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Communications & New Media June 2020 I Vol. 34 No. 3

RANKINGS ISSUE

PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS RANKED BY NET FEES, SPECIALTY, REGION & GROWTH

MORE THAN 130 FIRMS RANKED ACROSS 19 INDUSTRY SPECIALTIES 7 NEW RANKINGS CATEGORIES ADDED Automotive, education, energy, industrial, non-profits, CSR/ purpose, andreal more! estate, 30

PR FIRMS RANKED BY GEOGRAPHY, PG. 52 PR FIRMS RANKED BY GEOGRAPHY, INDEPENDENT FIRMS RANKED BY NET FEES, PG. 48

June 2020 | www.odwyerpr.com RANKINGS OF HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS, PG. FIRMS, PR HEALTHCARE OF RANKINGS RANKINGS OF TECH PR FIRMS, PG. 26 PG. FIRMS, PR TECH OF RANKINGS PG. RANKED, FIRMS RELS. INVESTOR & FINANCIAL PR FIRMS RANKED BY ANNUAL GROWTH, PG. 51 GROWTH, PR FIRMS RANKED BY ANNUAL

Vol. 34. No. 3 JUNE 2020 EDITORIAL O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS MORE TRUST MEDIA’S 6 36 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF COVID-19 REPORTING 8 PR SPECIALTIES NO REBOUND FOR POST 38 INDEPENDENT FIRMS COVID-19 SPENDING? 9 GREW 7.7% IN 2019 CREDIBILITY DURING 46 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS 48 TIMES OF CRISIS 10 OF MAJOR US PR FIRMS KEEPING HOPE, PURPOSE 48 WINNING TODAY’S IN THE ‘GREAT RESET’ RELEVANCE CHALLENGE COMING TO GRIPS WITH 12 50 LEADING GAINERS OUR NEW REALITY AMONG PR FIRMS PREPARING FOR A 14 51 O’DWYER’S REGIONAL PANDEMIC 16 52 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS THE NEXT WAVE OF IS BIG BUSINESS GAMING 54 PANDEMIC COMMS PAYCHECK PROTECTION? 54 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM OPENING DOORS 18 HOW TO MEASURE Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news 56 EARNED MEDIA IMPACT CRISIS ENGAGEMENT VS. 20 COVID-19 BRINGS CRISIS MANAGEMENT 57 LOSSES TO PR SECTOR TECH GAINS GROUND 22 PERCEPTONS, PREPARATIONS IN CHALLENGING TIMES FROM THE KITCHEN TABLE 24 58 THE END OF MEDIOCRITY O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF TECH PR FIRMS 60 PR AGENCIES LEARN REVENUES UP 10% AT 26 TOUGH LESSONS TOP 10 FINANCIAL FIRMS 62 PROFILES OF RANKED 28 PR FIRMS O’DWYER’S RANKINGS EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2020 OF FINANCIAL PR FIRMS 64 30 WASHINGTON REPORT January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide TOP 10 HEALTHCARE March: Food & Beverage FIRMS POST 14% GAIN 84 June: PR Firm Rankings COLUMNS July: Travel, Tourism & International 32 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CULTURE DURING August: Financial, I.R. & Prof Services Fraser Seitel TIMES OF CRISIS 82 October: Healthcare & Medical FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 34 83 Richard Goldstein November: Technology & Social Media ADVERTISERS 5W Public Relations...... 3 Edelman...... 44-45 ICR...... 59 Qorvis Communications...... Back cover APCO Worldwide...... 5 Evoke KYNE...... 19 Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher...... 67 Sitrick & Co...... 73 BackBay Communications...... 31 Fahlgren Mortine...... 17 LaVoieHealthScience...... 33 Sloane & Company...... 61 Bliss Integrated Communication...... 21 Finn Partners...... 13 Padilla...... 7 Stanton Communications...... 11 Butler Associates, LLC...... 9 The Hoffman Agency...... 27 PAN Communications, Inc...... 15 The Stevens Group...... 8 Cerrell Associates, Inc...... 63 Hotwire...... 25 Prosek Partners...... 29 W2O Group...... 37 Crosby...... 23 The Hoyt Organization...... 57 rbb Communications.. Inside front cover

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EDITORIAL Did Fox News fan social distancing revolt? oes Fox News, which downplayed the threat posed from COVID-19, bear any responsibility for the deaths of 100,000 Americans who perished from the disease? An intrigu- EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ding study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (Cambridge, MA) released Kevin McCauley May 26 provides grist for that argument. [email protected] Conducted by researchers at Columbia University, University of Chicago and SafeGraph, a geospatial company, it found that exposure to Fox News during the early stages of the pandemic substantially lowered compliance with social distancing regulations. The research shows PUBLISHER that a one percent increase in Fox News viewership reduced adherence to stay-at-home guide- John O’Dwyer lines by about nine percent. [email protected] The analysis was based on data from SafeGraph social distancing data compiled from GPS pings from 45 million mobile devices measured in conjunction with Fox News viewership rates. The researchers make it clear they “do not attempt to attribute the Fox News effects to SENIOR EDITOR health outcomes, namely cases and deaths.” Jon Gingerich They do point out that after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 