Communications & New Media May 2017 I Vol. 31 No. 5 2017 PR RANKINGS ISSUE PR FIRMS RANKED BY ANNUAL GROWTH, NET FEES, SPECIALTY & GEOGRAPHY RANKINGS OF TECHNOLOGY & HIGH-TECH PR FIRMS, PG. 26 FINANCIAL PR & INVESTOR RELATIONS FIRMS RANKED, PG. 30 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF TOP HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS, PG. 36 TRAVEL, TOURISM & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RANKINGS, PG. 39 PROFESSIONAL SERVICES PR FIRMS RANKED, PG. 40 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF FOOD & BEVERAGE PR FIRMS, PG. 41 PR drives first quarter growth for conglomerates. FTC puts influencers in the regulatory crosshairs. Why executive commentary on social media matters. Tech firms focus on social media, content development. Profiles of top-ranked public relations firms.

May 2017 | www.odwyerpr.com

Vol. 31. No. 5 MAY 2017 EDITORIAL HEALTHCARE PR THRIVES IN UNCERTAIN TIMES FTC PUTS INFLUENCERS 6 32 IN THE CROSSHAIRS O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF 8 HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS PR DRIVES Q1 GROWTH FOR CONGLOMS 36 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS 8 ADDING VALUE TO 9 OF PR SPECIALTIES INTEGRATED COMMS 10 38 TEN PEOPLE DETERMINE PR INDUSTRY MAKES YOUR VALUATION 12 42 THE MOST OF CHANGE SOCIAL MEDIA NEEDS EXEC COMMENTARY O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF MAJOR US PR FIRMS 14 50WWW.ODWYERPR.COM BRAND LESSONS FROM 50 Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news THE CHICAGO CUBS LEADING GAINERS 16 AMONG PR FIRMS CAUGHT IN THE FAKE 52 NEWS CROSSHAIRS O’DWYER’S REGIONAL 18 RANKING OF PR FIRMS TECHNOLOGY PR: A TALE OF TWO COASTS 54 20 PEOPLE IN PR PR NEEDS A NEW DEFINITION­ 56 22 PROFILES OF RANKED TECH FIRMS FOCUS ON PR FIRMS SOCIAL MEDIA, CONTENT 58 EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2017 January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide 24 WASHINGTON REPORT February: Environmental & P.A. O’DWYER’S RANKINGS March: Food & Beverage OF TECH PR FIRMS April: Broadcast & Social Media 84 May: PR Firm Rankings 26 COLUMNS June: Global & Multicultural FIRMS NAVIGATE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT July: Travel & Tourism NEW REGULATIONS 82 Fraser Seitel August: Financial/I.R. 28 September: Beauty & Fashion O’DWYER’S RANKINGS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT October: Healthcare & Medical OF FINANCIAL PR FIRMS 83 Richard Goldstein November: High-Tech 30 December: Entertainment & Sports ADVERTISERS 5W Public Relations...... 5 Konnect Agency...... 45 rbb Communications...... 23 Bliss Integrated Communication...... 21 KYNE...... 17 Sitrick and Company...... 61 Cooney Waters Unlimited...... 37 LavoieHealthScience...... 33 Sloane & Company...... 65 Crosby...... 47 Lou Hammond Group...... 15 Fahlgren Mortine...... 19 Marketing Maven...... 2 Spark...... 3 Gregory FCA...... 29 Omega World Travel...... 77 Spectrum...... 35 ICR...... 31 Padilla...... 53 Strauss Media Strategies...... 8 inVentiv Health Communications...... 49 PAN Communications...... 7 Joele Frank...... 11 Peppercomm...... 27 TV Access...... 82 Kekst...... 57 Racepoint Global...... 25 W2O Group...... 88

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EDITORIAL Digital “Webby Awards” honors PR firms’ work

he International Academy of Digital Arts and Scientists, a 21-year-old organization that drew 13,000 entries to its “Webby Awards” this year, has added a category that recognizes EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tthe work of PR firms. Jack O’Dwyer IADAS acknowledges that “PR” firms can have as much prowess in video and digital media [email protected] as ad agencies. Gaining the attention of consumers in an information-drenched society often requires sound, motion and plenty of creativity. The organization takes entries from websites, film and video, commercials, mobile sites and apps, social media and digital audio. While text ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER can be powerful, companies are finding that video and digital are necessary to gain the public’s John O’Dwyer attention. [email protected] IADAS picked four efforts for its new “PR Category” that show the work of two PR firms and two ad/PR operations. Edelman was nominated for “Best Influencer Endorsement” for a video SENIOR EDITOR on the “Samsung Human Drone” showing a large drone lifting a snowboarder off a mountain. Jon Gingerich DKC was picked for an entry in the “Best Mobile Site/App-Travel” category. Ogilvy was nomi- [email protected] nated for “Best Event” for a video for Kentucky Fried Chicken. Havas was in the running with a video titled “Adios Amigos” that gives reasons why a character created to publicize Dos Equis Mexican beer was being retired after nine years as “The Most Interesting Man in the World.” ASSOCIATE EDITOR IADAS Executive Director David-Michel Davies said, “This year’s Advertising, Media and Steve Barnes PR nominees had an added challenge of creating digital campaigns, advertising and content that would not only capture people’s attention in what was an unusually crowded — and con- tentious — media and advertising environment, but also potentially change perceptions.” CONTRIBUTING EDITORS What’s more effective, ads or PR? Fraser Seitel Another item of relevance to “PR” people is WPP’s announcement that it took the title of Richard Goldstein “holding company of the year” at three of the ad industry’s awards competitions — World Advertising Research Center, Cannes Lions and The Effies. EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS WARC clients include the world’s largest advertising and media agencies, research compa- & RESEARCH nies, universities and advertisers. It publishes journals including Admap, Market Leader, the Jane Landers Journal of Advertising Research and the International Journal of Market Research. Founded in Caitlin Dullahan-Bates 1985 with offices in the U.K., U.S., and Singapore, WARC is an online service tracking adver- tising best practices, evidence and insights from the world’s leading brands. It “helps clients grow their businesses by using proven approaches.” John O’Dwyer The Cannes Lions hosts “the largest gathering of worldwide ad professionals, designers, dig- Advertising Sales Manager ital innovators and marketers.” Founded in 1968, The Effies recognizes all forms of marketing [email protected] communications that contribute to a brand’s success. “PR” moves into “ad” space With the legitimate news hole shrinking and media under attack from several quarters, in- O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 cluding some of its own practitioners, as being biased in one way or another, companies are re- a year ($7.00 a single issue) by the lying more and more on their own direct communications with new and prospective customers. J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WPP, largest communications group with more than $19 billion in revenues and units that 271 Madison Ave., #600 include Burson-Marsteller and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, has been deemed to provide the New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471 Fax: (212) 683-2750. “best results” for clients by WARC. WPP took first place in the WARC ranking for the third straight year. Measured was the © Copyright 2017 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. performance of its agencies in their campaigns in more than 80 effectiveness and marketing excellence competitions worldwide. The competitions require the winners to show the busi- ness impact of their work. OTHER PUBLICATIONS: WPP CEO Sir Martin Sorrell said, “At a time when questions are being raised about the ef- fectiveness of certain marketing channels, it is more important than ever that we focus on the www.odwyerpr.com power of creativity and ideas to deliver tangible business results for our clients.” Breaking news, commentary, useful data- Firms move away from PR identity bases and more. “PR” firms have been moving away from titles with PR in them for many years. None of the O’Dwyer’s Newsletter ten largest firms in the 2016 O’Dwyer’s ranking uses the term. Only three in the top 25 do so A four-page weekly with general PR and seven in the top 50. news, media appointments and placement PR is identified in the minds of corporate and institutional executives with press relations, opportunities. press conferences and the quest for third-party endorsement. Seminar, founded in 1952 and whose members include the top communications executives at more than 200 major compa- O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms nies, removed “PR” from its title in 2007. Almost none of its members use PR in their titles. Listings of more than 1,250 PR firms Organizations are taking the position that they are the best source of information about throughout the U.S. and abroad. themselves. They have many ways of reaching their “publics” besides waiting for recognition O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide by editors. A related trend is for companies to buy space in publications for their own copy Products and services for the PR industry that closely matches editorial matter. This goes by the terms “branded content,” “sponsored in 50 categories. content” and “native advertising.” The “PR” firms tracked by the O’Dwyer Co. are rising to this challenge and finding new and jobs.odwyerpr.com creative ways of reaching target audiences.  O’Dwyer’s online job center has help — Jack O’Dwyer wanted ads and hosts resume postings.

6 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT FTC puts influencers in the crosshairs The Federal Trade Commission put nearly 100 influencers on notice in April, reminding them how any material connection they might have with brands should be disclosed when promoting­ products on social media. By Jon Gingerich he Federal Trade Commission in The letters, which are not enforcement April announced that it had sent out actions, stated that any “material connec- Tmore than 90 letters to social me- tion” between the endorser and a sponsor dia influencers and marketers, reminding — be it monetary payment, a business or them to “clearly and conspicuously dis- family relationship, or a gift — should be close their relationships to brands when “clearly and conspicuously disclosed,” with promoting or endorsing products.” the exception of situations in which it’s “al- The move comes after a growing num- ready clear from the context of the com- Kim Kardashian promoting Duchesnay’s anti- ber of citizens and advocacy groups had munication.” nausea drug Diclegis. contacted the federal consumer agency The FTC also warned that influencers regarding potentially deceptive market- were not allowed to bury the disclosure in sponse to a petition spearheaded by con- ing campaigns involving influencers, or a thicket of hashtags, and that ambiguously sumer rights non-profit Public Citizen and third-party spokespersons — celebrities or thanking the endorser does not suffice as other affiliated organizations, and came athletes, for example — who partner with clear disclosure. Most noteworthy was the after the agency’s review of “numerous In- brands and advocate their products or ser- FTC’s mandate that influencers not place stagram posts by celebrities, athletes and vices among that individual’s massive base their disclosures below the “more” button other influencers.” The FTC did not pub- of followers. on Instagram posts, which usually appear licly release the letters or the names of the A December survey found that 84 per- after only three lines on posts from that so- individuals who received them. cent of marketers plan to enact an influ- cial media site when viewed from a mobile “Now that brands are paying a premium encer marketing campaign at some point device. for influencers and driving what very well this year. The FTC said the crackdown was a re- may be a bubble in the industry, it is not at all surprising that the FTC took notice,” said Stefan Pollack, President of The Pol- lack PR Marketing Group. “In the age of fake news, it is more important than ever that both brands and influencers are eth- ical and transparent with consumers. You cannot put a price on trust and credibility — not even with shares and retweets.” It’s the first time the FCC has reached out directly to social media influencers, though the agency had formerly addressed the need for endorsers to adequately dis- close brand connections. The FCC has also now published an informal business guid- ance document on the issue, which it said was sent to all influencers who received the April letters. The action also comes a little more than a year after the agency updated its enforce- ment policy regarding online native adver- tising that’s deceptively formatted to look like editorial content. “Relying on influencers to serve as brand reps is filled with peril,” Doug Simon, CEO and President of D S Simon Media, told O’Dwyer’s. “Trying to skirt disclo- sure rules will become more damaging. Paid third-party influencers are among the least authentic. A much better approach is to have influencers serve as media, inter- viewing your experts while fully disclosing that they are working with the brand. This allows you to turn your experts into influ- encers.” 

8 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM PR drives first quarter growth for congloms

Interpublic, WPP and Omnicom Group reported year-over-year 4.4 percent for that period. gains during the first quarter of 2017, due in part to the strength of Net income was up 10.7 percent to $241.8 million from the $218.4 million reported the holding companies’ PR units. Publicis Groupe, meanwhile, saw during 2016’s first quarter, and operating growth in North America falter, though a breakout Q1 performance profit was up 4.5 percent — or $17.8 million in Europe made up for these ­shortcomings. — to $410 million for the quarter, compared By Jon Gingerich to $392 million posted during the same pe- riod a year ago. onstituency Management Group, the PR/PA portfolio, which includes agencies Growth for the ad/PR conglomerate was marketing and communications port- Ogilvy Public Relations, Cohn & Wolfe, particularly strong in the Middle East and Cfolio owned by Interpublic Group, Burson-Marsteller, Finsbury, Hill+Knowl- Africa, where that region saw impressive which includes agencies Golin, Weber ton Strategies and Prime Policy Group, re- year-over-year organic gains of 37.9 per- Shandwick, DeVries Global, Current, Axis veals a continuing a trend that began during cent. Strong yearly performances were also and Creation, saw a breakout performance the first half of 2016 and continued into the seen in Asia Pacific (+9.1 percent), Europe in the first quarter of 2017, posting mid-sin- year’s third quarter. (+8.2 percent), the UK (+8.1 percent) and gle digit organic growth of 4.6 percent to The British ad/PR conglomerate noted an Latin America (+5.4 percent). In North $346.3 million for the period, compared to especially strong performance by its Cohn America, OMC’s largest region, organic $340.4 million during 2016’s first quarter. & Wolfe unit in the U.S., which was driv- growth was up by only 1.1 percent. Weber Shandwick CEO Andy Polan- en primarily by consumer and healthcare In an earnings call, OMC CEO John Wren sky told O’Dwyer’s that Golin and DeVries spending. The holding company also high- noted that while revenue growth “exceed- each exhibited double-digit organic growth lighted H+K Strategies’ performance in Eu- ed our internal targets for the quarter,” the in the quarter, with Weber registering low rope, Africa & the Middle East and Ogilvy communications combine “remained cau- single-digit organic growth compared PR’ work in North America, Europe, Africa tious as numerous geopolitical and macro- to high-single digit organic growth seen & the Middle East, as well as a strong Q1 economic events remain unresolved,” and during the first quarter of 2016. performance by lobbying giant Glover Park pointed to forthcoming budget, tax reform IPG posts Q1 revenue gains Group. and healthcare bills in the U.S., as well as Across the ad/PR combine, Interpublic in Net sales for the PR/PA units were up 6.8 how Britain’s Brexit and upcoming elections April reported first quarter revenue of more percent and 3.9 percent on a like-for-like in Europe may bode for the global economy. than $1.75 billion, a .7 percent uptick from basis. Publicis picks up in Europe Q1 2016’s $1.74 billion, with year-over-year All regions boasted growth, with particu- Publicis Groupe in April reported reve- organic revenue up 2.7 percent. larly strong gains in the U.S., U.K., Western nue of €2.328 billion (about $2.52 billion) Revenue gains in the U.S. were notably Europe and the Middle East. for 2017’s first quarter, a year-over-year up- strong, where organic revenue increased Across the holding company, revenue in tick of about 1.6 percent. Organic growth, 2.9 percent for the year, compared to 2.2 the first quarter was £3.59 billion (about on the other hand, was down 1.2 percent for percent internationally. Latin America saw $4.6 billion), up 3.6 percent and .2 per- the period, a far cry from the 2.9 percent in impressive organic gains of 3.7 percent and cent on a like-for-like basis, compared to organic gains the French ad/PR operation Asia Pacific experienced organic increases £3.07 billion (about $4.5 billion) during the experienced during the first quarter of 2016. of 2.7 percent. Growth in the U.K., mean- first quarter of 2016. Like-for-like revenue Growth was especially strong in Europe, while, lagged by comparison, at .2 percent. growth was up in the U.K. (+ 3.2 percent) where the PR/ad combine saw €655 million Operating income at the holding compa- and Western Continental Europe (+5.3 per- (about $710 million) in Q1 revenue, an or- ny gained by 29.1 percent to $29.7 million, cent). North America, on the other hand, ganic upswing of 5.5 percent from Q1 2016’s compared to $23 million a year ago. Op- saw a dip of 3 percent. €631 million (about $684 million). erating margin increased 40 basis points Omnicom outpaces expectations Publicis’ Latin America and Middle East compared to last year’s first quarter, at 1.7 Omnicom Group’s PR properties posted / Africa regions also saw growth of 4.5 per- percent, compared to Q1 2016’s 1.3 percent. organic gains of 1.8 percent during 2017’s cent and 1.5 respectively. North America, In an April 21 earnings statement, IPG first quarter, revealing healthy Q1 revenue on the other hand, experienced a dip in or- Chairman and CEO Michael Roth said that of $325.3 million for its PR business, which ganic revenue of 5 percent, to €1.29 billion while the first quarter “is seasonally small includes agencies Porter Novelli, Fleish- (about $1.39 billion), compared to the €1.3 for us,” the communications combine’s manHillard, Ketchum, Mercury and others, billion (about $1.41 billion) that region ex- Q1 results “showed solid organic revenue compared to $318.8 million a year ago. perienced a year ago. growth in the quarter, with contributions OMC’s advertising units outpaced PR Outgoing Chairman and CEO Maurice from across our agencies and all marketing for the second year in a row, however, Lévy in a statement said the figures “send disciplines.” with properties in that discipline boasting out faint but encouraging signals as to the PR drives WPP healthy year-over-year organic growth of Groupe’s situation,” pointing to Q1 account PR and public affairs proved WPP’s stron- 6.4 percent, continuing the trend from Q1 wins that illustrate “a positive momentum” gest division during the first quarter of the 2016’s 7.9 percent gains. that the holding company finds “encourag- year, with revenue gains from those subsid- Across the holding company, Omnicom ing in many respects.” iaries up 6.8 percent to £291 million (about revealed first quarter worldwide revenue of Publicis in January announced that long- $376 million) as well as 4.4 percent on a about $3.6 billion, a 2.5 percent year-over- time leader Lévy would be succeeded on like-for-like basis. year uptick from the $3.5 billion reported June 1 by Publicis Worldwide CEO Arthur Growth among the British conglomerate’s during Q1 2016, with organic revenue up Sadoun. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 9 REPORT A smarter, more valuable integrated comms. practice What if PR agencies offered not just integrated marketing, but integrated business solutions designed to help clients identify high-potential prospects and stay one step ahead of their customers’ needs? This is a conversation that needs to happen if we want to be true communication leaders. By Michael Roth aving worked in the communication services like content production and lead Something curious started to happen in industry for more than 20 years, I’ve generation strategy. The word was incor- client healthcare marketing meetings. Their Hnever witnessed a term in greater porated into the name just as much for the internal insurance reimbursement and need of re-examination than “integrat- client as the agency themselves: it was a sig- “value” experts started to wield increasing ed.” On its face, “integrated” sounds like a nal both internally and externally that the power at the marketing table. It was no win-win, and an agency really has nothing integrated model was evolving quickly, in longer enough to differentiate your prod- to lose by adding the term to its name or parallel with the rapid pace of technology ucts for the medical offering. “Integrated” is a signal to a client development and the industry. community. A product prospect that your agency offers a broad So, if most big and mid-sized agencies of- could not be successful marketing-communication mix and inte- fer marketing integration today, why do we in the post-ACA health- grates them into a single strategic plan, an bother using the term “integrated” at all? care economy if it didn’t approach that may include social, digital, And what is its function? demonstrate value to content development and lead gen, in ad- Integrated subject matter expertise the value committees dition to traditional public relations tactics. A core principle that has driven the ser- at insurance companies The truth is, marketing and communica- vice business model is that an agency’s of- and hospitals. Even a tions integration has become table stakes ferings must evolve to meet the business top surgeon could not Michael Roth for most mid-size and large agencies. As needs of its customer. And we must un- unilaterally pick his or a result, it’s no longer a core differentiator. derstand not only what it is that our cli- her instrument of choice anymore. Phy- Market integration is now simply the norm, ent needs to be successful, but help them sicians could make a request to the value our new business model. shape those messages. You can be literally committee, but the product first needs to be The kind of integration our clients most everywhere in the media yet generate no vetted for its “value” vis-a-vis its competi- desperately need has more to do with an sales without alignment between a client’s tors because of how the hospital or provider agency’s diverse and deep bench of execu- evolving business objectives and its media was now being reimbursed for care. tives than its marketing tools. The compet- program or content distribution. So, in the post-ACA age, our clients are itive business landscape and its targets are While there are great examples of the increasingly targeting these value commit- shifting so quickly, clients are looking for need for integrated subject matter expertise tees and looking for more examples in their a team that will help them keep pace with across financial, professional, technology armamentarium of “value.” It could mean changing market dynamics and customer and consumer PR practices, the example evidence of fewer days in the hospital, few- expectations. Clients need subject matter that comes to mind as most illustrative of er return visits to the physician, fewer days experts from sectors outside of our own that this shift is in modern healthcare agency away from work or even a shift to home will work together to help create better pro- practices. healthcare vs. hospital care. grams, stronger narratives and real results. From life sciences to business of health Integration in modern healthcare Perhaps the best question a client prospect In the last twenty-five years, most health- Today, it is mission-critical to find an should ask: Will the way you “integrate” care/life science agency executives had to agency that is built for the new healthcare your agency employees help our company be firmly entrenched in the fundamentals economy and has a deep and fundamental achieve its strategic business goals? of the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, med- understanding of the business of health. The evolution of “integrated” ical device and diagnostics industries. They The transition is not so easy for a group The term “integrated” didn’t begin in the had to be conversant in the latest clinical historically steeped only in life sciences, PR industry at all, but by advertising agen- developments in core therapeutic areas and some may not be equipped to venture cies in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They like oncology, neurology and cardiology, into these technical waters regarding val- began to recognize the value of comprehen- while mastering FDA guidelines on pro- ue-based care. But unfortunately, it is no sive marketing plans that included a mix motion, Sunshine laws, social and digital longer an option not to pursue this exper- of communication disciplines including media guidelines and best practices, crisis tise in the same way it is not an option for advertising, PR, personal selling and sales techniques, and physician and patient edu- agencies to be unfamiliar with social/digital promotion. The term started to gain seri- cation. They had to assess viability of clini- communications or lead generation. Out- ous traction with PR agencies at the turn cal abstracts, speak to top researchers with comes is the name of the game, and the tar- of the century, to acknowledge that digital authority and decipher relevance in a com- gets have changed. Your agency staff needs and social media was a capability that could petitive and increasingly difficult media en- to know how to speak in this new language. also be offered alongside traditional media vironment. And often, they had clients with A strong healthcare agency team can no relations. clinical backgrounds without a sophisti- longer be built in a pyramid structure with Some PR agencies (including ours) start- cated level of understanding of healthcare the Alpha Dog or all-knowing account ed to use the term “integrated” as part of communications, or the value of what we leader with his or her minions below, who their name because it demonstrated that do. That is a broad and impressive skill set, learn from the teachings of that leader. they put social and digital into the mix, but and there was a great deal of seasoned pro- Rather, teams need to have diverse capabil- also wanted their clients to know that they fessionals who were quite good at it. But the could effectively integrate other atypical PR entire game gradually started to change. _ Continued on page 13

10 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Ten people who determine your valuation

The opinions of a few influential players in any given stock drive the behavior of the larger herd of investors, and thus, can have a profound impact on valuation as well as implications for a company’s financial communications strategy. By James R. Palczynski

here’s a T-shirt popular among social Saul Alinsky’s idea that “ridicule is man’s rumor, short-term results, and fast-moving psychologists — admittedly a niche most potent weapon.” Activist investing is sector-level trends. They are not investors, Tmarket — that reads, “Stereotypes are one of the most prevalent trends in capital per se. In general, hedge funds tend to cre- a Real Time Saver.” These scientists, many management. They are everywhere now, ate (and thrive on) volatility. While, like of them management professors, appreciate advocating for change, including spare activists, they come in all stripes, the most the ironic humor. They know, through their change from the company’s coffer! Every prevalent are the momentum-driven hedge close study of behavior, that we’re all cog- public company needs to have a plan, not funds that keep buying a nitive misers with too much to do and too only to deal with an activist but, better, to stock as it goes up, driv- many things to understand. make sure to not be an attractive target for ing valuation beyond Distilling information is essential for cap- one in the first place. Many times, when an what most might con- ital markets professionals, who typically activist becomes a shareholder, it is because sider intrinsic. At the must understand hundreds of individual there were too many doors left too obvious- same time, they tend companies and the constellation of person- ly open, particularly in the areas of gover- to run for cover and alities involved in each. The equity capital nance and capital allocation. sell very quickly on any market is a complex, dynamic and nuanced The presence of even a small position sign of trouble. There system that essentially seeks to synthesize a from an activist can have an impact on val- are plenty that will un- vast array of risks and opportunities to de- uation. In a more heated situation, often mercifully short a stock James Palcsynski rive a price. involving embarrassing letters made public and do what they can to It’s also common wisdom that Wall Street via 13D filings, the narrative put forth by make that a self-fulfilling prophecy too. prefers to “bet on the jockey not the horse.” the activist can become absolutely central They often canvas the analysts and other In our experience, valuation is largely de- to valuation. This is often true over extend- holders, seeking any kind of informational termined by the opinions of a few influen- ed periods of time. The short activist can edge as to what might constitute or change tial players in any given stock. Their voices be a particularly nasty variety that seeks to overall sentiment and valuation. They test and actions in the market drive the behav- corrupt the thinking of everyone on our list other market participants with tactical ior of the larger herd of investors. Their per- to make a buck at everyone else’s expense. trades to find the break-points on valua- ceptions about management matter a great The activist is one of the ten people on tion set up for a bigger trade, which might deal, even when they are formed too quick- our list, one that always requires some care- be long or short depending on what they ly. In the interest of fairness, stereotyping ful management and a good plan. discover. Most of them tend to be agnostic works both ways, particularly given the The big, long-term holder on that point and some will reverse their common cast of characters on Wall Street. This portfolio manager has conviction position entirely from long to short, even In that spirt: there are ten people who de- about the stock and has been in it, in size, intraday. termine your valuation. for a long time, in many cases since the IPO. They belong on our list for their short- The Axe He or she knows management well, talks to term influence and, because significantly Damian Lewis and his character’s name- colleagues about the company as a favorite increased volatility can, if persistent, have sake firm on Showtime’s “Billions” are a bit idea and generally can be expected to have longer-term consequences for valuation. of an inside-baseball joke. In common Wall a deep understanding of the company and The financial reporter Street parlance, the analyst with the most its competitors. This person can pick up the Even in this age of “fake news” and “al- influence and impact on a stock ... that’s the phone and call the CEO and get him or her ternative facts,” there is a particular re- “axe.” on the line, or at least get a relatively quick porter recognized as the best in each in- That analyst’s reports get read first. That call back. Unfortunately, he or she is also a dustry. Usually writing for places like the analyst is one who is wanted on the air by bit stuck as the level of his or her confidence Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fortune or CNBC, to which most trading floors are is on full display given the size of his or her Forbes, or commenting regularly on CNBC, permanently tuned. To the analyst, that is position. Other investors will take a cue this reporter knows the sector and the play- like free advertising that drives sales and from any change or even the rumor of one. ers (including on Wall Street). Reporters trading commissions. With a “buy” rating, If a company is fortunate, it’ll count (and also will tend to talk about the bigger pic- this is also the analyst that likely has man- deserve) at least one and hopefully a num- ture, adding any public interest or other an- agement for a non-deal roadshow. While ber of these people on its list of ten. gle to heighten the interest of a particular times have changed some, the analyst’s firm The hedge fund manager company’s story. High profile, well-written is well aware that this helps them capture Bobby Axelrod himself is the extreme stories can help. If they take a negative slant, investment-banking business. example here. While we know more than a they can be particularly detrimental. In ei- The axe is one of the ten, particularly if, few hedge fund managers that are certainly ther case, they will certainly have an impact God help you, the axe is saying sell. interesting characters, we haven’t actually on perception and, therefore, on valuation. The Activist come across any actual villains! That said, it Reporters are mindful of and value their While they come in all stripes, one com- is true that most of these folks are intently mon variety of activists seem to embrace focused on short-term catalysts like news, _ Continued on page 13

12 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM relationships, particularly if they’ve been have tremendous access to data and analyt- Of course, counsel’s advice is intended around a particular industry for some time. ics that can illuminate quantitative deter- to mitigate liability and, as a consequence, They also appreciate engagement and a minants of value. sometimes involves a sacrifice of disclosure. helping hand with their stories. Educating The value and perspective that an en- Which way to lean is sometimes a tough them can turn their understanding toward gaged and knowledgeable investment call as the forward-looking statements or your view of the world. Failure to engage banker brings to the table is, particularly in rhetoric that worry a lawyer tend to be the and build relationships not only has op- the context of any public market transac- same things that inspire confidence and portunity cost in the short-term, but if that tion, obviously critical for valuation. foster improved valuation for the Street. causes long-term friction, financial news The one for which you have the most re- To be sure, we recognize the importance can obscure your message and certainly spect goes on our list. of staying out of trouble, particularly any impact perception, thus valuation. The management team that involves regulatory agencies or a court In any event, given a clear ability to move While we have this one far down the list, of law. At the same time, if it’s too tightly the needle on a stock or even an entire in- the C-suite of a company should be the wrapped, the cloak of legal protection can dustry, an interested and engaged financial most influential voice for valuation. When take away management’s agility to play the reporter deserves a spot on our list. a CEO has a maximum level of credibility game well! The competitor and influence, a stock can even develop Disclosure policy and practice are critical It is an axiom in the Investor Relations what we call a “cult” valuation. Visionary to valuation and with the power to affect business that if you don’t tell your story, you leaders in the vein of Elon Musk, Steve Jobs both, the securities lawyer is certainly on can bet someone else is going to tell it for and Mark Zuckerberg have real gravitas our list of ten. you. Most executives will not talk publicly, in the financial markets that drives valua- The strategic communications advisor like on an earnings conference call, about tion. In contrast, measured comments and Management and the Board are respon- their competitors. In private conversations, careful language that communicates a clear sible for determining and executing a com- however, the questions are inevitable and it view of risk are a CFO’s job. The balanced pany’s financial communications strategy. would be naïve to think that many, if not message that creates, particularly when the An outside advisor with broad experience most executives don’t take the opportunity boss is a visionary leader who sets big aspi- across a range of companies and situations to undercut their competition. rations, is generally beneficial to valuation. and a highly objective point of view can Understanding who those competitors While obviously not every CEO will in- provide critical input to that effort. Even are and, just as important, who they might spire blind devotion and a massive premi- the best companies can fall victim to in- influence, can be critical in mitigating false um multiple, certainly every management sular thinking or be guilty of believing narratives or, for that matter, subjective team can aspire to have a clearly communi- their own press clippings. Collecting un- narratives that if taken as fact would be cated strategy, a well defined corporate cul- varnished feedback from investors and its harmful to valuation. As a general policy, ture, a mission and vision that translate into unbiased interpretation is key to achieving taking the high road is usually the right value creation, a sense that their view of the and maintaining optimal valuation. Un- course of action, though sometimes things world is also realistic and prudent. That’s a fortunately, most investors will rarely tell a can get serious and ugly. good path to instill confidence in not only company exactly what they think for fear of In any event, particularly if there’s a story the company’s investors, but also in em- offending management and limiting their vacuum to fill, the competitor is on our list ployees, customers and other stakeholders. access. A trusted and respected third-party of ten. Management should speak with one voice advisor, ideally one that comes from Wall The investment banker and is therefore on our list. Street, can provide that insight. An inte- Investment bankers don’t communicate The securities lawyer grated and strategic approach to all com- with the markets, but the structural finance The public conversation that determines munications and constituencies, can take work and the mergers and acquisitions valuation is bounded by a dizzying range of this insight even further. Only by address- work they do can have profound implica- laws and regulations, some of which have ing the participation of each of the people tions for valuation. While it’s not perfectly serious teeth. While we don’t recommend on our list, can a company achieve the best true, investment bankers tend to be some of management think of Damocles during a possible corporate reputation and, by ex- the most sophisticated and most thorough- Q&A session, it’s essential to have a securi- tension, valuation. ly minded people in the capital markets. ties lawyer provide some thoughtful advice James R. Palczynski is a Partner at ICR.  Their advisory work can make or break a on disclosure, particularly in the event an company and the story it tells. They also activist is present.

Integrated comms. insurance business, Medicare Advantage, insurance experts on our teams? Do we _ Continued from page 10 Medicaid, reimbursement and value based have technology and analytics wonks? Are ities, divergent backgrounds, and operate outcomes business. These employees are all we able to draw out a narrative, messaging more like a jazz band: a scrappy and pas- about communicating evidence, outcomes and communications tactics that work for sionate group of experts all moving toward and providing analytics that tell the story of new targets? If agencies choose not to rest the same objective, but with differing per- a best-in-class product. on their laurels as integrated marketing ex- spectives and knowledge pools. The new “integrated” agency perts, and fully embrace the rapid and un- For example, the rhythm section holds I do think this next phase of subject mat- precedented business challenges that our down the beat: these are the bioscience em- ter or expertise “integration” will eventual- clients are facing, our industry will be able ployees who are fluid in the fundamentals ly become table stakes, just like social and to add more value to our clients than ever of healthcare, understand the product, its digital integration is today. But for now, it before. differentiators, milestones, and the prod- is important for our clients to understand Michael Roth is a Partner and Healthcare uct market. Then you need the soloists: what we mean by this new frontier of inte- Practice Leader at Bliss Integrated Commu- the strategic leads who understand the grated communications. Do we have B2B nication. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 13 FEATURE Why executive commentary on social media matters The emergence of executive commentary on social media provides has indisputable expertise, her stature on a much-needed venue for leaders to share their perspectives on the site is likely to rise. Quora provides a va- critical issues in a transparent fashion. riety of opportunities for blogging and live Q&A “sessions.” By Cynthia Isaac In a similar fashion, Triberr helps content creators reach audiences interested in top- ovartis CEO Joe Jimenez is deeply nal or Washington Post could fulfill this ob- ics that might be as broad as “nursing” or interested in China’s drug market. jective. That’s still true today. But the hurdles as narrow as a single drug. If nothing else, NSoon, he believes, reforms to the are higher, now, and so are the risks. Much the site can help corporate thought leaders China Food and Drug Administration will as traditional media outlets may strive for keep track of what like-minded bloggers are lead to the approval of many more drugs civility in their “comments” area, executives writing. that have been tested and approved in other who air their opinions are vulnerable. Even If a company wishes to engage job can- countries. The reforms could help Chinese where reader feedback is supportive, anon- didates, then consider a blog post on the patients gain access to important medicines. ymous comments make it hard to analyze job-search and re- How did I hear about all of this? By follow- who’s engaging with the content, or how view site Glassdoor, ing Jimenez’s Influencer blog on LinkedIn. much they influence others. which attracts about Like many other healthcare professionals, In contrast, I’m impressed with the trans- 33 million unique us- I’m interested in how Western drug com- parency and refined rules of the road on ers a month and con- panies are faring in China. Ten years ago, professional networking sites like LinkedIn. tains data on 660,000 I would’ve had to wait until the New York After reading Joe Jimenez’s China post, I companies around the Times or another publication covered the skimmed some profiles among the 340+ world, according to Fast topic. Thanks to social media, I can learn individuals who “liked” the column. The Company­ . about it directly from the person at the top. visibility is remarkable. LinkedIn’s busi- Whether on LinkedIn Cynthia Isaac The emergence of LinkedIn, Twitter and ness-and-jobs focus incentivizes members or Glassdoor, there are other social media as platforms for execu- to interact with others and share informa- simple do’s and don’ts that will make your tive commentary is important for at least tion about their work experience and pro- article more attractive to your readers, and two reasons. First, the opportunities for fessional networks. This transparency is to editors who may serve as gatekeepers. companies to garner the coverage they de- helpful when you run analytics to track the Most important, an article is not a mes- sire in mainstream media are dwindling as impact of an executive’s blog. What’s more, sage track. Site editors and readers alike are media outlets struggle with consolidation many members turn to LinkedIn to build looking for insights and information on de- and financial challenges. Many top-tier their personal brands, which means they are velopments in the news and trends in the journalists have left the field for higher-paid more likely to maintain a demeanor appro- ind\ustry. Stories that surprise the reader, jobs. The typical media outlet is now mak- priate to business. defy conventional wisdom, and steer con- ing do with a smaller, sometimes less expe- An additional draw is the ability of con- versations in a new direction garner the rienced staff. tent creators on LinkedIn to leverage their most engagement. Reporters must cover more news, under own networks. Colleagues can share the Consider presenting a unique analysis tighter deadlines, and with more competi- perspectives of their executives. Circles of on an industry trend, with original data if tion from bloggers and other non-tradition- influence widen to include external ven- possible. An unusual personal narrative can al commentators. Stories are shorter. And dors, customers, and opinion leaders. also be a platform for a chief executive, es- headlines are more provocative as media And that’s just part of the picture. Linked­ pecially, in healthcare, if the story involves channels, news sites and aggregators com- In provides tools that lets authors fine-tune intimate experience with illness, mortality, pete for readers’ attention. Balanced, nu- their outreach to disparate audiences. And or recovery. A high corporate title is also a anced, deeply reported company stories are the site’s 2014 purchase of SlideShare en- big draw. a rare commodity. ables other enhancements, such as turning Traditional virtues such as humility and The second reason I’m excited by blog- blog posts into slide shows that highlight generosity also matter in digital domains. ging opportunities on sites such as Linked­ just the data and key takeaways. As of Janu- The stakeholders an executive most wants In — as well as less-obvious outlets like ary, SlideShare boasted 70 million users and to reach will respond best to arguments Glassdoor, Quora and Triberr — is more some 159 million monthly page views. presented in a moderate tone with an abun- personal. I work in the biopharmaceutical While LinkedIn is the obvious standout dance of persuasive detail. space, where reputation has taken a heavy in the sphere of online thought leadership, There are a few examples of executives hit. According to a January 2017 Harris Poll, there are many other platforms that pro- who do this right. I would point to the last only nine percent of U.S. consumers believe mote discourse on serious topics and re- five posts on Joe Jimenez’s blog. Each short pharma and biotech companies put patients ward intelligent engagement. On Quora, a article illuminates a topic that’s top of mind over profit. Thus, companies sorely need sprawling question-and-answer community in his industry, along with an informative new approaches to sharing perspective on with about 100 million monthly unique vis- snapshot of Novartis’s activities. Perspec- critical issues that impact business. An ex- itors, the stature of registered members rises tives presented with intelligence and insight ecutive blog can help explain the company’s with the volume and quality of answers they are the ones that resonate most. positions and tell a more nuanced story to provide. Cynthia Isaac, Ph.D, leads the Corporate impact stakeholder understanding. Professional stature in a technical field en- Communications practice for the public re- Before the advent of social media, placing hances credibility on Quora. As long as your lations group of inVentiv Health Communi- a well-crafted OpEd in theWall Street Jour- executive concentrates on topics where she cations. 

