymancommunications.com Jennifer Silvent, SVP www.merrymancommunications.com At NJF, an MMGY Global Hotels, Rhode Island Tourism, Karen Dombek, Laura de Zutter, Twitter: @MerrymanComm company, we inspire people to go South Dakota Tourism, St. Peters- VPs places. As marketers specializing burg/Clearwater, The Asbury, The Betsy Merryman, Managing solely in travel and hospitality, Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel, We have specialized solely in Partner we help put travel brands on the The Bowery, The Colony Palm healthcare communications for map and navigate their narrative Beach and Visit Los Cabos. more than three decades — lon- Merryman Communications through innovative thinking, cre- ger than any other agency. This works closely with healthcare cli- ativity and storytelling. NJF offers North 6th singular focus has earned us the ents ranging from start-ups to For- boutique service and expertise in trust, respect and confidence need- tune 500 companies as a strategic consumer and trade media rela- ­Agency, Inc. ed to handle some of the greatest partner in integrated marketing, tions, social media, corporate and achievements in medicine — from communications, public relations brand positioning, experiential and 50 Greene Street, Floor 3 and digital marketing. We are a New York, NY 10013 the eradication of smallpox, to the event marketing, strategic partner- 212/334-9753 launch of the world’s first cardio- full-service agency, and we offer a ships and promotions, influencer Fax: 212/334-9760 vascular mega-trials, to the map- wide range of capabilities and spe- engagement and crisis communi- [email protected] ping of the human genome. cial expertise to ensure we have all cations. www.n6a.com We are supporting the next wave a client’s needs covered. The Mer- For those seeking senior level of innovations ahead. Our indepen- ryman Communications team has counsel, unwavering brand advo- Launched in 2010, North 6th dence, structure and deep expertise worked across virtually all health- cacy and unrivaled media savvy, Agency (N6A) has grown into an make us uniquely positioned to care industry categories and thera- NJF is a PR powerhouse and one- award-winning brand communica- succeed in the value-driven, pa- peutic areas, including medical de- stop shop. Hundreds of hotel, des- tions agency serving a client roster tient-focused, digital revolution vices and diagnostics, biotech and tination, travel and lifestyle brands of emerging, mid-sized and enter- that’s underway. pharmaceuticals, health IT, health have entrusted their reputations to prise brands from over 30 different We take the time and care to de- plans, hospitals and physician NJF whose “Leave No Stone Un- liver exceptional quality work to groups/IPAs and nonprofits. We’re turned” philosophy has catapulted _ Continued on page 74

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 73 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

market with an understanding that President, Co-Lead Client Relations including The Holmes Report’s NORTH 6TH AGENCY brand equity and reputation are Gene Carozza, Senior Vice North American Corporate/B2B _ Continued from page 73 built by endorsement from a range President Agency of the Year and Bulldog of influencers who receive infor- Dan Martin, Senior Vice President Reporter’s Midsized Agency of mation from a variety of sources. Nikki Festa O’Brien, Senior Vice the Year. Fortune has includ- sectors. As the #1 Fastest-Growing We focus on five core expertise President ed the agency on its lists for 10

Firm in its revenue category in areas: consumer marketing, corpo- PAN Communications is a da- Best Workplaces in Advertising 2016 and one of the 50 Most Pow- rate reputation management, social ta-driven integrated marketing & and Marketing, 100 Best Work- erful Agencies in the United States media, influencer communications PR agency servicing B2B technol- places for Women, 50 Best Small by the New York Observer, we’ve and internal communications. ogy and healthcare brands. With and Medium Workplaces and 50 scaled to the next level, creating a offices in Boston, San Francisco, Best Workplaces for New College culture of speed, service innovation Padilla New York and Orlando, we move Grads. and data practices for our custom- ideas by creating compelling sto- Key clients include Capital ers, while also implementing an 1101 West River Parkway ries, driving intent and influencing Grille, Capitol One, CDK Glob- internal “Compete and Care” cul- Suite 400 (Headquarters) al, Cisco, Eddy V’s, EY, Genpact, Minneapolis, MN 55415 markets across all forms of me- ture lauded as one of the most re- dia. We currently work with sev- Mariner Holdings, MINI USA, warding and unique in the agency 612/455-1700 PadillaCo.com eral leading and emerging brands Oppenheimer, Raymond James, world. Everything we do at N6A nationally and globally including Saint-Gobain North America, follows the six taglines that serve Lynn Casey, Chair and CEO SAP, Radial, MediaMath, Hybris, Sharp, Steelcase, Sterling National as our foundation: “Compete & Matt Kucharski, President Cogito, Sift Science, Maestro Bank, Traveler’s, Wilbur-Ellis and Care,” “Embrace the Pace,” “I Was Health and Fuze, to name a few. Wilmington Trust. Wrong,” “Championship Months,” Padilla is a top 10 independent With a staff of 140+ profession- “Start & End Strong,” and “N6A- public relations and communica- als, PAN offers the agility and Pe rry ccountability.” Our dedicated em- tion company comprised of 210 personalized service of a mid-size ployees are always working one employee-owners. Padilla builds, agency while leveraging national Communications grows and protects brands and rep- step ahead, strategically collaborat- and international relationships to Group, Inc. ing to foster strong media relation- utations worldwide by creating pur- manage large scale communica- ships and deliver the best results poseful connections with the peo- tions programs. An award-win- to our clients. N6A practice areas ple who matter most through public 980 9th St., #410 ning firm experiencing impressive Sacramento, CA 95814 include cybersecurity, cannabis, relations, advertising, digital and growth, we thrive to help today’s social marketing, investor relations 916/658-0144 professional services, technology, modern marketers by integrating www.perrycom.com travel, e-commerce, food and bev- and brand strategy. Padilla includes a combination of services to better erage, and healthcare, among many the brand consultancy of Joe Smith, engage with your audiences and Kassy Perry, Pres. & CEO others. the food and nutrition experts at move markets. Julia Spiess, Sr. VP FoodMinds and the research au- Connected Content — Creative Perry Communications Group O’Malley Hansen thorities at SMS. Clients include Storytelling — Results that Matter! 3M, Barnes & Noble College, Blue is an award-winning, full service Communications Cross and Blue Shield of Minne- strategic communications firm. sota, Hass Avocado Board, Mayo Peppercomm Led by Kassy Perry, PCG shapes 180 N. Wacker Dr., Ste. 400 Clinic, Prosciutto di Parma, Rock- ideas, galvanizes opinions and Chicago, IL 60606 well Automation, Sanofi Pasteur, 470 Park Ave. South influences decisions ultimately 312/377-0630 U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, 4th Floor North leading to social change. The PCG [email protected] the Virginia Lottery and Welch’s. New York, NY 10016 team helps clients positively im- www.omalleyhansen.com 212/931-6100 pact public policy issues not only Facebook.com/omalleyhansen Padilla is a founding member of the [email protected] Instagram.com/omalleyhansen/ Worldcom Public Relations Group, www.peppercomm.com in Sacramento, but throughout Cal- Twitter.com/OmalleyHansen a partnership of 143 independently ifornia and the U.S. PCG tackles owned partner offices in 115 cities Steve Cody, Co-CEO & Co-Founder high-profile issues such as health 6677 Delmar Blvd., Ste. 200 on six continents. Make a connec- Ed Moed, Co-CEO & Co-Founder care, energy and environment, fi- St. Louis, MO 63130 tion at PadillaCo.com. Ted Birkhahn, Partner & Pres. nance and water. 314/721-8121 Ann Barlow, Partner & Pres. West Whether the politically savvy PAN Coast PCG team is managing a compli- 349 5th Ave., Ste. 617 Deborah Brown, Jacqueline cated issue, running a statewide New York, NY 10016 Communications Kolek, Maggie O’Neill, Partners & initiative campaign, leading a 646/561-8508 Mng. Dirs. Mike Friedin, Chief Digital Officer high-profile coalition or helping 255 State St., 8th Floor 2030 Main St., Ste. 1300 clients communicate, shape and Boston, MA 02109 Irvine, CA 92614 Peppercomm is an award-win- influence with a mix of traditional 617/502-4300 949/260-4905 and digital strategies, we achieve [email protected] ning strategic, integrated commu- nications and marketing agency success by building strong rela- Kelly O’Malley, Principal www.pancommunications.com headquartered in New York City tionships with policymakers, the [email protected] media and corporate influencers. Todd Hansen, Principal Boston | San Francisco | New York with offices in San Francisco and [email protected] | Orlando London. The firm connects brands, We excel at working with local and messages and people through state governments. Since the com- O’Malley Hansen Communica- Philip A. Nardone, President & data-driven insights, cross-chan- pany’s founding, we have worked tions infuses the high quality of big CEO nel communications and brilliant with Fortune 500 companies, ma- firm work with the focused client Mark Nardone, Executive Vice customer experience. Employing jor industry associations and chari- service and cutting-edge strategy President an omni-channel approach, the table organizations. that only a nimble, independently Elizabeth Famiglietti, EVP, company uses audience insights PCG provides services for an Human Resources to determine the right mix of tools array of clients including: Bonnie owned strategic communications Phil Carpenter, EVP & Managing agency can offer. We create dynam- Director and platforms to help clients reach, J. Addario Lung Cancer Founda- ic programs that drive positive con- Gary Torpey, EVP Finance engage and influence customers tion, California Assn. of Oral and versations to ensure our clients are Lisa Astor, Senior Vice President, along their path to purchase. Maxillofacial Surgeons, California heard clearly and consistently. Our Co-Lead Client Relations Founded in 1995, Peppercomm Chronic Care Coalition, Pharma- approach breaks through a noisy Darlene Doyle, Senior Vice has received numerous accolades, ceutical Research & Manufactur-