an interna- [email protected] tional public health emergency on Jan. 30, Fox News played down the potential risk throughout March as the virus began to spread in the US and Americans were forming beliefs about ASSOCIATE EDITOR the severity of the threat. Steve Barnes Fox host Laura Ingraham accused Democrats of “weaponizing fear” and called them the [email protected] “pandemic party.” Sean Hannity urged viewers to be more concerned about gun violence in CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Chicago than COVID-19. He offered a sympathetic platform to president Trump, who told Fraser Seitel him on Feb. 2: “We pretty much shut it [COVID-19] down coming in from China.” Richard Goldstein The study did not test the exact mechanism through which Fox News viewership persuades individuals against complying with social distancing. The authors argue that the findings are likely the result of contrarian and misleading broad- EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS casts made in early March regarding the effectiveness of social distancing. “Given that these & RESEARCH persuasive impacts arise in spite of highly-publicized social distancing recommendations by Jane Landers health experts, these findings are indicative of the ‘advice discounting’ phenomenon through Melissa Webell which media outlets override expert opinions,” they said. A Fox News spokesperson told O’Dwyer’s the NBER study is merely a working paper that was not peer reviewed. Advertising Sales: There’s also been recent coverage of social distancing on FOX News Channel’s news and John O’Dwyer opinion programs, including “America’s Newsroom,” “Hannity,” “Cavuto,” “Bill Hemmer Re- [email protected] ports” and “FOX & Friends.” Fox medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel told “America’s Ne- wroom” co-anchor Ed Henry he is “deeply disturbed” by images of partiers at Lake of the Ozarks and called on the Missouri Memorial Day weekend partiers to self-quarantine after not O’Dwyer’s is published seven times a year social distancing. Hannity scolded the Ozark partygoers, saying their failure to self-distance for $60.00 ($7.00 a single issue) by the “could be a disaster” for vulnerable Americans. J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. When it comes to those who flout federal health guidelines intended to keep Americans safe 271 Madison Ave., #600 during the pandemic, perhaps there’s no greater violator than President Trump. Two-thirds New York, NY 10016. of American voters want Trump to wear a facemask when he’s out in public, while 27 percent (212) 679-2471 Fae: (212) 683-2750. say he shouldn’t, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released May 20. Ninety percent of Democrats and 66 percent of independents want Trump to cover his mouth and nose when © Copyright 2020 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. outside. Thirty-eight percent of Republicans say the same. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 guidelines state: “Everyone OTHER PUBLICATIONS: should wear a cloth face cover when they have to go out in public, for example to the grocery store or to pick up other necessities.” A face covering, according to the CDC, is meant to pro- www.odwyerpr.com tect others in the event that the wearer has the virus. Breaking news, commentary, useful data- Presidents Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan and Carter certainly would have worn a bases and more. mask during a pandemic, if recommended by the CDC. They considered themselves leaders of O’Dwyer’s Newsletter the government. Trump, in contrast, views himself as a non-president. A six-page weekly with general PR news, The narcissist-in-chief though doesn’t care a lick about others. Americans get it. The Quin- media appointments and placement nipiac poll found that 56 percent of us say Trump doesn’t care about average people. opportunities. The President shuns the mask because he feels it somehow conveys weakness, or an acknowl- edgement that COVID-19 is a deadly virus. O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms Trump’s miserable response to the outbreak is the signature failure of his administration and Listings of more than 1,250 PR firms the reason why the US death toll is moving to the 100,000-mark. Fifty-six percent of Quinnip- throughout the U.S. and abroad. iac respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of the pandemic. That’s up from 51 percent O’Dwyer’s PR Buyer’s Guide in April. Products and services for the PR industry Voters believe Joe Biden would have done a better job in handling COVID-19 by a 55 percent in 50 categories. to 39 percent margin. Hopefully, we’ll find out if that is true. jobs.odwyerpr.com — Kevin McCauley O’Dwyer’s online job center has help wanted ads and hosts resume postings.