14 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Brand lessons from the Chicago Cubs Brands, like sports teams, risk the possibility of fading away after a Keep in mind what worked but evolve. successful season. Here are several lessons brands can take from When planning a follow-up launch or cam- the Chicago Cubs on remaining innovative with a follow-up product paign, be sure to leverage tactics and ideas launch or campaign. that helped yield your success. That said, By Tara Reid don’t lose sight of current consumer and societal trends that are sure to impact your pring has sprung, and baseball season can learn from the Cubs. brand. During the offseason, Cubs man- is underway. And what a season it’s Success doesn’t happen overnight. ager Joe Maddon said it’s important to be Spoised to be, with the Chicago Cubs Well, sometimes it does, but it takes a lot uncomfortable to continue to grow and not odds-on favorites to win back-to-back ti- of preparation behind the scenes. Becom- become stagnant. This tles — a feat no team has done since the NY ing the 2016 World Series champs wasn’t a is true for both playing Yankees were World Series champs in 1999 lucky break. It was a strategically planned the game of baseball and 2000. approach by GM Theo Epstein — from re- and thinking or ideat- As lineups are finalized and pitching rota- cruiting the right players to hiring the best ing in the marketing tions set, it’s impossible not to wonder how coaches and managers. Brands need to take sense. What can you do the Cubs will do after last year’s Cinderella time to lay the foundation for continual this time around that story. All eyes are on them — and for good success and have the foresight to look be- remains true to your reason. They have the talent and leadership yond one product launch. First, be sure to brand but demonstrates to be successful for years to come, but any- have the right team in place. From R&D to a clear evolution? Per- Tara Reid thing less than winning another champi- marketing, everyone needs to work togeth- haps it’s pushing the cre- onship will be considered by many to be a er for a successful program. Also, outline an ative envelope in your content creation or failure. innovation pipeline early on and stick to the targeting a new group of influencers. Or It’s not just the Cubs that face the fear of schedule as closely as you can. Finally, plan consider bringing your brand or program being a flash in the pan. Outside of sports, for an overarching campaign theme that has to life on the consumer level through an ex- singers and authors become one-hit won- the potential to carry out multiple messages periential activation. Utilize new platforms ders all the time when their first album and products. that will resonate with your audience. or book tops the charts only to have their Stay hungry but stay humble. You’ve just Be synonymous with October. When second and third fall flat. Brands are no ex- launched the biggest product of the year. you think of MLB’s postseason and World ception. While some fade away after one in- Sales and awareness have skyrocketed and Series winners, teams like the Yankees and credible product launch, due to constantly your brand is a media darling. What do you Red Sox immediately come to mind. For the evolving trends and tastes, others struggle do? Take a moment to let it soak in, and then Cubs, this is the end goal, and it encompass- with follow-up products or line extensions get back to work … as if it never happened. es everything they’re working toward. Tech that miss the mark. So, how can a brand Epstein recently commented that after a brands might take the same approach with score a home run with the launch of a fol- World Series win you either get complacent CES, car brands with the L.A. or Detroit low-up product or campaign? It’s a winning or even hungrier because now that you’ve Auto Show, and food brands with Natural combination the reigning World Series tasted it, there’s no real in between. When Products Expo West, whatever the biggest champions set in motion months ago, and kicking off a follow-up program, campaign national stage is for your industry to show one that — if followed — should lead to suc- or launch, be just as aggressive — or even off your success. cess on and off the field. more so. Treat each subsequent project With expectations high at these events, In celebration of the return of America’s with the same passion and excitement, as you must be impactful to become memora- favorite pastime, here are five lessons brands well as caution, as your first one to remain ble. Once you have a few key Ws under your grounded. Remember the strategizing, time belt, your brand will make the climb from PR news brief and dedication it took to win the first time lucky newcomer to best of the best and may around. While your brand might be on top even become a marketing case study. L.C. Williams acquires JSH&A of the world today, it could be a has-been as Only time will tell how far the Cubs make Chicago-based full-service agency L.C. Williams & soon as tomorrow. it this season. But if they stay grounded and Associates announced it has acquired Oakbrook Ter- Take advantage of the spotlight. Find focused, they have the potential to become race, IL-based food and beverage shop JSH&A Com- ways to keep the positive momentum go- one of the most dominant teams in sports munications. Terms of the acquisition, which became ing for your brand as long as you can while history. The same can be said for a brand. effective April 1, were not publicly disclosed. LCWA executives told O’Dwyer’s that the acquisi- planning your second act. After the Cubs It’s tough to remain brilliant and innovative tion brings the agency extensive food and beverage won, the media covered everything they — it takes the right combination of compo- expertise in media relations, social media activation did. They made the talk show rounds; team nents, but it can be done. By developing and and special events, and serves as a “great comple- members attended a fellow player’s wed- following a well-thought-out and consistent ment” to LCWA’s consumer marketing experience. game plan, you’ll win with every product “LCWA and JSH&A are very similar agencies, ding; they went to the White House; retired with complementary clients and expertise developed catcher David Rossi joined “Dancing with launch or campaign. Consumers will be- over decades in all aspects of public relations,” Kim the Stars.” And just like that, the 2017 sea- come fanatics and keep coming back to see Blazek Dahlborn, president and CEO of LCWA, told son was here. By executing a phased mar- what’s next. And in the end, you might just ­O’Dwyer’s. “We were founded on the principal of keting and PR plan that includes a media create a passion brand with a passionate fol- providing big agency thinking with the dedication and service of a small firm, and we will continue to uphold campaign, public appearances and social lowing. these core values that both agency teams share.” posts, your brand will still be buzzing by the Tara Reid is Vice President of Havas For- time you’re ready for your next launch. mula’s Chicago division. 

16 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Caught in the fake news crosshairs Why preparation and truth are the best defense for a company’s reputation. more work to get the facts straight. By Tracy Carlson Train your thought leaders to vet infor­ mation and media before sharing opin­ “ ake news” heightens the confusion in and their part in spreading it — remains a ions. You likely have a thought leader (or our cluttered media landscape. If you real concern. Just ask Pepsi and New Bal- five) eager to be the first to voice his/her Fget caught up in a fake news firestorm, ance. During the recent presidential elec- opinion on current events. That can be an that confusion becomes a serious challenge tion, misquotes of their CEOs led to boy- asset; if they have the appropriate support for your brand and business. cotts and shoe burning. Coca-Cola’s Dasani to vet media opportunities and research Most U.S. adults (64 percent) agree that faced bogus reports of parasites in its water, key information. Given the rushed nature fake news has left them confused about and McDonald’s dealt with the fallout from of today’s news cycle, it’s easy to share in- basic facts of current events, according to a hacked and hijacked Twitter feed. correct or outdated in- a recent Pew Research Center survey. Also It’s enough just to be next to the fake formation, engage with striking: only 39 percent of U.S. adults are news. Fiat Chrysler felt the heat when its fake social media ac- very confident in their ability to recognize programmatic native advertising aligned counts or align with the fake news, and nearly one in four have ads with fake news stories. wrong media outlet or shared fake news. Clearly, fake news can negatively impact reporter. Establishing Fake news is not a new phenomenon. In public sentiment. The bottom line often best practices for your 1782, Ben Franklin printed a fake edition follows. The Pepsi issue was the event that thought leaders and a of a real Boston newspaper to strengthen most negatively impacted the company’s process for providing America’s opposition to the British. Many reputation in 2016. A month after the in- them counsel will help other newspapers then reprinted the false cident, its stock price was still trailing its mitigate risks. Tracy Carlson information. previous average. Invest in ongoing But Americans’ awareness of fake news — Brands rarely have the chance to prevent media relations to tell your positive sto­ their involvement in fake news. But corpo- ries. What pops up in a Google search on PR news brief rate communications leaders can still pre- your organization? That’s how you measure pare. Here’s how: public opinion of your brand. It’s true of Crosby acquires production Aggressively monitor your mentions. reporters, too. You need search results rich Fake news spreads faster than you can in earned media, the most trusted form of company­ imagine. One hour produces more than communications. Earned media coverage Annapolis, MD-based agency Crosby Marketing 1.8 billion Facebook messages, 21 million requires an ongoing investment. You need Communications has unveiled a new multimedia con- tweets and nearly 3 million Instagram pho- aggressive outreach and nimble storytelling tent division, the result of the firm’s recent acquisition tos. You need 24-hour monitoring services, power. Your online newsroom and social of production company Butler Films. with team members ready to develop re- channels need emotionally resonant vid- Butler has served clients such as Discovery Com- munications, National Geographic, CarMax, GE and sponses at a moment’s notice. eo and graphics. These investments create Capital One, as well as a variety of healthcare and Incorporate fake news scenarios into a more complete, more positive picture of nonprofits. The 20-year-old Annapolis-based company your crisis planning. Preparation is ev- your organization — critical to maintaining is led by Director David Butler, who holds an Emmy, erything in a crisis. Bring the teams re- brand trust during a fake news crisis. Addy and Telly, as well as having PRSA and Clio awards to his credit. sponsible for crisis management together Assess and provide guidelines on where In light of the acquisition, Crosby has integrated its regularly. Hold candid conversations about your paid advertising runs. Programmat- creative, social and digital teams into a new multime- vulnerabilities and red flags in your orga- ic native advertising allows organizations a dia content division, with Butler named vice president nization. What could be exploited in fake broad channel to frame their stories. Un- of multimedia production. He’ll lead an in-house team news? How have other companies respond- fortunately, some outlets in this channel capable of creating TV spots, PSAs, short films, video series, social media assets, webcasts and multime- ed? What resources can you put in place facilitate the spread of fake news and other dia presentations out of Crosby’s 20,000-square-foot now? Which internal and external cham- problematic information. Organizations headquarters. pions can you call on for help? Answering must work closely with their advertising Crosby President Raymond Crosby told O’Dwyer’s these questions empowers you to mount a networks to ensure their ads only appear in that the decision to acquire an existing production outlets that match their values. company as opposed to creating a new practice from strategic, brand-appropriate response. the ground up allows the agency to begin providing a Regularly remind your employees of The spotlight on fake news also shines a suite of internal multimedia capabilities for clients in your media and social media policies. spotlight on its remedy: the truth. That’s a one fell swoop, as opposed to doing so slowly over Your employees can be your best brand ad- good thing. News organizations are coming time. vocates. You should equip them with clear back to their roots as champions for truth. Crosby also noted that his agency has had a long working relationship with Butler, having collaborated guidelines and messages to support your They’re working to mend the broken line with the company for the last 15 years. organization. Without these tools, even between news and opinions, combat fake “The whole driver behind this was the need to the best intentions can cause damage to news and regain the public’s trust. It’s the deliver creative storytelling across every media chan- your reputation. I’ve seen this firsthand: A right environment for organizations to get nel, but with an agility that maximizes our ability to engaged, build media relationships and meet the rapid-fire pace of the world we’re living in,” devoted employee took to her blog to de- Crosby told O’Dwyer’s. “With David, we’ve got a great fend her employer, which was dealing with prepare for any road blocks ahead. The leader who can drive this whole division and who’s a fake news issue. Unfortunately, she didn’t more you do now, the more resilient your got an amazing reel, strong industry contacts, and have all the facts, and her commentary brand will be in a fake news firestorm. who already knows our organization and will be able didn’t align with that of the organization. Tracy Carlson is Senior Director of Crisis to seamlessly connect with them.” Her well-intentioned efforts created even and Media Relations at Padilla. 

18 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT Technology PR: a tale of two coasts

A bicoastal look at the technology industry and how the integrated and digital storytelling become the prima- marketing and PR landscape compares in each region. ry driver of a brand’s story across owned, earned, paid and shared channels. Most of- By Jennifer Malleo and Nikki Festa O’Brien ten, PR has a leading role in the ideation, development and curation of that content, avigating the technology scene is like ter the economic downturn in 2007 where enabling PR professionals to influence buy- standing in a crowded room, shout- marketing teams became a “party of one” er behavior at every stage of the journey. Ning someone’s name and hoping the in many instances, is the level of education Does cross-office collaboration help or right person notices. It’s likely a few with and awareness. Companies aren’t looking hinder client communication? the same name might turn, but the noisy for just a strong media relations program or There’s little doubt that operating congestion will certainly make it hard to an increased social following, they’re look- bi-coastal teams demands a thoughtful ap- pinpoint where that voice is coming from. ing for firms to turn them into influencers. proach to developing ef- How does the technology industry dif­ What should a networking strategy look fective communications fer from coast to coast? like to dominate Boston and San Fran­ practices. While the above analogy can be a re- cisco? Having one team span flection on either coast, we’ve seen a huge Networking is key to any business and East and West Coast amount of growth on the East Coast, spe- across all industries. However, the coasts time zones has benefits cifically Boston, with that city taking the draw inspiration from different sources for clients – they essen- lead for digital entrepreneurship, according based on the nature of each environment. tially get a 40 percent to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foun- It’s based on preferences, like being a fan boost in attention every dation. The environment is academically of Coke or Pepsi. Neither is better than the day, as teams operate a Jennifer Malleo charged and fueled by uplifts to some of its other, and each has its advantages. follow-the-sun approach hometown brands’ headquarters and relo- The way each city networks is, in many to meeting demands. cations, including New Balance, Converse, ways, a reflection of the ideas coming out East Coast workers take the early shift, get- Reebok and GE. There’s also been a sig- of the city. For example, the National Sci- ting a jump on announcements and break- nificant investment in the city’s quality of ence Foundation has cited that academic ing news; West Coast life. Boston has mastered the art of having institutions in Cambridge, MA, spend $4 workers are available explosive growth without losing its innate billion on R&D each year, compared to only late into the evening. charm, a strong sense of community. $1.3 billion for the entire Bay Area. Boston The keys to making The West Coast, is built on a fast-moving is largely idea-driven, prioritizes the user it work come down to mentality, inspired by a highly competitive experience and likely spends a lot of time investing in the right industry seeded with venture capital. It’s no and investment on testing. San Francisco tools and people with surprise that if we’re talking technology, the is quick to the draw, looks to produce a the right attitude. Both Bay Area is the hub in focus, and what this product that will attract investment and is coasts are filled with area may lack in “community” it makes up inspired by the future versus the past. Both digital natives who are for in relationship building. Knowing and approaches need a sound networking strat- at home with digital Nikki Festa O’Brien finding the right people to involve in the egy to accomplish their goals. innovation and easily business is a huge driver in finding success. Do client expectations of the PR pro­ adapt to ever-changing technology. Online No one does this better than the Valley, gram differ by region? collaboration is part of their DNA. with approximately $21.7 million in startup Every CMO views PR as a tool to impact Collaboration across coasts is a game funding in the last 12 months (compared to sales, regardless of geography. The defini- changer in providing exceptional service $4.5 million in Boston), according to Tele- tion of PR has been evolving for decades, to clients and can drive innovation by inte- port, and more than 6,000 business launch- and what we’re seeing now is a convergence grating different points of view, background es between 2011 and 2015. of PR, marketing and sales enablement. It’s experiences, expectations and abilities. A unifying force between the two coasts now expected that every marcom activity Does geography matter anymore? that sets them apart from other cities and align with the customer journey to create More than a century ago, Rudyard Kipling regions is the constant quest for superior measurable outcomes. wrote, “East is East and West is West, and talent. Whether it’s locating your technol- According to the USC Annenberg Cen- never the twain shall meet.” Kipling seemed ogy business steps from some of the most ter for Public Relations Global Communi- to be saying that all of us are, to some ex- renowned universities in the world or net- cations Report out earlier this year, almost tent, unable to adapt to the ways of others. working with Silicon Valley powerhouses, half of PR professionals surveyed believe Still, he might have gone too far in assert- it’s a game each coast plays and plays to win. PR will become more integrated with mar- ing that the two will never meet. As more Do the requests for integrated market­ keting over the next five years, and market- companies straddle both coasts and blend ing and PR services differ by coast? ers agree: nearly 20 percent predict that PR cultures through technology, agencies have Simply put, the requests don’t differ coast will become a subset of marketing. an opportunity to help clients bridge the to coast. It’s all about building, keeping and PR planning and sales coalesce around marketing divide by offering unified insight leveraging the relationships that matter measurement. As PR practitioners, we have and expertise across geographies. most. The channels continue to grow and the opportunity to help clients set measur- Jennifer Malleo is Vice President of PAN the names and faces change, but the strat- able objectives that influence sales and de- Communications West. Nikki Festa O’Brien egy and objectives are the same. However, sign programs to achieve those objectives. is Vice President of PAN Communications one aspect that has changed, especially af- At the implementation phase, content East.

20 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT PR needs a new definition

Hey Merriam-Webster: after 120 years, it’s time for a change, don’t agencies on that same search that proclaim you think? social media as a core capability. Who can By Blair Broussard blame them though as AdAge’s 2016 State of the Agency Report shows that despite total he public relations industry is cele- consistently fallen, dropping from 18.6 per- revenue and growth declining, digital reve- brating a birthday. One hundred and cent to 15.3 percent in 2016. nue for U.S. agencies surged 13.5 percent in Ttwenty years after Ivy Lee founded PR Just ask Old Spice and Apple circa 1997, 2015 to $19.3 billion. we’re at a crossroads. This $14 billion global when their profits were falling. They ag- That said, more and more agencies are industry’s future is uncertain as other in- gressively repositioned their brand within jumping on the digital bandwagon. Yester- dustries and new sub-sectors take over our the marketplace to ensure long-term suc- day it was social media, today it’s content very mission of reaching and persuading cess. Maybe the PR industry should eat our marketing and lead target audiences. own dog food and do the same thing? generation. But these Merriam Webster defines PR as the busi- Where did it all go wrong? tools, strategies and ness of inducing the public to have under- I won’t bore you with an entire timeline channels aren’t the standing for and goodwill toward a person, of this industry. According to the Museum solution, they are just firm or institution. While I do believe that of PR, the earliest signs of public relations a means to the end public relations is still about influencing, date back as far as 37000 B.C. But the age that should not have engaging and building relationships with of mass media could be thought of as PR’s been thrown so hastily key stakeholders to contribute to the way golden age, from swaying the public opin- to the wayside by PR an organization is perceived, this outdated ion during the Great Depression to the practitioners. After all, Blair Broussard definition doesn’t go far enough in today’s mass adoption of televisions, leading to a we’ve always been the digital, big-data and multi-platform world. whole new medium to communicate to ones directly and au- thentically com- Today, brands demand hard ROI in the the public. And who could forget the cya- municating with audiences, we’ve just been form of numbers versus public opinion. nide-laced Tylenol deaths, when Johnson & hesitant at embracing new tech to do so. No longer are PR firms measured by loose Johnson set the crisis communication stan- The new definition of PR numbers like ad value equivalency, rather dards in the early 1980s. Throughout it all, First, I believe we all need to agree this our clients want to see how we go a step PR was there to prove itself useful. It solved definition should be timeless and have the further than “perception” and “goodwill.” a very clear pain point. Times were simpler, ability to withstand any additional techno- Bottom line, they want to know how we’re and public opinion was easier to gauge as logical advancements. Next, I believe we actually getting them revenue. Therefore, people were only accessing a few mediums need to stop shortchanging ourselves: why the age-old definition of PR is entirely too to receive information about everything are we limiting our area of expertise and al- broad, causing confusion and giving our from world news and popular culture to lowing other industries and sub-sectors to competition leeway to begin to take over consumer products. take over and own anything that has to do pieces of the pie that are rightfully ours. Enter the rise of integrated media in the with technology, analytics and hard ROI? The controversy: what is PR? early 2000’s. Agency players like Edelman, I believe we can all play nice and share the If you feel like you’re always being asked Weber Shandwick, FleishmanHillard, and stage. PR, marketing and sales teams all have this question and don’t have a good enough others flourished, expanding their commu- a significant role in communicating and in- answer — or if you don’t really know how to nications scopes and markets during the fluencing key audiences, yet they often lack answer it at all anymore — you’re not alone. early 21st century as they purchased and understanding of the core functions and In fact, only 27 percent of agency leaders be- conglomerated many advertising, market- value of the other teams. Technology can lieve that by 2020 the term “public relations” ing and public relations firms. help close the gap to create common goals, will adequately describe their work. The Then, to shake things up even more, a few giving all three teams a holistic picture. At problem was evident back in 2012, as the years later social media became even more the end of the day, we all want the same Public Relations Society of America sought prevalent. This is about the same time that thing — to help our businesses or clients to redefine the definition of PR. other, smaller agencies cowered and al- achieve their overall goals and objectives. PRSA began a huge campaign to solicit lowed new sub-sectors to take over our very I still have faith that this beloved indus- new definitions from industry organiza- mission. Social media was yet another way try of ours can change, but it has to happen tions, professors, students, professionals to create long lasting relationships between now. I’m calling on industry leadership to and even the public at large. In just two businesses and buyers, not to mention it revisit our definition. Trade associations, weeks, it received almost 1,000 defini- was capable of providing a two-way conver- academia, practitioners and more; let’s all tions. The initiative seemed to cause quite sation. A few years later, social media was gather and put a stop to the guessing, con- the stir, and after what the New York Times spun out as its own department rather than fusion and constant revisions. I can’t think described as contentious conversation, the exist as an integrated service offering. The of a better time than the 120th year of our winner was chosen. Public relations had client results after that department’s cre- industry to move beyond this crossroads, a new definition, according to its leading ation were lackluster, to say the least. choosing a path that is concise, timeless trade association: “Public relations is a stra- Now, social media specialty shops are a and enables us to continue to innovate and tegic communication process that builds dime a dozen. A simple Google search re- grow. PR truly is fun and flexible. It’s quan- mutually beneficial relationships between veals there are 20+ social media agencies tifiable and trackable. It’s collaborative. It’s organizations and their publics.” on the first page in ARPR’s hometown of lucrative. And it’s really, really impactful. Clearly this didn’t hit the nail on the head. Atlanta alone. And, there are an additional Blair Broussard is a Senior Vice President Since then, annual operating profits have 40+ full-service marketing and advertising at AR|PR. 

22 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT Tech firms focus on social media, content creation use for day-to-day PR tasks. The PR indus- Several of the top tech PR firms weigh in on their strategies for try is just beginning to see the impact of growth and where they see the tech industry headed in the not-too- technologies such as machine learning and distant future. AI, as well as virtual and augmented reality By Adrienne Jordan and robotics, each of which open an untold number of doors. he top 10 firms ranked by O’Dwyer’s for social media, content and influencer Highwire recently rolled out its Highwire for technology PR brought in a com- marketing programs as companies increas- Labs team, an internal group dedicated to Tbined total of more than $405 million ingly want to engage with influencers to researching and reviewing the latest PR in 2016, a 60 percent increase in tech-relat- grow their brand awareness,” Borders said. tech platforms to determine which tools ed fees from the top 10 agencies ranked last Borders said technol- the larger agency should adopt. With this year. Nine of those firms were up in total ogy is impacting more new team, the agency is able to stay ahead billings last year, and all save one gained in industries than ever, of the curve with the latest in PR tech and tech-related fees, several by double digits. giving communicators test out platforms before they’re introduced Innovation key in tech success who work in these spac- to clients. All truly innovative companies have a es an opportunity to tap “The tech industry is constantly evolving, story to tell, and an increasing number of into markets ranging which makes it so exciting,” Borders said. those innovators are now seeking commu- from digital health and “These innovations are here to stay and we nications services, according to Alan Soucy, ecommerce to consum- will feel the reach into nearly every aspect CEO of San Francisco-based tech PR spe- er devices, cybersecuri- of our lives.” cialist Spark. ty and enterprise infra- Emily Borders Technology affects positive change Soucy said that in order to be effective to- structure. New York-based Hotwire grew by an in- day, PR services must include an integrated “Organizations are looking for compel- credible 322.2 percent last year, taking in approach with a concise strategy for nar- ling ways to connect with their target au- more than $13.2 million in tech-related net rative development, high quality content diences. Raising awareness through media, fees alone. creation, earned and paid media for ampli- analyst and influencer relations is a key fo- When it comes to the sorts of brands that fication and measurement and reporting to cus area, but we are also seeing more inter- are contacting technology agencies today, ensure alignment with stated goals. est in customer activation campaigns, from Hotwire Senior Vice President of Business “All services must di- highly curated, salon events to large-scale Development and Marketing Greg Mond- rectly support a client's customer conferences,” Borders said. shein offered a simple answer: just about business goals or else “More and more these companies are everyone. they are superfluous,” looking for an integrated approach to their “Everyone now wants to tell a technology said Soucy. Spark sees public relations strategy,” she continued. story. Everyone wants to be on the cutting the tech industry fol- “Instead of working with multiple agencies edge,” Mondshein said. lowing markets that are for different areas of PR, they want to keep “Technology is empow- ripe for disruption and it all within the same team. Overall, com- ering every aspect of innovation. “We expect panies want brand awareness, which they business, from opera- to see ground breaking Alan Soucy want to come in the form of an integrat- tions, to IT, to mobility advances in transpor- ed program that includes everything from to sales and marketing tation, energy, artificial intelligence, digital thought leadership programs and media re- automation. Brands currency, and underlying blockchain tech- lations to social media strategies and trade- from all industries want nologies.” show and event support.” to tell that story, and Some of the places where Spark envisions Tools, platforms for day-to-day tasks technology agencies are tech PR growing includes sectors such as One of the most significant challenges best positioned to cap- Greg Mondshein FinTech, transportation, enterprise, mar- and opportunities facing the tech commu- italize on this massive keting tech, AR/VR and new consumer nications industry today is the prospect of opportunity because it’s the story they’ve technologies. determining which tools and platforms to been telling for years.” Spark accounted for more than $14 mil- According to Mondshein, we’re still bat- lion in tech-related net fees in 2016. tling the old guard when it comes to the Social media, influence remain strong siloed nature of marketing departments. Silicon Valley agency Highwire PR grew Mondshein lamented that PR budgets by nearly 38 percent overall in 2016, and are traditionally a fraction of the broader accounted for more than $14 million in marketing budget, and at the same time, tech-related net fees. communicators are more and more held Principal Emily Borders told O’Dwyer’s accountable for lead generation. that tech PR industry is currently seeing “As we all start to pitch and execute in- strong growth in the variety of services that tegrated campaigns, we continuously have prospective clients and companies are look- to fight for access to new and bigger bud- ing for, “which presents an opportunity for gets,” he said. “While the walls are starting PR professionals and agencies to expand to come down, there’s still a disconnect be- their services offerings to meet this need.” tween budgets, the asks and tolerance for “The biggest trends we’ve seen is a need O’Dwyer’s technology PR rankings, p 26 new creative thinking.” 

24 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN TECHNOLOGY

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $265,316,000 35. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY $862,100

2. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 23,713,740 36. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 832,960

3. Finn Partners, New York, NY 20,344,000 37. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 802,608

4. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 19,515,000 38. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 802,000

5. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 39. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 771,017

6. Spark, San Francisco, CA 14,021,737 40. Makovsky, New York, NY 657,000

7. Hotwire, New York, NY 13,247,420 41. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 485,060

8. ICR, New York, NY 12,735,776 42. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 454,793

9. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 11,704,377 43. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 319,290 10. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 11,340,000 44. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 310,275 11. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,078,745 45. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 266,962 12. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 10,733,500 46. Hunter PR, New York, NY 250,000 13. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 47. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 242,524 14. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 10,375,200 48. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 236,885 15. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 9,898,630 49. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 233,300 16. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,052,898 50. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 230,000 17. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 7,955,463 51. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 193,886 18. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 5,300,000 52. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 191,000 19. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 4,407,649 53. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 186,933 20. Havas Formula, New York, NY 4,253,000 54. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 162,198 21. Peppercomm, New York, NY 4,082,143 55. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 133,841 22. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 2,964,147 56. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 129,815 23. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 2,831,159 57. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 124,500 24. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 2,400,000 58. Bizcom Associates, Addison, TX 110,000 25. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 2,298,518 26. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 2,000,000 59. Beehive Strategic Communication, St.Paul, MN 108,641 27. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 1,910,000 60. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 98,695 28. Greenough, Boston, MA 1,350,349 61. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 70,937 29. AR|PR, Atlanta, GA 1,340,397 62. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 60,000 30. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 1,300,000 63. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 54,000 31. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,240,061 64. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 41,040 32. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,175,000 65. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 40,000 33. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 1,053,000 66. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 29,039 34. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 1,018,321 67. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 5,700

26 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.

REPORT Finance firms navigate new regulations PR firms working in the finance industry today are netting historic fees, yet find themselves besieged by historic changes affecting everything from fiduciary regulations to a reallocation of assets, all to an increased demand for digital offerings that consumers now expect when utilizing financial services. By Adrienne Jordan “ he financial communications industry to seek out new business models, distribu- brands,” Boccio said. “As a consequence, will need to evolve more quickly with tion channels and customer groups,” says communications campaigns must be always Tchanges to the media and investment Wildrick. on, fully integrated across channels and landscape, as other segments of communi- Wildrick said Bliss, whose clients consist measurable to enhance efficacy.” cations have,” said Michael Fox, Chief Client of a mix of established players and disrup- Richard Dukas, Chairman and CEO of Officer at ICR. tors, is seeing requests for an increasingly Dukas Linden Public Relations, said he’s Fox believes Millennials’ transition into a diverse array of services: everything from witnessed a massive reallocation of assets target audience for financial communica- content to traditional media relations, to from active investors, everything from mu- tors will become a major source of impact social media and lead tual funds to passive index funds like the for the industry in the coming years. generation. SPDR 500, an ETF that “Digital media is simultaneously expand- The agency accounted closely tracks the S&P ing and fragmenting into many more out- for more than $3.9 mil- 500 index. lets for information, presenting new chal- lion in finance-related As baby boomers be- lenges and opportunities for companies in net fees last year. gin reaching retirement the way they communicate to their current “Ten years ago, reg- age, Dukas said we’ll and potential stakeholders,” said Fox. “The ulated companies were simultaneously begin way Millennials consume information and slow to implement so- to witness the largest the things that influences their behavior are cial media and content Meg Wildrick generational transfer of very different — and fi- marketing programs,” wealth in our country’s nancial communicators Wildrick said. “Today, history. Mike Boccio will have to adapt.” it’s rare to find a financial services company In a low interest rate “One need only look that isn’t sharing content actively on owned environment, cheaper index funds will tend at the recent challenges and social channels.” to outperform active managers. Markets faced by United Airlines Digital, social communication essential don’t go up forever, but active managers this past year to under- Mike Boccio, Executive Managing Direc- will need to work harder to convince the in- stand the true value of tor at RF | Binder Partners and Bill McBride, vesting public of the value they offer despite corporate brand reputa- Senior Advisor, told O’Dwyer’s that an adop- their steeper costs, and alternative managers tion,” said Andy Merrill, tion of new technologies has led to a prolif- will need to do a better job communicating Michael Fox Partner at New York- eration of content sharing and consumption the true value these funds provide to a skep- based financial firm across digital and social platforms, which tical public and media. Prosek Partners. presents both significant opportunities and “Hedge funds and other alternative asset Merrill said that as the value of protect- challenges for the financial communica- classes have generally under-performed ing brands and leveraging them to drive the tions industry. compared to plain, ‘vanilla’ index funds, business grows, so too will the demand for “Today, target audiences and constitu- such as the SPDR 500,” Dukas said. “These strategic financial communications services. encies including investors and sharehold- index funds and ETFs are far less expensive “As that demand grows, our clients are ers are paradoxically as interconnected than hedge funds, private equity and oth- challenging us to open, develop and build as ever, yet also highly fragmented — and er alternative asset classes. Now more than new and innovative communications chan- they are becoming less reliant on tradition- ever, mutual fund companies and active nels to deploy their corporate narrative, al resources and modalities to inform their managers need to communicate the value differentiate and promote their brand and, longer-term investment strategies, daily they offer investors, especially over the lon- ultimately, support the continued growth of decision-making and overall perception of ger term.” their business,” he said. “Boomers and larger The impact of regulations institutional investors, Meg Wildrick, Managing Partner at Bliss such as pension and Integrated Communication, said that her endowment funds, as firm has discovered that a general rule, aren’t new regulations — be- comfortable receiving ing it in banking, tax, information about in- investing, reporting or vesting from social me- fiduciary rules — actu- dia,” Dukas continued. ally create as many com- “However, the industry Richard Dukas munications opportuni- will need to grapple with ties they do challenges. the challenge of how to communicate to a “Like technologi- more tech-savvy Millennial and GenY de- cal change, regulatory mographic, which is more comfortable with Andy Merrill change spurs companies O’Dwyer’s financial PR rankings, p. 30 social media.” 