74 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms ers of America, West Health and to the brightest minds at all times. ington, D.C., Rasky Partners offers paigns that reach diverse targeted ZGlobal, Inc. We have the necessary DNA to a comprehensive range of services audiences and deliver strong busi- do both. We challenge our clients including media strategy and pub- ness outcomes. Specialty practices to do more to stay ahead and de- lic relations, government relations, include consumer, travel, health, Prosek ParTners mand that they challenge us to be reputation management, crisis entertainment, education, profes- accountable. We drive communi- communications and digital media. sional services, real estate and 105 Madison Ave., 7th Floor New York, NY 10016 cations that are strategically sound The firm works with a wide array technology. A few of our Break- 212/279-3115 and strive to forge personal rela- of clients that includes Fortune 100 out Brand clients include: Bank Fax: 212/279-3117 tionships, breakthrough results and companies, trade associations, coa- of America, Brown & Brown In- [email protected] lasting impact. litions, nonprofits, think tanks and surance, Cleveland Clinic Florida, www.prosek.com Racepoint is redefining what it foreign governments. Cross Country Home Services, means to be an intelligence-driv- As an independent firm, Rasky DHL Express, Embassy Suites by Partners: Jennifer Prosek, Mark en marketing agency. We deliver Partners has the flexibility and re- Hilton, FirstService Residential, Kollar, Russell Sherman, Andy accountability based on our abil- sources to address complex com- Florida International University, Merrill, Mickey Mandelbaum, Caroline Gibson, Karen Niovitch ity to better understand your cus- munications challenges with a Florida Power and Light Company, Davis tomers, their psychology and how commitment to serve our clients’ Hampton by Hilton, Jackson Health they consume information. The interests first. We are dedicated System, Merck Serono, Dreams Prosek Partners is among the key is our proprietary software, to providing consistent, strategic and Secrets Resorts & Spas, Virgin largest independent public relations FieldFacts. It’s the industry’s best hands-on engagement at all levels, Voyages and Winegard Electron- firms in the U.S., and one of the tool for identifying influencers and as each client team — including ics. With offices in Miami, Fort few domestic, mid-size firms that targeting them where they engage the senior professionals — is high- Lauderdale, Los Angeles and the offers global capabilities through verbally, visually and emotional- ly engaged, from the beginning to New York area, we serve clients its London office and international ly. Armed with this intelligence, the end of each client engagement. throughout North America and our network. We deliver an unexpect- we give our clients PR, advertis- international reach extends to 100 ed level of passion, creativity and ing and precision-marketing cam- cities in 50 countries as a partner of marketing savvy to the financial paigns that speak to the right peo- RBB PROI Worldwide, the largest glob- and business-to-business sectors. ple at the right time. COMMUNICATIONS al network of independent commu- Our “Unboxed Communications” Racepoint Global services world- nications agencies. approach brings breakthrough class brands including Huawei, 355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 800 ideas and unmatched results to ev- Panasonic, Dassault Systèmes, Miami, FL 33134 ery client engagement. AT&T, Advance Medical, Stanford 305/448-7450 RF | Binder We are a rare hybrid; a corporate Children’s Hospital, Forrester Re- www.rbbcommunications.com Partners, Inc. communications firm with a fully search, Harman and more. Christine Barney, CEO & integrated, top-ranked deal shop Racepoint Global is headquar- 950 Third Ave., 7th Floor and a comprehensive investor rela- tered in Boston, with offices in Managing Partner Lisa Ross, President New York, NY 10022 tions practice inside. Washington, D.C., San Francisco, 212/994-7600 Raleigh, London, Hong Kong, Bei- Tina Elmowitz, Executive Vice Through our gateway office in President [email protected] London and network of partner jing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Laura Guitar, EVP, Crisis www.rfbinder.com agencies, we can deliver for clients Communications & Issue in major business and financial Management Amy Binder, CEO centers around the world. Rasky Partners Sandra Fine Ericson, Senior Joseph Fisher, Vice Chairman Vice President, Director of Results Jason Buerkle, CFO We are an “Army of Entrepre- Atalanta Rafferty, Executive neurs™.” Our creative, entrepre- 70 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor Measurement Abdul Muhammed, Chief Digital Managing Director, Food & neurial culture attracts and retains Boston, MA 02110 Beverage 617/443-9933 Officer the most talented professionals. Zonnia Knight, Creative Director Josh Gitelson, Head of Boston Office Prosek currently advises $10 tril- 555 11th Street, NW, Suite 401 lion in client assets. rbb Communications champions Bill McBride, Executive Managing Washington, DC 20004 Director, Corporate & Financial Added offices in LA and Bos- 202/530-7700 breakout brands with integrated ton, expanded transactions com- Services marketing, digital and public re- Annie Longsworth, Executive munications and issues and crisis www.rasky.com lations strategies that bring clients Managing Director, Social Impact management services, as well as [email protected] closer to their customers, share- David Weinstock, Chief Creative ramped-up strategic digital capa- Twitter: @RaskyPartners holders, influencers or employees. Officer bilities, allow us to meet clients’ https://twitter.com/RaskyPartners Strategic insights, innovative cam- evolving needs. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/ RF|Binder is a full-service, in- company/rasky-partners paigns and a collaborative culture Facebook: https://www.facebook. leads to engaged audiences and dependent communications con- Racepoint com/RaskyPartners/ customer and staff passion that in- sultancy headquartered in New Instagram: https://www.instagram. spires action and delivers bottom York City, with offices in Boston, Global com/raskypartners/ line results. Recognized multiple Los Angeles, and San Francisco. times as “Agency of the Year” At RF|Binder, we build transfor- 53 State Street, 4th Floor Larry Rasky, Chairman & CEO and “Best Agency to Work For,” mative integrated communications Boston, MA 02109 Ron Walker, Chief Operating programs that address business Officer rbb’s 70+ professional and creative 617/624-3200 staff excels in corporate commu- challenges. Our campaigns con- Fax: 617/624-4199 George Cronin, Managing Director Justine Griffin, Managing Director nications, digital marketing, com- nect with key stakeholders, build [email protected] corporate reputations, and educate www.racepointglobal.com munity relations, reputation man- Rasky Partners is a nationally agement, influencer engagement on important issues, to ultimate- Big Agency Results. Small recognized public and government and media relations. rbb’s family ly define and distinguish industry Agency Touch. relations firm with more than a de- of brands compliment the firm’s leaders. Racepoint Global combines the cade of experience providing ex- PR expertise offering advertising, We pride ourselves on being an power of worldwide reach with ceptional client service to organiza- creative, digital strategy, crisis agency of entrepreneurial thinkers personal attention. Our clients ex- tions that operate at the intersection management, social media and who always challenge convention, pect everything to be bigger, better of business, politics and media. web development teams to create and bolder. They also want access With offices in Boston and Wash- 360-degree multi-platform cam- _ Continued on page 76