6 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT More Americans trust media’s COVID-19 reporting As coronavirus cases continue to spread across the country, the percentage of Americans who believe the media exaggerates the Once again, however, respondents’ polit- risks associated with the pandemic is declining, according to a ical leanings appear as a clear indicator in Pew Research Center study. By Jon Gingerich influencing their perceptions regarding the media’s accuracy and overall performance ews coverage of the COVID-19 pan- the dial hasn’t moved nearly as much for in covering the COVID-19 pandemic. demic continues to dominate the Republicans, 68 percent of whom still be- While about eight-in-ten Democrat and Nmedia cycle, but Americans’ opin- lieve the media exaggerates the risks of Democrat-leaning voters think media have ions regarding the media’s handling of the COVID-19 (a drop of only eight percent covered COVID-19 somewhat or very well, outbreak have generally turned more favor- from the 76 percent of Republican respon- only slightly more than half of Republican able, according to analysis recently released dents who said this in March). and Republican-leaning voters (54 per- by the Pew Research Center. Overall, Pew’s analysis discovered that cent) believe this. And while two-thirds of Pew’s report, which assessed Americans’ Americans approve of the media’s cover- Democrats (66 percent) think the media’s opinions regarding the media’s handling of age of the pandemic, with more than two- COVID-19 coverage has been largely accu- the COVID-19 pandemic, found that the thirds (69 percent) of respondents saying rate, less than half that number of Republi- number of Americans who currently be- they believe the media have covered the cans (31 percent) agree. lieve the media exaggerates the risks asso- outbreak very well—or at least somewhat Americans have COVID-19 news fatigue ciated with the outbreak now stands at 48 well—a number that’s virtually unchanged The continuous flow of news regarding percent, a decline of 14 percent from Pew’s from previous Pew findings in March (70 the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cap- previous findings in March (62 percent). percent). More than half (59 percent) addi- ture Americans’ rapt attention, but it appers Americans’ perceptions regarding wheth- tionally said they think the media are pro- many of us are beginning to show signs of er the media have conveyed the coronavi- viding them with important COVID-19-re- COVID-19 news fatigue. rus’ risks truthfully remain divided, how- lated information, compared to about a According to Pew’s analysis, 71 percent ever, and typically that division lies along quarter of Americans (24 percent) who of Americans said they now have to “take partisan lines. While only 30 percent of disagree. About half of respondents (49 breaks” from COVID-19- related news, respondents identifying as Democrat or percent) also believe the media’s coverage and nearly half (43 percent) reported that Democrat-leaning currently believe the of COVID-19 has been largely accurate, coronavirus news leaves them feeling worse media has exaggerated the risks of the out- compared with 24 percent who think it’s emotionally. break (compared to 49 percent in March), been mostly inaccurate. Amid this constant news churn, half of Americans (50 percent) said they also often still find it difficult determining what’s true and what’s false regarding the outbreak, and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) said they’ve seen at least some COVID-19 news and information that appeared to be fake. Nearly nine-in-ten Americans (87 percent) claim they’re following coronavirus-related news “very” or at least “fairly” closely, figures that remain, roughly, on par with findings from the previous Pew survey conducted in March (89 percent). More than half (56 percent) said national news outlets are a major source in getting that news, compared to 46 percent who primarily cited local outlets. About two-thirds (61 percent) of respondents said they give equal amounts of attention to both national and local sources when it comes to coronavirus news. Pew’s analysis was based on a survey of more than 10,100 U.S. adults drawn from the nonpartisan think tank’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative list of randomly selected U.S. adults. Data for the report was compiled as part of the nonpartisan think tank’s Election News Pathways project, an ongoing initiative that seeks to understand how Americans are getting their news in the months leading up to the 2020 election. Surveys were conducted online between April 20-26. 