28 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FINANCE

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $73,582,000 26. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA $561,825

2. ICR, New York, NY 38,698,896 27. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 556,350

3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 20,350,000 28. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 520,504

4. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 10,443,300 29. Havas Formula, New York, NY 506,000

5. Peppercomm, New York, NY 6,145,095 30. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 505,000

6. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 5,148,601 31. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 475,000

7. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 4,306,351 32. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 325,000 8. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 4,000,000 33. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 316,280 9. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 3,904,000 34. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 302,645 10. Intermarket Communications, New York, NY 3,825,000 35. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 276,345 11. Vested, New York, NY 3,580,000 36. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 247,269 12. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 2,810,365 37. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 196,537 13. Makovsky, New York, NY 2,628,000 38. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 177,000 14. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 2,150,000 39. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 156,058 15. Finn Partners, New York, NY 2,103,000 40. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 112,227 16. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 1,869,560 41. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 72,100 17. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 1,582,996 42. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 70,000 18. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,401,073 43. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 69,099 19. KCD Public Relations, San Diego, CA 1,095,026

44. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 44,939 20. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,066,428

21. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 1,000,805 45. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 22,320

22. LANE, Portland, OR 969,011 46. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 20,000

23. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 920,600 47. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 12,000

24. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 798,071 48. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 5,000

25. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 730,000 49. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 1,985

© Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. 30 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT Healthcare PR thriving in uncertain times

Our annual checkup on PR firms specializing in healthcare and medical communications reveals an industry that’s alive and kicking, where a digitized landscape characterized by evolving patient roles and a range of new client engagements has emerged amid major policy shifts in ­Washington. By Steve Barnes

t was a good year for PR firms boasting digital and social media teams and analytics mation with authentic content from those major healthcare practices. Each of the tools, Crosby looks to keep on thriving in with conditions like themselves.” One ex- Itop 10 agencies in O’Dwyer’s 2017 Rank- an increasingly digitized healthcare land- ample of such a resource is “Parkinson’s ings of Healthcare PR firms witnessed up- scape. “The continued shift to more con- More Than Motion,” a Parkinson’s disease ticks in revenue in 2016 — a group includ- sumer-directed care and the ‘Yelpification’ Facebook community sponsored by UCB, ing Spectrum (+34.8 percent overall, with of patients and their family members using a Cooney Waters client. Since its launch in $20 million in healthcare revenue), Crosby social media channels to rate and comment 2012, the community has amassed a base Marketing (+21.7 percent, $10.6 million on everything from individual doctors to of over 75,000 fans. healthcare revenue), ReviveHealth (+40.1 overall quality of care” is changing the way Investing in innovation percent, $14 million healthcare revenue), that organizations build customer trust, It was also a big year for W2O, whose Cooney Waters Unlimited (+8.2 percent, Crosby said. “This is re- 2016 acquisitions included healthcare con- $15.2 million healthcare revenue) and quiring greater levels of sultancy Pure Marketing and the digitally W2O Group (+33.0 percent, $103.2 mil- attention and resources focused marketing agency Sentient Inter- lion healthcare revenue). to protect and enhance active. Jim Weiss, W2O Group’s CEO and Agency executives said that level of per- an organization’s repu- Founder, said the company’s acquisitions, formance has its roots in the pivotal role tation.” coupled with a continued emphasis on that PR now plays in helping stakehold- Timothy Bird, CEO of helping clients negotiate an increasingly ers across the healthcare sector deal with Cooney Waters, which is volatile healthcare marketplace, “drove us a range of emerging trends. Among them: celebrating its 25th an- to grow by more than 30 percent at the an increasingly empowered and tech-savvy niversary this year, said highest margin in our history.” consumer base, an explosion in the role of his company bounced Timothy Bird Weiss said that W2O has been active in personalized health data in determining back from a 9.1 percent many aspects of the healthcare field over the way patients manage their well-being dip in 2015 by building on its long-term the past year. “We helped launch and sup- and, perhaps most significantly, the mixed relationships with clients as well as making port many exciting organizations and com- signals being sent by Washington in re- its own investments in the latest communi- panies to launch new clinical trials, prod- gards to where govern- cations and research tools and technology. ucts and initiatives to help people suffering ment healthcare policy That focus has allowed Cooney Waters to from multiple sclerosis, muscular dys- is heading. add “a range of new client engagements” trophy, heart disease, “2016 was a banner across academia, healthcare technologies Alzheimer’s disease year for Crosby,” said and diagnostics, new disease areas and in- and multiple myeloma, President and CEO ternational health organizations. to name just a few,” he Raymond Crosby. The Patients take a more active role said. That work has ce- firm, with clients that Bird also emphasizes the importance of mented what he said is include Kaiser Perma- the more active stance that patients are tak- W2O’s “long-standing nente and the U.S. Dept. ing toward their own care. “Being visibly in commitment to the of Health and Human Raymond Crosby control is emerging as a powerful aspira- healthcare sector.” Services, “grew more tion for consumers who want to show they Among the changes than 20 percent, added more than 20 new are making the most out of every oppor- that Weiss sees in the Jim Weiss staff and maintained strong client satisfac- tunity in their personal and professional pipeline for 2017 are tion and staff satisfaction ratings.” lives,” he said. One way in which PR firms continuing market pressure on drug pric- Crosby said two strategies continued can aid in achieving this goal, he adds, is by ing, changes in the access and reimburse- to drive his company’s success last year. spreading information about the new tools ment landscape and “a potentially new ap- “First,” he said, “we stay hyper-focused patients can use to help give more up-to- proach to, and funding for, the FDA and on our three practice areas of healthcare, date, accurate information to their doctors NIH.” nonprofits & causes and federal govern- — whom he said still have a high degree of That combination of factors is, for him, a ment.” But perhaps even more important, patient trust. source of excitement rather than cause for he notes, is the importance of delivering But encouraging patients to interact with trepidation. “We are in what we believe is fully integrated communications pro- each other is also turning out to be a key the most exciting era in healthcare com- grams. “Our company structure, strategic strategy for delivering the healthcare in- munications,” he said, “where our spirit of planning process and talent is built on true dustry’s message. “Consumers today are innovation and investment in new, more integration, which we believe is critical to casting a wide net looking for health infor- maximize results.” mation,” Bird said. “They have an ever-in- _ Continued on page 34 With a major investment in beefing up its creasing appetite for new sources of infor-

32 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

Healthcare roundup In its first year under the Weber Shandwick tioned for greater ‘share of wallet’ with our umbrella, the company’s strong gains were clients and shift our relationships from the _ Continued from page 32 due largely to the expanding range of its PR budgets to the marketing budgets.” services. “The agency’s revenue diversifica- Following Washington’s lead targeted and cutting-edge approaches and tion accelerated significantly in 2016,” said No discussion of the future of the health- ideas may finally pay off as the marketplace ReviveHealth Founder and CEO Brandon care sector is complete, however, without is more ready than ever to accept them.” Edwards, “with almost half of revenue now considering the questionable future of the An emphasis on “guiding people through generated by digital, so- Affordable Care Act. Spectrum has ad- the process” of dealing with the healthcare cial, creative, advertis- dressed the potential effects of Trumpcare system is an important factor for Spectrum ing, and strategic plan- with “Riding Out the First 100 Days of President and CEO Jonathan Wilson. “Cli- ning capabilities.” Trumpcare,” an infographic that highlights ents are uncertain as to what’s happening Edwards said that the major healthcare policy developments around healthcare,” Wilson said, and he Revive Health has built of the early days of the Trump adminis- notes that helping bring a level of certain- a “content machine”— tration. Two of its webinars, “Trumpcare: ty and awareness to consumer interactions one that includes such Finding a Path Forward” and “Buckle Up: with the healthcare system is one cause of functions as branding, Your Essential Guide to Trumpcare,” also Spectrum’s success. advertising and social aim to inform industry professionals about About three-and-a-half years into what media in addition to Brandon Edwards what may be facing them. he terms a “five-year plan” for the compa- public relations and cri- It seems that one thing that everyone ny, Wilson has seen his vision for Spectrum sis management. “One day,” he said, “we can agree on is that uncertainty is the only pay off. Over that period, he said that rev- will look back on 2016 as the most pivot- sure thing as the history of Trumpcare enues have jumped about 300 percent. An- al year in Revive Health’s transformation progresses. “Regardless of how the policy other clear example of growth is the rising from a PR firm to a full-service agency.” battle over the Affordable Care Act plays number of employees at Spectrum—from That transformation reflects the market out,” Crosby said, “it will create varying 26 when Wilson arrived that ReviveHealth serves. According to levels of upheaval and opportunity across to 90 now. He also cites Edwards, “the massive shift in healthcare the healthcare continuum.” He notes that a constantly diversify- marketing currently happening in the stakeholders, from employers and health- ing client base as key to industry (particularly in our sectors — care providers to patient advocacy groups, his strategy, saying that health systems, health services and health will need help adapting their messaging 43 percent of the firm’s information technology) is exactly what strategies to accommodate any of the vari- 2016 revenue increase ReviveHealth was built to address.” ous scenarios that could face them. stems from new busi- By emphasizing deep industry experi- Providing that help, Bird adds, is a job ness. ence, knowledge of business-to-business tailor-made for PR firms, “With our under- That diversity can dynamics and a wide range of integrated standing of the healthcare policy and regu- Jonathan Wilson also be seen in the five capabilities, he said that the company is latory landscape and political realities,” he practice groups that are well set up to continue its success. “Bring- said, “we can help our clients navigate the currently part of Spectrum’s approach: bio- ing together strategy, creativity and execu- new realities and position themselves wise- pharma, smaller biotechs, consumer sci- tion is a key value proposition for Revive- ly for long-term success.” ence, public affairs and health technology. Health since many organizations want to Weiss notes the transformations that Together, those areas constitute a broad- work with just one firm,” he notes. could ensue from “a new administration based strategy that Wilson said is a major That kind of one-stop shopping has obvi- looking to evolve the Affordable Care Act,” part of the company’s rising fortunes. ous benefits for agencies as well as clients. as well as make changes in regulating both As regards the near future, Big Data and “There is a business reality in this market drug pricing and development. But he its effects will prove to be pivotal in the opportunity,” Edwards said. “We are posi- also notes the gains that could result from transformation of the healthcare market those transformations. “We are innovating over the next few years, Wilson adds. “We with our clients more than ever before,” he are just at the tip of the iceberg as regards said, “and helping them succeed by helping how Big Data is going to affect consumers,” them anticipate and prepare for issues and he said. Technology as a whole is going to challenges,” he said. keep determining the course the industry, The coming policy shifts, in addition with wearables constituting a “massive to the many other changes in the health- trend,” and a new range of machinery and care landscape, are creating what Edwards interfaces allowing healthcare profession- terms “New World Order marketing.” As als to “deliver quality care in the most ef- he sees it, New World Order marketing fective manner.” Using such methods as “recognizes the growing confluence of the informational webinars, Wilson said that various marketing communication disci- Spectrum is making the “Big-Data per- plines such as marketing, branding, public spective” understandable through con- relations and digital.” When all of those sistent messaging delivered by a talented things come together, the result is a new workforce. way of doing business that promises to be Offering a new range of services uniquely qualified to address the develop- At ReviveHealth, the changes taking ments facing the healthcare sector in 2017 place across the healthcare sector also rep- O’Dwyer’s healthcare PR rankings, pg. 36 and beyond. resented a major opportunity for growth.

34 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

People in PR RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HEALTHCARE

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $157,374,000 34. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN $1,204,393 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 103,200,000 35. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 1,100,000 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 28,170,400 36. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,012,000 4. Spectrum, Washington, DC 20,000,000 37. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 968,042 5. Cooney Waters Unlimited, New York, NY 15,169,000 38. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 962,348 6. Finn Partners, New York, NY 14,728,000 39. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 866,000 7. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 40. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 791,212 8. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 10,600,320 41. Havas Formula, New York, NY 783,000 9. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 10,200,000 42. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 779,177 10. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 8,306,314 43. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 750,000 11. JPA Health Comms, Washington, DC 7,703,679 44. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 727,155

12. Dodge Communications, Alpharetta, GA 7,578,042 45. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 714,376 13. Makovsky, New York, NY 6,571,000 46. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 700,000 14. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 6,221,545 47. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 650,630 15. KYNE, New York, NY 5,900,761 48. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 634,969 16. Gold PR, Corona, CA 5,739,037 49. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 394,780 17. Lazar Partners, New York, NY 5,616,020 50. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 372,130 18. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,000,000 51. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 366,000 19. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 3,884,476 52. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 357,585 20. MCS Healthcare Public Relations, Bedminster, NJ 3,464,235 53. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 314,700 21. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 3,459,682 54. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 274,400 22. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 3,278,126 55. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 235,300 23. Hunter PR, New York, NY 3,250,000 56. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 213,073 24. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 3,017,370 57. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 200,000 25. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,238,666 58. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 147,000 26. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 2,184,817 59. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 135,690 27. LaVoieHealthScience, Boston, MA 2,184,205 60. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 105,000 28. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 2,015,068 61. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 95,600 29. Greenough, Boston, MA 1,800,466 62. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 91,000 30. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 1,733,579 63. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 90,751 31. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 1,457,335 64. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 81,943 32. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 1,251,400 65. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 44,000

33. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,246,000 66. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 24,000

36 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc.

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE Entertainment cont. RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HOME FURNISHINGS Travel & Economic Development cont. 1. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY $15,094,777 6. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 954,550 1. Edelman, New York, NY $54,786,000 24. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 239,952 2. Edelman, New York, NY 6,378,000 7. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 807,541 2. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,719,579 25. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 184,977 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 3,729,080 8. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 647,700 3. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 3,426,959 26. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 143,892 4. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,863,112 9. Greenough, Boston, MA 585,151 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 3,200,000 27. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 141,000 5. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 833,571 10. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 542,079 5. Hunter PR, New York, NY 2,700,000 28. Havas Formula, New York, NY 132,000 6. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 596,429 11. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 532,953 6. Finn Partners, New York, NY 1,980,000 29. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 129,828 7. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 515,604 12. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 306,089 7. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 1,605,217 30. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 70,000 8. Finn Partners, New York, NY 453,000 13. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 295,988 8. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,389,246 31. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 66,451 9. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 190,000 14. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 263,679 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,000,000 32. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 63,000 10. North 6th AgeÍncy (N6A), New York, NY 108,438 15. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 216,349 10. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 955,290 33. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 53,375 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 34,000 16. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 169,559 11. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 597,012 34. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 39,478 17. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 163,000 12. Havas Formula, New York, NY 532,000 35. Peppercomm, New York, NY 15,195 18. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 158,500 13. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 371,160 36. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 14,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN BEAUTY & FASHION 19. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 325,000 37. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 10,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $23,275,000 20. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 137,000 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 314,544 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,665,278 21. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 130,126 16. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 288,434 3. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,200,000 22. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 112,244 17. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 209,000 23. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 107,610 4. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 3,295,494 18. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 170,607 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 24. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 52,000 5 . Gold PR, Corona, CA 3,000,000 19. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 168,555 ENVIRONMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 6. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 2,000,000 25. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 51,300 20. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 134,646 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 32,612,500 7. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 802,608 26. Hunter PR, New York, NY 50,000 21. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 125,000 2. Edelman, New York, NY 16,736,000 8. Hunter PR, New York, NY 750,000 27. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 38,986 22. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,184,244 9. Finn Partners, New York, NY 545,000 28. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 35,350 23. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 71,250 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 7,219,000 10. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 462,000 29. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 26,750 24. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 50,292 5. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 6,098,177 11. J Public Relations, New York, NY 441,248 30. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 23,000 25. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 48,000 6. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 3,571,820 12. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 429,251 31. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 20,267 7. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 3,186,500 13. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 368,977 32. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 15,000 8. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 2,293,191 14. Quinn, New York, NY 368,200 33. Standing Partnership, St. ÍLouis, MO 5,418 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 9. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 2,116,000 15. Havas Formula, New York, NY 360,277 TRAVEL & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 10. Makovsky, New York, NY 1,971,000 16. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 330,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS & LEISURE 1. Edelman, New York, NY $37,352,000 11. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 1,547,225 17. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 294,905 1. Taylor, New York, NY $9,847,000 2. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 11,300,000 18. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 227,000 12. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 865,754 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 6,118,247 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 11,209,200 19. Peppercomm, New York, NY 187,859 13. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 757,249 3. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 5,000,000 4. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 10,023,512 20. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 156,058 14. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 740,475 4. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 1,862,951 5. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 7,752,258 21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 145,950 15. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 687,731 5. Edelman, New York, NY 1,794,000 6. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 6,922,405 22. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 130,000 16. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 624,233 6. Havas Formula, New York, NY 1,425,900 7. J Public Relations, New York, NY 6,877,459 23. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 94,908 17. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 520,210 7. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 1,215,000 8. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,356,000 24. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 75,000 18. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 517,052 8. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,029,505 9. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,640,585 25. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 70,460 19. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 485,000 9. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 893,350 10. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 4,566,288 26. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 70,000 20. Peppercomm, New York, NY 465,778 10. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 463,600 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 56,500 11. Quinn, New York, NY 4,036,563 21. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 390,036 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 346,000 28. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 46,250 12. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,508,293 22. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 361,362 12. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 200,000 29. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 46,000 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,297,688 23. Greenough, Boston, MA 225,058 13. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 177,345 30. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 18,000 14. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,400,000 24. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 198,517 14. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 156,719 31. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 15,000 15. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 2,016,785 25. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 189,465 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 103,577 16. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 2,000,000 26. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 140,942 16. Finn Partners, New York, NY 76,000 17. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 1,683,552 27. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 129,173 17. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 50,040 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENTERTAINMENT 18. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,047,000 28. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 120,310 18. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 47,710 19. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 952,152 29. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 98,695 1. Edelman, New York, NY $24,885,000 19. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 35,000 20. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 915,695 30. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 82,000 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 7,792,000 20. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 15,430 21. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 802,608 31. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 75,000 3. Taylor, New York, NY 4,809,000 21. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 9,000 22. LANE, Portland, OR 700,334 4. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,690,636 22. The uzzB Agency, Delray Beach, FL 9,000 32. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 52,000 23. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 563,879 5. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 1,043,391 23. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 3,025 33. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 22,039

38 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE Entertainment cont. RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HOME FURNISHINGS Travel & Economic Development cont. 1. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY $15,094,777 6. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 954,550 1. Edelman, New York, NY $54,786,000 24. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 239,952 2. Edelman, New York, NY 6,378,000 7. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 807,541 2. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,719,579 25. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 184,977 3. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 3,729,080 8. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 647,700 3. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 3,426,959 26. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 143,892 4. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,863,112 9. Greenough, Boston, MA 585,151 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 3,200,000 27. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 141,000 5. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 833,571 10. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 542,079 5. Hunter PR, New York, NY 2,700,000 28. Havas Formula, New York, NY 132,000 6. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 596,429 11. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 532,953 6. Finn Partners, New York, NY 1,980,000 29. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 129,828 7. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 515,604 12. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 306,089 7. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 1,605,217 30. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 70,000 8. Finn Partners, New York, NY 453,000 13. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 295,988 8. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,389,246 31. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 66,451 9. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 190,000 14. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 263,679 9. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,000,000 32. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 63,000 10. North 6th AgeÍncy (N6A), New York, NY 108,438 15. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 216,349 10. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 955,290 33. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 53,375 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 34,000 16. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 169,559 11. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 597,012 34. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 39,478 17. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 163,000 12. Havas Formula, New York, NY 532,000 35. Peppercomm, New York, NY 15,195 18. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 158,500 13. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 371,160 36. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 14,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN BEAUTY & FASHION 19. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 325,000 37. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 10,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $23,275,000 20. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 137,000 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 314,544 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,665,278 21. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 130,126 16. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 288,434 3. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,200,000 22. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 112,244 17. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 209,000 23. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 107,610 4. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 3,295,494 18. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 170,607 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 24. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 52,000 5 . Gold PR, Corona, CA 3,000,000 19. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 168,555 ENVIRONMENTAL & PUBLIC AFFAIRS 6. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 2,000,000 25. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 51,300 20. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 134,646 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 32,612,500 7. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 802,608 26. Hunter PR, New York, NY 50,000 21. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 125,000 2. Edelman, New York, NY 16,736,000 8. Hunter PR, New York, NY 750,000 27. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 38,986 22. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,184,244 9. Finn Partners, New York, NY 545,000 28. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 35,350 23. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 71,250 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 7,219,000 10. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 462,000 29. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 26,750 24. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 50,292 5. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 6,098,177 11. J Public Relations, New York, NY 441,248 30. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 23,000 25. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 48,000 6. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 3,571,820 12. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 429,251 31. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 20,267 7. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 3,186,500 13. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 368,977 32. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 15,000 8. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 2,293,191 14. Quinn, New York, NY 368,200 33. Standing Partnership, St. ÍLouis, MO 5,418 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 9. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 2,116,000 15. Havas Formula, New York, NY 360,277 TRAVEL & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 10. Makovsky, New York, NY 1,971,000 16. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 330,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS & LEISURE 1. Edelman, New York, NY $37,352,000 11. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 1,547,225 17. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 294,905 1. Taylor, New York, NY $9,847,000 2. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 11,300,000 18. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 227,000 12. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 865,754 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 6,118,247 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 11,209,200 19. Peppercomm, New York, NY 187,859 13. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 757,249 3. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 5,000,000 4. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 10,023,512 20. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 156,058 14. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 740,475 4. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 1,862,951 5. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 7,752,258 21. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 145,950 15. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 687,731 5. Edelman, New York, NY 1,794,000 6. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 6,922,405 22. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 130,000 16. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 624,233 6. Havas Formula, New York, NY 1,425,900 7. J Public Relations, New York, NY 6,877,459 23. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 94,908 17. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 520,210 7. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 1,215,000 8. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,356,000 24. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 75,000 18. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 517,052 8. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,029,505 9. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,640,585 25. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 70,460 19. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 485,000 9. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 893,350 10. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 4,566,288 26. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 70,000 20. Peppercomm, New York, NY 465,778 10. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 463,600 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 56,500 11. Quinn, New York, NY 4,036,563 21. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 390,036 11. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 346,000 28. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 46,250 12. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,508,293 22. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 361,362 12. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 200,000 29. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 46,000 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,297,688 23. Greenough, Boston, MA 225,058 13. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 177,345 30. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 18,000 14. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,400,000 24. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 198,517 14. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 156,719 31. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 15,000 15. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 2,016,785 25. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 189,465 15. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 103,577 16. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 2,000,000 26. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 140,942 16. Finn Partners, New York, NY 76,000 17. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 1,683,552 27. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 129,173 17. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 50,040 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENTERTAINMENT 18. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,047,000 28. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 120,310 18. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 47,710 19. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 952,152 29. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 98,695 1. Edelman, New York, NY $24,885,000 19. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 35,000 20. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 915,695 30. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 82,000 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 7,792,000 20. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 15,430 21. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 802,608 31. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 75,000 3. Taylor, New York, NY 4,809,000 21. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 9,000 22. LANE, Portland, OR 700,334 4. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,690,636 22. The uzzB Agency, Delray Beach, FL 9,000 32. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 52,000 23. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 563,879 5. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 1,043,391 23. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 3,025 33. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 22,039

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 39 RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FOOD & BEVERAGE

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $96,865,000 28. Havas Formula, New York, NY $701,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $116,626,000 25. Quinn, New York, NY $617,460

2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 11,005,000 29. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 691,309 2. Hunter PR, New York, NY 16,500,000 26. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 600,000

3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 7,170,000 30. Greenough, Boston, MA 540,142 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 16,283,900 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 541,613 4. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 6,540,342 31. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 453,997 4. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 14,895,275 28. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 541,060 5. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 6,536,000 32. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 408,844 5. Havas Formula, New York, NY 8,337,000 29. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 498,300 6. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 4,514,400 33. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 401,681 6. Taylor, New York, NY 8,244,000 7. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 4,032,202 30. J Public Relations, New York, NY 466,735 34. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 348,596 7. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,105,000 8. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,700,000 31. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 364,945 35. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 346,563 9. Quinn, New York, NY 3,433,547 8. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 5,100,000 36. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 333,596 32. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 343,278 10. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 3,081,170 9. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 4,915,523 37. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 302,264 33. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 325,315 11. Peppercomm, New York, NY 2,698,922 10. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,700,000 38. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 234,044 34. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 322,572 12. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 2,695,935 11. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,563,655 39. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 222,286 35. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 239,275 13. Ripp Media/Public Relations, New York, NY 2,574,401 12. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 2,713,433 40. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 179,833 14. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 2,196,520 36. Bizcom Associates, Addison, TX 230,000 41. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 176,480 13. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 2,419,303 15. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 2,110,934 37. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 184,965 42. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 144,000 14. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 2,407,825 16. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 1,999,448 38. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 163,563 43. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 15. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 1,615,000 17. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,966,007 39. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 160,010 44. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 104,000 16. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 1,436,025 18. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 1,805,329 45. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 100,000 40. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 145,180 19. Makovsky, New York, NY 1,314,000 17. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,194,444 46. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 41. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 20. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 1,262,302 18. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 1,168,333

47. Akrete, Evanston, IL 70,360 42. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 78,956 21. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 1,100,000 19. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,040,000

48. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 54,087 43. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 69,024 22. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 1,020,081 20. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,020,000

23. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 981,000 49. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 51,750 21. Gold PR, Corona, CA 1,000,000 44. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 49,454 24. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 855,811 50. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 45,210 22. LANE, Portland, OR 889,051 45. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 41,000 25. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 821,000 51. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 28,000 23. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 782,000 46. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 17,850 26. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 805,610 52. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 10,133 24. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 626,000 47. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 9,649 27. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 780,291 53. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 2,013

© Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. 40 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FOOD & BEVERAGE

Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees Firm 2016 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $96,865,000 28. Havas Formula, New York, NY $701,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $116,626,000 25. Quinn, New York, NY $617,460

2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 11,005,000 29. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 691,309 2. Hunter PR, New York, NY 16,500,000 26. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 600,000

3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 7,170,000 30. Greenough, Boston, MA 540,142 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 16,283,900 27. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 541,613 4. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 6,540,342 31. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 453,997 4. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 14,895,275 28. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 541,060 5. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 6,536,000 32. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 408,844 5. Havas Formula, New York, NY 8,337,000 29. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 498,300 6. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 4,514,400 33. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 401,681 6. Taylor, New York, NY 8,244,000 7. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 4,032,202 30. J Public Relations, New York, NY 466,735 34. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 348,596 7. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,105,000 8. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,700,000 31. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 364,945 35. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 346,563 9. Quinn, New York, NY 3,433,547 8. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 5,100,000 36. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach, FL 333,596 32. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 343,278 10. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 3,081,170 9. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 4,915,523 37. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 302,264 33. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 325,315 11. Peppercomm, New York, NY 2,698,922 10. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,700,000 38. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 234,044 34. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 322,572 12. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 2,695,935 11. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 3,563,655 39. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 222,286 35. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 239,275 13. Ripp Media/Public Relations, New York, NY 2,574,401 12. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 2,713,433 40. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 179,833 14. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 2,196,520 36. Bizcom Associates, Addison, TX 230,000 41. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 176,480 13. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 2,419,303 15. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 2,110,934 37. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 184,965 42. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 144,000 14. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 2,407,825 16. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 1,999,448 38. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 163,563 43. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 15. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 1,615,000 17. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,966,007 39. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 160,010 44. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 104,000 16. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 1,436,025 18. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 1,805,329 45. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 100,000 40. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 145,180 19. Makovsky, New York, NY 1,314,000 17. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,194,444 46. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 41. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 140,000 20. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 1,262,302 18. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 1,168,333

47. Akrete, Evanston, IL 70,360 42. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 78,956 21. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 1,100,000 19. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 1,040,000

48. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 54,087 43. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 69,024 22. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 1,020,081 20. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,020,000

23. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 981,000 49. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 51,750 21. Gold PR, Corona, CA 1,000,000 44. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 49,454 24. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 855,811 50. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 45,210 22. LANE, Portland, OR 889,051 45. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 41,000 25. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 821,000 51. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 28,000 23. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 782,000 46. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 17,850 26. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 805,610 52. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 10,133 24. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 626,000 47. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 9,649 27. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 780,291 53. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 2,013

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 41 REPORT PR industry makes the most of big changes

As the public relations landscape faces disruptions from all sides — economic, technological and ­political — an increased focus on diversified services and a savvy understanding of the opportunities tech provides point the way to a wave of success that promises to continue through 2017 and beyond.

By Jon Gingerich

he proof is in the numbers. Eight of moth APCO (which was up one percent to “Whether or not we get more projects or the top ten firms in O’Dwyer’s rank- $121 million) for the first time, and effec- retainers is far less relevant to us than the Tings of PR firms were up this year, tively doubling the prior 15 percent growth type of work we get and, in this regard, we four of them by double digits, accounting it experienced in 2015 from 2014. are pleased with the progress of our firm.” for a combined total of more than $1.4 bil- Much of this impressive performance can Finn Partners also continued to win big lion in net fees. be attributed to organic growth resulting in 2016, gaining 7.3 percent year-over-year And that level of success runs through from the voracious acquisition appetite the to $76.7 million from 2015’s $71.4 million the entire list. Nineteen of the top 25 firms San Francisco-head- and climbing to our #4 slot from #6 last posted year-over-year gains, with 12 show- quartered marketing year. ing double-digit growth. Overall, 90 of the and communications Like W2O, the global independent agen- 121 firms ranked by O’Dwyer’s this year — network showed in cy went on a relentless acquisition wave or 74 percent — revealed a positive change. 2016. During that time last year, picking up Portland-based shop In a market where the rules seem to it acquired Wilming- Lane PR in August, a month after it ac- be changing almost daily, the firms in ton, NC-based life sci- quired Washington, D.C.-based branding O’Dwyer’s­ rankings are showing a strong ences PR agency Pure and marketing services agency Greenfield ability to keep up with those rules. They are Communications, Belser. Those deals followed FP’s 2015 adapting their strategies to accommodate Morristown, NJ-based acquisition of San Francisco-based tech the rapid pace of technological and eco- digital marketing shop Jim Weiss agency Horn Group, its 2014 acquisition nomic change. New services and smartly Sentient Interactive of New York-based health and education orchestrated acquisitions are resulting in and New Hope, PA- firm gabbegroup and 2013’s purchase of a broader, more integrated approach to based digital marketing firm Marketeching Washington-based Widmeyer Communi- delivering effective messaging for clients. Solutions. cations. In addition, a focus on quality of life and W2O, which focuses on tech and global The trend seems to be continuing in employee retention is giving a quickly brands and owns agencies Brewlife, Twist 2017, with the April acquisition of Singa- transforming environment a level of stabil- Mktg and WCG, last year also launched pore-based B2B PR and marketing agency ity that provides a solid basis for growth. Connect, a new service offering established Ying Communications. While the specific paths to success taken to help executives’ communication and “Our largest practice areas, health and by each of O’Dwyer’s ranked firms may be leadership skills. technology, with clients in the U.S., Europe different, when seen as a whole they draw “Our clients are asking for a wider range and Asia, won the most business during a picture of an industry that is successfully of services from our firm in both commu- 2016,” Finn Partners Founding Partner Pe- weathering some rather potent storms. nications and marketing. We don’t view ter Finn told O’Dwyer’s. “The momentum Top 10 sees new additions the market as ‘communications’ or ‘mar- for new client wins in W2O Group was the biggest gainer in keting,’” said W2O Chairman and CEO both groups has con- O’Dwyer’s top ten this year, climbing 33 Jim Weiss. “As a result, we’re building an tinued, with technology percent in 2016 to account for nearly $123 offering that can identify the precise needs landing more than $1 million in net fees, jumping ahead of behe- of a brand via our 100+ data science ex- million in new busi- perts and then develop the campaign that ness so far this year, and will lead to the best results. We are not en- health bringing in over cumbered by any legacy models or teams, $2 million, including which allows us to be agile in how we assignments with sev- think, build and serve our clients.” eral of the world’s top Weiss told O’Dwyer’s that the agen- pharmaceutical firms.” Peter Finn cy continues to receive new assignments Finn Partners last without a formal RFP process across the year was also the site of board, based on its ability to diagnose a a preferred stock purchase from Stagwell marketplace via its analytics models. It can Group, the marketing investment compa- then provide the best solutions for its cli- ny headed by polling guru and former Bur- ents, whether those solutions are achieved son-Marsteller CEO Mark Penn. through its own efforts or via work con- “In today’s digital landscape, virtually ducted by a wider team of agencies. every agency is repositioning itself,” Finn “Our goal is always to make our clients said. “The holding company owned agen- smarter and ensure that our impact is wid- cies may face pressure not to expand into O’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms, p. 50 er than our agency work alone,” he said. the domain of the advertising firms and