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 75 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

RF | BINDER _ Continued from page 75 in an effort to help our clients think, act and be different. We work with companies, brands and institutions that are building or seeking better solutions for peo- ple and businesses, to impact the issues and opportunities facing the food and beverage, health and wellness, education, and financial services industries, and impact- ing both corporate and consumer stakeholders. With our always-on As part of its work in the nonprofit sector, Rosica is agency-of-record for NJ Sharing Network. The agency growth mindset, we are constantly builds awareness surrounding the importance of organ and tissue donation. discovering new ways to achieve greater relevancy, ignite more meaningful connections, and stone Meats, Whirly Bird Granola sales and communications goals. [email protected] build stronger relationships, to … and so many more. In 2017, Rosica formed a joint www.schneiderpr.com ultimately support and invigorate venture with New York City-based Feintuch Communications, which Joan Schneider, CEO & Founder businesses’ bottom line. RF|Bind- Rosica Phil Pennellatore, President er initially was formed in 2001 as specializes in Tech PR, analyst re- lations and investor relations. part of the Ruder Finn Group and Communications Creating a standout campaign has been an independent agency Our process includes: • Strategically identifying our in a converged media world re- since 2014. For more information 2-14 Fair Lawn Ave. quires a team of talented integrat- visit www.rfbinder.com. Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 clients’ business and marketing 201/843-5600 goals/objectives ed marketing strategists. Enter [email protected] • Identifying target audiences, Schneider Associates — we are RMD www.rosica.com influencers and key opinion lead- passionate about conceptualizing Advertising www.causemarketingbook.com ers targeted, impactful and measur- • Honing the positioning, story able campaigns that activate paid, Chris Rosica, President earned, owned and shared chan- 6116 Cleveland Ave. and key messages, tailoring mes- nels to deliver game changing Columbus, OH 43231 Rosica Communications is an sages to each audience 614/794-2008 • Developing measurable, in- outcomes. Our agency has a track www.rmdadvertising.com integrated PR and online market- record of launching, re-launching ing company that promotes and tegrated and creative PR, social [email protected] media and internal/external com- and accelerating growth for new Facebook: www.facebook.com/ protects companies, brands and products, services, companies, RMDAdvertising people. Founded in 1980, the firm munications programs • Proactively communicating institutions, organizations and Twitter.com/rmdadvertising serves a diverse healthcare, B2B, communities. We know how to Plus.google.com/+rmdadvertising nonprofit, consumer products, with clients • Aggressively securing results, craft integrated communications Youtube.com/user/rmdadvertising food and beverage and corporate programs that create a ripple ef- Pinterest.com/rmdadvertising clientele. Our PR and communi- evaluating against pre-determined Instagram.com/rmdadvertising strategic objectives fect among media, influencers and cations capabilities include posi- customers for a wide range of ed- Executives: Sue Reninger, Donn tioning and messaging, thought • Repurposing and leveraging content and PR coverage to aug- ucation, corporate, public affairs, Ditzhazy, Sarah Walters, Ben leadership, media relations, social and consumer clients. CEO Joan Gullett, Donnelly Ditzhazy, Katie media management, influencer ment SEO, sales activities, online reputation, tradeshow marketing, Schneider has written two books Dolder, Kendra Clark, Rachael marketing, crisis communications, on new product launch, as well as Adams, Jeff Martin, Kennedy content marketing, corporate com- analyst relations, and direct mar- Ditzhazy keting. several articles for the Harvard munications, cause marketing, Clients include: Alzheimer’s Business Review, including “Why RMD Advertising is an inte- direct marketing, and media train- Most Product Launches Fail.” grated advertising, digital, brand ing. Rosica’s social media services New Jersey, BeneCard, BioRefer- ence Laboratories, Boys & Girls Schneider Associates is a full-ser- strategy, social media and public include strategy, management, vice integrated marketing and relations agency that specializes branding, content development Clubs in New Jersey, Bridor, Dynarex, Exergen, Jewish Voca- public relations agency specializ- in serving challenger food and and optimization, and follower ®. tional Service, National Vision ing in Launch Public Relations beverage brands. It’s all we do. acquisition. Our online marketing Agency services include integrat- Administrators, Newark Pub- Our brands are category champi- team, based in New Windsor, NY, ed marketing, lead generation, lic Library, Celsius, NJ Sharing ons... brands that have carved out is a Google Certified Partner and brand development, messaging, Network, T & M Associates, and a strong niche for themselves, and specializes in SEO, online reputa- media relations, social media, TriStar Products prefer to work with a food agen- tion, reviews management, online special events, creative design, Please visit www.rosica.com for cy that’s as committed to their advertising (PPC and social ads), web design, digital marketing, case studies and additional infor- growth as they are. website development, and Word- influencer marketing and crisis mation. Our ideas address our clients’ Press security. communications. Learn more at challenges with solutions em- As a “thinking partner” focused www.schneiderpr.com bodying the words smart, cre- on achieving our clients’ objec- Schneider Clients include: Berkshire ative, sharp, passionate, problem tives, Rosica creates and executes Associates Choral International, Brighton solving and gratitude. We’re thought leadership programs with Marine, City of Revere, Cubic proud to serve amazing love clearly defined KPIs/metrics. We Member of the Worldcom Public International, Cushman & Wake- Relations Group brands, including Big-Jac Dog craft compelling, authentic stories field, J. Calnan & Associates, In- Food, Graeter’s Ice Cream, Nest- and messaging then effectively 2 Oliver Street, Suite 402 Crowd, Landmark College, LCB Fresh Eggs, Southern Recipe Pork disseminate our client-partners’ Boston, MA 02109 Rinds, Wholly Wholesome, Key- good news while supporting their 617/646-3348 _ Continued on page 78

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Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