8 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Spending may not swing back after COVID-19 Recent changes in consumer behavior brought on by the COVID-19 Meanwhile, the BEA reported that during pandemic might not disappear as quickly as hoped, according to a the same period, personal income de- series of recent reports. creased two percent, disposable personal By Jon Gingerich income decreased two percent and person- .S. retail sales plunged a record 16.4 A Harris Poll survey conducted in April al consumption expenditures decreased 7.5 percent in April to account for the found that 79 percent of respondents said percent. Usingle greatest two-month spend- they’ll likely continue to spend less and save These figures further suggest that in- ing decline on record. As states across the more once the coronavirus outbreak ends, creased job instability and household in- country begin to reopen, however, retail- and more than two-thirds (68 percent) said come declines are influencing many Amer- ers and analysts have been hoping to see a they’ll continue to avoid nonessential trav- icans to hoard their money, a development return to pre-pandemic spending levels as el. that bodes poorly for an economy whose Americans venture outside for the first time An April USA Today/Ipsos poll found growth depends on consumer spending. in months. that COVID-19 had influenced more than According to an April survey released by But that turnaround might not come so a third (35 percent) of respondents to cut the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s easily. Like virtually every other facet of back on spending or delaying an important Center for Microeconomic Data, the per- American life, consumer purchasing be- purchase. ceived probability of losing one’s job within haviors have been significantly disrupted Only 17.8 percent of Americans said they the next year now stands at 21 percent, the by the COVID-19 pandemic. With more currently plan to get a haircut or go to a highest percentage ever recorded in the NY than 38 million currently unemployed and restaurant when the lockdown in their area Fed’s survey since its inception in 2013. millions more expressing trepidation re- is lifted, according to a May Bospar survey. Meanwhile, the perceived probability of garding the stability of their current jobs, So, what are Americans doing with their voluntarily leaving one’s job within the next several recent forecasts now suggest that money? Recent reports suggest they’re 12 months, the probability of finding a job many consumers plan to maintain their saving it. The government’s Bureau of within the next three months and house- COVID spending behaviors even after the Economic Analysis in late April reported hold income growth as well as household pandemic is over, leaving the retail sector in that the personal savings rate in the U.S. spending growth all fell to record-breaking continued uncertainty and further imped- climbed to 13.1 percent in March, total- lows. ing the chances of a speedy recovery for the ing $2.17 trillion in personal savings. This “The data is depressing,” said Bospar prin- U.S. economy. The fact is, it matters little if accounts for the highest savings rate since cipal Curtis Sparrer. “We predict that con- businesses are back if there’s no demand. November 1981. sumer spending will continue its slump.” 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 9 FEATURE Credibility during times of crisis Companies that survive the COVID-19 crisis are likely to be stronger to explain the policies that restricted re- and more nimble for the experience. But they’ll also be evaluated for funds—or at least that is what it looked like how they survived. from the media coverage. Those that made By Michael Sitrick amends later on saw their explanations and good deeds drowned out by the consumer n my decades of experience in crisis Fundamentally, I don’t believe the core as- outrage and media criticism. One of the ulti- communications, I’ve rarely seen such pects of communications will change after mate penalties for this behavior is state-level Iuncertain times as this for corporations the crisis passes, even if it lays waste to some and/or Congressional action, coming inev- and businesses, even following 9/11 and the media outlets. All constituencies—whether itably after politicians haul corporate exec- 2008 recession. Unless you’re in the enviable customers, employees or shareholders—de- utives into hearings where they’re immedi- position of running home delivery services serve and demand transparency. Depend- ately put on the defensive. or toilet paper manufacturing, there are ing on the industry, regulators and politi- Companies need to make a hard analy- few businesses that are likely to remain un- cians may impose it. Better to be ahead of sis when faced with these circumstances: scathed, presuming they survive. Adding to the curve before the steering wheel is taken Is the cost of upfront goodwill less expen- the uncertainty, consumers are bombarded from you, and someone else is driving the sive in the long run than lasting reputa- every day with apocalyptic headlines and narrative. tional damage? If there’s a legitimate reason body counts, not unlike what we experi- I’ve worked with both individuals and for refusing the refunds enced during the Vietnam War, when the