42 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM digital firms owned by their holding com- focused on building, growing and protect- percent last year to account for more than pany parents. However, independent firms ing brands and reputations for great com- $24.3 million in net fees, continued to ex- have an advantage in this area because they panies.” pand in every practice area last year, includ- can move freely to offer fully integrated Going forward, Kucharski said his agency ing in corporate, tech, consumer brands services to their clients. This has certainly continues to see an interest in research and and digital practices. The agency last year been an important pri- insights that align communications and relocated its offices to The Helmsley Build- ority for our firm.” business strategy, as well as a commitment ing Park Avenue above Grand Central Ter- Corporate commu- to meaningful metrics. “In addition, we’ll minal. nications and investor lead our clients toward incorporating more “Integrating social media, digital market- relations giant ICR, short-form visual storytelling delivered on ing, SEO and creative utilizes new and dif- whose ranking climbed digital platforms,” he said. ferent ways to reach target markets, ampli- to #5 from #8, saw its Prosek Partners, which specializes in fies PR programs, increases ROI and moves net fees slip one per- financial and profes- the needle for clients,” Torossian said. cent last year, to $55.6 sional services PR, was Tech, healthcare make biggest gains million from $56.2 in the top ten for the Tech, healthcare and public affairs agen- Thomas Ryan million in 2015. first time this year, up cy Racepoint Global landed in the top ten ICR CEO Thomas more than 28 percent for the first time this Ryan told O’Dwyer’s to $31.2 million. The year, at #8. President & that the distribution of retainers across in- New York-based agen- CEO Peter Prodromou dustries in 2016 was fairly similar to that cy, which acquired Los attributed his agency’s in years past. However, Ryan noted that Angeles-based corpo- growth to an upswing the agency saw gains in healthcare PR and rate communications in retainers in technolo- rising market share in consumer-related Jennifer Prosek and investor relations gy and healthcare, par- industries as well as B2B technology, espe- agency Muirfield Part- ticularly the latter, with cially among companies providing prod- ners last year, revealed an emphasis in mobile. ucts and services that make retailers and a similar 20 percent year-over-year uptick He also cited “an im- restaurants more efficient. in 2015. Peter Podromou pressive amount of or- Ryan also said that, despite the contro- Managing Partner Jennifer Prosek told ganic growth” last year, versy that surrounds the Trump adminis- O’Dwyer’s that the agency’s growth is re- “thanks to our integrated model and global tration, it has maintained a pro-business flective of new proactive thinking across footprint.” stance that has contributed to plenty of op- the financial industry. “We are accessible in key markets, and timism across the agency’s client base. “The entire financial world — even the our clients are increasingly taking advan- “Companies are actively spending and alternative asset managers — realize they tage of this,” Prodromou told O’Dwyer’s. believe they have a four-to eight-year win- need to be on the front foot in their ap- When it comes to trends that will charac- dow to truly create value for shareholders,” proach to strategic communications,” Pro- terize the PR industry in the upcoming year Ryan said. “PR and sek said. “They need a narrative and brand and going forward, Prodromou, who was communications play purpose, a focus on reputation manage- named CEO of the Boston-based agency a critical role in nur- ment and a proactive marketing program. in February, said we can expect to see more turing and maintaining They can no longer play defense. Some of integration of content, a continued inter- an effective company these firms are new to communications so mingling of media channels and a contin- narrative that supports they are part of an emerging market. Pro- ued convergence of earned and paid media. such value creation, so sek was built to service these kinds of firms Prodromou also said the need to be authen- we are very optimistic and their needs.” tic in a era dominated by fake news era will about the years ahead.” “Truth is a luxury and building trust be increasingly important for the industry. Last year was one for is more difficult than Coming in at #9, Parsippany, NJ-based Matt Kucharski the books for Padilla. ever,” Prosek continued. Coyne also made its first The Minneapolis-based “Firms will lean more appearance in the top agency, which is now heavily on PR coun- ten. The agency grew ranked #6 by O’Dwyer’s, acounted for $42.4 sel to navigate a world by nearly 27 percent to million in net fees in 2016. The midwest where former trusted $27.3 million last year. PR giant, which rebranded this year, pur- sources of information “Our growth last year chased Chicago-based food and nutrition are losing their domi- is really a credit to our communications shop FoodMinds last nance or influence.” account team leaders,” year, effectively establishing it as one of Ronn Torossian, said CEO Tom Coyne. the largest independent food and beverage Ronn Torossian Founder and CEO of “They did a great job agencies in the country. 5W Public Relations, with retaining record Tom Coyne “The addition of FoodMinds and re- cited the importance numbers of clients and branding to Padilla are two of the most of diversified services in spurring growth. that, together with a recent moves in a long line of evolutionary “We feel that the ability to blend a mix of strong new business year, provided strong steps at the agency,” Padilla President Matt services to create 360-degree campaigns growth and opportunity for our amazing Kucharski told O’Dwyer’s. “We’ve diversi- will continue to define public relations suc- staff.” fied the capabilities we are bringing to cli- cess moving forward,” he said. ents across a range of industries, and are New York-based 5W, which grew 13.2 _ Continued on page 44

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 43 REPORT

growth by making substantial progress slot (compared to #31 last year, when it O’Dwyer’s rankings across three key pillars: earning client re- accounted for $13.1 million after posting _ Continued from page 43 lationships, earning consumer attention on similar, 24 percent gains from 2014). behalf of the brands the firm represents, The Boston-headquartered agency, which Fahlgren Mortine also was in the top 10 and earning staff dedication. maintains additional for the first time. The Columbus, OH-based “We recognize that our talented staff have outposts in New York agency, which owns New York-based travel options,” Leong said. “They do not have to and Orlando, plant- and lifestyle shop Turner, gained nearly 19 work for us, but rather, we have to work ed its flag on the west percent last year to account for $24.4 mil- from them to earn their dedication. Sev- coast last year with lion in 2016 net fees. eral major new quality of life initiatives put the addition of a San Agency President into place late in 2015 really began to show Francisco office. Pres- and CEO Neil Mortine their impact in 2016, and we are pleased to ident and CEO Philip attributed the growth share that voluntary turnover was reduced A. Nardone, Jr. said the to the relationships the by almost 50 percent.” agency had worked dil- agency has built and French|West|Vaughan posted net fees of igently to better align maintained with its $23.3 million in 2016, an upswing of more and grow its B2B tech Philip A. Nardone employees and clients. than 10 percent from and healthcare portfo- “It is an honor that 2015’s $20.5 million. lios, with a strategic fo- cus on expanding these relationships The Raleigh, NC-based in markets that continue to innovate and earned us a ranking Neil Mortine agency, which main- transform such as data, cloud, IoT, security along many of the tains additional offices and digital healthcare. best brands in our in- in New York, Los Ange- Nardone also said vertical tech segments dustry,” Mortine said. “Our core values of les and Tampa, record- — including digital health — continue to collaboration, engagement and trust guide ed a first earlier this show great growth potential, especially in- employee and client relationships in a time year when it acquired dustries that are transforming across their when retention has never been more chal- Fetching Communica- sectors such as insurance technology and lenging and our clients are expecting new tions, the nation’s first Rick French FinTech. value.” marketing and PR firm “The firm’s approach to integrated mar- Mortine also told O’Dwyer’s that more focused exclusively on keting and PR has also been very success- than 80 percent of the agency’s growth the pet and veterinary industries. ful, largely due to the increased importance came from current clients. Notable gains “We are fortunate that about 95 percent of content marketing across all forms of were seen in Fahlgren’s tourism/economic of our revenue is retainer based and of that media. Continued investment into digital development and B2B industry practices. total about 60 percent falls into the con- capabilities has added significant organic “As the needs of our clients evolve, so do sumer sector, so that is where we saw the growth opportunities for the agency. To- their expectations of us. We’re responding majority of our top line growth in 2016,” gether, these changes have contributed to by focusing on the experience our clients said Chairman and CEO Rick French. the firm seeing an increase in boomerang provide their customers, and investing in Looking to the future, French said that clients who missed our turn-on-a-dime marketing technologies that inform da- it’s all about content creation and digital/ response and who are interested in our ta-driven decisions,” Mortine said. social media marketing. national growth and integrated services,” New York-based consumer, food and “We expect nearly 25 percent of our rev- Nardone said. lifestyle agency Hunter enue in 2017 to come from the creation of Nardone also said the dynamic nature of Public Relations grew visual (and shareable) stories for clients,” the PR industry requires firms to remain by 14.6 percent in 2016 he said. agile and respond to trends at lightning to $23.5 million, taking Tech and healthcare agency PAN Com- speed. He believes content and personal- the #13 spot this year, munications continued to ride an ongoing ization will become the primary factor in up from #21 last year. upward swing, gaining by 18.6 percent last maintaining customer relationships, and a Hunter Managing year to $15.6 million, taking O’Dwyer’s #20 shift upstream into the C-suite will be im- Partner Grace Leong perative as brands seek to impact revenue told O’Dwyer’s that through content and storytelling capabili- growth within several ties. of the agency’s special- “Firms must understand buyers’ behav- ized services account- Grace Leong iors and be capable of improving their dig- ed for much of the ital experience across all channels in order agency’s performance in 2016: billings at to drive significant growth and rise above Hunter Digital were up 65 percent in 2016 their crowded markets,” Nardone said. year-over-year; Hunter Hispanic grew “Customer demands will force PR agencies fee billings by more than 30 percent; and to evolve across marketing departments to Hunter Entertainment, which expanded keep up with the pace for ‘always-on’ con- last year to Hunter Entertainment + Sports, nected content and their channel of choice grew fee billings by almost 20 percent. All for viewing. We feel we have the key ingre- together, those three units last year com- dients to arm today’s marketers with a suc- prised almost a quarter of the agency’s cessful blueprint for success.” overall revenue. Leong also said Hunter leveraged this O’Dwyer’s rankings of top gainers, p. 52 _ Continued on page 46

44 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

O’Dwyer’s rankings specialist Hotwire, which grew an incred- on new outposts in Atlanta and New York ible 322.2 percent in 2016, from $3.13 mil- in 2015. _ Continued from page 44 lion in 2015 net fees to $13.2 million last “Metrics and measurement are an inte- year, and moving up to #28 from its posi- gral part of any communications strategy,” “Companies and agencies are struggling tion of #81 the year prior. said Spectrum President and CEO Jona- to make sense of the overwhelming amount Hotwire North Amer- than Wilson. “Our clients expect real-time of data and the increasing consumer de- ica CEO Barbara Bates reporting across paid, earned, social and mand for personaliza- said much of this tre- owned channels, enabling them to get into tion juxtaposed against mendous growth can be the right conversations at the right time in a near complete collapse attributed to the London the marketplace. Agencies that can provide of loyalty. Consumer and New York-based real-time reporting and insights will be trust is gone, so all of agency’s September ac- poised for growth in the coming years.” this data is useless until quisition of bi-coastal It was a big year for Wilson himself, as consumers begin trust- U.S. tech firm Eastwick, well as for Spectrum. He was chosen for the ing again,” said Steve as well as growth in the Spectrum CEO slot in December, succeed- Cody, Co-Founder and Barbara Bates overall tech sector and ing founder John J. Seng. Last year Wilson CEO of Peppercomm. within the agency’s ex- was also named President of GLOBAL- That 20-year-old New Steve Cody panded service offerings. HealthPR, the international network of York-based communi- “Brands are increasingly placing much independent health and cations and marketing more emphasis on technology and inno- science agencies that agency netted $18.3 million in fees, landing vation in their storytelling. Every company Seng founded in 2001. at #18 on our list this year. wants to be a tech company, and in order Nashville’s Revive- “Lastly, the traditional media world is to be relevant in the marketplace you have Health gained by more imploding,” Cody said. “Fewer journalists to tell that story,” Bates said. “As an agency than 40 percent, re- covering more beats makes a traditional with great depth and breadth in this area, porting more than publicist’s job that much harder. But, al- we’ve been able to capitalize on a number $14 million in 2016 most every client still prefers a feature in of new and exciting opportunities — spe- net fees, compared to The Wall Street Journal ahead of anything cifically, we’ve been able to expand con- $10 million in 2015. owned or paid can produce.” sumer and health tech practices. The role The healthcare PR and Washington, D.C.- Jonathan Wilson of technology in business will only become marketing shop, which based healthcare com- more critical in the future, and the ability was acquired by We- munications shop JPA to build a brand around that narrative is ber Shandwick in January of last year, now Health Communica- just as important as the product or service ranks #26, compared to #40 last year. tions grew by 27.2 per- itself.” “The demand for fully integrated paid/ cent last year to $7.7 The greatest gainer in O’Dwyer’s top 25 earned/owned marketing efforts is best million, from $6 mil- this year was health, life sciences and pub- met by a full-service agency, and we’ve lion the year prior. lic affairs firm Spectrum. That Washington, purpose-built ReviveHealth to meet that JPA Principal and D.C.-based agency continued its multi- emerging need,” said ReviveHealth Found- Managing Director year wave of growth in 2016, gaining 34.8 er and CEO Brandon Edwards. “We believe Carrie Jones Carrie Jones said the percent last year to account for $20 million that clients demand deep industry exper- agency’s growth last in net fees, following an even more impres- tise and knowledge of the B2B dynamics, year was a result of its ability to solve com- sive 84 percent surge in 2015. The agency is coupled with the integrated capabilities plex problems by delivering value to cli- now ranked #17. necessary to engage all audiences through ents, which translated into sales and stock The agency last year opened a new office all channels.” price. in Chicago, following its groundbreaking Silicon Valley agency “Clients are relying more heavily than Highwire PR dialed up ever before on their agency team to operate growth by 27.6 percent as an extension of them. It’s going beyond last year, earning the traditional media relations and serving as a agency more than $14 strategic partner,” Jones said. million in net fees (#24) Jones also said the agency has noticed and consequently land- some health sectors adopting different bill- ing in our “top gainers” ing models. Virtually all our biotech cli- rankings list for the ents, for example, now prefer PR retainers. year, as well as our top “The most significant trend we’ve seen 25 agencies ranking for is that large, multinational companies are Brandon Edwards the first time. looking to work with smaller, mid-size The San Francis- agencies,” Jones said. “They often cite that co-based shop opened a Boston outpost in our senior level talent and nimbleness is a December on the heels of a New York office game-changer for them.” Firms gain by double, triple digits in 2015. The latter location saw its staff ros- ter double last year. Out of the 121 firms ranked by O’Dwyer’s this year, the largest gainer was tech PR O’Dwyer’s rankings of firms by region, p. 54 _ Continued on page 48

46 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

jor opportunity, overcome any significant communications model for a new financial O’Dwyer’s rankings threat, or just consistently excel and win.” industry,” Binna Kim, Co-Founder and _ Continued from page 46 New York-based travel and lifestyle agen- President of the New York-based agency, cy Quinn grew by 15.8 percent last year to told O’Dwyer’s. Highwire Principal Carol Carrubba $8.4 million in net fees, putting the firm Kim said that Vested’s innovative, dis- referred to 2016, a year highlighted by at #43 this year from #52 ($7.3 million) in ruptive approach brought in an array of Trump, the Brexit, a cautious VC funding 2015. brands that ranged from start-up fintech environment and the demise of many uni- “The buzz of a few years ago that PR was companies to well-established institutions. corns, as “a rollercoaster of opportunity a dying industry due to the demise of print But she also noted one main quality united and uncertainty,” ulti- has turned into high fives that PR is the those brands. mately making it diffi- field to be in since we are the storytellers,” “Although the brands that we brought cult to know how the President Florence Quinn told ­O’Dwyer’s. on board were incredibly diverse, they did year would turn out for “The need for online content is vora- share a common quality in that all had a technology PR agen- cious. This is true in the media and among need to communicate a unique story in a cies. brands. Today consumer brands are the rapidly changing financial services envi- “Highwire benefitted media. Clients need to ronment,” she said. “Amidst fintech disrup- from having a strong embrace this and be tion, regulatory uncertainty and market focus in enterprise in- selling lifestyle. This is volatility, all of our new clients were seek- frastructure, developer where great PR begins. ing to be better storytellers and to engage Carol Carrubba technologies and cy- Our growth has been their end customer.” bersecurity that con- fueled by our ability to Kim also stressed tinued to see strong enhance, advance and the deep level of growth,” Carrubba said. “These days we see communicate a brand change that tech is very large companies starting to recognize to its audiences cou- bringing to the PR that they need to adopt the scrappiness pled with our work in industry. “Technolo- and creativity of the startups that are tak- driving business out- gy is going to disrupt ing their market share. The nature of ‘PR’ is Florence Quinn side of traditional me- the most low-value, also changing and needs to include a more dia. Now and going able-to-be-automated direct conversation with constituents both forward the sweet spot is the co-mingling activities that agencies digitally and in person at events and meet- of editorial content and sales.” currently still charge ups. Meanwhile, there is a new and grow- 19 new firms join rankings clients for,” she said. Michael Olguin ing category of influencers who are just as A score of new agencies joined the O’Dw- “As a result of this, or more important to key business goals yer rankings this year. This includes Havas agencies are being as traditional media and analysts. As a PR Formula (#19, $17 million), Spark (#25, pressured to deliver even greater value, agency partner, we see our role evolving to $14 million), Bravo Group (#33, $11.4 mil- and this can only be done by being more include business strategist, creative direc- lion), Lazar Partners (#62, $5.6 million), integrated in their approach. PR profes- tor, conversation starter and editorial team SevenTwenty Strategies (#65, $5 million), sionals have a duty of care to their clients and we love it!” Greenough (#70, $4.5 million), Vested to think beyond traditional media relations Sachs Media Group was another big (#74, $3.5 million), Fish Consulting (#78, and problem solve by leveraging the many gainer this year, moving up 25.6 percent to $3.1 million), Intrepid Agency (#80, $3 exciting mediums at their disposal.” account for nearly $6.9 million in net fees. million), BackBay Communications (#81, New York-headquartered Havas Formula The Tallahassee-based agency joined glob- $2.8 million), IW Group (#84, $2.6 mil- is another new firm to rank with us. The al PR network Worldcom Public Relations lion), Lavidge (#97, $1.9 million), ARPR Havas subsidiary, which maintains an ad- Group in December. (#104, $1.3 million), Hoyt Organization ditional outpost in Los Angeles, grew by “We’re proud of our aggressive, appro- (#107, $1.2 million), 18.6 percent last year to account for more priate culture focused on the pursuit and Akrete (#109, $1.1 mil- than $17 million in net fees, placing the delivery of consistently lion), ScoutComms agency both within our top 25 agencies excellent results and (#111, $1 million), The and as one of our “top gainers” for the year. outcomes for every Buzz Agency (#113, “2016 was a big year for us because we client through a com- $900 million), Dale focused on chasing bigger brands with big- prehensive range of Curtis Communica- ger budgets,” said Havas Formula President services effectivelytions (#119, $380,000) and CEO Michael Olguin. “While histor- provided by the best and Bob Gold & Asso- ically we have been invited to participate talented team of pro- ciates (#121, $100,000). in bigger RFP pitches, the perception was fessionals assembled Newcomer agency often that we weren’t large enough to sup- across every relevant Vested, which posted Binna Kim port a brand of that size. We believe brands skill,” said Founder $3.58 million in net fees are trending toward embracing mid-sized Ron Sachs and CEO Ron Sachs. in 2016, was also one of our top gainers. agencies more because they see them as “After our best year That New York agency accounted for more large enough to feel comfortable in their ever, more than ever, we are the essential than 319 percent growth. ability to scale yet small enough to provide strategic communications partner for or- “2016 was a year in which Vested provid- a senior team that is nimble, creative and ganizations looking to leverage any ma- ed its value proposition: to provide a new responsive.” 

48 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS Firm 2016 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2015 1. Edelman, New York, NY $874,968,000 5,903 +2.4 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 122,715,000 472 +33.0 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 120,622,100 672 +1.0 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 76,706,000 485 +7.3 5. ICR, New York, NY 55,663,450 158 -1.0 6. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 42,444,913 206 -1.9 7. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 31,250,000 127 +28.1 8. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 29,036,374 174 +7.8 9. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 +26.9 10. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 24,440,092 130 +18.9 11. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 24,311,212 138 +13.2 12. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 24,228,511 135 -3.1 13. Hunter PR, New York, NY 23,500,000 121 +14.6 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 23,371,021 103 +10.4 15. Taylor, New York, NY 22,900,000 110 +3.6 16. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 21,006,046 131 +15.6 17. Spectrum, Washington, DC 20,000,000 72 +34.8 18. Peppercomm, New York, NY 18,343,184 84 even 19. Havas Formula, New York, NY 17,030,177 118 +18.6 20. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 15,605,837 99 +18.6 21. Cooney Waters Unlimited, New York, NY 15,169,000 40 +8.2 22. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 15,100,000 85 +3.4 23. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 14,500,000 52 -9.0 24. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 73 +27.6 25. Spark, San Francisco, CA 14,021,737 55 even 26. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 65 +40.1 27. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 13,775,720 98 +13.8 28. Hotwire, New York, NY 13,247,420 62 +322.2 29. Makovsky, New York, NY 13,141,000 56 -2.7 30. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 12,500,000 61 even 31. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 +21.7 32. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,805,900 58 +6.2 33. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 11,473,571 57 +34.0 34. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 11,340,000 35 +10.1 35. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 11,041,929 40 -21.8 36. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 53 +21.2 37. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,184,244 32 -2.0 38. Podesta Group, Washington, DC 10,030,212 19 +11.2 39. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 10,023,512 57 +4.2 40. Gold PR, Corona, CA 9,739,037 23 -7.4 41. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 9,284,000 48 -2.2 42. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 9,241,425 51 +21.5 43. Quinn, New York, NY 8,455,770 63 +15.8 44. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 8,306,314 32 +11.9 45. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 8,200,000 66 +9.9 46. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 8,079,022 39 +7.5 47. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,052,898 78 +16.0 48. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 7,845,354 62 +15.3 49. J Public Relations, New York, NY 7,785,442 53 +29.4 50. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 7,703,679 33 +27.2 51. Dodge Communications, Alpharetta, GA 7,578,042 42 even 52. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 7,481,000 39 +6.0 53. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 7,447,000 39 +9.0 54. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach, FL 7,211,782 122 -2.6 55. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 7,210,839 40 +3.5 56. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,869,500 31 +25.6 57. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,542,410 34 +14.0 58. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 6,260,124 45 +7.4 59. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 6,098,177 28 +2.5 60. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 6,047,258 31 -7.0 61. KYNE, New York, NY 5,900,761 24 +28.5

50 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS O’DWYER’SO’DWYER’S RANKINGSRANKINGS OFOF PRPR FIRMSFIRMS WITHWITH MAJORMAJOR U.S.U.S. OPERATIONSOPERATIONS Firm 2016 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2015 Firm 2016 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2015 1. Edelman, New York, NY $874,968,000 5,903 +2.4 62. Lazar Partners, New York, NY $5,616,020 23 +30.8 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 122,715,000 472 +33.0 63. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,364,538 16 +13.3 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 120,622,100 672 +1.0 64. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 5,148,601 21 -1.3 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 76,706,000 485 +7.3 65. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 5,085,112 34 +29.8 5. ICR, New York, NY 55,663,450 158 -1.0 66. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 5,062,800 36 +19.5 6. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 42,444,913 206 -1.9 67. CooperKatz & Co., New York, NY 4,748,633 29 -14.9 7. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 31,250,000 127 +28.1 68. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 4,566,288 31 +17.4 8. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 29,036,374 174 +7.8 69. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,506,037 19 +1.0 9. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 +26.9 70. Greenough, Boston, MA 4,501,166 25 +11.5 10. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 24,440,092 130 +18.9 71. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 4,337,537 30 +28.6 11. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 24,311,212 138 +13.2 72. Intermarket Communications, New York, NY 3,825,000 18 +1.9 12. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 24,228,511 135 -3.1 73. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,675,000 23 +27.8 13. Hunter PR, New York, NY 23,500,000 121 +14.6 74. Vested, New York, NY 3,580,000 16 +319.2 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 23,371,021 103 +10.4 75. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,575,609 19 -2.0 15. Taylor, New York, NY 22,900,000 110 +3.6 76. LANE, Portland, OR 3,518,317 19 -11.7 16. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 21,006,046 131 +15.6 77. MCS Healthcare Public Relations, Bedminster, NJ 3,464,235 17 -20.2 17. Spectrum, Washington, DC 20,000,000 72 +34.8 78. Fish Consulting, Hollywood, FL 3,129,600 22 +8.2 18. Peppercomm, New York, NY 18,343,184 84 even 79. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 3,034,793 11 -21.3 19. Havas Formula, New York, NY 17,030,177 118 +18.6 80. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 3,029,014 14 -4.0 20. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 15,605,837 99 +18.6 81. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 2,810,365 14 +9.3 21. Cooney Waters Unlimited, New York, NY 15,169,000 40 +8.2 82. Schneider Associates, Boston, MA 2,699,331 14 -6.3 22. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 15,100,000 85 +3.4 83. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury, CT 2,695,000 28 +8.5 23. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 14,500,000 52 -9.0 84. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,636,000 15 +17.1 24. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 73 +27.6 85. Ripp Media/Public Relations, New York, NY 2,574,401 8 even 25. Spark, San Francisco, CA 14,021,737 55 even 86. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,500,496 17 +17.3 26. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 65 +40.1 87. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2,500,000 16 +8.7 27. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, Waltham, MA 13,775,720 98 +13.8 88. Gatesman, Pittsburgh, PA 2,500,000 72 +17.2 28. Hotwire, New York, NY 13,247,420 62 +322.2 89. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 2,472,718 13 -17.8 29. Makovsky, New York, NY 13,141,000 56 -2.7 90. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,446,840 19 +8.2 30. RF | Binder Partners, New York, NY 12,500,000 61 even 91. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 2,380,461 20 +1.0 31. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 +21.7 92. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,223,000 18 +28.5 32. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,805,900 58 +6.2 93. LaVoieHealthScience, Boston, MA 2,184,205 10 -13.2 33. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 11,473,571 57 +34.0 94. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,114,397 8 +5.8 34. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 11,340,000 35 +10.1 95. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 2,103,941 8 +25.7 35. Rasky Partners, Inc., Boston, MA 11,041,929 40 -21.8 96. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 2,067,409 17 +13.2 36. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 53 +21.2 97. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 1,973,899 22 +13.3 37. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,184,244 32 -2.0 98. Didit Communications, LLC, New York, NY 1,881,151 11 -15.4 38. Podesta Group, Washington, DC 10,030,212 19 +11.2 99. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,783,348 10 even 39. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 10,023,512 57 +4.2 100. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 1,710,464 10 +62.5 40. Gold PR, Corona, CA 9,739,037 23 -7.4 101. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 1,442,874 8 +4.9 41. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 9,284,000 48 -2.2 102. Devine + Partners, Philadelphia, PA 1,417,752 7 +1.0 42. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 9,241,425 51 +21.5 103. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 1,410,848 10 +17.7 43. Quinn, New York, NY 8,455,770 63 +15.8 104. AR|PR, Atlanta, GA 1,340,397 10 +44.6 44. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 8,306,314 32 +11.9 105. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 1,298,148 8 +20.0 45. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 8,200,000 66 +9.9 106. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,240,061 8 +63.5 46. 360 Public Relations, Boston, MA 8,079,022 39 +7.5 107. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 1,200,000 9 +9.1 47. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,052,898 78 +16.0 108. Power Group, The, Dallas, TX 1,147,168 10 -7.1 48. McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, Nashville, TN 7,845,354 62 +15.3 109. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,136,788 6 +60.3 49. J Public Relations, New York, NY 7,785,442 53 +29.4 110. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,116,024 12 +66.8 50. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 7,703,679 33 +27.2 111. KCD Public Relations, San Diego, CA 1,095,026 7 +7.9 51. Dodge Communications, Alpharetta, GA 7,578,042 42 even 112. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,082,890 8 +73.0 52. Lambert, Edwards & Associates, Grand Rapids, MI 7,481,000 39 +6.0 113. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 965,368 4 +17.8 53. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 7,447,000 39 +9.0 114. The uzzB Agency, Delray Beach, FL 924,821 10 -3.9 54. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach, FL 7,211,782 122 -2.6 115. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 848,654 7 +18.1 55. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 7,210,839 40 +3.5 116. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 700,201 6 -30.5 56. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,869,500 31 +25.6 117. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 684,133 4 +10.8 57. Moore Communications Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,542,410 34 +14.0 118. Bizcom Associates, Addison, TX 639,606 5 +7.4 58. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 6,260,124 45 +7.4 119. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 468,237 5 +88.4 59. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 6,098,177 28 +2.5 120. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 382,635 2 +99.5 60. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 6,047,258 31 -7.0 121. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 101,338 8 +102.0 61. KYNE, New York, NY 5,900,761 24 +28.5

©Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 51 LEADING GAINERS AMONG PR FIRMS

Firm 2016 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2015

Firms in the top 25 1. Spectrum, Washington, DC $20,000,000 72 +34.8 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 122,715,000 472 +33.0 3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 31,250,000 127 +28.1 4. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 73 +27.6 5. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 +26.9 6. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 24,440,092 130 +18.9 7. Havas Formula, New York, NY 17,030,177 118 +18.6 8. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 15,605,837 99 +18.6 9. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 21,006,046 131 +15.6 10. Hunter PR, New York, NY 23,500,000 121 +14.6

Firms ranked 26 through 50 1. Hotwire, New York, NY $13,247,420 62 +322.2 2. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 65 +40.1 3. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 11,473,571 57 +34.0 4. J Public Relations, New York, NY 7,785,442 53 +29.4 5. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 7,703,679 33 +27.2 6. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 +21.7 7. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 9,241,425 51 +21.5 8. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 53 +21.2 9. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,052,898 78 +16.0 10. Quinn, New York, NY 8,455,770 63 +15.8

Firms ranked 51 through 100 1. Vested, New York, NY $3,580,000 16 +319.2 2. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 1,710,464 10 +62.5 3. Lazar Partners, New York, NY 5,616,020 23 +30.8 4. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 5,085,112 34 +29.8 5. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 4,337,537 30 +28.6 6. KYNE, New York, NY 5,900,761 24 +28.5 7. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,223,000 18 +28.5 8. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,675,000 23 +27.8 9. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 2,103,941 8 +25.7 10. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,869,500 31 +25.6

Firms ranked 101 through 121 1. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA $101,338 8 +102.0 2. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 382,635 2 +99.5 3. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 468,237 5 +88.4 4. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,082,890 8 +73.0 5. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,116,024 12 +66.8 6. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,240,061 8 +63.5 7. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,136,788 6 +60.3 8. AR|PR, Atlanta, GA 1,340,397 10 +44.6 9. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 1,298,148 8 +20.0 10. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 848,654 7 +18.1

52 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. LEADING GAINERS AMONG PR FIRMS

Firm 2016 Net Fees Employees % Change from 2015

Firms in the top 25 1. Spectrum, Washington, DC $20,000,000 72 +34.8 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 122,715,000 472 +33.0 3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 31,250,000 127 +28.1 4. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 73 +27.6 5. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 +26.9 6. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH 24,440,092 130 +18.9 7. Havas Formula, New York, NY 17,030,177 118 +18.6 8. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 15,605,837 99 +18.6 9. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 21,006,046 131 +15.6 10. Hunter PR, New York, NY 23,500,000 121 +14.6

Firms ranked 26 through 50 1. Hotwire, New York, NY $13,247,420 62 +322.2 2. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 65 +40.1 3. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 11,473,571 57 +34.0 4. J Public Relations, New York, NY 7,785,442 53 +29.4 5. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 7,703,679 33 +27.2 6. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 +21.7 7. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 9,241,425 51 +21.5 8. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 53 +21.2 9. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 8,052,898 78 +16.0 10. Quinn, New York, NY 8,455,770 63 +15.8

Firms ranked 51 through 100 1. Vested, New York, NY $3,580,000 16 +319.2 2. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 1,710,464 10 +62.5 3. Lazar Partners, New York, NY 5,616,020 23 +30.8 4. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC, Washington, DC 5,085,112 34 +29.8 5. North 6th Agency (N6A), New York, NY 4,337,537 30 +28.6 6. KYNE, New York, NY 5,900,761 24 +28.5 7. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,223,000 18 +28.5 8. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,675,000 23 +27.8 9. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento, CA 2,103,941 8 +25.7 10. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,869,500 31 +25.6

Firms ranked 101 through 121 1. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA $101,338 8 +102.0 2. Dale Curtis Communications LLC, Washington, DC 382,635 2 +99.5 3. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 468,237 5 +88.4 4. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,082,890 8 +73.0 5. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,116,024 12 +66.8 6. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,240,061 8 +63.5 7. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,136,788 6 +60.3 8. AR|PR, Atlanta, GA 1,340,397 10 +44.6 9. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 1,298,148 8 +20.0 10. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 848,654 7 +18.1

© Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl. CONNECTICUT NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY 1. ICR, Norwalk $25,850,210 69 1. Edelman $874,968,000 5,903 2. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury 2,695,000 28 2. Prosek Partners 31,250,000 127 3. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 CHICAGO 4. Finn Partners 25,242,000 185 1. Edelman (includes Detroit) $101,707,000 583 5. 5W Public Relations 24,311,212 138 2. Walker Sands Communications 8,052,898 78 6. Hunter PR 23,500,000 121 3. Greentarget Global LLC 7,447,000 39 7. ICR 17,398,035 62 4. Finn Partners (includes Detroit) 7,008,000 49 8. Peppercomm 16,534,212 79 5. Public Communications Inc. 6,260,124 45 9. Cooney Waters Unlimited 15,169,000 40 6. Padilla 5,719,004 21 10. APCO Worldwide 15,113,100 54 7. L.C. Williams & Associates 4,506,037 19 11. Taylor 13,511,000 63 8. G&S Business Communications 4,479,498 28 12. Hotwire 13,247,420 62 9. APCO Worldwide 3,881,800 17 13. Makovsky 13,141,000 56 10. O’Malley Hansen Communications 2,223,000 18 14. RF | Binder Partners 12,500,000 61 11. Taylor 1,150,000 5 15. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI) 10,023,512 57 12. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,136,788 6 16. Bliss Integrated Communication 9,284,000 48 13. Havas Formula 930,000 7 17. J Public Relations 7,785,442 53 18. Lou Hammond Group 7,210,839 40 FLORIDA 19. Quinn 6,605,591 50 1. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee $14,500,000 52 20. Padilla 5,931,912 24 2. rbb Communications, Miami 9,241,425 51 21. KYNE 5,900,761 24 3. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach 7,211,782 122 22. Lazar Partners 5,616,020 23 4. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee 6,869,500 31 23. G&S Business Communications 5,485,381 36 5. Moore Comms. Group, Tallahassee 6,542,410 34 24. Dukas Linden Public Relations 5,148,601 21 6. Fish Consulting, Hollywood 3,129,600 22 25. CooperKatz & Co. 4,748,633 29 7. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale 2,500,000 16 26. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations 4,566,288 31 8. Edelman, Orlando 2,188,000 11 27. North 6th Agency (N6A) 4,337,537 30 9. Quinn, Miami 1,850,179 13 28. Havas Formula 4,200,000 32 10. Hemsworth Comms., Ft. Lauderdale 1,116,024 12 29. Intermarket Communications 3,825,000 18 11. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach 924,821 10 30. Vested 3,580,000 16 12. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale 744,000 6 31. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster, NJ 3,464,235 17 13. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton 700,201 6 32. IMRE, LLC 3,300,000 18 33. Ripp Media/Public Relations 2,574,401 8 BOSTON 34. Didit Communications, LLC 1,881,151 11 1. Racepoint Global $18,310,468 82 35. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 1,442,874 8 2. PAN Communications 15,605,837 99 36. Feintuch Communications 965,368 4 3. Inkhouse Media + Marketing 13,775,720 98 37. Stuntman PR 684,133 4 4. 360 Public Relations 8,079,022 39 38. AMP3 Public Relations 468,237 5 5. Rasky Partners, Inc. 7,472,338 33 6. Greenough 4,501,166 25 PENNSYLVANIA 7. ICR 3,822,353 11 1. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg $11,473,571 57 8. BackBay Communications 2,810,365 14 2. Gregory FCA, Ardmore 8,200,000 66 9. Schneider Associates 2,699,331 14 3. Gatesman, Pittsburgh 2,500,000 72 10. LaVoieHealthScience 2,184,205 10 4. Devine + Partners, Philadelphia 1,417,752 7 5. WordWrite Communications, LLC, Pittsburgh 848,654 7 WASHINGTON, D.C. 1. Edelman $66,757,000 284 MIDWEST CITIES 2. APCO Worldwide 41,851,600 161 1. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH $24,440,092 130 3. Spectrum 20,000,000 72 2. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 17,928,604 96 4. Finn Partners 15,873,000 67 3. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 7,481,000 39 5. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 4. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,575,609 19 6. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,805,900 58 5. Beehive Strategic Comm., St. Paul, MN 3,034,793 11 7. Podesta Group 10,030,212 19 6. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 1,410,848 10 8. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 9,600,000 61 9. JPA Health Communications 7,703,679 33 TEXAS 10. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC 5,085,112 34 1. Edelman (includes Dallas & Houston), Austin $16,958,000 80 11. Rasky Partners, Inc. 3,569,588 7 2. Pierpont Communications, Houston 6,047,258 31 12. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,500,496 17 3. SPM Communications, Dallas 2,472,718 13 13. Racepoint Global 1,550,937 7 4. Idea Grove, Dallas 2,380,461 20 14. Padilla 1,139,074 7 5. Champion Management Group, Dallas 1,298,148 8 15. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,082,890 8 6. Power Group, The, Dallas 1,147,168 10 16. Dale Curtis Communications LLC 382,635 2 7. Bizcom Associates, Addison 639,606 5

54 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl. Firm 2016 Net Fees Empl.