SCHNEIDER ASSOCIATES Spark _ Continued from page 76 2 Bryant St. San Francisco, CA 94105 Senior Living, Fisher College, 415/962-8200 Maugel Associates, Foundation www.sparkpr.com for Metrowest, MIT Sloan School [email protected] of Management, Northeastern Twitter: twitter.com/sparkpr University, Posternak Blankstein Facebook.com/Sparkpr.Agency Linkedin.com/company/sparkpr & Lund, Rutgers Business School, Instagram.com/sparkpr Strategic Decisions Group/Whar- ton Business School, Sunstar Alan Soucy, CEO GUM®, Town of Chelmsford, Donna Burke, Co-Founder UNICON Executive Education, VHB, Welch’s and William James From startups to Fortune 1,000 College. members, Spark specializes in helping technology-focused and Spark’s headquarters in San Francisco. innovation-minded companies ScoutComms, transform their brands by bringing proudly independent. Health and retail and franchise brands through Inc. powerful narratives to life through science communications is the media relations, social media strat- public relations and integrated mar- only thing we do. We live and egy, influencer campaigns, events, keting programs. breathe science and storytelling brand storytelling, spokesperson 521 Sophia St. Fredericksburg, VA 22401 The agency’s full suite of services and clients reap the benefits of our training and crisis management. 540/208-2950 includes content and social devel- relentless dedication. While many SPM’s cross-trained team of PR [email protected] opment, programmatic distribution agencies have a dedicated health- pros, media relations specialists, www.ScoutCommsUSA.com and other forms of paid media, and care practice, Spectrum is further social media strategists, corporate Twitter.com/ScoutComms data-driven insights to inform stra- specialized to deliver the most rel- communications experts and for- Facebook.com/ScoutComms tegic planning and measure go to evant strategies and counsel with mer journalists approaches each market plans. Spark also provides five unique practice areas: biotech, client’s brand holistically. Wheth- Fred Wellman, Founder and CEO comprehensive strategic commu- biopharma, consumer science, er the client is a category-leading Lauren Jenkins, VP & Mng. Dir., health tech and public affairs. national powerhouse or a start-up, Scout Insight nications & marketing services Brian Wagner, VP & COO for blockchain and cryptocurren- Our in-house teams of digital and SPM works to build their brand Chance Browning, Assoc. VP cy leaders through its Sparkchain creative experts (the LAB), Ph.D. through integrated, high-impact division. From guiding successful scientists and precision communi- campaigns that encompass paid, ScoutComms is the nation’s token sales to growing companies cations specialists are embedded earned, shared and owned media leading agency dedicated to pro- post-ICO, Spark has emerged as within our account teams, deliver- elements, with ROI measured us- viding services that support vet- the preferred partner for these high- ing fully integrated strategic solu- ing the most forward-thinking, erans and military families. We ly specialized services across the tions that meet clients’ business ethical analysis. work with Fortune 500 corpora- globe. goals. This breadth of experience Our “No Jerks” policy, which tions, veteran-owned businesses, Spark’s clients are some of the brings a unique mix of scientific was featured in the Wall Street non-profits, and others to help world’s most innovative startups rigor and contemporary smarts to Journal, is the core of SPM’s cul- them increase and sustain their and industry leaders, including all of our work across a full suite of ture. It means we foster an atmo- positive impact for those who have eBay, Electronic Arts, Flickr, Mo- communications services. sphere of mutual respect and trust served. zilla.org, Nokia, NVIDIA, Skype, Spectrum is the founder, US among clients, team members and We are an award-winning Certi- The Economist, Trulia, Verizon, partner and chair of GLOBAL- company leaders, leading to great- fied B Corp and a Service Disabled Visa, Walmart Labs, and Yahoo!. HealthPR, the largest independent er creativity, productivity, long- Veteran Owned Small Business Many of Spark’s startup clients health and science communica- term account stability and true and one of the first B Corps in the successfully exit through acquisi- tions agency partnership world- partnership between agency and world focused on veteran and mil- tions or go public through IPO. wide. This year, Spectrum was client. itary family community issues. In named “Top Millennial Company” Clients include: Bruegger’s 2016 and 2017, we were named as and “50 Fastest Growing” by The Bagels, Blue Top Creamy Hot a “Best for the World” honoree. Spectrum Washington Business Journal and a Sauce, Cicis, Cotton Patch Café, We like to think of ourselves “Best Agency to Work For” by The Gold’s Gym, Haggar Clothing Co., as being a mile deep and an inch 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Holmes Report. Kirkland’s, Lantana Foods, Lemi 2nd Floor wide, providing a comprehensive Washington, DC 20007 Shine, Main Event, Mimi’s, Noth- suite of services — spanning the 202/955-6222 SPM ing Bundt Cakes, Smoothie King, fields of communications, digital www.spectrumscience.com Boys & Girls Clubs of Great- and social engagement, advocacy, Communications er Dallas and Travis Frederick’s philanthropic strategy and market 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE Blocking Out Hunger. research — to empower organiza- Ste. 8500 Inc. tions that are led by or work with Atlanta, GA 30308 TAYLOR the nation’s service members, vet- 2030 Main St., 3rd Floor 125 S. Clark St., 17th Floor Dallas, TX 75201 erans and military families. Chicago, IL 60603 The Empire State Building Clients include: The Home De- 214/379-7000 24-hour media line: 817/329-3257 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3800 pot Foundation, GORUCK, Vet- 250 Vesey St., Ste. 2630 www.spmcommunications.com New York, NY 10118 eran Tickets Foundation, Give an New York, NY 10281 212/714-1280 212/468-5340 Hour, Student Veterans of Ameri- Suzanne Parsonage Miller, Fax: 212/695-5685 ca, Vets4Warriors, USAA Educa- Pres. & Founder www.taylorstrategy.com Jonathan Wilson, President & tion Foundation, USAA Corporate CEO Responsibility, Veterans Cam- Founded in 1999, SPM is a Dal- 312 Arizona Ave., 3rd Floor Santa Monica, CA 90401 paign, and Paralyzed Veterans of Spectrum is both one of the na- las-based PR agency with national America. tion’s leading health and science reach, promoting and protecting 200 E. Randolph, Suite 5100 communications agencies and lifestyle, apparel, food, restaurant, Chicago, IL 60610