corporate clients throughout my career, legally, say so in a clear evening news provided a running tally of many of them facing dire circumstances and and understandable American deaths. make-or-break moments. Inevitably, the way. If you get a report- Except now the war is at home, and those successful ones are those that don’t under- er who debates you on deaths aren’t abstract numbers. They’re our estimate the situation, and plan in advance. the law, get a company neighbors, family members and coworkers. While no one could have fully prepared for lawyer on the phone. The virus is a silent enemy that lives among the crisis we are experiencing, there are sev- You might also look at us, not in some faraway desert or jungle. It eral steps that should be taken. expanding the time pe- hasn’t only devastated our population and Communicating with employees should riod for reusing the tick- altered our lifestyles, perhaps irreparably, it be a top priority. Take whatever steps are ets and perhaps waiving Michael Sitrick has leveled our economy. necessary to ensure the health and welfare the penalty for changing Few companies are unaffected, whether of your employees and communicate with flights or tickets if there is one. While there’s it affects sales, or the health and wellbeing them on a regular basis. Keep them up to no magic potion, I’ve assisted many clients of employees. It has also upended the ad- date on what is happening—both good and where, in hindsight, the crisis could have vertising and PR business, albeit with a few bad. A number of companies have adopted been mitigated early on, before the head- exceptions. Many companies have had to the term “team members.” Whether or not lines and negative stories. scramble to produce new marketing mes- you use that term, treat your employees like One group that’s often overlooked in sages that strike a balanced tone of concern members of the team. The saying I adopted communicating during a crisis are the with branding, while avoiding sounding early in the life of my firm, “If you don’t tell company’s vendors. If you want to ensure like they are tone deaf. Hell hath no fury your story someone else will tell it for you” that your goods and services continue to be like a social media mob that thinks a com- does not only apply to dealing with the me- provided on normal terms, make sure your mercial—or for that matter a social media dia. It applies to communicating with em- vendors hear from you, as opposed to the posting—is out of touch, to say nothing of ployees, customers, vendors and investors. rumor mill, which can be fueled by compet- a journalist who sees such a commercial or You can fill the information void with facts, itors. This is particularly important if your posting or receives an awkward PR pitch. or you can leave it empty and it will be filled company has been the subject of media ar- Companies that survive the crisis are like- with rumors. If there have to be layoffs, ex- ticles which indicate that it’s facing financial ly to be stronger and more nimble for the plain to the entire employee base what you “challenges,” which could cause vendors experience. But they’ll also be evaluated for are doing and why, as well as how it’s nec- to withhold shipments. An email from the how they survived. Were they honest with essary for the current and future stability company’s CEO and/or a call from a senior customers, employees, financial analysts of the business. If you get a call from the executive can do a lot to ensure good rela- and stakeholders? Or did they fumble and media—whether about layoffs or the stabil- tionships continue and unwarranted fears fudge? Despite the title of my first book, ity of the business—once again, if you say are assuaged. “Spin,” in that book—and in my subsequent “no comment” there’s a high likelihood that Finally, how companies respond as one, “The Fixer”—I stressed the importance void will be filled with a disaffected employ- corporate citizens in their communities of telling the truth and being honest in one’s ee, competitor or “expert talking head.” And will also be remembered in the long run. communications. I’ve done the same in my there’s a good chance those quotes will be There’s no shortage of opportunities to do- practice. Full disclosure of problems as soon without attribution. nate to local food banks, or assist first re- as possible is often the best way to avoid giv- How customers are treated is another sponders, in times of crisis. For companies ing a story “legs,” in which new revelations area that gets outsized attention during with strong balance sheets, these are small, dribble out that create mistrust. While the this crisis. The airlines, concert promoters symbolic efforts that pay back far more than up-front disclosure may create short-term and vacation home rental industry were they cost. And, the charity recipients are of- challenges, a company’s reputation will be harshly criticized early on in this crisis for ten happy to do the work of publicizing the better for it in the long term. And as I often refusing to refund money when trips and good deed. counsel clients, if you don’t tell your story, events were cancelled due to government Michael Sitrick is the Founder, Chairman someone else will tell it for you. lockdowns. Many companies struggled and CEO of Sitrick And Company. 