CONNECTICUT NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY SOUTHEAST 17. Padilla 1,600,767 6 1. ICR, Norwalk $25,850,210 69 1. Edelman $874,968,000 5,903 1. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC $23,371,021 103 18. APCO Worldwide, Sacramento 1,390,900 1 2. Cashman + Katz Company, Glastonbury 2,695,000 28 2. Prosek Partners 31,250,000 127 2. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 21,006,046 131 19. Karbo Communications 1,240,061 8 3. Coyne, Parsippany, NJ 27,300,000 159 3. Edelman, Atlanta, GA 19,470,000 106 CHICAGO 4. Finn Partners 25,242,000 185 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 14,500,000 52 WESTERN CITIES 1. Edelman (includes Detroit) $101,707,000 583 5. 5W Public Relations 24,311,212 138 5. G&S Business Comms., Raleigh, NC 14,263,632 71 1. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA $122,715,000 472 2. Walker Sands Communications 8,052,898 78 6. Hunter PR 23,500,000 121 6. ReviveHealth, Nashville, TN 14,008,690 65 2. Edelman, Seattle, WA 36,722,000 177 3. Greentarget Global LLC 7,447,000 39 7. ICR 17,398,035 62 7. Finn Partners, Nashville, TN 10,224,000 67 3. Edelman, San Francisco, CA 31,964,000 174 4. Finn Partners (includes Detroit) 7,008,000 49 8. Peppercomm 16,534,212 79 8. Padilla, Richmond, VA 9,402,540 49 4. Edelman (w/Beverly Hills), Los Angeles, CA 30,480,000 137 5. Public Communications Inc. 6,260,124 45 9. Cooney Waters Unlimited 15,169,000 40 9. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 9,241,425 51 5. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 14,032,125 73 6. Padilla 5,719,004 21 10. APCO Worldwide 15,113,100 54 10. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 8,306,314 32 6. Spark, San Francisco, CA 14,021,737 55 7. L.C. Williams & Associates 4,506,037 19 11. Taylor 13,511,000 63 11. McNeely Pigott & Fox PR, Nashville, TN 7,845,354 62 7. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 11,340,000 35 8. G&S Business Communications 4,479,498 28 12. Hotwire 13,247,420 62 12. Dodge Communications, Alpharetta, GA 7,578,042 42 8. Edelman (Silicon Valley), San Mateo, CA 10,945,000 40 9. APCO Worldwide 3,881,800 17 13. Makovsky 13,141,000 56 13. Taylor, Charlotte, NC 7,218,000 32 9. Bateman Group, San Francisco, CA 10,482,117 53 14. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach, FL 7,211,782 122 10. O’Malley Hansen Communications 2,223,000 18 14. RF | Binder Partners 12,500,000 61 10. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 10,184,244 32 15. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,869,500 31 11. Taylor 1,150,000 5 15. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI) 10,023,512 57 11. Gold PR, Corona, CA 9,739,037 23 16. Moore Comms. Group, Tallahassee, FL 6,542,410 34 12. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,136,788 6 16. Bliss Integrated Communication 9,284,000 48 12. Edelman, Portland, OR 7,960,000 43 17. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 3,675,000 23 13. Havas Formula 930,000 7 17. J Public Relations 7,785,442 53 13. Havas Formula, San Diego, CA 7,900,000 49 18. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 2,500,000 16 14. Padilla, Los Angeles, CA 7,223,013 3 18. Lou Hammond Group 7,210,839 40 19. APCO Worldwide, Raleigh, NC 2,487,200 11 FLORIDA 19. Quinn 6,605,591 50 15. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 6,098,177 28 20. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,446,840 19 16. 1. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee $14,500,000 52 20. Padilla 5,931,912 24 Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,364,538 16 21. Quinn, Miami, FL 1,850,179 13 17. ICR, Los Angeles, CA 5,108,617 10 2. rbb Communications, Miami 9,241,425 51 21. KYNE 5,900,761 24 22. AR|PR, Atlanta, GA 1,340,397 10 18. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 5,062,800 36 3. JeffreyGroup, Miami Beach 7,211,782 122 22. Lazar Partners 5,616,020 23 23. Hemsworth Comms., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,116,024 12 19. Finn Partners, Los Angeles, CA 4,983,000 31 4. Sachs Media Group, Tallahassee 6,869,500 31 23. G&S Business Communications 5,485,381 36 24. IMRE, LLC, Raleigh, NC 800,000 1 20. Finn Partners, San Francisco, CA 4,891,000 25 5. Moore Comms. Group, Tallahassee 6,542,410 34 24. Dukas Linden Public Relations 5,148,601 21 25. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 744,000 6 21. Edelman, Sacramento, CA 4,004,000 17 6. Fish Consulting, Hollywood 3,129,600 22 25. CooperKatz & Co. 4,748,633 29 26. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton, FL 700,201 6 22. Havas Formula, Los Angeles, CA 4,000,000 30 7. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale 2,500,000 16 26. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations 4,566,288 31 23. Inkhouse Media + Marketing, San Francisco, CA 3,872,775 29 8. 27. Edelman, Orlando 2,188,000 11 North 6th Agency (N6A) 4,337,537 30 LOS ANGELES 24. Finn Partners, Portland, OR 3,520,000 18 9. Quinn, Miami 1,850,179 13 28. Havas Formula 4,200,000 32 1. Edelman includes Beverly Hills) $30,480,000 137 25. LANE, Portland, OR 3,518,317 19 10. Hemsworth Comms., Ft. Lauderdale 1,116,024 12 29. Intermarket Communications 3,825,000 18 2. Davies, Santa Barbara 10,184,244 32 26. ICR, San Francisco, CA 3,484,236 6 11. The Buzz Agency, Delray Beach 924,821 10 30. Vested 3,580,000 16 3. Gold PR, Corona 9,739,037 23 27. Intrepid Agency, Salt Lake City, UT 3,029,014 14 12. Finn Partners, Ft. Lauderdale 744,000 6 31. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster, NJ 3,464,235 17 4. Havas Formula, San Diego 7,900,000 49 28. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,636,000 15 13. TransMedia Group, Boca Raton 700,201 6 32. IMRE, LLC 3,300,000 18 5. Padilla 7,223,013 3 29. Racepoint Global, San Francisco, CA 2,404,571 16 33. Ripp Media/Public Relations 2,574,401 8 6. Cerrell Associates 6,098,177 28 30. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,114,397 8 BOSTON 34. Didit Communications, LLC 1,881,151 11 7. ICR 5,108,617 10 31. Perry Comms. Group, Sacramento, CA 2,103,941 8 1. Racepoint Global $18,310,468 82 35. Rosica Communications, Paramus, NJ 1,442,874 8 8. Konnect Agency 5,062,800 36 32. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 2,067,409 17 2. PAN Communications 15,605,837 99 36. Feintuch Communications 965,368 4 9. Finn Partners 4,983,000 31 33. Lavidge, Phoenix, AZ 1,973,899 22 10. 3. Inkhouse Media + Marketing 13,775,720 98 37. Stuntman PR 684,133 4 Havas Formula 4,000,000 30 34. Peppercomm, San Francisco, CA 1,808,972 7 11. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood 2,636,000 15 4. 360 Public Relations 8,079,022 39 38. AMP3 Public Relations 468,237 5 35. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 1,783,348 10 12. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo 2,067,409 17 5. Rasky Partners, Inc. 7,472,338 33 36. APCO Worldwide, Seattle, WA 1,750,300 5 13. BLAZE, Santa Monica 1,783,348 10 6. Greenough 4,501,166 25 PENNSYLVANIA 37. Red Sky PR, Boise, ID 1,710,464 10 14. IMRE, LLC 1,400,000 5 7. ICR 3,822,353 11 1. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg $11,473,571 57 38. Padilla, San Francisco, CA 1,600,767 6 15. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance 1,200,000 9 8. BackBay Communications 2,810,365 14 2. Gregory FCA, Ardmore 8,200,000 66 39. IMRE, LLC, Los Angeles, CA 1,400,000 5 16. KCD Public Relations, San Diego 1,095,026 7 9. Schneider Associates 2,699,331 14 3. Gatesman, Pittsburgh 2,500,000 72 40. APCO Worldwide, Sacramento, CA 1,390,900 1 17. Taylor 1,021,000 6 10. LaVoieHealthScience 2,184,205 10 4. Devine + Partners, Philadelphia 1,417,752 7 41. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 1,240,061 8 18. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach 101,338 8 5. WordWrite Communications, LLC, Pittsburgh 848,654 7 42. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 1,200,000 9 WASHINGTON, D.C. SAN FRANCISCO & NORTH CALIFORNIA 43. KCD Public Relations, San Diego, CA 1,095,026 7 1. Edelman $66,757,000 284 MIDWEST CITIES 44. 1. W2O Group $122,715,000 472 Taylor, Los Angeles, CA 1,021,000 6 2. APCO Worldwide 41,851,600 161 1. Fahlgren Mortine, Columbus, OH $24,440,092 130 2. Edelman 31,964,000 174 45. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 101,338 8 3. Spectrum 20,000,000 72 2. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 17,928,604 96 3. Highwire PR 14,032,125 73 4. Finn Partners 15,873,000 67 3. Lambert, Edwards & Assoc., Grand Rapids, MI 7,481,000 39 4. Spark 14,021,737 55 5. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 12,243,385 68 4. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,575,609 19 5. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose 11,340,000 35 6. Merritt Group, McLean, VA 11,805,900 58 5. Beehive Strategic Comm., St. Paul, MN 3,034,793 11 6. Edelman (Silicon Valley), San Mateo 10,945,000 40 The firms ranked in the O’Dwyer Co. rankings of PR firms have sat- 7. Podesta Group 10,030,212 19 6. Maccabee, Minneapolis, MN 1,410,848 10 7. Bateman Group 10,482,117 53 isfied O’Dwyer’s ranking rules, supporting fee and employee totals 8. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 9,600,000 61 8. Singer Associates, Inc. 5,364,538 16 with income tax and W-3 forms and providing a current account list. 9. JPA Health Communications 7,703,679 33 TEXAS 9. Finn Partners 4,891,000 25 The O’Dwyer rankings should be regarded as an expression of our 10. SevenTwenty Strategies, LLC 5,085,112 34 1. Edelman (includes Dallas & Houston), Austin $16,958,000 80 10. Edelman, Sacramento 4,004,000 17 judgment of a firm’s standing within the industry, and are not warrant- 11. Rasky Partners, Inc. 3,569,588 7 2. Pierpont Communications, Houston 6,047,258 31 11. Inkhouse Media + Marketing 3,872,775 29 ed to comply with any specific objective standards. 12. Verasolve, Potomac, MD 2,500,496 17 3. SPM Communications, Dallas 2,472,718 13 12. ICR 3,484,236 6 13. Racepoint Global 1,550,937 7 4. Idea Grove, Dallas 2,380,461 20 13. Racepoint Global 2,404,571 16 Firms are added to O’Dwyer’s rankings throughout the year. Go to 14. Padilla 1,139,074 7 5. Champion Management Group, Dallas 1,298,148 8 14. Landis Communications 2,114,397 8 odwyerpr.com for an up-to-date version of the rankings. 15. ScoutComms, Inc., Fredericksburg, VA 1,082,890 8 6. Power Group, The, Dallas 1,147,168 10 15. Perry Communications Group, Sacramento 2,103,941 8 16. Dale Curtis Communications LLC 382,635 2 7. Bizcom Associates, Addison 639,606 5 16. Peppercomm 1,808,972 7

©Copyright 2017, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 55 PEOPLE IN PR

firm’s practice in the U.S., said his depar- formerly served as an Associate at Bur- Al Golin dies at 87 ture “reflects a desire on my part to do son-Marsteller. She started her career at something different,” and announced that MSNBC, where she l Golin, the original public relations he plans to start his own firm. was as Associate News counsel to McDonald’s and Found- The former Wall and Entertainment Aer of the Chicago-based firm Golin, Street Journal Finance Producer. died April 8 at age 87. Editor, who’s been Joseph is charged He died at his second home in Scottsdale, stationed with Bruns- with leading Ber- Arizona after a battle with prostate cancer. wick since 2001, said linRosen’s hospi- McDonald’s CEO Ray Kroc in 1957 called that his new venture tality and lifestyle on Golin for PR help, and the relationship would focus on criti- client business and lasted more than 60 years. The initial con- cal communications, supporting the agen- Sara Joseph tract had been for $500 monthly. Golin M&A, activism de- cy’s growth in the Steven Lipin Chairman Fred Cook fense and C-suite cor- travel, hospitality and luxury sectors. The said Golin “worked on porate issues. New York-based agency, which advises real McDonald’s until the “I wish the firm and my colleagues the estate companies, politicos and advocacy day he died.” very best as they go from strength to groups, counts about 100 staffers and has Golin liked to say strength,” Lipin said in the statement. “It additional outposts in Washington and Los that building goodwill has been a privilege working at the firm for Angeles.  for the company could the past 16 years.”  be like putting mon- ey in the bank. Every Al Golin time the company did Batliner promoted to Khalid grabs Glover something to help its Park Health + Wellness community, it would add up over time. Carmichael Lynch Pres. McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook said post the company benefited for decades from reative agency Carmichael Lynch has Golin’s wisdom and leadership, claiming in promoted Julie Batliner to President. ryana Khalid has joined Democratic a statement that “McDonald’s owes Al a tre- CShe’ll continue in her current role as lobbying giant Glover Park Group, mendous debt of gratitude for all he accom- Managing Partner and President of Carmi- Awhere she’s been named a Manag- plished in his partnership with us.” chael Lynch Relate, the PR side of the busi- ing Director of the Washington, D.C. firm’s Golin built the firm from a small office ness. Health + Wellness practice. to one with 1,200 employees and 50 offices In the first full year Khalid joins the WPP unit from political worldwide. of Batliner’s lead- advocacy and trade He was the recipient of lifetime achieve- ership, Carmichael association Amer- ment awards from the Public Relations So- Lynch Relate’s reve- ica’s Health Insur- ciety of America and the Publicity Club of nue grew more than ance Plans, where she Chicago, as well as numerous other honors. 47 percent and head served as Executive He was inducted into the PR Hall of Fame count increased more VP. Prior to that, she in 2015. than 50 percent with was Chief of Staff to Born in 1929 in Chicago, Golin got his less than three percent Julie Batliner the administrator for start in the early 1950s as a publicist for the turnover rate. the Centers for Medi- Aryana Khalid film industry, working in the Chicago offic- Batliner will report to Carmichael Lynch care & Medicaid Ser- es of MGM studios. CEO, Marcus Fisher, who was previously vices, where she as- He is survived by June Golin, his wife of President.  sisted the Obama administration with that more than 55 years; their children Barry, Department of Health and Human Services Karen and Ellen; six grandchildren; and a agency’s operations, policy development great-grandson.  and oversight, including the implementa- Joseph joins tion of the Affordable Care Act. BerlinRosen Khalid was previously Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Lipin leaves rogressive PR and public affairs shop Commonwealth of Virginia and an Asso- Brunswick Group BerlinRosen has named Sara Joseph ciate Administrator at healthcare facility PSenior Vice President of the agency’s operator Hospital Corporation of America. runswick Group Senior Partner Ste- hospitality and lifestyle practice. She was also a Legislative Assistant to Sena- ven Lipin announced that he’s leav- Joseph joins BerlinRosen from Inter- tor Mark Warner (D-VA). Bing the global M&A PR advisor after public unit Current, where she served as At Glover Park, Khalid will provide polit- nearly 16 years. Senior VP and head of its travel and life- ical and legislative counsel on a broad range In a Friday statement, Lipin, who led style group. She was previously stationed of issues while managing the legislative and Brunswick’s New York office and was re- at Weber Shandwick for a decade, where public affairs firm's health related Govern- sponsible for the growth of the advisory she most recently served as VP, and also ment Relations practice. 

56 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

O’Dwyer’s guide to RANKED PR FIRMS

tendo, Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs, Stonyfield Farm, Stride Rite, Tommee Tippee, Travelpro, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Walkers Short- bread and WellPet.

AKRETE, INC.

900 Chicago Ave., Suite 103 Evanston, IL 60202 www.Akrete.com [email protected] [email protected] Twitter: @TeamAkrete linkedin.com/company/akrete Facebook.com/TeamAkrete

Margy Sweeney, Principal Renata Pasmanik, Vice President

A national content marketing and public relations firm specializing in financial services and commer- cial real estate, Akrete articulates and promotes business growth stories. We subscribe to a new ad- 360PR+ interviewed New Yorkers about their grocery shopping routine, finding that most have an empty ‘fridge age: B2B + B2H. Not only are we by mid-week and leveraging that insight to position Peapod as the solution. business-to-business, we are busi- ness-to-human, making complex content more accessible. When in memorable ways. As a result, with it. We know what gets peo- 5W PUBLIC we write, we do so understanding we measurably increase the posi- ple talking and how to connect that content must inspire individu- RELATIONS­ tive results of our clients’ commu- brands to the conversation. Today, al people to action: clients, media nications efforts. that means more pull than push, and influencers alike. Accept no 230 Park Avenue, 32nd Floor 5WPR’s diverse roster of cli- starting with the fresh ideas we substitute for strong content; our New York, NY 10169 ents includes Sparkling ICE, Wal- bring and emotionally resonant team can make your ideas come 212/999-5585 greens, KRUPS, It’s a 10 Haircare, storytelling we activate with our alive, and connect you with media [email protected] jane iredale, JetSmarter and Zeta full circle approach: from stand- www.5wpr.com outlets that matter. Global. Our innovative programs up-and-take-notice news mo- No subject matter is too com- have received recognition and we ments, influencer marketing and Ronn D. Torossian, President & plex for #TeamAkrete’s 20+ per- have won many awards including thought-leader editorial, to expe- CEO son team of senior storytellers. PR Agency of the Year, PR Execu- riential events and digital content Our services range from thought Since 2003, New York City- tive of the Year, Product Launch of that drive meaningful engagement leadership to digital consulting, based 5W Public Relations has the Year and Business to Business for brands. 360PR+ is also expert media and public relations to CEO worked with widely known and Program of the Year. in employee communications and emerging brands, corporations and crisis management, with a track counsel and social media strategy. high-profile individuals. Our prac- record of helping clients across We dare to innovate, infusing our tice areas include Consumer Prod- 360PR+ sectors successfully navigate repu- highly traditional industries with ucts & Brands, Food & Beverage, tation-threatening issues. creative expression and techni- Health & Wellness, Beauty, Appar- 200 State St. 360PR+ has been recognized as cal accuracy. Our vibrant, strate- Boston, MA 02109 el & Accessories, Home & House- one of the most creative PR agen- gy-shaped marketing, ghostwriting 617/585-5770 and public relations campaigns wares, Travel & Hospitality, En- www.360pr.plus cies globally, named Boutique tertainment & Sports, Corporate, Agency of the Year, and earned connect investors, clients and cor- twitter.com/360prplus porations. Technology, Public Affairs & Gov- linkedin.com/company/360prplus Best Place to Work recognition ernment Relations, Nonprofit, Cri- multiple times. All of that enables sis Communications, Events and Additional Offices: NYC; San us to attract and retain the very best APCO WORLDWIDE Digital & Social Media. We have a Francisco; Washington, D.C.; PROI talent, including a hands-on senior Worldwide partner 360-degree approach to PR, social team of communications and digi- 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW media, branding and digital mar- Laura Tomasetti, Founder & CEO tal marketing veterans who are All Suite 300 keting that delivers game-changing Rob Bratskeir, EVP In with our clients every day. Washington, DC 20004 results to our clients. Stacey Clement, Kalley ­Jolly, Clients: Ahold USA, Avis, Crab- 202/778-1000 Our 150 tenacious PR practi- Caitlin Melnick, Victoria bie’s Ginger Beer, Continental Fax: 202/466-6002 tioners know how to leverage any ­Renwick, Michael Rush, Sr. VPs Mills, Drizly, Gerber Childrens- [email protected] www.apcoworldwide.com story and direct any conversation Melinda Bonner, Caitlin Chalke, wear, Hasbro, HomeAway, Hon- to our clients’ advantage. We Ali Kavulich, Sean McNair, VPs eywell Home Environment, illy, APCO Worldwide is a glob- develop and execute novel cam- Jelly Belly, Juicy Juice, Liberty al communications consultancy. paigns that allow our clients to Let’s face it. The world has Mutual Insurance, Lightlife Foods, APCO’s team operates in over 80 connect with their target audiences changed, and we’ve changed Meredith Publishing, Nasoya, Nin- markets to help the most innova-

5858 APRILMAY 20172015 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

London, and international agency partnerships, BackBay serves fi- nancial services companies around the world.

BEEHIVE STRATEGIC­ COMMUNICATION­

1021 Bandana Blvd. E., Suite 226 St. Paul, MN 55108 651/789-2232 www.beehivepr.biz

Lisa Hannum, President & CEO Becky McNamara, CFO Nicki Gibbs, Senior Vice President Ayme Zemke, Senior Vice ­President Rebecca Martin, Vice President Beehive Strategic Communica- The ARPR team’s culture is rooted in a simple motto: Believe the best IN each other. Want the best FOR each tion uses the power of communica- other. Expect the best FROM each other. tion to build better businesses for a better world. Our energized culture tive organizations adapt and thrive fastest growing tech PR and inte- brand awareness and credibility fuels fresh insights, creative strat- in this fast-moving, interconnected grated communications agencies in and drive new business for our cli- egies and meaningful connections and complex world. We do this the U.S. – growing 45% YoY and ents. that create enduring value for our for all types of organizations, in earning a reputation for creatively We work with a range of finan- clients. all industries and all situations. telling high-impact stories that in- cial services clients including Beehive’s team of senior strat- We partner with clients to guide tersect technology, innovation and Accounting/Advisory, Asset Man- egists and savvy specialists bring them through a changing, com- business. agement, Banks, Financial Tech- curiosity and optimism to every- plex global environment, enabling In 2014, ARPR was awarded Na- nology, Insurance, Legal, Private thing we do. We have partnered them to reach their business and tional Small Agency of the Year by Equity, Venture Capital and Wealth with businesses locally, globally societal goals. We bring our clients' a panel of journalists. Then in 2016, Management. and in virtually every industry. work to life creatively and digital- ARPR earned recognition as one BackBay offers a unique com- That shortens our learning curve. ly through diverse thinking and a of PR News’ TOP Places to Work, bination of content and creativity. And we have especially deep ex- campaign mentality that embraces and was named Bulldog Reporter’s Our services include public rela- perience in the education, financial a variety of integrated tactics to Technology Agency of the Year. tions, branding, website develop- services, healthcare, and retail and achieve success. APCO is a major- With over 35 awards on its shelf, ment, marketing materials, videos, consumer industries. ity employee-­ and women-owned ARPR deploys a calculated com- advertising and social media. We Our expertise includes research, business. Clients include: Mars, bination of strategies and tactics are highly regarded for develop- communication strategy, brand po- Microsoft, IKEA, Welltower, Pep- across several disciplines including ing thought leadership programs sitioning, employee engagement siCo, Better Medicare Alliance, media relations, influencer mar- for clients and for our relation- and internal communication, pub- McCormick, The Partnership for a keting, social advertising, content ships with the business and trade lic relations, social and digital mar- Healthier America, Nuclear Energy marketing and lead generation. Just media. With offices in Boston and keting, and crisis communication. Institute, EXPO 2017 and more. like its tech clients, ARPR is al- ways focused on propelling what’s ARPR possible. 817 West Peachtree Street BACKBAY Suite 920 Atlanta, GA 30308 COMMUNICATIONS­ www.arpr.com Twitter & IG: @ar__pr 20 Park Plaza, Suite 801 Snap: ar.pr Boston, MA 02116 Linkedin.com/company/arpr 617/391-0790 bill.haynes@ Additional locations: New Orleans, backbaycommunications.com San Francisco www.BackBayCommunications. com Anna Ruth Williams, CEO Blair Broussard, SVP Bill Haynes, president & CEO Renee Spurlin, VP of Analytics and Digital Marketing BackBay Communications is an Evan Goldberg, VP of Client Service integrated communications agen- cy specializing in the financial ARPR was founded in 2012, services sector. BackBay takes a and built from the ground floor up brand-centric, content-driven, ap- as a different agency – one fueled proach to providing marketing and by a culture and an approach that public relations strategy, content BackBay Communications: Financial Services Communications Special- development, creative design and works for both clients and employ- ists; Building Brands, Driving Growth ees. Today, ARPR is one of the multi-channel distribution to build

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 59 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms BLAZE PR

1427 Third Street Promenade, #201 Santa Monica, CA 90401 310/395-5050 Santa Barbara 805/319-7960 [email protected] www.BLAZEPR.com

Matt Kovacs, President BLAZE is the go-to PR agen- cy for lifestyle brands hungry for a real piece of the marketshare. Fresh and seasoned, our boutique agency is comprised of veteran practitioners who stay one step ahead of trends and will not rest on the laurels of past successes. Our media strategies are meaty, Bliss Integrated Communication has emerged as one of the most influential, privately-owned communication creative and on-point because they agencies in the Nation, specializing in the professional and financial service industries, and healthcare. Bliss’s are backed by a thoughtful process collaborative approach feeds the most important form of integration — a deep and seamless understanding of that considers the particular world your business, inside and out. A top-ranked firm, Bliss has earned numerous industry awards, including Crain’s of each brand. “Best Places to Work in NYC.” Clients include: AmaWaterways, BIOHM, Bowers Museum, Brew- ery Ommegang, Cocomazing, our clients’ success. azine, trade journal, radio, tele- production workflow, IT, security, Chronic Tacos, ESPN, Everytable, Bliss’ 50-member team is based vision and online coverage. Our and digital content sectors. Gold’s Gym, Heat Holders, Marri- in New York, but our reach is digital expertise includes website We deliver meaningful connec- ott Hotels, NutraWise, Performance global. As a member of the World- development, blog and social me- tions through integrated communi- Bike, Roseshire, Simon Malls, Slat- com Public Relations Group, we dia management and email cam- cations using traditional PR, social er’s 50/50 restaurants, Spectrum have feet on the street in 115 cities paigns. Perhaps most important media/content marketing, adver- Sports, Stonefire Grill, Toridoll, across six continents. in today’s Internet-driven economy, tising, special events and business Transcend Recovery, Urban Mat- Want to learn more? Contact us our online campaigns incorporate development tools. tress and Woodside Homes. at [email protected]. online research, search engine We tackle these industries from optimization (SEO), pay-per- every angle. Our clients include BLISS INTEGRATED BOARDROOM click (PPC) and online reputation start-ups to Fortune 500 brands. COMMUNICATIONS management (ORM). We offer We are skilled at reputation man- COMMUNICATION full-service branding capabilities agement. With a team of top-cali- INC. consisting of logo, ad and collateral ber professionals, we are dedicated 500 5th Avenue, #1640 materials design, copywriting and to furthering our clients’ brand and New York, NY 10110 1776 No. Pine Island Rd., #320 video production. With offices in communicating their unique bene- 212/840-1661 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33322 Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm fits and value. Since our inception Fax: 212/840-1663 954/370-8999; 877/773-4761 Beach, Orlando and Tampa, we are in 1997, we have consistently de- www.blissintegrated.com [email protected] positioned to serve clients across livered powerful results through Elizabeth Sosnow, Meg Wildrick, www.boardroompr.com Florida and beyond. strategies that reflect our unparal- Managing Partners . leled connections and industry in- Cortney Stapleton, Partner, Julie Talenfeld, Pres. sights. Professional Service Practice Don Silver, COO BOB GOLD & Leader Todd Templin, EVP ASSOCIATES­ Michael Roth, Partner, Healthcare Caren Berg, Sr. VP THE BUZZ AGENCY Practice Leader Jennifer Clarin, Michelle Griffith, VPs 1640 South Pacific Coast Hwy. Bliss Integrated Communication Redondo Beach, CA 90277 104 W. Atlantic Avenue is a mid-sized, independent inte- Boardroom Communications is 310/784-1040 Delray Beach, FL 33444 grated marketing communication a full-service public relations and Fax: 310/784-1050 101 Bradley Place, Suite 208 Palm Beach, FL 33480 firm that helps healthcare, financial integrated marketing agency de- [email protected] www.bobgoldpr.com 855/525-2899 and professional services compa- livering results for many of Flori- [email protected] nies build their brand and grow da’s most successful professionals, Bob Gold & Associates is an in- thebuzzagency.net sales through PR strategy and ex- corporations, entrepreneurs and dependent PR & marketing agency ecution, messaging and content non-profit organizations. Now providing clients with strategies Julie Mullen, Co-Founder & development, brand identity, issues in our 29th year, we leverage the that resonate and engage, propel- Partner management, and digital and social skills and connections of our staff, ling businesses forward with an Elizabeth Kelley Grace, media programs. which includes former journalists, immediate, positive impact on the Co-Founder & Partner At Bliss, we focus on our clients’ seasoned PR and marketing pro- bottom line. The Buzz Agency is an energetic, goals and results, not stand-alone fessionals -- to secure earned me- Our specialty is the video de- forward-thinking, women-owned tactics. Average tenure among dia. Clients turn to us when they livery business — from content communications firm with offices clients is eight-plus years and in- want creative solutions to increase creation to the technologies that in Delray Beach and Palm Beach, cludes some of the most respected visibility, establish credibility and connect consumers with brands. Florida. Founded in 2009 by South names in the industries we serve. ultimately make their phones ring. We are internationally recognized Florida-based industry leaders Ju- What sets Bliss apart is our stra- Boardroom Communications for our unique expertise in the lie Mullen and Elizabeth Kelley tegic approach to communication helps bridge traditional and new telecommunications, broadcast, and unwavering commitment to media to generate newspaper, mag- distribution, programming, sports, _ Continued on page 62

60 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

philosophy, common tools and un- limited thinking at its core, Health Unlimited brings together consul- tants and discipline experts from across the group and beyond. This approach unlocks the power of creative collaboration to seize the endless opportunities that exist for brands and businesses in today’s rapidly evolving world. Cooney Waters Unlimited pro- vides unparalleled scope of strate- gic marketing and communications solutions, advocacy relations and issue-oriented communications to healthcare clients in non-profit, government and industrial sectors throughout the world.