78 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Dean Trevelino, Founder and Principal, 404/214-0722 X106 Genna Keller, Founder and Principal, 404/214-0722 X105 Outcome-Driven. Beyond ser- vices, industry practices and even results, come to us if you have a specific outcome you’re trying to achieve. We’ll use our reputa- tion marketing suite of services — public relations, digital/social marketing, demand generation and creative services — to deliv- er. We feature four — Thought Leadership, Growth, Engagement and Valuation. And yes, there are nuances to each of these, but most of our clients land on one of those outcomes as part of their strate- gic objective. Have your own Taylor CEO/Managing Partner, Tony Signore. outcome, great. Serve it up and we’ll give you our honest take on tionships, and proven experience to 10150 Mallard Creek Road whether we can achieve it. Beyond Suite 300 connect leading industry organiza- outcomes, we connect with clients Charlotte, NC 28262 tions with the audiences that mat- whose leadership aligns with one ter most. Now part of the Evoke or more of our market focuses — 3340 Peachtree Rd. NE Group — a collection of leading Disruptive Forces, Category Pio- Atlanta, GA 30326 health marketing agencies bound neers, Stealth Leaders and Wonder by a common purpose of making Tony Signore, CEO & Managing Women. So ask yourself, do you “Health More Human™” — we Partner have a story to tell along these offer our clients customizable ser- Bryan Harris, COO & Managing lines. If so, then we already con- vices based on their specific needs. Partner nected on a more meaningful level Trevelino/Keller’s “Team within John Liporace, Managing Partner We translate the science behind than the superficial service and ex- a Team” culture has not only in- Maeve Hagen, President/Taylor health and wellness companies, perience criteria. fluenced its path to the industry’s Charlotte products and services into mean- As far as the experience goes, we #1 retention rate [having lost one ingful stories that get heard, always Taylor is a brand counselor and have seven practices, six ranked person to an agency in 15 years], striving to achieve our clients’ ob- public relations partner to a select nationally — technology, health, but it has also nourished and con- jectives on time and within budget. portfolio of the world’s leading financial services, food & -bever Tonic has dual headquarters in ditioned its staff’s ability to deliver consumer brands. Named “Con- age, lifestyle and environment. the US (Philadelphia) and UK highly measurable and business sumer Agency of the Decade” by Franchising, the agency’s seventh (London). We keep good compa- critical outcomes. The Holmes Group, Taylor has practice, is in an unranked catego- ny and have long-standing part- partnered with the most influen- ry, but it has featured brands such nerships with leading healthcare tial corporate marketers, utilizing as TCBY, Johnny Rockets, Corner organizations including Allergan, Vested lifestyle, sports and entertainment Bakery Café and Moe’s Southwest Bayer, Eisai, Johnson & Johnson platforms to drive consumer en- Grill. Based in Atlanta’s urban and Teva. Recent awards include: 22 W. 38th St, 9th Floor gagement. Founded in 1984, Tay- westside, the firm operates Groovy PharmaTimes International Com- New York, NY 10018 lor is headquartered in New York Studios, a creative arm that offers munications Team of the Year; 917/765-8720 with offices in Los Angeles, Chica- graphic design, web services, con- CLIO Healthcare; Sabre Award [email protected] go, Charlotte and Atlanta. Discov- tent development and brand iden- www.fullyvested.com (The Holmes Report); and PM360 er how “We’re Built Differently” at tity. Since its inception, Groovy Twitter.com/vestedsays Greatest Creators. taylorstrategy.com. Studios has received more than 45 Clients include: Adaptimmune; Clients: Activision, Allstate, creative awards. It owns and runs 3 Waterhouse Square, 138 Holborn Allergan, Inc.; Bayer; Eisai Co., Capital One, Circle K, Comcast, the Winepreneurs.Club, an initia- London EC1N2SW, UK, Ltd.; Ferring Pharmaceuticals; +44 (0)203 890 8122 Diageo, DraftKings, Fox Sports, tive that brings together entrepre- Glenmark Pharmaceuticals; Idera IBM, Keurig, Mercedes-Benz neurs and small batch winemak- Pharmaceuticals; Incyte Corpora- 232 Scott St. USA, Nestle, Panini America and- ers to sip, taste and connect. The tion; Janssen Biotech, Inc.; Janssen San Francisco, CA 94117 P&G. firm’s Start-Opia platform houses Global Services; Janssen Pharma- its technology and entrepreneur Dan Simon, CEO ceuticals; Janssen Research & De- endeavors that establish it as a first [email protected] Tonic Life velopment; Life Sciences Pennsyl- mover in the region with support Binna Kim, President vania; Olympus Pharmalex; Reckitt Communications for Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta [email protected] Benckiser; Teva Pharmaceuticals Tech Angels, Tech Alpharetta, Kei- Ishviene Arora, COO [email protected] One South Broad, 9th Floor and Zynerba Pharmaceuticals. retsu Forum, Launch Pad2X and Elspeth Rothwell, UK CEO Philadelphia, PA 19107 Raise Forum. [email protected] 215/625-0111 Trevelino/Keller Client work features a mix of www.toniclc.com publicly traded, middle market and Vested is a global and integrated 981 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., #100 Maryellen Royle, Global CEO startup companies, including Atlan- digital communications firm cater- Atlanta, GA 30318 ta Tech Village, Belgard, Biocept, ing to financial and fintech clients. 404/214-0722 Tonic Life Communications is a [email protected] Carvana, Ciox, Discovery Point, The firm’s founders created Vested global public relations and stake- [email protected] Factor Trust/TransUnion, Interface, in 2015 with a vision to be differ- holder engagement agency that www.trevelinokeller.com Monkey Joe’s, Sakrete, Sita, SOC uses its knowledge, influencer rela- www.groovy-studios.com Telemed and Stretch Zone. _ Continued on page 80

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2018 79 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

VESTED teching. Inc., and The Holmes Report have assignments throughout the U.S. W2O Group was named a 2018 _ Continued from page 79 recognized in their Top Company and internationally (including cli- Midsize Agency of the Year Fi- Cultures list. We’re experts in B2B ents in New Zealand, Australia, ent — different about the work we nalist by The Holmes Report, was and technology and have focuses Canada, and Iceland, and work do and how we approach it; and ranked #1 in O’Dwyer’s ranking of in electronics, education technol- throughout Europe and the Middle also different about the people we Texas PR Firms and was ranked ogy, enterprise software, fintech East), Weiss PR has stayed true to employ and how we treat them. #18 in PR Week’s Global Agency and marketing technology to name its vision to provide clients with Our unique approach merges deep Business Report in 2018. Chair- a few. We have partnered with and ideas built on strategy — not egos financial expertise with creativity man and CEO Jim Weiss was hon- built strategy for the likes of Ac- — from a team of senior public to deliver award-winning, inte- ored a “Lifetime Achievement” centure, Worldpay, CloudCraze, relations professionals who are grated campaigns for our global award by The Holmes Report, Spout Social, G2 Crowd, Hyper- committed to providing exception- clients. named on the “Health Influencer wallet and Miller Heiman Group. al service, great work, and measur- Entrepreneurial to the core, 50” list by MM&M in 2017, and When looking for PR and digi- able results. Vested is a founding member of the was honored as a member of PR tal marketing services, you need Global Fintech PR Network and Week’s Global Power book list in a partner who understands your WordWrite launched the industry’s first agen- 2017, 2016 and 2015. President industry and is setting the prece- cy-run investment group, Vested Jennifer Gottlieb was inducted dent for integrated storytelling that Communications Ventures. into PR Week’s “Hall of Femme” delivers impactful results. Walk- LLC Say hello at info@fullyvested. in 2018. President Bob Pearson er Sands is filled with brilliant, com. was honored as a member of PR determined marketing scientists, 411 Seventh Ave., Suite 1125 The agency supports a range of Week’s Global Power Book list in but our culture revolves around Pittsburgh, PA 15216 firms across the financial spectrum, 2017, 2016 and 2015. For more more than just work. We’ve put 412/246-0340 from established global institutions information, please visit www. the tools, programs and philoso- www.wordwritepr.com to disruptive fintech startups, such w2ogroup.com phy in place to make our agency as: Avanade, Axioma, Backstop a place where employees can live Paul Furiga, President and CEO Solutions, Bloomberg, Bloomberg Walker Sands up to our core values: to constant- Jeremy Church, VP and Partner Tradebook, BNY Mellon, Boston ly learn, support each other, and Hollie Geitner, VP Private, Cambria, ClearStructure, 55 W. Monroe, Suite 3925 do exceptional work. And that’s Your story is your organization’s Current, Diebold Nixdorf, DTCC, Chicago, IL 60603 Walker Sands. most powerful marketing asset. Elevate Credit, Finastra, Golub 312/267-0066 It explains why you do what you Capital, Mediant, Morgan Stanley, Fax: 312/876-1388 WEISS PR, INC. do, why someone should buy from Museum of American Finance, [email protected] you, work for you, invest in you www.walkersands.com Oakam, PeerStreet, Remesh, 101 North Haven Street, Suite 301 or partner with you. It drives your Quantitative Brokers, REX, By focusing in B2B tech and Baltimore, MD 21224 success. Rockefeller Capital Management, 410/303-5019 professional services companies, WordWrite helps you share your SmartBiz Loans, Virtus Real Es- [email protected] great, untold stories with every- tate, Wirecard and WorldRemit. Walker Sands has helped hundreds www.weisspr.com of leading B2B brands build brand @WeissPR one who needs to see, hear and awareness, establish marketplace experience them. Ranging from W2O Group credibility and drive demand that Founded in 2008, Weiss PR, Inc. start-ups to Fortune 100 and glob- converts to leads. In the 17 years helps businesses and non-profit or- al firms, WordWrite clients share 50 Francisco St. since our founding, we’ve cultivat- ganizations reach, engage, and in- a fundamental belief in the value San Francisco, CA 94133 fluence the right audiences in order of two-way communications and 415/362-5018 ed a culture that prioritizes collab- oration and prioritizes excellence to achieve their communications authentic stories shared by fluent Fax: 415/362-5019 storytellers. www.w2ogroup.com in integrating PR and digital mar- and business objectives. keting. Staffing accounts exclusively Our proprietary storytelling pro- Jim Weiss, Chmn. & CEO Client CompTIA, a non-profit with senior-level executives who cess taps the deep and elemental Bob Pearson, Vice Chairman & IT association, used our integrated have a minimum of 10 years of human love of stories to build two- Chief Innovation Officer approach to develop a campaign public relations experience, Weiss way, ongoing relationships with the Jennifer Gottlieb, President that would close the IT gender PR has developed a strong repu- audiences you need to reach. We Seth Duncan, Chief Analytics gap. The campaign resulted in 130 tation for getting positive results collaborate with you to answer the Officer media placements, including 25+ for clients by using an integrated burning questions about your busi- Richard Neave, Chief Financial ness and develop the fundamentals Officer feature stories in national business communications approach that Gary Grates, Principal and consumer news outlets. The includes media and influencer re- of your story. Then, we identify the strategy triggered nearly 10,000 lations, social media, marketing best ways to share the story, and W2O is an independent network unique monthly website visitors, services, and issues management we share it in ways that are unique, of complementary analytics and driving more than 800 e-book — all anchored by strategic com- compelling and memorable. insights-driven, digital marketing downloads. Organic and paid so- munications planning. WordWrite is a member of PR and communications firms focused cial media promotion helped gen- Weiss PR’s clients are concen- Boutiques International, a world- on integrated business solutions for erate more than 600,000 impres- trated in five industry sectors: wide collaborative network of bou- the world’s leading brands and or- sions and drive nearly 3,000 new commercial real estate (including tique PR firms. ganizations in healthcare and other followers. architecture, construction, devel- Our clients include BEST Robot- industries. We unearth transforma- So far, our approach has paid off. opment, and engineering); em- ics, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, tive insights your competition can’t We’re a five-time Inc. 5000 honor- ployee benefits and healthcare; Hornetsecurity, Koppers Inc., Mc- see and integrate them into all the ee that’s grown revenues 194 per- non-profits; professional services; Clintock & Associates, Meyer, work we do, and we know to focus cent over the last five years. These and technology. In addition, the Unkovic & Scott, MPW Industri- on the full customer journey. Since numbers are a result of our thriving firm has extensive experience in al Services, New Pig, PA Health 2001 we’ve grown to over 670 culture and consistent drive for re- crisis communications, including & Wellness, Pfizer Inc., Pitts- people in 13 offices across the U.S sult driven success. strategy development and rapid burgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, and Europe. Our network includes This immense growth is a re- response implementation for both The Waterfront, Waldron Private W2O wcg, W2O twist, W2O pure, sult of our thriving culture, which corporations and individuals. Wealth and YMCA of Greater W2O sentient and W2O marke- Crain’s Chicago, Entrepreneur, In spite of its rapid growth and Pittsburgh. 