10 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Inspiring hope, purpose in the ‘Great Reset’

Maintaining your client’s brand promise in a post-COVID-19 era by Essential service stories reinforcing the appealing to empathy, intellect and a shared sense of purpose. value of good things we may have previously overlooked. Food companies that adhere By Michael Roth and Meg Wildrick to high quality sourcing standards, online n early March, we witnessed a dramat- tem: one that reacts to danger/threats with retailers that deliver products on schedule, ic media shift as COVID-19 became the a “fight or flight” response and one that re- and healthcare professionals that work on INorth Star of all news. The lens through sponds to opportunity/purpose. We’re at our the front lines every day: these are the he- which we were viewing society became best when the two systems are in balance, roes we no longer take mirrored in the content we were reading, prompting us to take meaningful action. for granted. hearing and seeing. Financial, sports, retail, The 24/7 COVID-19 news cycle throws our Customer service arts and leisure, travel, real estate and, of brains out of balance, offering up a steady stories demonstrating course, healthcare news have had to mainstream of anxiety-producing data on infec- a brand’s commitment tain a connection to the global pandemic. tion rates, deaths, unemployment numbers, to go the extra mile. And so, agencies began scrambling to assess food shortages and partisan politics. While some companies their clients’ relevance to the new national This puts us in constant panic mode and have downsized or fur- conversation, while corporations focused stifles our ability to move forward. On the loughed their service on their core operating fundamentals and other hand, brands that cut through the departments—and oth- Michael Roth their very survival in a new world that once constant barrage of negative headlines help ers have done a poor seemed inconceivable. For both parties, the us regain balance by appealing to a shared job of retaining workers challenge was to reset marketing messages sense of purpose. amid safety concerns—a for the new normal: testing storylines for Story themes and topics that have worked handful have doubled relevance and tone while tapping into new well during the crisis include: down and increased the sources of creativity and agility. Mental health stories focusing on the attention and support So, what went right and what could’ve need to manage anxiety and depression. they provide to custom- been done better? Before the pandemic, there were only pock- ers. First, the bad stuff. We’ve seen a great deal ets of mainstream regard for the negative Resilience stories of health effects of anxiety and depression. individuals, communi- of “square peg in round hole” storytelling Meg Wildrick in paid, owned campaigns that missed the Now, some brands are tackling these issues ties and businesses that mark in terms of relevance. Messaging— head-on by building awareness for the im- are bouncing back from some of it sounding a little desperate—came portance of mental health and offering solu- hardship and embracing a new normal. in the form of “we’re here for you” commu- tions that can be accessed at home, at work This, of course, is an incomplete list. But nications from the likes of automobile mak- and in communities. it underscores a need that’s now universal: ers, airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines and Connection stories showcasing the bene- balancing fear and negativity with stories dog food manufacturers. The good people at fits of face-to-face communications. Before that inspire purpose and hope. Frito Lay wanted you to know that their pri- COVID-19, loneliness was a growing—yet The reset moment mary concern is the health and nutrition of invisible—public health crisis. Today, tech For all the devastation it has caused, the our nation, so they’re taking action by feed- companies, as well as tele-health and educa- pandemic has also been a humanizing mo- ing our families—with Fritos, Cheetos and tional organizations, are offering new solu- ment. It has reminded us of the good things Doritos—while creating jobs. Meanwhile, tions. we have in our lives and the bad things we Hershey’s kisses recommended spreading Charitable giving stories celebrating ac- need to solve for. Several writers are refer- love from a safe distance—with chocolates. cess to food and shelter, health and human ring