COOPERKATZ & COMPANY

The Buzz Agency Team. 205 Lexington Avenue, 5th Floor New York, NY 10016 Cerrell. We combine the power of healthcare across many therapeutic 917/595-3030 THE BUZZ AGENCY Fax: 917/326-8997 our legacy with an elite team of areas and health sectors in North www.cooperkatz.com _ Continued from page 60 forward-thinking communicators America and internationally. The to develop winning strategies for a Group includes three sister com- CooperKatz & Company is an Grace, The Buzz Agency employs diverse range of clients. panies: Cooney Waters Unlimited, award-winning, results-driven a team of dynamic professionals Cerrell creates the type of com- a mid-sized firm that provides the public relations agency. We com- with collective know-how to man- prehensive, multilingual strategic full range of public relations and bine the strategic thinking of a age PR, social media and commu- programs that California’s diverse public affairs services to health- large agency with the client focus nity engagement for a variety of environment demands. Our ex- care, pharmaceutical and biotech- of a smaller firm. clients, regionally and nationally. perts in government advocacy, nology enterprises; Alembic Un- Our team offers full-service The Buzz team has generated im- campaigns, and public and crisis limited, a firm which specializes in public relations, digital, creative pressive, award-winning results for communications allow us to offer communications programs in the services and event production ca- clients in industries such as com- unmatched services to our clients. area of health advocacy; and Cork- pabilities to a national client base mercial and residential develop- Our team moves public opinion, ery Group Unlimited, a full-service across diverse industry sectors. Our ment, travel/hospitality, restaurant/ shapes media narratives, and works strategic consulting firm special- diverse range of services include retail, corporate/general business with decision makers at all levels izing in issue-oriented health and communications strategy, earned and not-for-profits. to open doors, fix problems and se- medical communications. media, content marketing, digital / Clients include Aviation Week cure wins for our clients in today’s Cooney Waters Unlimited is a social strategy and execution, crisis Events, Hair Club, AC Hotel (Mar- complex and rapidly-changing part of the specialist expertise of counseling, media training, video riott), Discover The Palm Beaches, public policy environment. Health Unlimited brand (www. production, and much more. Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, That’s why Cerrell is the firm of healthunlimited.com) — an in- Clients include such top brands Morikami Museum & Japanese choice for local, national and glob- tegrated healthcare agency that as Coldwell Banker Real Estate, Gardens, SunFest, Delray Open al organizations doing business in is a part of UK-based Unlimited Memorial Sloan Kettering Can- (ATP Tennis), Boca Raton PGA California. Group. With a shared creative cer Center and PwC. Numerous Champions Tour golf tournament, awards include “Agency of the Boca West Country Club, Big Time COONEY WATERS Year” in our size category by The Restaurant Group, among others. Holmes Report and “Best Plac- UNLIMITED es to Work in New York City” by Crain’s New York Business. CERRELL 111 Fifth Ave. CooperKatz is a member of the New York, NY 10003 PR Council and the Public Rela- 320 N. Larchmont Blvd. 212/886-2200 tions Global Network, a consor- Los Angeles, CA 90004 Fax: 212/886-2288 tium of nearly 50 independent 323/466-3445 www.cooneywatersunlimited.com agencies from markets around the www.cerrell.com www.corkeryunlimited.com [email protected] www.alembicunlimited.com world. [email protected] [email protected] Timothy Bird, CEO COYNE PUBLIC Julia Jackson, Executive Vice Hal Dash, Chairman and Chief President RELATIONS­ Executive Officer Sherri Michelstein, President, Alembic Unlimited Steve Bullock, Chief Financial 5 Wood Hollow Road Karen O’Malley, President, Officer Parsippany, NJ 07054 Corkery Group Unlimited Brandon Stephenson, Chief 973/588-2000 Strategic Officer Cooney Waters Unlimited, cel- www.coynepr.com For over 50 years, no firm in ebrating its 25th anniversary, is a 1400 Broadway, 36th & 37th Floors California has made a greater family of strategic communications Timothy Bird, CEO of Cooney Wa- New York, NY 10018 impact in the public sphere than companies focused exclusively on ters Unlimited. 212/938-0166

62 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms Dale Curtis Communications helps companies and causes ad- vance their agendas through strate- gic, integrated communications in Washington, DC and beyond. Founded in 2009, DCC provides public-affairs-oriented PR and content services to corporate and nonprofit clients, in the areas of advocacy, thought leadership, and marketing. Our team brings a collective 60 years of experience, including senior positions in Congress, the White House, business and the media, and in-depth expertise in technology, telecommunications, public safety, manufacturing, ener- gy, and nonprofit issues. Our in-house specialties range from strategy to messaging, con- tent, media relations, digital media, graphic design, events, and video. We also maintain a network of ad- junct professionals who can be ac- tivated for specific projects. Clients have included SAP Pub- lic Services, SAP National Securi- Crosby President & CEO Raymond Crosby (center) with the firm’s management team. ty Services, InterDigital, Lyondell- Basell, NENA-The 9-1-1 Assn., Thomas F. Coyne, CEO ship in The Worldcom Public Rela- behavior change, and motivate IPC-The Electronics Assn., the ® Rich Lukis, John Gogarty, tions Group . action. The firm's award-winning Wireless Internet Service Provid- Presidents With an average agency of record campaigns, which integrate paid, ers Assn., Business Software Alli- Kelly Dencker, Jennifer client tenure exceeding five years, earned, shared and owned media, Kamienski, Lisa Wolleon, ance, Bipartisan Policy Center, and Coyne has consistently delivered have touched the lives of virtually Chavez Schools. Tim Schramm, Executive Vice breakthrough creative, unmatched every American. Presidents How can DCC help you? Please Chris Brienza, Joe Gargiulo, business results and exception- The firm has specialized prac- contact us to find out. Luis Hernandez, Kevin Lamb, al client service for more than 25 tices in Healthcare, Government, Deborah Sierchio, Senior Vice years. The agency’s cornerstone and Nonprofits & Causes. Clients Presidents and creative approach is rooted in include the Agency for Healthcare DAVIES its Results First process, where the Research and Quality (AHRQ), Coyne PR is a public relations agency always begins with the end Catholic Relief Services, DAV 808 State Street firm with expertise in PR, social in mind, ensuring clients are al- (Disabled American Veterans), Santa Barbara, CA 93101 and digital with more than 160 full- ways where they want to be. EPA ENERGY STAR program, 805/963-5929 time professionals. As one of the Kaiser Permanente, Military One- [email protected] Top 15 Independent PR Firms in www.DaviesPublicAffairs.com CROSBY Source, Pacific Western Bank, Los Angeles: 310/395-9510 the U.S., Coyne delivers programs Sagepoint Senior Living, Saint Washington, D.C.: 202/580-8930 built on a foundation of standout 705 Melvin Avenue Agnes Hospital, Social Security creative, integrated thinking and Annapolis, MD 21401 Administration, USDA, U.S. Dept. John Davies, CEO activation capabilities to effective- 410/626-0805 of Health & Human Services, and Robb Rice, EVP ly convey messages across paid, www.crosbymarketing.com The Wallace Foundation. Taylor Canfield,EVP earned, shared and owned chan- Crosby is #31 on O’Dwyer’s na- Joshua Boisvert, EVP nels for its clients. These programs Raymond Crosby, President tional ranking of PR firms, #8 for Joel Machak, Executive Creative Davies specializes in strategic have been recognized with more healthcare PR, and is a member than 900 industry awards since Director communications and public en- Denise Aube, Healthcare Practice of the PR Council and American gagement for complex or contro- the agency’s inception in 1991 and Leader Association of Advertising Agen- led to the agency being named the versial projects and issues. When Jeff Rosenberg, Nonprofits & cies (4As). The firm has offices in public opinion matters, we help 2016 Best Agency to Work For Causes Practice Leader Maryland’s state capital of Annap- shape and share your story to moti- Globally by The Holmes Report. Meredith Williams, Government olis and in Washington, D.C. To Spanning nearly 20 industry Practice Leader vate support and calm fears. see case studies and capabilities, Our proprietary research process verticals, Coyne’s client roster in- Pam Atkinson, Director of visit www.crosbymarketing.com. cludes many of the most respected Connection Planning uncovers winning messages and companies in the world and those Suresh John, Director of Digital strategic approaches tailored to Strategy & Analytics who want to be, including The DALE CURTIS each unique community and audi- Walt Disney Company, Hard Rock The Crosby team is passionate COMMUNICATIONS ence. The award-winning strate- International, Shell Oil, Chrys- about helping clients Inspire Ac- gic communications materials and grassroots programs created by ler, Timberland, Pfizer, VTech, tions That Matter™ – actions that 1111 19th Street, NW, Suite 700 Allergan and Columbia Business positively impact people’s lives Davies are proven to reframe the Washington, D.C. 20036 debate, earn active public support, School, among others. In addition and contribute to the greater good. 202/495-3700 to its offices in New York and New Crosby helps clients make pow- www.DaleCurtisCommunications. and overcome opposition. We share Jersey, the agency’s footprint spans erful connections with their cus- com our clients’ goals: to earn project across 115 cities, in 49 countries on tomers, constituents and commu- info@dalecurtiscommunications. approvals in a timely manner and six continents through its partner- nities to shape attitudes, inspire com protect corporate reputation.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 63 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms DIDIT erate growth, strengthen brand EDELMAN FEINTUCH awareness, enhance thought lead- COMMUNICATIONS­ COMMUNICATIONS­ ership, build trusted relationships 250 Hudson St., 16th Flr. and drive sales through strategic, New York, NY 10013 330 Old Country Road, Suite 206 integrated campaigns that are tied 212/768-0550 245 Park Ave., 39th fl. Mineola, NY 11501 to key business objectives. Dodge Fax: 212/704-0117 New York, NY 10167 www.didit.com Communications is part of My- www.edelman.com 212/808-4900 [email protected] [email protected] elin Communications, a family of www.feintuchcommunications.com 516/629-3285 companies serving the healthcare, Edelman is a leading global com- munications marketing firm that www.PRWorldAlliance.com Liz Burke, VP financial services and life sciences sectors. partners with many of the world’s Henry Feintuch, President largest and emerging businesses Didit Communications is the Richard Roher, Managing Partner and organizations, helping them public relations arm of integrated & President, Roher PR Group evolve, promote and protect their marketing agency Didit, which has DUKAS Rick Anderson, Senior Managing brands and reputations. Edelman Director 160 employees and offers a wide LINDEN PUBLIC owns specialty firms Edelman In- Doug Wright, Senior Account range of PR, marketing and digital telligence (research) and United Director services to more than 200 clients RELATIONS Entertainment Group (entertain- across all industry verticals. With Feintuch Communications is an ment, sports, experiential), a joint offices in Manhattan, Long Island 100 W. 26th St. award-winning boutique strategic venture with United Talent ­Agency. and Waltham, Massachusetts, Didit­ New York, NY 10001 relations firm offering senior coun- Communications is led by a group 212/704-7385 sel, experience and tactical support of senior PR professionals who [email protected] FAHLGREN to a broad range of organizations - enjoy hands-on work with clients www.dlpr.com from the Fortune 500 to emerging to build highly recognized and re- MORTINE­ companies, non-profits and associ- Richard Dukas, Chmn. & CEO ations. spected brands. Its B2B PR spe- Seth Linden, Pres. 4030 Easton Station, Suite 300 Our firm’s orientation is business cialties are comprised of technolo- Doug Hesney, Exec. VP Columbus, OH 43219 gy, financial services, professional Zach Leibowitz, Sr. VP results; not simply press clippings 614/383-1500 Stephanie Dressler, Sean or busy work to justify a monthly services, healthcare and real estate, Fax: 614/383-1501 Dougherty, Zack Kouwe, VPs invoice. We’re dedicated to help- and its B2C PR specialties include [email protected] fashion & beauty, food & beverag- ing our clients build distribution, DLPR is an award-winning PR www.fahlgrenmortine.com sell more products or services, es, home & lifestyle, travel & tour- ism, healthcare and retail. With agency, which is known for strate- Neil Mortine, President & CEO improve their corporate or brand several years of experience in mar- gic and proactive media relations, image and achieve other business Fahlgren Mortine offers a full ket entry, startup public relations a results-driven approach, and the outcomes. range of marketing and communi- and media relations for clients in involvement of senior management Every client engagement is man- cations services, from media rela- North America, Europe and Asia, on all accounts. aged – hands-on – by a senior prac- tions to the creative and practical our team places a heavy emphasis DLPR’s clients include both titioner who is responsible for the application of new media. With on goals and analytics to measure well-known and emerging compa- campaign’s results. We provide approximately 200 associates and progress and return on investment. nies in key areas of finance, includ- clients with an integrated blend clients based all over the world, For more information, visit www. ing: mutual funds, ETFs, wealth of public relations, social media, Fahlgren Mortine is headquartered didit.com. management, hedge funds and pri- advertising/marketing, investor re- vate equity, institutional investing, in Columbus, Ohio, with locations lations, web/digital marketing and and investment banking. DLPR in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton other services to meet their busi- DODGE also has a strong professional ser- and Toledo, Ohio; Charleston, W. ness objectives. Strategic practice vices practice, representing firms Va.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Boise, areas include technology; financial COMMUNICATIONS­ in law, accounting, insurance, Idaho; Denver, Colo.; Lexington, services and FinTech; AV; energy compliance, risk management and Ky.; Greenville and Myrtle Beach, and clean tech; media and market- 11675 Rainwater Dr., #300 management consulting. The firm S.C., Chicago and New York City. ing; and professional services. Alpharetta, GA 30009 In addition to our regional offic- 770/998-0500 also has strong experience in fin- In our delivery of sophisticated Fax: 770/998-0208 tech and B2B technology. es, we have the ability to reach public relations services, we focus bmerman@dodgecommunications. The agency regularly generates audiences globally through our on specific needs — such as media com coverage in the industry’s most in- involvement with the PR Council relations, new product launches, www.dodgecommunications.com fluential outlets, including the Wall and membership in IPREX. Fahl- corporate identity and branding Street Journal, Barron’s, Financial gren Mortine acquired TURNER, — as well as broader-based ini- Brad Dodge, president Times, Bloomberg and all of the top a travel, tourism and active life- tiatives including industry analyst Chowning Johnson, executive trade publications, websites and style public relations firm in 2014. campaigns, trade and consumer vice president, account blogs. The agency is very strong But what matters most to our cli- management outreach, social media programs, Elisabeth Deckon, senior vice in broadcasting, averaging approx- ents is our way of doing business. awards and honors programs, president, operations imately 50 bookings per month — Our integrated model allows us speaking platforms and association mainly on CNBC, Bloomberg, and to pursue the best solution to our marketing. Dodge Communications is a Fox Business. clients’ challenges, no matter the We serve on the board and are leading integrated communications DLPR provides comprehensive medium. We consistently achieve a partner in PR World Alliance agency serving healthcare’s inno- media and presentation training, a Net Promoter Score (NPS) that (www.PRWorldAlliance.com), a vative companies. Over the last message development, editorial places us in what the creator of global partnership of premier inde- 16 years, Dodge has worked with services, crisis communications the NPS deems the “world-class” pendent communications consul- nearly 300 U.S.-based healthcare and digital media services. range, and it means our clients tancies. companies that deliver products Clients: Adams Street Partners, enthusiastically recommend us to Our goal is to provide the expert and services to hospitals, physician BlueMountain Capital, Brown Ad- their peers. It also helps us attract service, experienced counsel and practices, payer organizations and visory, Eaton Vance, EisnerAmp- the best talent from the corporate hands-on support that our clients vendors. With proven programs er, Global X Management, JMP and agency worlds who are looking need to meet their business objec- that span PR, content, marketing, Group, Morgan Creek Capital, for the best place to practice their tives. Our commitment is to be a digital, creative and lead gener- Muddy Waters, Navigant, Neuberg- profession and make a real differ- ation, we help companies accel- er Berman and Raymond James. ence with clients. _ Continued on page 66

64 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

tools to offer these areas of exper- FEINTUCH COMMUNICATONS tise: B2B Intelligence, Branding _ Continued from page 64 Strategy, Content Strategy, Cre- ative, Digital & Social, Employee Engagement, Insights & Analytics, superior business partner and an Media Relations and Sustainability outstanding strategic relations firm & CSR. in each and every client engage- Partial Client Roster: Actagro, ment. AeroVironment, Cascades, Cemex, Clients include: BasisCode, Coeur Mining, Dow Chemical, Emergent Capital, HDMI Licens- Flexible Packaging Association, ing Administrator, Healbe, Klarna, GWG, HEAD, Knowles, Littel- Leclanché, Legrand, LifeThreads, fuse, Lord Corporation, Manning- MECLABS/MarketingSherpa and ton Mills, Martin Marietta, Medi- MPOWER Financing. cal Mutual, Miele USA, Million Dollar Round Table, MonoSol, FRENCH/WEST/ National Elevator Industry, Inc., Neolith, Neovia, Panasonic, Ply VAUGHAN Gem, Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster, Radian Group, Schindler 112 East Hargett St. Elevator, and Syngenta. Raleigh, NC 27601 919/832-6300 www.fwv-us.com Feintuch senior team members (l. to r.) Henry Feintuch, Rick Anderson, GATESMAN Rich Roher and Doug Wright Rick French, Chairman & CEO David Gwyn, President / Principal 2730 Sidney St., Bldg. 2, Ste. 300 Natalie Best, Executive Vice category rankings in the top 20. quarters in New York, offices in Pittsburgh, PA 15203 President / Director of Client FWV holds the distinction as the Chicago, Raleigh, N.C., and Basel, 412/381-5400 Services / Principal only N.C.-based integrated market- Switzerland and PROI Worldwide [email protected] ing firm to earn Agency of the Year affiliates in 50 countries. To tack- www.gatesmanagency.com French/West/Vaughan (FWV) accolades in the public relations le our clients’ complex businesses is the Southeast’s leading public Susan English, SVP, PR & social industry – something it has accom- and value chains, G&S commu- media relations, public affairs and brand plished on eight different occa- nicators collaborate as divergent John Gatesman, CEO communications agency. The sions. In addition to four separate thinkers who unlock diverse ideas Shannon Baker, Partner, Pres. firm celebrated its 20th anniver- AOY honors in 2016, FWV was a and refine them to inspire action sary last month, a milestone that finalist for 2016 Global Consumer that drives results. Gatesman PR tackles your tough- comes as the company makes its Agency of the Year (Holmes Re- G&S focuses on key markets est business and communications debut among the country’s top 15 port) and was ranked in the Top 10 where we have deep experience challenges — whether it’s to stand PR firms (2017 O’Dwyer’s Rank- of the 2016 Global Creative Index. and offer valuable insight: Ad- out in a competitive environment, ing of Top U.S. PR Firms). FWV The agency also captured a North vanced Manufacturing, Agribusi- change perception, protect your is also the winner of The Holmes American Innovation SABRE ness and Food, Clean Technology reputation or navigate the rapidly Report 2016 Consumer Agency of Award on behalf of long-time cli- and Energy, Financial and Business evolving digital world. the Year and the Bulldog Report- ent Wrangler in the Digital Brand Services, and Home and Building Our strategic consumer-centric er Consumer, Midsize and North Platform category. Solutions. model puts your target audiences at American Communications Agen- Over two decades, FWV has rep- We combine our strengths in the forefront to motivate action and cy of the Year. resented iconic brands like Wran- business strategy and skills with influence behavior that increas- Founded in April 1997, the firm gler, Coca-Cola, Jack Daniels, communications and marketing es sales, market share and brand is led by its founder, Chairman & Slim Jim, Justin Boots, Pendleton CEO Rick French. Today, FWV Whisky and many others, as well employs 103 public relations, pub- as the Greater Raleigh Conven- lic affairs, social media, advertis- tion & Visitors Bureau, Bassett ing and digital marketing experts Furniture, Saft, ABB, Teen Cancer between its Raleigh, N.C. head- America and the Full Frame Docu- quarters and New York City, Los mentary Film Festival. Angeles and Tampa offices. FWV is a partner in IPREX, a $200 mil- lion + network of global commu- G&S BUSINESS nication agencies, with 1,500 staff COMMUNICATIONS and 100 offices worldwide. In addition to ranking FWV No. 60 East 42nd Street, 44th Floor 14 nationally, O’Dwyer’s placed New York, NY 10165 FWV No. 1 in the Southeast, a 212/697-2600 position it has occupied for nearly Fax: 212/697-2646 15 years. Among the top agencies, www.gscommunications.com FWV ranks second in both Beau- ty/Fashion and Sports Marketing, Chicago 312/648-6700 sixth in Entertainment Marketing Raleigh 919/870-5718 Gatesman team members—Front row (from left to right): Lauren Wenzel and ninth in Travel/Tourism and Basel +41 61 264-8410 (senior account executive), Mary Kate Joyce (account supervisor), Economic Development. The agen- Paige Blawas (account executive), Peter Smith (assistant account Luke Lambert, Pres. & CEO executive), Jamie Kurke (assistant account executive); Back row cy’s work in Agricultural, Food & Mary Buhay, Sr. VP, Marketing Beverage, Home Furnishings, Pro- (from left to right): Beth Thompson (account director), Desiree Bartoe fessional Services, and Environ- G&S is an independent business (account director), Susan English (SVP, director of PR and social media) mental/Public Affairs also earned communications firm with head- and Heather Scott (account supervisor).

66 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms ­affinity. We combine critical and creative thinking to produce ideas and con- tent that stem from research and insights to disrupt, educate and engage consumers, media and the industry. We believe in research, so much so that we invest more than $200,000 annually in tools and re- sources to benefit your business. Founded in 2006, Gatesman is a privately held corporation owned by partners John Gatesman and Shannon Baker. Gatesman is an award-winning, full-service public relations practice that ranks nation- ally within the top 100 indepen- dent PR firms, and is a partner in IPREX, a global communication network. On top of the world: Greentarget’s team directs smarter conversations from our HQ at the Chicago Board of Trade Client roster: Camp Inven- building. tion, Collegiate Inventors Com- petition, CONSOL Energy, Del Everything we do is informed sumer and enterprise technology, the best agencies to work for by Monte, Duquesne Light Co., and driven by our belief that busi- real estate, health care and consum- Holmes Report. The agency is FedEx Ground, Foodland, Hor- ness leaders who aspire to thought er products, and more. headquartered in New York, with mel Foods: HOUSE of TSANG, leadership have an obligation to We are experts at telling our cli- additional offices in Los Angeles, Marlite/NUDO, National Institute elevate the conversations they’re ents’ stories and driving those mes- San Diego and Chicago. A subsid- for Newman Studies, National In- participating in. That means em- sages out to a proprietary network iary of Havas—one of the world’s ventors Hall of Fame, Northwell pathizing with their audiences and of media contacts, bloggers, con- largest global communications Health (formerly North Shore-LIJ delivering valuable insights in ac- sumers, investors, institutions, and groups—Havas Formula’s service Health System), Peoples Natural cessible, compelling form through other interest groups that can help offering includes general market Gas, Pittsburgh Paints & Stains, both earned and owned channels. our clients grow. and Hispanic PR, social media PPG Optical, S&T Bank, SHOP ‘n Greentarget’s staff of more than 30 If your business could benefit and experiential marketing, all un- SAVE, StarKist, Tobii Dynavox, works in our Chicago headquarters from high-profile media exposure, der one roof. Following this inte- Thorntons Convenience Stores, as well as our offices in New York, social media buzz, digital and tra- grated approach and its signature UPMC and UPMC Health Plan. London, Los Angeles and San ditional communication services, storytelling process, the agency Francisco. or integrated investor relations ca- drives strategic marketing solu- pabilities, join the companies who tions that yield bottom-line results GREENTARGET GREGORY FCA call Gregory FCA their agency of for today’s passion brands. Equally GLOBAL LLC record. adept at representing B-to-C and 27 West Athens Avenue Partial Client List: ACSI Funds, B-to-B brands, Havas Formula Chicago Board of Trade Ardmore, PA 19003 Amplify ETFs, The Angel Oak holds category expertise in food 141 W Jackson Blvd., Suite 3100 610/642-8253 Companies, Brandywine Glob- and beverage, consumer packaged 312/252-4100 [email protected] al, CA Technologies, CBIZ, ETF goods, beer/wine/spirits, consumer www.greentarget.com www.gregoryfca.com Ventures, International Securi- and high-tech, restaurants and re- www.financialservicesmarketing. ties Exchange/ISE, fi360, Janney tail, lifestyle, beauty/fashion, travel Greentarget is a strategic public com Montgomery Scott, Kimco Realty, and leisure. relations firm focused exclusively www.thenewshackers.com M&T Bank, naviHealth, NFP, The Clients include: Art.com, Baskin on business-to-business organiza- www.facebook.com/gregoryfca Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co., Robbins, Bugaboo, Dunkin’ Do- tions. www.twitter.com/gregoryfca www.linkedin.com/gregoryfca Penn Mutual Asset Management, nuts, FTD, Heineken USA, Jag- Founded in Chicago by John Co- People’s United Bank, Quintiq, uar Land Rover, Justin’s, Kevin. rey and Aaron Schoenherr, Green- Greg Matusky, Founder & Radware, Recovery Centers of Murphy, Nestle, Panda Express, target has become a destination for President America, Resource Real Estate, Schlage, Sheraton, Shure and Won- talent. Our world-class team is in- Joe Anthony, President, Financial SCHOTT, SHI International, Sun- derful Pistachios fused by the same entrepreneurial Services gard AS, SyncStream Solutions, spirit that led to the firm’s creation TESSCO Technologies, United in 2004. A full-service, strategically in- Capital Financial Partners, and HEMSWORTH Our culture reflects the firm’s tegrated firm since 1990, Gregory Ventev Mobile. COMMUNICATIONS­ core values: hard work, risk-taking, FCA creates and deploys sophis- ticated national media relations, authenticity, individual and team 3340 Peachtree Rd NE, #1010 growth, and creative thinking. social media, content marketing, HAVAS FORMULA Atlanta, GA 30326 Our proven client-engagement investor relations, and financial 678/631-9974 process empowers Greentarget communications campaigns. 200 Hudson St., 7th Floor Samantha.Jacobs@ clients to direct smarter conver- As one of the nation’s larg- New York, NY 10013 HemsworthCommunications.com sations that influence their audi- est PR firms, our clients include 212/219-0321 ences, drive business objectives fast-growing private and publicly Fax: 212/219-8846 1011 E. Las Olas Blvd. and create value. Drawing on our traded companies competing in www.havasformula.com Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 deep expertise and extensive ex- today’s digital economy. Gregory 954/716-7614 FCA’s staff of 60 professionals— Michael Olguin, President & CEO perience in crafting multi-layered 7835 Osceola Polk Line Rd communications programs, we de- drawn from journalism, finance, Celebrating its 25th anniversary Davenport, FL 33896 liver high-impact results to clients communications, and public rela- in 2017, Havas Formula is a top- 321/947-4559 in professional services and others tions—services many key markets, ranked, award-winning national industries. including financial services, con- PR firm recently named one of _ Continued on page 68

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 67 w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms HEMSWORTH ­COMMUNICATIONS _ Continued from page 67

Samantha Jacobs, Founder & President Michael Jacobs, COO Headquartered in Fort Lauder- dale, Florida, with offices in Atlan- ta, Georgia and Orlando, Florida, Hemsworth Communications is a full-service public relations agen- cy that specializes in the branding, corporate communications and promotion of travel and hospitality companies, as well as luxury life- style brands. A boutique-sized firm with an impressive background and global reach, Hemsworth combines unprecedented passion, The Hotwire US team together for their domestic ‘bootcamp’ in Austin, Texas. insight and connections to surpass client expectations. The agency has received multiple San Francisco, New York, Chicago knowledge and experience of a Hemsworth has been hired by awards within the PR and commu- and Boston offices, we have more number of market categories – in- companies large and small, local nications industry, as well as the than 75 employees along with cluding fintech, enterprise tech- and global, because of its track national business community, and proven partnerships with interna- nology, consumer, consumer tech- record for delivering outstand- is one of the fastest growing agen- tional agencies that collectively nology, e-commerce, marketing, ing results with a personal touch. cies in the United States. and successfully drive internation- media and entertainment. From Capabilities, among others, in- al campaigns. Sydney to San Francisco, we’re a clude brand communications strat- Highwire’s client experience in- team, with a “one office” mental- egy, media relations, promotions, cludes some of the most well known ity. Our international team works guerrilla marketing, social media, brands in technology including across our 22 locations, including awards programming, thought AliveCor, AOL’s TechCrunch and the US, UK, France, Germany, leadership, cause marketing and Engadget, App Annie, AppDynam- Spain, Italy, Australia and New event planning. ics, Atlassian, ForeScout, GE Pow- Zealand, together with affiliate er, IBM, InsideSales.com, Qualys, partners. We bring the best of our HIGHWIRE PR Sunrun, Twilio, Veracode and Wi- knowledge, skills and experience Fi Alliance. to all of our clients wherever they 727 Sansome St., Suite 100 are in the world. San Francisco, CA 94111 415/963-4174, ext. 2 HOTWIRE PR [email protected] THE HOYT www.highwirepr.com 16 W. 22nd St., 12th fl. ORGANIZATION­ New York, NY 10010 Highwire is a full-service com- 646/738-8960 munications agency built on the [email protected] 23001 Hawthorne Blvd., #200 www.hotwirepr.com Torrance, CA 90505 promise of delivering creative, 310/373-0103 results-oriented PR programs for [email protected] innovative companies. 222 Kearny Street, Suite 400 San Francisco, CA 94105 www.hoytorg.com Highwire has been named agen- 415/840-2790 cy of the year by PRWeek and Leeza L. Hoyt, President top technology agency of the year Barbara Bates, CEO, North by The Holmes Report. We’ve America One of Los Angeles Business achieved this success with a simple Heather Kernahan, President, Journal’s Top PR Firms in LA, The formula: we believe in supporting North America Hoyt Organization, Inc. (THO) our clients with results-oriented Gwen Murphy, EVP, Client knows developing a strong strate- programs built on business goals. Services gy — supported by a curated set of Greg Mondshein, SVP, Business At Highwire we transcend the tactical tools — will set the stage Development & Marketing for any successful program. “same old same old” strategies Rebecca Honeyman, SVP, New with the same zeal clients bring York Lead An integrated communications to their own business. And we do Sahana Jayaraman, SVP, Head of agency serving industries from it with a smart, informed approach Digital Brand Lab real estate to financial services, and that’s founded on relevance and healthcare to technology, THO is insight. We roll up our sleeves and Hotwire is a global PR and com- a trusted adviser to its clients, un- immerse our experts in your busi- munications agency dedicated derstanding the full spectrum of ness, executing on your challeng- to helping ambitious companies tools available and designing laser-­ es and goals to generate greater change their game, build their focused plans that meet each cli- Hemsworth Communications awareness, growth and sales. Our reputation, and stand out from the ent’s distinct objectives. Founded Founder and President Samantha client expertise spans consumer crowd. Our communications ex- more than 25 years ago, THO is en- Jacobs, at the agency’s Fort Lau- and lifestyle brands to mobility and perts work in sector practice teams trenched in its core industries and derdale headquarters. enterprise technologies. Across our to provide our clients with in-depth has unparalleled success in making

68 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms a name for its clients through pow- erful and effective communication. THO has expanded its reach as the LA partner of the Public Re- lations Global Network, through which the firm offers on-the- ground resources in major markets around the world. This internation- al network enables THO to build awareness for its clients among a truly global audience. HUNTER PUBLIC RELATIONS

41 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor New York, NY 10010-2202 212/679-6600 www.hunterpr.com [email protected]

Partners: Grace Leong, Jonathan Lyon, Mark Newman, Donetta Allen, Gigi Russo, Erin Hanson The Hoyt Organization (THO) lets off a little steam while posing for the annual company holiday card! Hunter Public Relations is an award-winning consumer products er has grown into one of the most creative approach and client ser- ners with companies to develop public relations firm with offices in respected mid-size marketing com- vice-orientation has led to some of and execute strategic communica- New York and London and a stra- munications firms in the country, the most enduring client relation- tions programs and advisory ser- tegic footprint in markets across proudly serving a broad range of ships in the business including Ta- vices that achieve business goals, North America. Beginning with esteemed companies and brands in basco Pepper Sauce (28 years), 3M build credibility, and enhance the research-driven insights, Hunter the food and beverage, home and (21 years), and Church & Dwight long-term value of the enterprise. executes strategic public relations lifestyle, and health, wellness and (11 years). The firm’s highly differentiated programs that build equity, in- beauty sectors. service model, which pairs capi- crease engagement and drive mea- With more than 120 full-time ICR tal markets veterans with senior surable business results for brand- staff professionals, Hunter remains communications professionals, ed consumer products and services. committed to delivering exception- 685 Third Ave., 2nd Floor brings deep sector knowledge and A powerful blend of traditional al boutique-style marketing com- New York, NY 10017 relationships to clients in more publicity, social & digital media munications services to our clients 646/277-1200 than 20 industries. Today, ICR is outreach, strategic partnerships, and providing a rewarding career [email protected] one of the largest and most expe- and influencer seeding engages the experience for our employees. We www.icrinc.com rienced independent advisory firms hearts, minds and spirits of target accomplish this by focusing on Thomas Ryan, CEO in the world, maintaining offices in consumers. three areas: earning consumer at- Don Duffy, President Boston, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Founded in 1989 with a special- tention, earning client relationships New York, San Francisco, Hong ization in food and nutrition, Hunt- and earning staff dedication. Our Established in 1998, ICR part- Kong and Beijing. Clients: Boot Barn, Chungh- wa Telecom Co. Ltd., Cobalt Int’l Energy, Dave & Busters, Fleet- Cor Technologies, Inc., Fossil, Inc., Freshpet, Genuine Parts Co., Gildan Activewear, Harman, Herb- alife Ltd., HubSpot, lAC, Jarden Corp., Lazard Freres & Co. LLC, La Quinta Holdings, Inc., Legg Ma- son & Co., LLC, lululemon athlet- ica, Mobileye, Michaels, Michael Kors, New Relic, Ocwen Financial Corp., Pandora Media, Inc., Para- mount Group, Inc., Planet Fitness, Inc., Red Hat, Inc., Shake Shack, Starwood Property Trust, VF Corp., Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Wingstop, Workiva and Zoës Kitchen.

INKHOUSE

260 Charles St., Suite 200 Waltham, MA 02453 781/966-4100 Despite growing to more than 120 staffers and expanding their geographic footprint to include offices in New [email protected] York and London with team members based in Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Toronto, Hunter PR still comes together once a year for three days of intensive off-site creativity training and “mandatory fun.” _ Continued on page 70

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 69 w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms country. an extension of your team. We ad- With a team of senior strategists, Founded in 2007 by communi- dress an immediate need, a series of JPA partners with clients to work cations veterans Beth Monaghan critical events or act as an ongoing smarter, faster and more strategi- and Meg O'Leary, InkHouse's collaborator. We are your thought cally, making their influencer re- steady growth can be attributed partner and tactical resource for lations more impactful. JPA’s ex- to the company's longstanding managing reputations, designing clusive focus on health means that reputation for solid PR and con- new departments, engaging pa- clients can count on a team that tent campaigns, and deep bench tients and communicating change understands their issues and has of experienced communications to the new normal of healthcare. the experience necessary to pro- professionals, former journalists, vide sound, strategic health, med- and creative thinkers on staff. With ical and science communications offices in Boston, Providence, San JPA HEALTH counsel, rooted in the realities of Francisco, and now New York, COMMUNICATIONS­ this dynamic landscape. InkHouse is well-positioned to JPA is a woman-owned agency serve both national and interna- 1420 K St., N.W., #1050 with offices in Washington, D.C., tional clients looking for dynamic, Washington, DC 20005 Boston and London, and is a mem- thoughtful integrated communi- 202/591-4000 ber of IPRN, the world’s leading cations campaigns across the U.S. Fax: 202/591-4020 independent public relations agen- market. [email protected] cy network. Clients: Bentley University,­ www.jpa.com Clients: Advaxis, Bristol-Myers @JPAHealthComm c_space, Converse, Crucial, Ergo- facebook.com/JPAHealthcare Squibb, College of American Pa- tron, Gradifi, Hired, NAI Hunne- thologists, Intercept Pharmaceu- man, OfferUp, Perkins + Will, Carrie Jones, Prin. & Mng. Dir. ticals, Intuitive Surgical, Lamaze Raytheon, Toyota, Salesforce, Neu- Michael O’Brien, Exec. VP, International, Melanoma Research rometrix, Liberty Mutual, Acacia Washington, D.C. Foundation, National Institutes of Communications, Finagle A Bagel, Ken Deutsch, Exec. VP, Boston Health, National Pharmaceutical General Catalyst, Orchard, Har- David Connolly, Senior VP, Council, Together for Safer Roads, vard, Zimperium and Dynatrace. Boston Takeda Pharmaceuticals and ViiV Diane Wass, Mng. Dir., London Healthcare. JARRARD PHILLIPS JPA Health Communications is InkHouse CEO & Co-Founder Beth CATE & HANCOCK an award-winning communications J PUBLIC Monaghan. firm known for crafting targeted, high-impact strategic communi- RELATIONS­ The Horse Barn at Maryland Farms cations, advocacy and media rela- INKHOUSE 219 Ward Circle tions programs for clients across 530 7th Ave., #502 Brentwood, TN 37027 the healthcare spectrum. By apply- New York, NY 10018 _ Continued from page 69 615/254-0575 212/924-3600 ing the influencer relations model, [email protected] [email protected] JPA identifies and engages key www.jpublicrelations.com www.jarrardinc.com audiences that can be leveraged to www.inkhouse.com most effectively deliver our clients’ J Public Relations (JPR) is an Twitter: @InkHousePR 150 N Wacker Drive, Suite 2925 messages and drive change within international powerhouse PR and linkedin.com/company/inkhouse- Chicago, IL 60606 their field. social media agency specializing media---marketing 312/419-0575 facebook.com/InkHousePR David Jarrard, Kevin Phillips, 550 Montgomery Street, Suite 450 Molly Cate, Anne Hancock San Francisco, CA 94111 Toomey, Magi Curtis, Jana 415/299-6600 Atwell, Kim Fox, Partners [email protected] Entering our second decade at 256 West 38th Street Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, New York, NY 10018 we are a trusted advisor to many 646/975-5142 of the nation’s leading and most [email protected] innovative healthcare systems and providers. 91 Clemence Street Ranked a top 15 healthcare Providence, RI 02903 401/633-8110 communications firm since 2010, [email protected] we have guided clients in over 40 states to achieve goals in the Beth Monaghan, Co-founder & midst of rampant change. Built on CEO a platform of $35 billion in M&A transactional campaigns, we have InkHouse is breaking the agen- grown from an organization widely cy mold. We’re making traditional recognized for winning, issue-ori- media relationships relevant again. ented campaigns to a healthcare And we're breaking down creative strategic communications and en- silos with integrated PR, content, gagement firm leading transforma- social media, design, filmmaking tional long-term initiatives. and paid editorial all in one place. In the rapidly changing world We value progress over process, of healthcare, you need more than but we also believe in the power of “outside counsel.” You need an ally measurement. We're bi-coastal, 10 with a plan. Our seasoned experts years old, 100 people, and one of provide a tailored approach to ad- Carrie Jones, Princpal and Managing Director of JPA Health Communi- the fastest growing agencies in the dress any issue, strategy or goal as cations.