80 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

OPINION Professional Development Starbucks surrenders the store By Fraser Seitel founder Howard Schultz rushed to blame ager faced with a similar situation is clear: ublic relations professionals, college the entire thing on the company in general management won’t have your back. That professors and social justice advo- and the Philadelphia store manager in par- can’t be good for employee relations. Pcates of every stripe have universally ticular, they set the company up for a rag- Starbucks caved to the rabble rousers commended the management of Starbucks ing, long-lasting public relations disaster. As BlackLivesMatter activists and #Boy- for its fast and de- Here’s what they did wrong. cott Starbucks hashtaggers gathered mo- cisive action af- Starbucks rushed to judgment mentum from the sudden crisis, Starbucks’ ter two African Johnson followed up his statement of management panicked. Americans were condemnation by rushing cross-country To stem the onslaught, the company an- arrested at a store from Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters to nounced a national day of racial training in Philadelphia. Philadelphia to apologize personally to the for all 8,000 Starbucks stores across the To be sure, the two men. U.S. On May 29, Starbucks will close all situation, whose In so doing, he was tacitly admitting the stores and deliver racial sensitivity training viral video quickly company’s — and the manager’s — guilt. to all 175,000 workers. elevated the inci- But wait a minute: all the manager did Rarely in the annals of American cor- dent into a nation- was call the local police, fearing a poten- porate culture has a dumber idea been al crisis, demand- tial disruption. It was the cops who quickly hatched; it’s even dopier than Starbucks’ Fraser P. Seitel has ed the kind of decided to snap the handcuffs on the pre- ill-fated 2015 “Race Together” campaign to been a communications consultant, author and speedy action that sumed perpetrators. As one of the men put “start a dialogue about race.” teacher for more than Starbucks took, it, as soon as the police arrived, “they just While most acknowledged that one day 30 years. He is the au- but I wouldn’t be said you have to leave.” of sensitivity training likely wouldn’t do thor of the Prentice-Hall so fast in hoisting In other words, it was the Philadelphia much to leave a lasting impression on any- text, The Practice of the celebratory police, not Starbucks local management, body, the real tragedy of the one-day clos- Public Relations. Mocha Cookie that aggravated the situation. The next day, ing was perpetrated on Starbucks’ share- Crumble Frappa- the Philadelphia police chief publicly apol- holders. cino. ogized for the uncalled-for action taken by The cost of the transparent Hail Mary Starbucks’ spur-of-the-moment decision his subordinates. publicity attempt in lost Starbucks’ reve- to acquiesce completely to mob demands But since the Starbucks CEO was so quick nues: $12 million. may likely backfire on the company, its em- to assume blame, most observers followed The message to investors contemplating ployees and shareholders. suit and blamed the company rather than an investment in such a weak-backboned First, a review of the situation. Two the real culprits, the Philadelphia police. company: beware. 23-year-old African-American men at Starbucks abandoned its employees in- Starbucks invited schemers Starbucks, waiting for another man to dis- stead of facing up to its management policy While CEO Johnson’s well-meaning but cuss “real estate opportunities,” asked to failure costly attempts to smooth the situation use the restroom. The only casualty in the crisis — beyond were costly enough, it was left to the com- The store manager replied that restrooms Starbucks’ reputation — was the manager pany’s perpetually do-gooding founder were for paying customers only, and if the of the store who sought police assistance. Howard Schultz, creator of the “Race To- men bought something — perhaps a cup of The poor woman who made the decision, gether” fiasco, to deliver the final counter- coffee — they could use the facilities. The according to Starbucks, “no longer works productive coup de grace. men refused and sat down at a table. at the company.” These two men, Schultz told CBS, de- Shortly thereafter, the manager called the She was tossed overboard in an imme- served to be listened to. And he vowed that Philly cops, who arrived, handcuffed the diate gesture to calm the gathering mob Starbucks would try to work with them, men and led them out of the store. of racial activists and local protestors de- perhaps on real estate opportunities or Second, prejudice on the basis of race or scending on the Philadelphia store. even as company franchisees. sex or religion or whatever is always wrong. But what did the woman do wrong? In other words, because law enforcement So, if these two were arrested because they Starbucks’ policy on loitering without screwed up after a Starbucks manager were black, then they were clearly dis- buying anything is notoriously inconsis- sought help in reconciling confusing man- criminated against and those responsible tent. Some stores encourage students and agement policy, Howie Schultz was open- should apologize and attempt to undo the others to “hang,” as a safe place to relax. ing the company’s coffers to anybody who wrong that was committed. Other stores are more rigorous in their in- might air a similar grievance. Third, the immediate condemnation of sistence that the precious few tables — not One could only imagine the rush to Star- the incident by Starbucks new CEO Kevin to mention the coveted restrooms — be oc- bucks of every gold-seeking con man eager Johnson was the right thing to do. The ar- cupied only by paying customers. to take advantage of the world’s squishiest rest of the two African-American men was So, this poor manager was properly con- management. wrong. Handcuffing them was even worse. fused, because Starbucks’ management has The bet here is that once the universal ad- And they deserved, as CEO Johnson said, never dictated consistent policy. Rather miration dies down, Starbucks’ knee-jerk, an apology from all concerned, because ra- than acknowledging its failures, manage- public relations response to its racial crisis cial profiling and discrimination are always ment chose to behead its manager as a con- will be assessed for what is was: a failure wrong. venient scapegoat. for its employees, its stockholders and the But fourth, when Johnson and Starbucks The message for a future Starbucks’ man- company itself. 