70 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

where client legacy is honed for the chise, lifestyle and family brands. next gen. Konnect develops strategic cam- Sampling of clients: Adventures paigns that keep brands relevant. by Disney, Aulani, a Disney Spa We know what makes a brand at- & Resort, Discover Baja Califor- tractive to its target audience and nia, Golden Oak Development by how to maximize marketing tactics Walt Disney World Resort, Grace to fast track growth and success. Hotels, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, More than that, we are proactive Gurney’s Newport Resort & Ma- collaborators who hustle to deliv- rina, Helena Bay, Hotel Califor- er exceptional results for lifestyle nian, InterContinental Los Angeles brands. Konnect is headquartered Downtown, Jumeirah Hotels & Re- in Los Angeles with offices in NYC sorts, Newport Beach & Company, and Austin. Clients include: Sky Rancho La Puerta, Rancho Valen- Zone, The Goddard School, Nau- cia Resort & Spa, Regent Seven tica, The Flame Broiler, KRAVE, Seas Cruises, Relais & Châteaux, Coolhaus, Dave & Buster’s, Kite STK Restaurants, The Palms Turks Hill, KEEN, Nuna and Capriotti’s & Caicos, The Resort at Pedregal, Sandwich Shop, to name a few. The Ritz-Carlton Hotels, The Shore Club Turks & Caicos, Triumph Ho- KYNE tels, Vail Resorts Hospitality, Vail Mountain Resorts, W Los Angeles 212/594-5500 and Westfield UTC. [email protected] www.KYNE.com www.twitter.com/KYNE_INC KONNECT AGENCY www.facebook.com/KYNENYC

888 S. Figueroa St., Ste #1000 David Kyne, founder & CEO Los Angeles, CA 90017 Maureen Byrne, Wendy Woods- Jamie Lynn Sigler and Sarah Evans, Partners of J Public Relations (JPR). 213/988-8344 Williams, exec. VPs [email protected] Amanda Mulally, Michael Grela, www.konnectagency.com Sr. VPs. in hospitality, travel and luxury nerships and engagement across Lisa Mehigan, Director lifestyle with offices in New York social platforms. They are more Additional office locations: NYC, City, Los Angeles, San Diego and than community messengers; they Austin KYNE is an award-winning spe- London. JPR is a trusted leader in are conversation starters with quot- cialty health communications con- strategy, trend forecasting, brand ing power. www.seventhandwit. Sabina Gault, CEO sultancy dedicated to helping im- Monica Guzman, COO prove and save lives. We believe partnerships, influencer relations com. Amanda Bialek, Vice President and unparalleled media placements JPR has earned awards for a Carmen Hernandez, Managing that strategically deployed com- worldwide. reason, and most recently scored Director munication is a powerful health Established in 2005, the Bulldog Reporter Small Agency intervention. We develop and lead award-winning agency has steadi- of the Year Award in addition to With unmatched business acu- major health communications ini- ly risen in the ranks to become the SmartCEO Magazine’s Compa- men, Konnect Agency provides tiatives both US and globally and country’s fastest growing, bicoast- ny Culture Award. Together, they public relations, social media, have deep experience working al agency in the travel and hospi- recognize JPR’s authority in cul- marketing and content creation tality spaces. Its global roster in- tivating a collaborative workplace services for food & beverage, fran- _ Continued on page 72 cludes more than 100 hotels in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Dubai, Europe, Asia and more. JPR steadily garners and retains stalwart accounts including Relais & Châteaux, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, Vail Resorts Hospitality, Grace Hotels, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Newport Beach & Company, Four Seasons Lanai and 17 Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts. J Public Relations’ in-house so- cial division, 7th & Wit, works seamlessly alongside the PR mas- terminds to drive photography content missions, influencer part-

The June issue of O’Dwyer’s will profile International PR firms, as well as Multicultural PR firms. If you would like to be profiled, contact Editor Jon Gingerich at 646/843-2080 or Headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in New York and Austin, Texas, Konnect Agency provides PR, social media, marketing and content creation services for clients in the food & beverage, franchise, family & lifestyle [email protected] arenas

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 71 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms LANDIS COMMUNI- CATIONS INC.

1388 Sutter St., #901 San Francisco, CA 94109 415/561-0888 Fax: 415/561-0778 [email protected] www.landispr.com

David Landis, President Sean Dowdall, General Manager Brianne Miller, Business Development Director David Cumpston, Client Services Director Named America’s #1 PR Firm (Ragan’s Ace Awards — Small Firm) and called “the Bay Area’s consumer/B2B PR and marketing communications experts,” San The KYNE team, February 2017. Francisco-based Landis Commu- nications Inc. (LCI) is celebrating Small Agency of the Year, LE&A national chains, automotive, food more than 25 years in business. KYNE has posted 18 consecutive years of & beverage, health care, business LCI is a Bulldog Award winner for _ Continued from page 71 growth, been named by Crain’s as services, energy, manufacturing social media and media relations. “Coolest Company to Work for,” and technology. LCI is a full-service public re- and twice won Bulldog Best Inte- Clients include: Bethany Chris- lations, digital/social media, video with pharmaceutical and biotech- gration of PR and IR. LE&A is also tian Services, Continental Automo- and marketing communications nology companies, government a proud Partner Agency in PROI tive, Denali Flavors/MooseTracks, agency that specializes in consum- agencies and non-profit organiza- Worldwide, a global network of Downtown Detroit Partnership, ers, consumer technology, B2B, tions to drive meaningful change. independent public relations agen- Flint Chamber, Flint Public Schools, corporate and institutional public Whether it’s helping eradicate a cies dedicated to delivering seam- Goodwill Industries of Greater De- relations campaigns that help sup- neglected tropical disease, ending less global results. troit, Greatland Corporation, Huron port each business’ identified goals. preventable deaths from infectious LE&A has assembled a team Capital Partners, International Au- LCI’s industry sectors include: diseases or raising awareness about of national agency, corporate and tomotive Components, Inventure healthcare, financial services, a critical issue, we develop and ex- Wall Street veterans with proven Foods, Jamba At-Home Smoothies, technology, retail, real estate, con- ecute communications programs expertise in delivering tangible, Michigan Economic Development sumer products, hospitality, food/ with the power to make a differ- winning results. This “difference” Corp., Mercantile Bank, Michigan beverage, technology, nonprofits is best illustrated in our tagline Department of Education, MPI Re- and more. Through its Promised ence. © Key Clients: AstraZeneca, Bio- — “The PR Firm That Can Read search, Old Orchard Brands, Ran- Results return-on-investment pro- verativ, The Carter Center, Rocke- an Income Statement.”™ Our spe- ir Dental, Shopko Stores, Spartan gram, LCI provides tangible met- feller Foundation cialties and client roster span con- Motors, Spectrum Health and Wol- rics for your PR dollars. LCI is a sumer products, specialty retail and verine Worldwide. proud, certified member of the Na- LAMBERT, EDWARDS­ & ASSOCIATES­

1420 Broadway St. Detroit, MI 48226 313/309-9500 www.lambert-edwards.com

Jeffrey T. Lambert, President Don Hunt, Managing Director, Partner Lance Knapp, CFO Mark Pischea, Managing Partner, Sterling Corp. Public Affairs division LE&A is a top-10 Midwest-based PR firm and a top-20 investor rela- tions firm nationally with clients based in 20 states and six coun- tries. As Michigan’s largest state- wide firm – with offices in Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit – LE&A serves middle-market com- panies and national brands across a wide array of industries. Honored by both PRWeek and PR News as LCI hams it up at a benefit for San Francisco’s modern dance company, ODC.

72 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms tional Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, is an official Corporate Diversity Supplier and also is certi- fied as a Small Business Enterprise by the City of San Francisco. LCI is the San Francisco member agen- cy of the Public Relations Global Network (www.prgn.com), with 50 affiliate agencies worldwide. Call us at: 415/561-0888 or visit LCI online at: www.landispr.com.

LAVOIEHEALTH- SCIENCE

One Thompson Square, Suite 403 Boston, MA 02129 617/374-8800 ldescenza@lavoiehealthscience. com www.lavoiehealthscience.com

Donna L. LaVoie, President & CEO; Beth Kurth, VP of IR; Sharon Correia, VP of Integrated Communications; Lisa DeScenza, Senior Director, Special Projects Lou Hammond Group client Mike Reininger, CEO of Brightline, provides an overview to Wired of new trainsets LaVoieHealthScience provides built at Siemens USA. IR and PR to build recognition, sales, and value for health science innovations. Our health science At Lazar Partners, we don’t just Cheryl Georgas, Deanna tation Association for Ambulatory expertise uniquely positions us to deliver your message; we cata- Killackey and Tim Young, Senior Health Care, American Academy lyze the connections that drive Vice Presidents of Sleep Medicine, Boise Paper, help clients make their health and Jay Kelly, Vice President science innovations known, un- business results and enhance your Beam Suntory, Chicago Children’s reputation. Our clients count on Theatre, Conagra Brands, Cul- derstandable, and approachable to L.C. Williams & Associates us to deliver proactive strate- ligan International, DAP, Ecore, customer audiences through care- (LCWA) is a full-service public gic recommendations as well as Electrolux, Fashion Bed Group, fully executed strategies and plans. relations agency headquartered in flawless execution. For the last First Alert, Frigidaire Professional, The agency has received 28 Chicago made up of experienced, 16 years, private and public com- Labelmaster, Merit School of Mu- awards over the past seven years invested and creative individuals panies have benefited from our sic, Oster Professional, Snow Joe, in recognition of the work it has focused on delivering meaningful proven approaches to strengthen- Trex, UnitedHealthcare of Illinois, done for emerging and established results on time and on budget. We ing relationships with healthcare Urgent Care Association of Ameri- industry leaders in life sciences, integrate communications strate- pharmaceuticals, health, and gov- professionals, patients, third-party ca, and Weil-McLain. organizations, the financial com- gies across all channels to reach ernment, helping our clients from and influence audiences. development to launch to commer- munity, the media and business partners. Our commitment to Our independent agency em- LOU HAMMOND cialization. We bring 16 years of ploys 25 professionals whose case studies and over 300 proven clients is to forge trusting con- GROUP nections that build brand equity, specialties include marketing strategies to our clients. We are communications, media relations, focused on building trust and long- increase goodwill­ and grow share- 900 Third Avenue holder value. social media, corporate relations, term relationships based on the employee/labor communications, New York, NY 10022 quality of the work that we deliver. Yet even companies with great 212/308-8880 public affairs, crisis communica- [email protected] Many of our client relationships go reputations sometimes find them- selves facing challenging situa- tions, special events, community www.louhammond.com back over a decade. relations, media training and more. BioAxone BioSciences, Inc., tions that can harm their brand and we stand with you to manage and Our teams are fully immersed Lou Hammond Group (LHG) is Biotechnology Innovation Or- in clients’ businesses. We have the industry’s most celebrated inte- ganization, Cydan Development overcome crisis situations. the experience to offer thoughtful grated marketing communications Corp., Fusion Pharmaceuticals counsel, honest opinions and cre- firm with offices in New York, LLC, Hydra Biosciences, Imara, L.C. WILLIAMS & ative solutions. Charleston, Miami and Los An- Inc., LaunchWorks, LEO Phar- LCWA serves clients from a wide geles. LHG has built a legendary ma Inc., MicroPort Orthopedics, ASSOCIATES range of industries. We are one of reputation over the past 33 years Inc., NewLink Genetics, Newron the top agencies specializing in as the leading mid-sized, PR, mar- Pharmaceuticals, Origenis GmbH, 150 N. Michigan Avenue home products, and have extensive keting and digital services agency Oticon Inc., SIRION Biotech and Suite 3800 Chicago, IL 60601 experience in professional services serving eight key industries: Des- WuXiApptec. 312/565-3900 and healthcare marketing. Our re- tinations, Economic Development, Fax: 312/565-1770 cent acquisition of PR firm JSH&A Lifestyle, Food/Wine, Cruise/Rail, LAZAR PARTNERS [email protected] further expanded our consumer Travel/Hospitality, Real Estate and www.lcwa.com branding and food and beverage Technology. expertise. LCWA’s national reach A few things to know: 420 Lexington Ave. Kim Blazek Dahlborn, President is broadened globally through our • 40 clients, 40 employees and New York, NY 10170 and CEO 212/867-1762 membership in the Public Rela- Gary Goodfriend, Jim Kokoris, tions Global Network. [email protected] Allison Kurtz and Shannon _ Continued on page 74 www.lazarpartners.com Quinn, Executive Vice Presidents Among current clients: Accredi-

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 73 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

twitter.com/LovellComm LOU HAMMOND GROUP Also find us on LinkedIn, YouTube, _ Continued from page 73 Instagram, Pinterest and Vimeo. Lovell Communications protects 70+ top industry awards from 2016 brand reputations and helps health- alone. care companies build and grow • Independent: known for bound- their businesses with marketing less creativity and enthusiasm creativity and strategic public re- • Operates differently: no time lations. sheets — clients get the attention With a 30-year history of deliver- they need, when they need it. ing unparalleled client service, our • International: founders of the team has extensive experience part- PR World Network nering with hospitals and health • Trusted: considered a go-to me- systems, academic medical centers, dia resource long term and post-acute providers, At the end of the day, however, health IT companies, diagnostic it’s all about the results. In the past laboratories, pharmaceutical com- year alone LHG has: panies and compounders, behav- • Arranged more than 325 visits ioral health providers, ambulatory to clients from top media and in- centers and biotechnology compa- fluencers. nies. We have helped hundreds of • Secured broadcast hits from clients promote their services and outlets such as: “Today,” “Good thought leaders, and we regularly Morning America,” “CBS Sunday work on crises most providers face Morning,” CNBC, Peter Green- perhaps once in a decade such as berg Worldwide and more. information breaches, drug diver- • Regularly delivered impactful sions, union negotiations, impaired results including: Architectural provider issues, never events and Digest, Conde Nast Traveler, De- workplace violence. partures, Food & Wine, Forbes, Engagements span from two Huffington Post, New York Times, months to 20 years with clients in- Travel + Leisure, and many more. cluding publicly held companies, Marketing Maven CEO & President Lindsey Carnett. • Built client’s social media plat- startups, closely held family busi- forms, designed their websites and nesses and pre-IPO companies. ington, D.C, Makovsky is a lead- ment, investor relations and inno- increased SEO. The firm also has Our firm – and the talented individ- ing independent global integrated vation. the distinction of owning one of uals who make it remarkable – has communications consultancy, In 2016, Makovsky won 15 com- the industry’s highest client reten- been recognized with hundreds of building businesses and repu- pany and campaign awards includ- tion rates. national, regional and local awards. tations with ideas that cross the ing the American Business Award boundaries of traditional, digital, for “Company of the Year,” “Ex- LOVELL social and experiential media. Ma- ecutive of the Year,” “Woman of MAKOVSKY kovsky has specialties in Health, the Year” and “Human Resources COMMUNICATIONS­ Financial + Professional Services, Executive of the Year.” Not only 16 East 34th Street Consumer, Energy, Manufacturing is our work recognized but our New York, NY 10016 + Sustainability and SKYLABS, outstanding employees are as well. 2021 Richard Jones Rd. 212/508-9600 Nashville, TN 37215 www.makovsky.com an innovation laboratory. Our ser- Also in 2016, three Makovsky em- 615/297-7766 vices include public relations, dig- ployees were named “PR Rising Fax: 615/297-4697 Headquartered in New York, ital, social media, branding, crisis 30 under 30” by PR News. The [email protected] with an owned office in Wash- communications, change manage- firm also won a 2016 “HBA Rising www.lovell.com Star” and multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevies. Makovsky is also the founder of IPREX, the second largest world- wide corporation of independent agencies in more than 30 countries and 40 U.S. cities.

MARKETING MAVEN­

1460 Broadway, 1st Floor New York, NY 10036 212/967-5510 www.MarketingMavenPR.com [email protected] [email protected]

Los Angeles Headquarters 310/994-7380

Lindsey Carnett, CEO & President Lovell Communications has achieved national and regional recognition for its work on behalf of hundreds of Natalie Rucker, Director of satisfied clients throughout the country. Business Development

74 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms With offices in Los Angeles and fluencers. pete & Care,” “Embrace the Pace,” director New York City, Marketing Ma- As an independent specialty “I Was Wrong,” “Championship Rob Adler, EVP ven’s integration of PR, organic shop solely focused on healthcare, Months,” “Start & End Strong,” Gary Torpey, EVP Finance SEO and social media marketing we think of ourselves as a swift and “N6Accountability.” Our Lisa Astor, Senior Vice President helps provide a competitive edge boat among battleships: small but dedicated employees are always Gene Carozza, Senior Vice to their clients. Marketing Maven sturdy; nimble and reliable; and working one step ahead, strategi- President Darlene Doyle, Senior Vice helps businesses grow their reve- best-suited for operations that are cally collaborating to foster strong President nues by developing campaigns that difficult, demanding and unique. media relationships and deliver engage a target audience, generate Everyone here shares a trademark the best results to our clients. N6A Founded in 1995, PAN Com- sales then utilize advanced metrics set of skills and a desire to use practice areas include cyber securi- munications is a data-focused in- to measure ROI. their PR powers for good, both ty, cannabis, professional services, tegrated marketing & PR agency Their services aid national mar- for the client and for the health- technology, travel, food and bever- servicing B2B technology and keting campaigns and product care community. We are passion- age, and healthcare, among many healthcare brands. With offices in launches with reputation man- ate about what we do. We are data others. Boston, San Francisco, Orlando agement, organic SEO tracking, wonks, pop-culture junkies, and and New York, PAN delivers in- competitive analysis reports, key nerdy, notorious spell-checkers. PADILLA sight-driven, measurable public influencer identification and online And we’re sticklers for ensuring relations programs for leading and product reviews to help increase the availability of senior counsel, 1101 West River Pkwy., #400 emerging brands nationally and revenue. Multicultural marketing on your team and in your trenches, Minneapolis, MN 55415 globally such as SAP, Informatica, is also a core competency for Mar- every day. 612/455-1700 MediaMath, Blue Coat, Maestro keting Maven, not only focusing When it comes to media rela- PadillaCo.com Health and Fuze, to name a few. on Spanish language media rela- tions, we want home runs, not just Lynn Casey, Chair and CEO With a staff of 100+ profession- tions, but assisting clients with cul- hits. You have an important per- als, PAN offers the agility and turally relevant content for various spective to communicate, and only Padilla is a top 10 independent personalized service of a mid-size marketing channels. a quality article inclusive of your public relations and communica- agency while leveraging nation- Marketing Maven is 8(a) certi- brand’s attributes constitutes a win. tions company comprised of 240 al and international relationships fied by the U.S. Small Business As part of our daily media monitor- employee-owners. Padilla builds, to manage large scale commu- Administration, Women’s Business ing, we evaluate each article’s im- grows and protects brands world- nications programs. The agency Enterprise (WBE), has WOSB sta- pact on your brand and proactively wide by creating purposeful con- continues to experience impres- tus with the government and DBE, answer the questions, “so what?” nections with the people who mat- sive growth and provides today’s CUCP and CPUC certification. and “what now?” ter most through public relations, modern marketers with impactful Specialties include: Multicul- We are a highly collaborative advertising, digital and social mar- communications, influencer rela- tural, beauty/fashion, professional bunch that believes in the polli- keting, investor relations and brand tions, social media and digital ser- services, travel/hospitality, home nation of ideas across all brand strategy. Padilla includes the brand vices that continue to expand on its furnishings, financial PR/inves- communications. We welcome the consultancy of Joe Smith, the food brand equity. tor relations, healthcare, food & opportunity to partner with your and nutrition experts at Food­Minds beverage, entertainment/sports, creative agencies, co-marketers and the research authorities at PEPPERCOMM, technology, environmental/public and cross-functional colleagues to SMS. affairs clients and social media. deliver results more efficiently and Clients include 3M, Barnes & INC. with a holistic vision of the brand’s Noble Education, BASF, Bayer, MCS HEALTHCARE success. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of 470 Park Ave. South Minnesota, GE, Hass Avocado 4th Floor North PUBLIC RELATIONS NORTH 6TH Board, Land O’Lakes, Mayo Clin- New York, NY 10016 AGENCY,­ INC. ic, Prosciutto di Parma, Rockwell 212/931-6100 1420 State Hwy. 206 Automation, U.S. Highbush Blue- [email protected] Bedminster, NJ 07921 www.peppercomm.com 49 Howard St., 2nd flr. berry Council, the Virginia Lottery 908/234-9900 New York, NY 10013 and Welch’s. [email protected] Steve Cody and Ed Moed, Co- 212/334-9753 Padilla is a founding member of www.mcspr.com CEOs & Co-Founders Fax: 212/334-9760 The Worldcom Public Relations Ted Birkhahn, Partner & President [email protected] Joe Boyd, CEO Group, a partnership of 143 inde- Ann Barlow, Partner & President, www.n6a.com Eliot Harrison, Exec. VP pendently owned partner offices in West Coast Deborah Brown, Jacqueline Cindy Romano, Sr. VP Launched in 2010, North 6th 115 cities on six continents. Make Jennifer Silvent, Sr. VP a connection at PadillaCo.com. Kolek, Maggie O’Neill, Partners & Karen Dombek, VP Agency (N6A) has grown into an Managing Directors Laura de Zutter, VP award-winning brand communica- tions agency serving a client roster PAN Peppercomm is an award-win- For the last three decades, MCS of emerging, mid-sized and enter- ning strategic, integrated com- has remained a constant fixture in prise brands from over 30 different COMMUNICATIONS­ munications and marketing firm an ever-changing media market- sectors. As the #1 Fastest-Grow- headquartered in New York City place by adapting and innovating ing Firm in its revenue category 255 State St., 8th Floor with offices in San Francisco and as rapidly as the science itself. in 2016 and one of the 50 Most Boston, MA 02109 London. The firm connects brands, 617/502-4300 messages and people through da- From our earliest assignment cel- Powerful Agencies in the United [email protected] ebrating the eradication of small- States by the New York Observ- www.pancommunications.com ta-driven insights, cross-channel pox, to announcing the results of er, we’ve scaled to the next level, communications and brilliant cus- the world’s first cardiovascular creating a culture of speed, service Boston | San Francisco | Orlando tomer experience. Peppercomm megatrials, to the design of PR innovation and data practices for | NYC employs an omni-channel ap- programs that move the needles our customers, while also imple- proach that uses customer insights for many of today’s blockbuster menting an internal “Compete and Philip A. Nardone, President & to determine the right mix of tools brands, we have amassed a deep Care” culture lauded as one of the CEO and platforms to help clients reach, Mark Nardone, Executive Vice level of scientific and journalistic most rewarding and unique in the engage and influence customers President along their path to purchase. Pep- expertise and earned the enduring agency world. Everything we do at Elizabeth Famiglietti, EVP, trust and respect of the industry’s N6A follows the six taglines that Human Resources top innovators, advocates and in- serve as our foundation: “Com- Phil Carpenter, EVP & managing _ Continued on page 76

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 75 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

PEPPERCOMM, INC. Dallas Business Journal’s Top 20 PR Firms in North Texas. Its _ Continued from page 75 founder Amy Power is a 2015 Top 25 Women in Business honoree by the Dallas Business Journal, percomm continues to heavily a member of the Forbes agency invest in a workplace culture that council and regular contributor to has received numerous acco- Forbes online. lades. Among its recent recogni- The Power Group is a member tions are: Holmes Report’s North of the Dallas chapter of Entrepre- American Corporate/B2B Agency neurs Organization (EO) as well of the Year, Bulldog Reporter’s as Vistage. Midsized Agency of the Year, and Clients include: Acquire BPO, being named to Fortune’s lists Aldridge, BenefitMall, Big of 10 Best Workplaces in Adver- Thought, Children’s Health, tising and Marketing, 100 Best Chiufang Hwang, City House, Workplaces for Women, 50 Best Coyote Drive-In, Emerge, Frost Small and Medium Workplaces 321, Fusion Logistics, Golden and 50 Best Workplaces for New Chick, Gregory Law, iCode, Indie College Grads. Beauty Expo, KidKraft, Mason- Peppercomm has incorporated Baronet, MORE design + build, stand-up comedy into our cor- National Assn. of Corporate Di- porate culture. Comedy is about rectors, North Texas Chapter, listening to audiences, figuring Osteo­Strong, Pollo Campero, Pre- out what they need, and getting senture, Rastegar Capital, Rela- them to like your brand. In short, tionships First, Religion Tequila, it’s storytelling — and sharpening Rightstone, Stream, Tacos 4 Life, storytelling skills makes us better TexPlex Park, TSP and Welling- able to tell clients’ stories. Peppercomm employees gather for the company’s annual Dream Day. ton Realty. Our love of what we do com- bined with years of deep category PROSEK experience shapes our work. We influence with a mix of traditional development through its 20-step engage audiences on every lev- and digital strategies, we achieve Brand Power process, crisis com- PARTNERS­ el and set your brand apart. And success by building strong rela- munications, social media strate- we do all this to help your bot- tionships with policymakers, the gy and management, content mar- 105 Madison Ave., 7th flr. tom-line and build your business. media and corporate influencers. keting, event media management New York, NY 10016 So get in touch. We’re all ears. We excel at working with local and spokesperson training. Its 212/279-3115 and state governments. Since the experienced team, which includes Fax: 212/279-3117 company’s founding, we have Spanish-speaking media experts, [email protected] PERRY COMMUNI- worked with Fortune 500 compa- works with clients to build PR www.prosek.com CATIONS GROUP nies, major industry associations campaigns and social media strat- Partners: Jennifer Prosek, Mark and charitable organizations. egies that fit specific needs and Kollar, Russell Sherman, Andy 980 9th Street, Suite 410 PCG provides services for an deliver powerful results. We have Merrill, Mickey Mandelbaum, Sacramento, CA 95814 array of clients including: Phar- a bulletproof reputation, making Caroline Gibson, Karen Davis 916/658-0144 maceutical Research & Manu- us trusted partners to our clients. Fax: 916/658-0155 facturers of America, Bonnie J. Our longest-tenured client, Gold- Prosek Partners is among the www.perrycom.com Addario Lung Cancer Founda- en Chick, has been with us for largest independent public rela- @KassyPerry tion, Partnership to Fight Chronic more than 15 years. The agen- tions firms in the U.S., and one of Disease, California Association of cy’s practice areas are food and the few domestic, mid-size firms Kassy Perry, President/CEO Health Underwriters, My Patient beverage, commercial real estate, that offers global capabilities Julia Spiess Lewis, Senior Vice Rights, and California Chronic professional services, technolo- through its London office and in- President ternational network. We deliver an Jennifer Zins, Vice President Care Coalition gy, healthcare, and new product launches. unexpected level of passion, cre- Perry Communications Group POWER GROUP, The Power Group works with ativity and marketing savvy to the is an award-winning, full service clients to set specific, measurable financial and business-to-business strategic communications firm. THE goals that tie into overall business sectors. Our “Unboxed Commu- Led by Kassy Perry, PCG shapes objectives. The agency’s unique nications” approach brings break- ideas, galvanizes opinions and 3131 McKinney Ave., Suite 550 “30-day coverage guarantee” through ideas and unmatched re- influences decisions ultimate- Dallas, TX 75204 promises each client media cov- sults to every client engagement. ly leading to social change. The 214/693-2146 erage within the first 30 days of We are a rare hybrid; a corpo- PCG team helps clients positively [email protected] media relations outreach, and our rate communications firm with a impact public policy issues not [email protected] innovative value-based pricing fully integrated, top-ranked deal only in Sacramento, but through- www.thepowergroup.com model benefits both the agency shop and a comprehensive inves- facebook.com/ out California and the U.S. PCG and clients by offering flat rate tor relations practice inside. ThePowerGroupDallas Through our gateway office in tackles high-profile issues such as twitter.com/ThePowerGrp service fees rooted in actual val- health care, energy and environ- ue instead of inefficient hourly London and network of partner ment, finance and water. Amy Power, Founder & CEO billing. The Power Group has agencies, we can deliver for cli- Whether the politically savvy Sam Davis, Director of Client been consistently recognized for ents in major business and finan- PCG team is managing a compli- Development hard work and meaningful results cial centers around the world. cated issue, running a statewide throughout its 17-year history, in- We are an “Army of Entrepre- initiative campaign, leading a The Power Group is a full-ser- cluding the honor of PR Daily’s neurs™.” Our creative, entrepre- high-profile coalition or helping vice public relations agency spe- Digital PR “Best Crisis Manage- clients communicate, shape and cializing in media relations, brand ment” award and ranking on the _ Continued on page 78

76 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

Profiles of Ranked PR Firms RASKY PARTNERS, rbb inspires companies with in- Our expertise spans media rela- PROSEK PARTNERS sights to create customer passion tions, marketing, crisis communi- _ Continued from page 76 INC. that delivers bottom line results. cation, public engagement, con- Our bilingual staff excels in in- tent, branding and executive skills 70 Franklin St., 3rd Flr. tegrated communications, digital training. Inspiring your audience Boston, MA 02110 marketing, community relations, through story is what we do best. neurial culture attracts and retains 617/443-9933 employee and internal communi- Our clients include Avery Den- the most talented professionals. www.rasky.com cations, reputation management, nison, Boise Valley Economic Prosek currently advises $10 1825 I St., NW, Suite 600 influencer engagement and product Partnership, Centercal, Idaho trillion in client assets. This is an introductions. The rbb family of Commerce, Micron, Treefort, Vis- increase of $3.5T in just one year Washington, D.C. 20006 202/530-7700 brands also features distinct digital, it Concord and Visit Idaho, among Expanded transactions com- web development, social media and others. munications and issues and crisis Rasky Partners is a nationally advertising teams to create 360-de- management services, as well as recognized public and government gree result-driven campaigns able ramped-up strategic digital capa- relations firm with more than a to reach targeted audiences through RF | BINDER bilities, allow us to meet clients’ decade of experience providing a diversified mix of traditional and PARTNERS,­ INC. evolving needs. exceptional client service to orga- digital channels. Specialty practic- nizations that operate at the inter- es include consumer products/ser- 950 Third Ave., 7th flr. RACEPOINT section of business, politics and vices, travel & leisure, real estate, New York, NY 10022 media. healthcare, professional services, 212/994-7600 GLOBAL­ With offices in Boston and Wash- and higher education. [email protected] ington, D.C., Rasky Partners offers Some of rbb’s Breakout Brand www.rfbinder.com 53 State Street, 4th Floor a comprehensive range of services clients include: Adrienne Arsht RF|Binder is a full-service, in- Boston, MA 02109 including media strategy and pub- Center for Performing Arts of dependent communications firm 617/624-3200 lic relations, government relations, Miami, Bank of America, Cleve- Fax: 617/624-4199 based in New York City, with reputation management, crisis land Clinic Florida, DHL Express, [email protected] offices in Boston, Los Angeles, communication and digital media. Disney on Ice, Dreams Resorts & www.racepointglobal.com Oklahoma City and Charleston. At The firm works with a wide array Spas, Embassy Suites by Hilton, RF|Binder, we pride ourselves on Big Agency Results. Small of clients that includes Fortune 100 First Service Residential, Florida being an agency of challengers and Agency Touch. companies, trade associations, coa- International University, Florida entrepreneurial thinkers who look Racepoint Global combines the litions, non-profits, think tanks and Power and Light, Hampton by Hil- beyond the status quo. We believe power of worldwide reach with foreign governments. ton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, it is critical to push the boundar- personal attention. Our clients ex- As an independent firm, Rasky Kaplan University, Secrets Resorts ies and find new ways to address pect everything to be bigger, better Partners has the flexibility and re- & Spas, Virgin Voyages and Vitas our clients’ business challenges. and bolder. They also want access sources to address complex chal- Health. With offices in Miami and Through this approach, we’re able to the brightest minds at all times. lenges with a commitment to serve Ft. Lauderdale, the firm also has an to build transformative commu- We have the necessary DNA to our clients’ interests first. We are international network that extends nications programs that persuade do both. We challenge our clients dedicated to providing consistent, across more than 60 countries people to believe in, connect with, to do more to stay ahead and de- strategic hands-on engagement at through its partnership in PROI and stand behind an organization, mand that they challenge us to be all levels, as each client team – in- Worldwide, the largest global net- an issue and a brand. accountable. We drive communi- cluding the senior professionals – work of independent communica- We have a history of helping our cations that are strategically sound is highly engaged, from beginning tions agencies. For more informa- clients go beyond the ordinary. We and strive to forge personal rela- to end of each client engagement. tion, call (305) 448-7457 or visit work with companies, brands and tionships, breakthrough results and www.rbbcommunications.com. lasting impact. RBB institutions that are building or Racepoint is redefining what it seeking better solutions for peo- means to be an intelligence-driv- COMMUNICATIONS­ RED SKY ple and businesses, to impact the en marketing agency. We deliver issues and opportunities facing accountability based on our ability 355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 800 1109 W. Main St., Suite 400 the food and beverage, health and to better understand your custom- Miami, FL 33134 Boise, ID 83702 wellness, education, and financial 305/448-7450 208/287-2199 ers, their psychology and how they services industries. With our al- www.rbbcommunications.com [email protected] ways-on growth mindset, we are consume information. The key is www.redskypr.com our proprietary software, Field- constantly discovering new ways Christine Barney, CEO to achieve greater relevancy, ig- Facts. It’s the industry’s best tool Jessica Flynn, CEO Lisa Ross, President nite more meaningful connections, for identifying influencers and Tina Elmowitz, Executive Vice Tracy Bresina, CFO targeting them where they engage President Chad Biggs, CCO and build stronger relationships, to verbally, visually and emotionally. John Quinn, Executive Vice Lynda Bruns, VP, Client Service ultimately support and invigorate Armed with this intelligence, we President businesses’ bottom line. Sandra Fine Ericson, Senior Engaging your audience requires give our clients PR, advertising and Vice President, Director of Results both a broad-minded approach and precision-marketing campaigns Measurement wide-ranging expertise. Red Sky SCHNEIDER that speak to the right people at the Abdul Muhammed, Vice President brings a business mindset and cre- ASSOCIATES­ right time. of Digital Development ative spirit to communication strat- Racepoint Global services world- Zonnia Knight, Creative Director egy and execution. We create and Member of the Worldcom Public class brands including Huawei, share stories that matter through Panasonic, Dassault Systèmes, Four-time “PR Agency of the Relations Group Year,” rbb Communications deliv- scalable, measurable and integrat- 2 Oliver Street, Suite 402 AT&T, IBM, eClinicalWorks, For- ed campaigns for government, Boston, MA 02109 rester Research, Harman and more. ers award-winning work and best practices to clients who seek a part- healthcare, promotion of place, 617/536-3300 Racepoint Global is headquar- public agency, corporate communi- [email protected] tered in Boston, with offices in ner with a culture of ownership and www.schneiderpr.com accountability that only a boutique cation and technology clients. We Washington, D.C., San Francisco, are grounded by strategy, driven by agency can provide. As an integrat- Joan Schneider, CEO & Founder Detroit, London, Hong Kong, Bei- story and focused on helping you jing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. ed communications agency and the Phil Pennellatore, President champion of Breakout Brands™, achieve your goals.

78 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

When leading companies, pro- Brian Wagner, VP & COO has won Bulldog Reporter Awards 214/379-7000 fessional services organizations Rory Brosius, VP in 2017 for Best Media Relations 24-hour media line: 817/329-3257 and entrepreneurs seek a trusted Campaign, Best New Product www.spmcommunications.com communications partner, they turn ScoutComms, one of O’Dwyer’s Launch, Best General Business to Schneider Associates. We are ten fastest-growing PR firms in Campaign, and Best Technology Suzanne Parsonage Miller, Pres. passionate about creating and ex- 2017, is the nation's leading PR Campaign. & Founder firm dedicated to providing- ser ecuting innovative and measurable Founded in 1999, SPM is a Dal- campaigns to launch, re-launch and vices that support veterans and military families. SPECTRUM las-based PR agency with national accelerate growth for new prod- reach, promoting and protecting ucts, services, companies, institu- We like to think of ourselves 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW as being a mile deep and an inch food, restaurant, retail, lifestyle tions and communities. We know 2nd Floor and franchise brands through me- how to craft fully integrated com- wide, providing a comprehensive Washington, DC 20007 suite of services — spanning the 202/955-6222 dia relations, social media strategy, munications programs that create events, brand storytelling, spokes- news while solving business chal- fields of communications, digital www.spectrumscience.com and social engagement, advocacy, person training and crisis manage- lenges. Schneider Associates rep- 675 Ponce de Leon Ave. NE ment. resents a wide range of consumer, philanthropic strategy and market Ste. 8500 research — to empower organiza- SPM’s cross-trained team of PR corporate, public affairs and educa- Atlanta, GA 30308 pros, media relations specialists, tion clients from start-ups to pres- tions that work with the nation’s 202/587-2597 service members, veterans and social media strategists, corporate tigious colleges and universities to communications experts and for- Fortune 500 companies. CEO Joan military families. 125 S. Clark St., 17th Floor Chicago, IL 60603 mer journalists approaches each Schneider has written two books ScoutComms is an award-win- ning Certified B Corp and Service 202/587-2500 client’s brand holistically. Wheth- on launching new products, includ- er the client is a category-leading ing The NEW Launch Plan, as well Disabled Veteran Owned Small 250 Vesey St., Ste. 2630 Business. We are one of the first national powerhouse or a startup, as an article for the Harvard Busi- New York, NY 10281 SPM works to build their brand ness Review entitled “Why Most B Corps in the world focused on 212/468-5340 veteran and military community is- through integrated, impactful Product Launches Fail.” Jonathan Wilson, President & campaigns that encompass paid, Schneider Associates is a full-ser- sues. B Corps are for-profit entities committed to balancing business, CEO earned, shared and owned media vice public relations and integrated elements that resonate with con- social and environmental objec- Spectrum is both one of the na- marketing communications agen- sumers and provide ROI measured tives in their work. tion’s leading health and science cy specializing in Launch Public with the most forward-thinking, ® Clients include: GE, The Home communications agencies and Relations , a proprietary method ethical analysis. Depot Foundation, Prudential, Ser- proudly independent. Health and of launching revitalizing iconic Our “No Jerks” policy, which vice Women’s Action Network, science communications is the products, services, companies, in- was featured in the Wall Street Student Veterans of America, U.S. only thing we do. We live and stitutions and communities to build Journal, is the core of SPM’s cul- Chamber of Commerce Founda- breathe science and storytelling awareness, excitement, and sales. ture. It means we foster an atmo- tion, USAA, Vet Tix Wounded and clients reap the benefits of our Agency services include messag- sphere of mutual respect and trust Warrior Project. relentless dedication. While many ing, media relations, social media, among clients, team members and agencies have a dedicated health- special events, creative design, company leaders, leading to great- care practice, Spectrum is further digital marketing, spokesperson SPARK er creativity, productivity, long- specialized to deliver the most rel- training, influencer outreach and term account stability and true evant strategies and counsel with crisis communications. Learn more 2 Bryant St. partnership between agency and five unique practice areas: biotech, at www.schneiderpr.com. San Francisco, CA 94105 client. biopharma, consumer science, Clients include: Bay Path Uni- 415/962-8200 Clients include: At Home, Boul- health tech and public affairs. versity, Bentley University, Berk- Fax: 415/276-6364 der Organic, Bruegger’s Bagels, Our in-house teams of digital and shire Choral International, Cush- [email protected] Cheddar’s Casual Café, Cicis, www.sparkpr.com creative experts (the LAB), Ph.D. man & Wakefield, DYNATRAP, ComForCare, Cotton Patch Café, scientists and precision communi- J. Calnan & Associates, Lehigh Fiesta Restaurant Group, Gold’s From startups to Fortune 1000, cations specialists are embedded University, MIT Sloan School of Gym, La Madeleine French Bakery Spark specializes in helping within our account teams, deliver- Management, Newbury College, & Café, Le Duff America, Lemi technology-focused and innova- ing fully integrated strategic solu- Northeastern University College Shine, Main Event, Newk’s Eatery, tion-minded companies transform tions that meet clients’ business of Engineering, Posternak Blank- Pei Wei, P.F. Chang’s Global, Pollo their brands by bringing power- goals. This breadth of experience stein & Lund, Society for Bioma- Tropical, Stubb’s Legendary Bar- ® ful narratives to life through PR, brings a unique mix of scientific terials, Sunstar GUM , Thompson B-Q and Taco Cabana. Hennessey & Partners, UNICON integrated communications, and rigor and contemporary smarts to Executive Education, Universi- strategic marketing programs. all of our work across a full suite of ty of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz The agency’s full suite of ser- communications services. TAYLOR School of Business, Utica Nation- vices includes Agile Narrative™: Spectrum is the founder, US part- al Insurance Group, and William a proprietary knowledge-design ner and chair of GLOBALHealth- The Empire State Building James College. methodology; creative design PR, the largest independent health 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 3800 and content development; pro- and science communications agen- New York, NY 10118 grammatic distribution and paid cy partnership worldwide. In 2016, 212/714-1280 SCOUTCOMMS, media; and data-driven insights Spectrum was named “Health- www.taylorstrategy.com to measure the effectiveness of care Agency of the Year” by The INC. Tony Signore, CEO & Managing all integrated marketing services Holmes Report, “Best Place to driving Narrative transformations. Partner Work” by PRWeek and “Top Place Bryan Harris, COO & Managing 521 Sophia St. Spark’s clients have included the Fredericksburg, VA 22401 to Work in PR” by PR News. Partner 540/208-2950 world’s most innovative startups [email protected] and industry leaders: Bloomberg, Taylor partners exclusively with www.ScoutCommsUSA.com Univision, Verizon Ventures, Nas- SPM COMMUNICA- category leading consumer brands www.twitter.com/ScoutComms daq, Walmart, Github, Waze, Etsy, TIONS, INC. that utilize lifestyle, sports, and and Skype. Spark was honored by entertainment platforms to engage Fred Wellman, founder and CEO Business Intelligence Group as a 2030 Main St., Third Floor Lauren Jenkins, VP & mng. dir., Best Place to Work in 2016. Spark Scout Insight Dallas, TX 75201 _ Continued on page 80

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 79 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

TAYLOR _ Continued from page 79 consumers and drive business growth. Named “Consumer Agency of the Decade” by The Holmes Re- port, Taylor has more than 100 employees with headquarters in New York and offices in Los An- geles, Chicago, and Charlotte. The agency provides a full array of ser- vices including: brand planning; creative; digital strategy and social media; strategic media relations; consumer insights; measurement and evaluation; event creative and production, Hispanic/multicultural; and spokesperson procurement and training. The agency’s roots are firmly Taylor CEO & Managing Partner Tony Signore. planted in the world of sports and its legacy of developing and acti- number two in the southeast. Six of Carvana, CycleBar, Delta Com- relationship agency, acting as in- vating hundreds of award-winning its seven practices rank nationally – munity Credit Union, Discovery house support for our clients, and campaigns for leading brands in technology #30, health #43, finan- Point, Factor Trust, Flying Bis- we are proud of our culture — we support of sports sponsorships is cial services #32, food & beverage cuit, Genesco, Johnny Rockets, work hard, we get results and we unparalleled. From global proper- #26, lifestyle #24 and environment Mohawk Home, Monkey Joe's, give back. ties like the Olympic Games and #31. Franchising, the agency’s Smashburger, Sita, Staymobile and FIFA World Cup, to the crown third largest practice, is not ranked Verizon Wireless. VERASOLVE jewels of U.S. sports — the World by the industry. Served by a suite Series, Super Bowl, NBA Finals, of services under public relations, TURNER PUBLIC 9916 Logan Dr and Daytona 500, among others digital/social marketing, demand Potomac, MD 20854 — Taylor has long been a trusted generation and creative services, RELATIONS, INC. 301/807-6390 counselor for many of the world’s the firm also boasts the industry’s [email protected] www.verasolve.com most influential sports marketers. best staff retention, having lost one A Fahlgren Mortine company The agency has also successfully person to any agency in 13 years. 250 W. 39th St., #1602 Based in Atlanta’s urban westside, New York, NY 10018 Ethan Assal, CEO aligned its client partners’ business 212/889-1700 Katie Jordan, Principal goals with the most recognizable the firm differentiates itself with [email protected] Kristin Vozzo, Principal properties in the entertainment a reputation marketing approach Brooks Hunt, VP, Business industry, including the Academy that integrates third party attribu- Christine Turner, President Development Awards, Grammy Awards, Latin tion with digital and social mar- Grammy Awards, Sundance Film keting. In response to a growing TURNER is a full service public For more than 10 years, Vera- Festival, and MTV Music Video demand for creative and interactive relations, social media, content and solve has partnered with compa- Awards. needs, the firm established Groovy digital communications agency nies across industries to provide Client partners in 2017 include: Studios, a creative arm that offers specializing in travel and lifestyle PR and marketing solutions that Activision, Allstate, AMB Group, graphic design, web services, con- brands. TURNER represents the enhance brand recognition, gen- Capital One, Comcast, Diageo, tent development and brand iden- world’s best hotels, resorts, desti- erate qualified leads and increase Keurig, Mercedes-Benz USA, tity. Since its inception, Groovy nations, fashion, active and modern closing ratios. NAS­CAR, Nestle Purina, Nike/ Studios has received more than 30 outdoor brands. Our tenured teams At Verasolve, we’re eager to Jordan, P&G, PVH, and Tem- creative awards. in New York, Chicago, Denver and share your story. We’ll help your pur-Sealy. While an independent firm, Trev- Miami have unmatched industry company develop and convey a elino/Keller is recognized, in part, experience and continually deliv- compelling narrative that breaks for the dynamic networks it cre- er innovative and integrated mar- through the noise, enhances cred- TREVELINO/KELLER ates to serve clients in a rapidly keting communications strategies, ibility, sparks conversation and changing environment. Networks helping brands connect and engage generates unmatched buzz for your 949 W. Marietta St., Suite X-106 today include: Atlas Alliance, a in a smarter, more relevant manner. business. Atlanta, GA 30318 global network of like-minded From the most coveted destina- Our PR approach is custom-de- 404/214-0722 boutique firms that deliver in coun- tions, resorts and travel experienc- signed to produce a wider pipeline [email protected] [email protected] try services in Europe, Asia-Pacif- es to sought-after apparel, fitness of opportunities. We leverage our www.trevelinokeller.com ic, South America and the Middle and accessory brands, our clients relationships with local and nation- www.groovy-studios.com East; and, WheelhouseTK, a con- include all of the places you’d like al media to exponentially increase sultant network that offers com- to travel, and what you’d pack for the reach of your messaging. We Dean Trevelino, Founder and plementary services to the firm, in- those journeys. know that positive word-of-mouth Principal, 404/214-0722 X106 cluding video production, research, Our dedicated 360 approach to and third-party validation make it Genna Keller, Founder and brand articulation and experiential delivering integrated public rela- easier to improve closing ratios, Principal, 404/214-0722 X105 marketing. tions, digital, content and social take market share, recruit top tal- Trevelino/Keller, a digital pub- Client work features a mix of media campaigns continues to ent and obtain additional financing. lic relations and marketing firm, publicly traded, middle market and deliver bottom-line results for our From identifying thought leaders ranks as one of the top 10 fastest startup companies, including At- clients through powerful media ex- to distributing relevant messages, growing firms in the country, and lanta Bread, Atlanta Tech Village, posure, influencer followings and Verasolve is committed to building Belgard, Bibby Financial Services, consumer engagement. We are a your company’s value.

80 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms VESTED for the likes of Accenture, World- pay, Points, Grubhub, Finicity and 12 E. 33 St, 2nd Floor Dotcom Distribution. New York, NY 10016 When looking for PR and dig- 917/765-8720 ital marketing services, you need www.fullyvested.com a partner who understands your [email protected] industry and is setting the prece- dent for integrated storytelling that Vested, one of the fastest-grow- delivers impactful results. Walker ing financial communication agen- Sands is filled with brilliant, de- cies, helps companies in financial termined marketing scientists, but services raise their profile, improve our culture revolves around more their reputation, and drive sales. than just work. We’ve put the tools, It achieves this through integrated programs and philosophy in place communications: a mix of mar- to make our agency a place where keting, PR, social, and paid media employees can live up to our core techniques deployed in a way that values: to constantly learn, sup- achieves a positive outcome for port each other, and do exceptional clients. work. And that’s Walker Sands. Most financial services firms have either a messaging challenge (what they’re saying isn’t clear or WORDWRITE isn’t resonating) or a “megaphone” Vested: A new communications agency for a new financial industry. COMMUNICATIONS­ challenge (they’re saying the right things but it isn’t being broadcast Jim Weiss, Chmn. & CEO courtney.beasley@walkersands. LLC far enough). Some encounter both. Bob Pearson, Vice Chairman & com Vested uses the financial industry Chief Innovation Officer www.walkersands.com 411 Seventh Ave., Suite 1125 expertise of its people to ensure cli- Jennifer Gottlieb, Chief Client Pittsburgh, PA 15219 ents have the right message and its Officer Walker Sands is an agency at 412/246-0340 extensive network to ensure those Seth Duncan, Chief Analytics the forefront of the PR industry www.wordwritepr.com messages are heard. Officer evolution. In the 16 years since Richard Neave, Chief Financial our founding, we’ve cultivated a Paul Furiga, President and CEO It offers to employees indus- Jeremy Church, VP and Partner Officer culture that prioritizes collabora- try-leading benefits such as unlim- Gary Grates, Principal Hollie Geitner, VP ited vacation days, a three-month tion. While other agencies have paid sabbatical every four years, W2O Group is an independent struggled to bring PR and digital Your story is your organization’s real dividend-yielding shares in the network of complementary mar- services together, we’ve made that most powerful marketing asset. It agency, commission on new busi- keting, communications, research, our foundation. explains why you do what you do, ness, excellent healthcare, a 401k and development firms focused on Client CompTIA, a non-profit IT why someone should buy from you, plan, expense accounts, and use of unified business solutions to drive association, used our integrated ap- work for you, invest in you or part- the agency’s ride-sharing account. change and growth through “prag- proach to develop a campaign that ner with you. It drives your success. Say hello at team@fullyvested. matic disruption” for the world’s would close the IT gender gap. The WordWrite helps you share your com. leading brands and organizations. campaign resulted in 130 media great, untold stories with everyone W2O Group serves clients through placements, including 25+ feature who needs to see, hear and experi- W2O GROUP a network of firms — WCG, Twist, stories in national business and ence them. Ranging from start-ups Pure, Marketeching and Sentient – consumer news outlets. The strat- to Fortune 100 and global firms, egy triggered nearly 10,000 unique WordWrite clients share a funda- 50 Francisco St. with a growing footprint of offices in the United States and Europe. monthly website visitors, driving mental belief in the value of two- San Francisco, CA 94133 more than 800 e-book downloads. 415/362-5018 W2O Group was named 2016 way communications and authentic Fax: 415/362-5019 Midsize Agency of the Year by Organic and paid social media pro- stories shared by fluent storytellers. www.w2ogroup.com The Holmes Report, was ranked motion helped generate more than Our proprietary storytelling pro- #1 in O’Dwyer’s ranking of Texas 600,000 impressions and drive cess taps the deep and elemental PR Firms and was ranked #23 in nearly 3,000 new followers. human love of stories to build two- PR Week’s Global Agency Busi- So far, our approach has paid way, ongoing relationships with the ness Report in 2015. Chairman off. We’re a four-time Inc. 5000 audiences you need to reach. We and CEO, Jim Weiss was named a honoree that’s grown revenues 172 collaborate with you to answer the “50 Forward” outstanding alumnus percent over the last five years, in- burning questions about your busi- for Syracuse University in 2015. creased revenue nearly 16 percent ness and develop the fundamentals He was honored as a member of and added 21 new employees in of your story. Then, we identify the PR Week’s Global Power book list 2016 alone. These numbers are a best ways to share the story, and in 2015, PR Week’s Powerlist in result of our thriving culture and we share it in ways that are unique, 2014, and was named in In2’s Top consistent drive for result driven compelling and memorable. 25 Innovators list in 2014. Presi- success. WordWrite is a member of PR dent Bob Pearson was named to PR This immense growth is a re- Boutiques International, a world- News’ Hall of Fame in 2015. sult of our thriving culture, which wide collaborative network of bou- For more information, please Crain’s Chicago, Entrepreneur tique PR firms. visit www.w2ogroup.com and Inc. have recognized in their Our clients include Carnegie Li- Top Company Cultures list. We’re brary of Pittsburgh, Kennametal, WALKER SANDS experts in B2B and technology Koppers Inc., MedExpress, Meyer, and have focuses in electronics, Unkovic & Scott, MPW Industrial education technology, enterprise 55 W. Monroe, Suite 3925 Services, Pfizer Inc., The Water- Chicago, IL 60603 software, fintech and marketing front, UnitedHealthcare, Waldron Jim Weiss, Chairman & CEO of 312/267-0066 technology to name a few. We have Private Wealth and YMCA of W2O Group. Fax: 312/876-1388 partnered with and built strategy Greater Pittsburgh. 

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MAY 2017 81 OPINION Professional Development Rockefeller’s speechwriting reminder By Fraser Seitel you listening Pulitzer Prize Peggy “Thou- debt storm. “ or close to five decades, David Rocke- sand Points of Light” Noonan?!?) The chairman’s speech went through 13 feller, who died last month at the age of Being a “Rockefeller,” David rarely drafts before all concerned were satisfied F101, was my employer and friend. First showed annoyance, except for once. And that the tone was right. Earlier drafts — as public affairs director of Chase Man- the subject of that annoyance was me, be- on hard analysis by the bankers — were hattan, the $100 cause of a speech I’d “drafted.” And the too bold, offering promises to support the billion bank he takeaway from that one awful speech-draft- LDCs beyond levels many felt prudent. So, chaired, and then ing experience is a lesson that all speech these earlier passages were stripped out and as a consultant, I writers should take to heart. replaced by more benign assurances. helped advise Mr. Here’s what happened. On the day of the speech, I accompanied Rockefeller on all Chairman Rockefeller was to address an the chairman, and a colleague passed out manner of com- international economic forum on the top- advance copies of the speech to the assem- munications. ical subject of bank loans to lesser devel- bled members of the press. I read a version One of my pri- oped countries. In those days of sky high at my seat as Mr. Rockefeller delivered the mary duties was to oil prices, bank loans to lesser developed speech, which he did without a flaw. serve as a drafter countries — or LDCs — were particularly After the talk, I commended him on a job of Mr. Rockefel- worrisome. Countries like Brazil, Mexico well done, and we returned triumphantly to Fraser P. Seitel has ler’s speeches. I say and Argentina desperately needed money the bank. Our satisfaction was short-lived. been a communications consultant, author and “speech drafter”to finance their oil-dependent economies, The next morning, a headline in the Wall teacher for more than and not “speech but their ability to repay bank lenders was Street Journal read, “Passages Rockefeller’s 30 years. He is the au- writer” because the becoming increasingly dubious. As bank Speech Leaves Out Tell More than Those thor of the Prentice-Hall speeches were his; LDC debt rose, the stability of the banking Included.” text, The Practice of they were ultimate- system, itself, appeared imperiled. The story recounted how an earlier draft Public Relations. ly always “written” So, Mr. Rockefeller’s speech on this topic of Mr. Rockefeller’s speech, containing sub- by him, not me. I had to be meticulously crafted, to reassure sequently-excised explosive passages, had merely helped and would never presume to bank shareholders — not to mention the mistakenly been handed to reporters. Pri- take credit for the great man’s words. (Are world — that banks could weather the LDC or to the speech, I had carefully made sure that Mr. Rockefeller had the right copy in hand but failed to double check the copies we had distributed to the press. My bad. And Mr. Rockefeller, correctly, was not pleased. Did he belittle or scream or rant or demand (understandably) his speech drafter’s head? Of course not. He was David Rockefeller, not Donald Trump! But he was properly piqued. Rockefeller’s arched eyebrow was re- minder enough to one chagrined speech drafter always to review, personally, every final draft before exposing the speech to public scrutiny. Forty years later, the lesson remains learned.  PR news brief Tilson to open NH office Florida-based Tilson Public Relations has expanded its footprint in New England with the forthcoming ad- dition of a second office in Hebron, New Hampshire. That new office, which is located in a renovated historic schoolhouse, will officially open this summer. An initial staff of three will be stationed out of the Hebron office. Tilson’s New England satellite will of- fer the same services as its Boca Raton headquarters, which includes traditional PR, social media and digital strategies. “Having been raised in New England and coming back here now, it’s clear that New Hampshire offers a strong opportunity for talented marketers and public relations professionals who have first-hand knowl- edge of the area and bring a true understanding of its unique business landscape,” agency founder and president Tracy Tilson told O’Dwyer’s.

82 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Financial Management Limiting risk on loan guarantees By Richard Goldstein ­default. that certain assets — such as your personal he April 2017 issue of Buchbinder’s After all, if homes and bank accounts are residence or stock in the business — be out- newsletter focused on personal loan on the line, business owners presumably side the reach of the guarantee. Tguarantees. I’m sharing most of that will do all they can to ensure their ventures Higher interest rate. Evaluate the option newsletter with you, O’Dwyer’s readers, be- succeed. The commitment is especially im- of paying a higher interest rate in exchange cause at one time or another, personal loan portant for a new business or PR agency, for no personal guarantee or limited guar- guarantees will im- because the bank has limited means for antee. pact most public evaluating its performance and likelihood Do not include spouse as a guarantor. It’s relations firms. of success. strongly suggested not to agree to a require- Lenders Limiting risk ment of having the spouse as a co-signer on Lenders always Although it can be difficult to entirely the personal guarantee. This provides both evaluate borrowers eliminate the need for a personal guarantee, spouses with some protection, because per- to predict whether you may be able to limit its scope by taking sonal assets under the spouse’s name will or not they’ll re- the following steps: not be included, should the personal guar- pay (What else is Structure when the personal guarantee antee be called. new?). Starting a would go in effect. This could be based on Personal guarantee insurance. Personal small business or the number of loan payments missed, the guarantee insurance can protect your per- PR agency is a risky amount of working capital of the business sonal assets. With this coverage, you can Richard Goldstein is a partner at Buchbind- proposition, and or the net worth of the business falling be- limit personal risk to a more acceptable er Tunick & Company a small business low a specified amount. Also consider re- level. LLP, New York, Certified start-up loan is the questing business days vs. actual days to Finally, you can try running the numbers Public Accountants. riskiest loan a bank give yourself more time for reporting and again to determine whether you can bor- can give. Even if the ability to respond to changing circum- row a lower amount and still have enough you can get a Small stances. to operate, which should also reduce the Business Administration loan guarantee, Decrease the personal guarantee with amount of the guarantee. you’ll most likely still be required to sign improved business performance. You can While many lenders require a person- a personal guarantee. The SBA claim “All request that the personal guarantee be re- al guarantee when making some business owners of 20 percent or more of a business duced when your business grows and the loans, it is usually possible to negotiate are asked to provide a personal guarantee” company becomes more stable. You can at least some of the terms. Your legal and in order to obtain an SBA guarantee. also ask that the amount guaranteed de- accounting professionals can help you un- For consumer loans, there are credit crease as you make timely repayments. derstand the provisions of a personal guar- scores and numerous other sources of in- Limit a guarantee. Banks will always antee and provide ideas for negotiating one formation to help with the decision. How- want an unconditional or unlimited guar- that fits your needs.  ever, businesses — especially new business- antee. You should start by requesting that es and operations that have never borrowed the amount of the guarantee be limited, — probably do not have a business-specific either by the actual dollar amount or by a PR news brief credit history. percent of the outstanding loan. If there Brunswick breaks ground on With limited information, it’s hard for are multiple owners, you can also seek to ­Chicago office lenders to make a decision. They would limit the amount of exposure by the percent be more comfortable if they could see that ownership of each partner or owner. Corporate advisory giant Brunswick Group an- you have borrowed money in the past and Suggest terms of relief. You can ask to nounced that it has expanded its footprint into the Midwest with the opening of a Chicago office. consistently repaid loans. When they can’t be relieved of the personal guarantee after a Brunswick’s Windy City digs comprises the global make a decision based on historical infor- certain percentage of the loan has been re- M&A advisor’s fifth office in the U.S. and its 24th mation, they require some sort of security paid or your share of the business has been worldwide. The new Chicago outpost, which currently (or they charge an extremely high rate of sold. staffs ten, will serve as the agency’s Midwestern hub, interest). That security comes in the form Modify the reporting requirements. and will provide regional and global clients the agen- cy’s full suite of services, including counsel on merg- of a personal guarantee, although other ap- Lenders typically require guarantors to sub- ers and acquisitions, IPOs, employee engagement, proaches such as pledging business assets mit personal financial statements at least crisis, litigation and executive transitions, as well as as collateral can be used. annually. This is one of the ways for banks market research, digital and design services. The personal guarantee to locate and request personal assets. You The Chicago office will also serve as a hub for the agency’s global employee engagement practice. A personal guarantee is an unsecured can provide personal financial statements New York Partner and former JP Morgan analyst written promise from a business owner with the minimum acceptable disclosure. Jayne Rosefield will now head the Chicago outfit. and/or business executive guaranteeing Avoid “joint and several” language if She’ll be joined by partner Christopher Hannegan, payment on an equipment lease or loan, possible. Ask to limit who will guarantee who joined the M&A PR advisor in October from Edel- in the event the business does not pay. the obligation. If there are multiple partners man, where he served as executive VP and led that agency’s Employee Engagement offering in the U.S. Since it’s unsecured, a personal guarantee or owners, try to avoid a joint and several Rosefield told O’Dwyer’s the agency has already is not tied to a specific asset. However, in personal guarantee. Push for an indemnifi- had the privilege of working with several leading Chi- the event of non-payment, a lender can go cation guarantee. cago-headquartered companies, such as Kraft Heinz, after the guarantor’s personal assets. By re- Do not cover more than 100 percent. Mondelez, Groupon and Walgreens Boots Alliance, and “are hugely excited to better connect our global quiring a personal guarantee, lenders hope State laws may vary on the ability to do this. network of experts from our Midwestern office.” to limit the risk that their borrowers will Try to eliminate certain assets. Request

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | MARCH 2017 83 WASHINGTON REPORT Koch kicks off lobbying salvo against GOP tax proposal

och Industries, the privately held conglomerate run by right-leaning billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, Khas retained Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP for Capitol Hill advocacy work related to U.S. income tax reform issues. The Kochs, whose refineries comprise some of the nation’s larg- est importers, have been highly critical in recent months of a bor- der adjustment tax portion of the GOP’s current corporate tax reform proposal which may drastically overhaul how imports are taxed in the U.S. That border adjustment plan, originally penned by House Re- publicans and backed by House Speaker Paul Ryan, would allow U.S. companies to deduct exports from taxable income while and has met with telecommunications trade groups to discuss levying a 20 percent tax on the import of foreign goods and ma- his preliminary plans to do so. If current net neutrality rules are terials. turned back, it could mean potential trouble for streaming services Retailers and U.S. companies that rely on imported wares have such as Netflix and Amazon, as well as streaming device makers derided the proposal, claiming such a move would significantly such as Roku, which rely on an open, non-discriminatory Internet raise the cost of imported goods, and thus, increase the consumer highway through which they share their content. prices of everyday items. It’s the first time the company has hired a lobbying firm.  Advocates claim the plan would encourage companies to buy and produce more products made in the U.S., thus potentially creating more jobs. This, they claim, would eventually increase NSC cyber expert Joins FTI the value of the U.S. dollar, thus offsetting any increases in con- sumer prices as well as the new tax burden companies must pay TI Consulting has named Anthony J. Ferrante Senior Manag- for those foreign goods. ing Director in the global risk and investigations practice with- Several Federal Reserve economists in February expressed Fin its forensic and litigation consulting segment. doubt that the plan on its own would be enough to raise the dol- The cyber security expert served as Director for Cyber Incident lar’s value, and noted that it could hurt U.S. foreign trade and Response at the U.S. National Security Council raise domestic prices, which could make prices unattractive to since 2015 for both the Obama and Trump ad- foreign buyers and thus, actually slow exports rather than stim- ministrations. Before that he was Chief of Staff ulate them. of the FBI’s cyber division. The Koch brothers, who have publicly stated that the reforms Ferrante will be based in FTI’s Washington, “could be devastating” to the economy, in January circulated a D.C., office and bolster existing client services Koch-financed study published by Interindustry Forecasting at that include system architecture, system design, the University of Maryland, which claimed that the tax proposal privacy notifications and programs, IT strate- could cause unemployment to rise to 11 percent and result in un- gy, governance, program assessment and data employment worse than the 2008 recession. security. Anthony Ferrante In April, Koch-backed advocacy group Americans for Prosper- A recent FTI-sponsored survey by the Econo- ity unveiled a TV ad opposing the border tax.  mist Intelligence Unit showed that 53 percent of executives surveyed said cyberattacks had the greatest impact on Roku retains lobbying support their firms’ reputations.  amid Net Neutrality revival Trump transition team member onsumer electronics maker Roku, Inc. has hired interna- joins Rasky tional law firm Hogan Lovells to advocate the video and Chardware company’s position on net neutrality issues in asky Partners has added Trump transition volunteer, Jessica Washington. Tocco, to its government relations team in Washington., D.C., Under the Trump administration, the Federal Communica- Ras Senior VP. tions Commission has debated turning back its landmark 2015 Tocco, who has a longstanding political rela- passage of net neutrality rules, which reclassified broadband In- tionship with Vice President Mike Pence and ternet service providers as a “common carrier” telecommunica- his team, brings extensive experience in govern- tions service under Title II of the Communications Act. mental relations from time spent at BGR and Passed under the watch of former FCC chairman Tom Wheeler, Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications. She that measure prohibited Internet providers from discriminating also served as Director of the U.S. Chamber of against the different types of web traffic that flow through their Commerce in Vietnam and Director of the Asia networks. Wheeler, a Democrat, stepped down from his post Pacific Counsel of American Chambers. with the incoming administration, and was succeeded by Trump David Tamasi, Managing Director of Rasky appointee Ajit Varadaraj Pai. Partners in Washington, D.C., was the Trump Jessica Tocco Pai, along with Trump, wants to reverse the Obama-era rules Victory Finance Chairman. 

84 MAY 2017 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM International PR News Albania elections produce lucrative D.C. lobbying pacts

everal rival Albanian political parties have signed hefty lob- These aren’t the only lobbying contracts the Albanian parlia- bying contracts in Washington D.C recently, as that Medi- mentary elections have produced. The DPA hired public affairs Sterranean country prepares for a contentious series of par- giant Podesta Group last year to counsel the party on relevant U.S. liamentary elections in June. policies and Congressional activities, as well as to arrange meet- Ballard Partners, the Florida-based lobbying shop led by Trump ings with government officials in a bid to strengthen U.S.-Albania strategist and fundraiser Brian Ballard, was retained in April by bilateral relations. the Socialist Party of Albania to provide consulting and advocacy A third Albanian political group fighting for seats in the June services in a bid to improve U.S.-Albanian bilateral relations. elections, the Socialist Movement for Integration, retained The The Socialist Party of Albania rose to power following its major- McKeon Group in January to facilitate a dialog between members ity win in Albania’s 2013 parliamentary elections. The left-leaning of that party and the Trump Administration. political body is led by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who’s The social-democratic LSI was formed in 2004 by former So- up for reelection in Albania’s upcoming June elections. Rama has cialist Party of Albania member Ilir Meta, also a former Albanian been accused by Albania’s main opposition party, the Democratic Prime Minister. Party, of attempting to rig the voting process, which has led to The European Union’s European Parliament has told Albanian protests and even a recent parliamentary boycott. government leaders that the 2017 elections must be “free and The Democratic Party of Albania, meanwhile, has now retained fair” if negotiations are to proceed for that country to gain mem- lobbying support of its own, signing a contract with Barnes & bership into the EU, a designation which Albania has attempted Thornburg for government relations counsel in its quest to gain to achieve since 2003. public support and draw international attention to the need for Ballard’s year-long pact for the Socialist Party of Albania, which free and fair elections in Albania. became effective in April, continues until the end of March 2018 The right-of-center DPA, which was formerly Albania’s lead- and fetches the agency $20,000 per month. ing political party until being dethroned by the Socialist Party in Barnes & Thornburg’s work for the DPA, which runs for a pe- 2013, has retained Indianapolis-based Barnes & Thornburg for riod of three months and ends in July, brings the firm a fixed fee help with communication strategies and to build relationships of $150,000. with U.S. executive branch officials and members of Congress. LSI’s six-month pact earned the McKeon Group $90,000. 

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.

Geoffrey Weill Associates, Inc., New York, NY, registered Apr. 21, 2017 for Visit Denmark, New York, NY, regarding launch of non-stop flights from San Francisco to Copenhagen by Norwegian Airlines.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Indianapolis, IN registered April 14, 2017 for His Excellency J.E. Morales, President, Republic of Guatemala, Guatema- la City, Guatemala, to foster increased trade, economic assistance and foreign aid from the U.S.

Prism Strategy, Inc., Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 19, 2017 for Government of Japan-Japan External Trade Organization, New York, NY, to engage U.S. government agencies, Congress and the research community on policy matters.

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.

Foley & Lardner LLP, Washington, DC, registered Apr. 24, 2017 for Council on Sound Tax Policy, Milwaukee, WI, regarding tax policy changes for small business loads with Members of Congress and staff.

Crossroads Strategies, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 27, 2017 for Amaya Inc., Hollywood, FL, regarding issues related to access to the Internet-based entertainment industry. Amaya operates some of the leading online poker brands.

Hogan Lovells US LLP, Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 26, 2017 for Accenture, Chicago, IL, regarding nuclear power plant support projects.

Capitol Tax Partners, LLP, Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 26, 2017 for Costco Wholesale Corporation, Issaquah, WA, regarding issues related to tax reform.

Blue Marble Strategy LLC, Washington, D.C., registered Apr. 27, 2017 for Beagle Freedom Project, Valley Village, CA, regarding Beagle Freedom Bill and Humane Cosmetics Act.

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