82 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Financial Management Investing in real estate By Richard Goldstein $2.0 million free and clear your tax basis is and the passive activity loss rules don’t ap- any of my clients are investing in $2.0 million. ply to you. You make an appointment with real estate, but most don’t under- If, on the other hand, you purchase the your tax advisor and ask why you were nev- Mstand the tax rules that go along same property for $2.0 million and secure er considered a real estate professional? with the investment. The motivation for a $1.5 million mortgage, you need to clear The simple answer is you just do not qual- making this investment varies, but for the the at-risk rule. Your tax basis is still $2.0 ify! True, income and losses arising from most part, it’s ap- million assuming you’re at-risk for the any rental activity are generally considered preciation and cash mortgage. Therefore, if the property gener- passive. One exception to this rule applies flow. ates a $100,000 loss, you have the potential to real estate professionals. If you qualify A real estate in- to deduct the $100,000 loss. If, on the other as a real estate professional, the rental real vestment can be as hand, the loan to purchase the property is estate activity escapes the per se rule other- simple as a vaca- non-recourse, you have no economic risk wise applicable to a rental activity. tion home or rent- other than for the $500,000 down payment. So, can a PR professional qualify as a real al property. Rental Once you get by these two hurdles, the pas- estate professional? It’s difficult and, yes, property can be, sive activity loss rules must be satisfied as maybe even impossible! for example, a discussed above. Remembering that real To be a real estate professional, a PR pro multi-family dwell- estate activities are considered “passive” not must provide more than one-half of his or ing or a property active activities, a taxpayer must pass one of her total professional services in real prop- Richard Goldstein is that’s rented to the a series of tests to be considered materially erty trades or business in which he or she a partner at Buchbind- er Tunick & Company taxpayer’s business participating in the activity. If you make a materially participates and performs more LLP, New York, Certified (there are separate direct investment in real estate the material than 750 hours of services during the tax Public Accountants. rules for this not participation requirement is simple to pass. year in real property trade or businesses. discussed in this If you are one of 50 other investors in a real For purposes of determining if you’re a real column). estate partnership, the likelihood is you will estate professional, your material partic- Before going any further, there’s one basic not pass the material participation require- ipation is determined separately for each rule that must be understood. For the most ment. property unless an election is made to treat part, a trade or business that the taxpayer Accordingly, if your share of the real es- all interests as a single rental activity. doesn’t materially participate in is consid- tate activity loss is $50,000, you will not Getting to the math. Our PR pro worked ered a “passive activity.” This means that the be able to deduct this loss unless you have 752 hours and passed the more than 750- taxpayer may not deduct passive activity other passive activates that generate passive hour test. However, 2,000 hours plus 752 losses against non-passive activity income. income. There’s an exception to this rule in hours is 2,752 hours divided by two is 1,376 Assume a PR professional operates a small the year you sell or otherwise dispose of the hours. Our PR professional worked 752 PR agency that earns $200,000. The same property and that’s not discussed in this col- and therefore failed the test. Play with the PR professional also invested in another umn. numbers; unless your primary business is business that he or she does not actively Rental real estate exception real estate, it’s extremely difficult to pass participate in. This business lost $200,000. Small landlords with modified adjust- this test.  This loss of $200,000 cannot offset the in- ed gross income under $150,000 ($75,000 come earned by the active business. There- if married filing separately) will be able to PR news brief fore, the loss is suspended! deduct the loss against non-passive sources KCSA courts cannabis crowd Unfortunately, rental real estate activities of income. Under this exception, you can are considered passive activities, even if the deduct up to $25,000 of rental losses from KCSA Strategic Communications is expanding its presence in the growing cannabis industry with the property owner does materially participate your non-passive income, such as wages, acquisition of Salar Media Group, which specializes in the rental activity. (There are exceptions dividends and interest. If your Modified in the sector. SMG founder and CEO Cynthia Salariza- to this rule however.) Therefore, the real es- Adjusted Gross Income exceeds $100,000 deh is joining KCSA as a managing partner. tate loss cannot offset the income earned by ($50,000 for married filing separately) the The New York-based firm’s move comes as the trend toward legal marijuana intensifies nationwide. the PR agency. $25,000 deduction ($12,500 for married In addition to Washington, D.C., Alaska, California, Passive activity income and losses filing separately) is reduced by 50 percent Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, It matters not how real estate is owned. of each dollar over $100,000. ($50,000 Vermont and Washington State all have legalized You can purchase property directly or make for married filing separately). Once your the recreational use of marijuana. According to the an investment in an S corporation, partner- MAGI reaches $150,000, the $25,000 de- National Conference of State Legislatures, 44 states have some form of legal marijuana, ranging from adult ship or limited liability company. If the real duction is eliminated. recreational use to medical use to “limited medical” estate activities generate operating income, Real estate professionals use in several states allowing “cannabis extracts.” this income is taxed as ordinary income. Let’s say you are year employed or own a Salar Media Group has represented brands that in- If the activities generate a loss, these losses PR agency. Let’s further assume your aver- clude cannabis tracking software company BioTrack- THC, Humboldt’s Finest and JuJu Royal, the cannabis must clear three hurdles before they can be age work year is 2,000 hours, and you also brand launched by Julian Marley, son of late Reggae deducted: tax basis, at-risk and passive loss work 752 hours managing your properties. star Bob Marley. limits. Over the years, you’ve purchased real estate KCSA’s cannabis practice works for such clients as Without getting into too much detail, the and now you own and manage six proper- cannabis-focused agriculture company Terra Tech, can- tax basis hurdle is simple: it limits the loss ties. You’re familiar with the tax rules con- nabis oil and solution provider Golden Leaf Holdings and Viridian Capital Advisors, a strategic and financial deduction to your tax basis in the proper- cerning real estate. However, a friend told advisory firm dedicated to the cannabis industry. ty. Therefore, if you purchase real estate for you that you’re a “real estate professional”

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MARCH 2018 83 WASHINGTON REPORT Dept. of Homeland Security to track journos

he Department of Homeland Security has plans to create a “media influencer database” that it says will track over T290,000 global news sources. According to documents issued by DHS in April, the Depart- ment is looking for a contractor who can monitor “any or all me- dia coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.” The scope of the database is to include online, print, broadcast, cable, radio, and trade and industry publica- tions, as well as international media outlets. In addition to tracking media content, the database would com- pile information on the people who produce that content. DHS says potential contractors should be able to “present contact de- tails and any other information that could be relevant, including APCO handles Global Citizen publications that this influencer writes for, and an overview of the previous coverage published by the media influencer.” PCO Worldwide has signed on to represent New York- The proposed database, which would also gather data on social based Global Citizen, the nonprofit dedicated to eradicating media conversations, would analyze statements in terms of “sen- Aextreme poverty by 2030. timent” as well as content. The GC platform relies on social action such as events, content, While DHS says it has “a critical need to incorporate these func- partnerships and grassroots organizing to generate funds. tions into their programs in order to better reach Federal, state, Its high-profile Global Citizen Festival held local, tribal and private partners,” it has not been forthcoming last September in Central Park featured per- about exactly what kind of uses the information gathered would formances by The Killers, Steven Wonder, The be put to, or as regards what, if any, limits would be put on the Lumineers and The Chainsmokers. gathering of that information.  The organization claims to have received fi- nancial commitments of $35 billion since 2012, of which $10 billion of the amount has been Ex-de Blasio press secretary disbursed for food/hunger, sanitation, health- care and educational programs. re-launches firm APCO’s work involves support for maintain- ing spending on development aid. Jerri Ann Jerri Ann Henry aren Hinton, who was press secretary for New York Mayor Henry leads that effort. Bill de Blasio, has re-launched her firm to focus on issues Ksuch as environmental protection, affordable housing and employment opportunities for low-income individuals. Gunshot detection group sets Most recently chief strategy officer at Fen- ton, Hinton handled de Blasio’s messaging, sights on Washington branding and oversight of a ten-person staff. Before joining de Blasio’s team, she ran Hin- urson-Marsteller’s Prime Policy Group has been hired by ton Communications and was senior advisor gun technology company ShotSpotter, Inc. to advocate law to former Housing and Urban Affairs Secre- Benforcement funding issues on Capitol Hill. tary and current New York Governor Andrew Newark, CA-based ShotSpotter, which was founded in 1995, Cuomo. utilizes a technology that detects the location of gunfire activity Hinton represents Business Network for through a series of sound sensors placed on area rooftops, then alerts area law enforcement agencies when shootings occur. The Offshore Wind, Nonhuman Rights Project, Karen Hinton National Community Reinvestment Coalition service, which law enforcement agencies pay an annual subscrip- and the Amazon Defense Coalition.  tion to use, is intended to help officers respond to shootings more quickly and to provide them with local gunfire data, thereby reduc- ing incidents of gun violence. Dept. of Agriculture alum joins The New York Police Department began using the technology two years ago. Law enforcement agencies in more than 90 cities Edelman — including Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco and Minneapolis — have adopted the technology as well. arci Vetter, who was Deputy Secretary at the Dept. of Ag- According to lobbying registration documents filed in April, riculture, has joined Edelman in D.C. as general manager PPG has been hired by ShotSpotter to monitor federal assistance Dof PA. to local U.S. law enforcement agencies. She’ll be vice chair in its agriculture, food and trade group to A seven-person team at the government and public affairs firm support clients in the commodities, supply chain, agribusiness leads the account, including PPG chairman Charles Black, who ran and global trade sectors. all of Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaigns and also served as an Vetter also served as chief agricultural negotiator in the Of- adviser to the election campaigns of George H.W. Bush, Senator fice of the US Trade Representative, where she worked on the John McCain and Governors Mitt Romney and John Kasich. Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement. WPP is Prime Policy Group’s parent company. 

84 MAY 2018 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM International PR News

the Justice Department in April. UAE hires H+K for energy bash Mercury will be an independent subcontractor on behalf of U.S. law firm Latham & Watkins, with whom there is a direct contractu- he United Arab Emirates has hired Hill+Knowlton Strategies al relationship, while the work will be funded and performed under to handle strategic communications and global PR for the the direction and supervision of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice. TWorld Energy Council’s 24th World Energy Congress slated The oil-rich former Soviet Union state is Central Asia’s top econ- for 2019 (Sept. 9-12) at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. omy, generating 60 percent of the region’s GDP, primarily through The Congress, headlined “Energy for Prosperity,” will attract its booming oil and gas industry. heads of state, energy executives, community leaders and members The $30,000 per-month pact terminates in June. of academia who will discuss the “energy trilemma” of security, eq- Omnicom is Mercury’s parent company.  uity and environment sustainability. Abu Dhabi won the bidding to host the 2019 Congress in 2014. H+K’s offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and London will begin their ThirdCircle pitches Morocco as PR work by showcasing the planning and progress made to put on the event. The WPP unit will promote a flurry of announcements film mecca leading up to the Congress and conduct outreach to leading influ- encers in the energy sector. he Embassy of Morocco has hired ThirdCircle Inc. to a The London-based World Energy Council has more than $480,000 one-year pact to promote film production in the 3,000-member organizations in 90 countries.  TKingdom. The agreement calls for TC to arrange visits by American film Mercury consults Kazakhstan and TV producers to Morocco and provide opportunities for Mo- roccan producers to meet with studio executives in the US. ercury Public Affairs has inked a three-month, $90,000 TC also will pitch the northwest African nation as a golf mecca pact to lend consulting and management services for the and arrange for FAM trips there by golf pros, enthusiasts and me- MRepublic of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice. dia people from outlets such as the Golf Channel. The public affairs and strategy shop will provide strategic con- It will craft an outreach program and “engage in meaningful di- sulting and management services to the central Asian country in alogue with various stakeholder and ethnic/issue-oriented groups areas of lobbying, government relations and issues management, across a range of issues from culture to economics,” according to its according to Foreign Agents Registration Act documents filed with statement of work with the Embassy. 

FARA News  NEW FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT FILINGS Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, FARA Registration Unit, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, regarding their consulting and communications work on behalf of foreign principals, including governments, political parties, organizations, and individuals. For a complete list of filings, visit www.fara.gov.

PASS, LLC, Alexandria, VA, registered Mar. 30, 2018 for Kurdistan Regional Government, Ministry of Interior; Joint Crisis Centre, Agency of MOI, Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq, regarding an international donor’s conference for the humanitarian crisis in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, including drafting a resolu- tion in favor of the conference and contacting U.S. members of Congress to sponsor and support the development of such resolution.

Tusk Ventures LLC, New York, NY, registered Apr. 24, 2018 for Republic of the Marshall Islands, Majuro, MH, regarding consulting services to Neema, Ltd., an Israeli startup that facilitates international money transfers via an app and has used blockchain to create a digital currency called the Sovereign (SOV). The Republic of the Marshall Islands recently passed a law declaring the SOV as its official legal tender. Neema is now working together with the RMI to ensure the smooth rollout of the SOV.

Dickens & Madson Canada, Inc., Montreal, Quebec, Canada, registered Apr. 11, 2018 for United Liberation Movement for West Papua, Republic of Vanuatu, regarding securing support of the US for the goals of bringing independence to West Papua.

Lobbying News G NEW LOBBYING DISCLOSURE ACT FILINGS Below is a list of select companies that have registered with the Secretary of the Senate, Office of Public Records, and the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Legislative Resource Center, Washington, D.C., in order to comply with the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. For a complete list of filings, visit www.senate.gov. GDR Strategies, Alexandria, VA, registered Apr. 23, 2018 for Northrup Grumman Systems Corporation, Falls Church, VA, regarding defense bud- get issues, authorization and appropriations.

Husch Blackwell Strategies, Washington, D.C., registered April 23, 2018 for Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, Reno, NV, regarding issues related to online gaming legislation.

Thorn Run Partners, Washington, D.C., registered April 23, 2018 for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Bethesda, MD, regarding health insurance access and treatment needs of persons living with cystic fibrosis.

American Continental Group, Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 20, 2018 for Songwriters Guild of America, Brentwood, TN, regarding copyright and competition issues.

BGR Governmet Affairs, Washington, D.C, registered Apr. 20, 2018 for 1,000 Days, Washington, D.C, regarding strategic counsel on foreign assis- tance and nutrition funding for the non-profit working in the US and around the world to ensure women and children have the healthiest first 1,000 days.

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