to this moment as “The Big Reset.” Lexus went so far as to tell customers that services and community support. Before “In the middle of fear, economic crisis, and this is time for “business as usual,” because the crisis, it was possible to turn a blind eye social distancing there is a growing sense of they’ve always “put their customers first and to the importance of low-income housing, closeness,” Josh Bersin wrote in Forbes. “Re- understood their needs.” food pantries and “shop local” initiatives. gardless of how soon this is over, it’s clear The problem is there’s nothing usual about Now, there’s a heightened recognition of we are in the middle of The Big Reset, a new this moment, and claims to the contrary un- their importance and a collective rallying way of thinking about work, life, business intentionally tell a different story, i.e., that cry to provide solutions. and leadership … some are hiring; others companies don’t want customers to aban- Guidance and direction stories helping are furloughing. But the biggest issue they don them during the pandemic. us move beyond family and financial hard- face is fear in the faces of their employees.” Now, the good stuff. During moments of ships. A number of insurance, banking and Brands that demonstrate genuine empa- fear, loss and uncertainty, companies and retirement companies are giving Americans thy—to employees and customers—have an agencies have an opportunity to help cus- of all ages and income levels easy access to opportunity to connect with stakeholders in tomers by providing them with the infor- tools, information and guidance resources. a way perhaps previously impossible. They mation, support and guidance to move for- Nimble adaptation stories spotlighting also have an opportunity to evolve their ward. By engaging customers’ intellect and those racing to find treatments, produce brand promise and lead the way forward in hearts, they create strong bonds that endure safety equipment and fund new diagnos- a post-COVID-19 era. beyond the current crisis. tics and tracking tools. Car companies, en- Michael Roth is Partner and Healthcare Brain science and effective storytelling trepreneurs, public health and life sciences Practice Leader and Meg Wildrick is Manag- Studies in brain science show there are companies are pivoting quickly to tackle ing Partner at Bliss Integrated Communica- two channels in the human nervous sys- critical health and safety challenges. tion. 

12 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Coming to grips with our new reality How to move forward: six business considerations for getting back Community relations gains relevance to work after COVID-19. Insurers returning premiums to policy- By Matt Kucharski holders. Hotels converting to field hospitals. Restaurants offering free meals to medical hen we were presented with the matter, with new Distancing & Disinfecting workers. Nothing sharpens the focus of opportunity to contribute a col- teams emerging to keep customers and em- community relations like a global pandem- Wumn to O’Dwyer’s, we planned to ployees safe. ic. The potential for an extended economic focus on brand strategies and change man- So, what do you need to do? Quickly and downturn is amplifying the entrenched in- agement after mergers and acquisitions. constantly assess how customer values and equities in society, and public-private part- Then COVID-19 hit, and we switched to behaviors are changing. Rapidly respond nerships and corporate contributions are crisis and issues management. But we real- with innovative new offers and experiences. swaying headlines, hearts and minds. ized that no matter the topic, it would be out Assess your technology stack’s ability to de- Civic responsibility is of date by the time it got to publication. liver. Implement rapid test-and-learn cycles the core of communi- So instead, we decided to look ahead, and operationalize what works. Then create ty relations. The 2008 beyond the challenge of the day, and share content and connection strategies that build recession forced busi- some thoughts on what professional com- awareness, drive customer acquisition and nesses to consider the municators—both clients and their agen- encourage loyalty and referrals. long-term economic cies—will be managing over the long term. Fighting anxiety with clarity, transparency value of connecting with The following is our collective perspective. From a financial communications stand- community—earning New table stakes for engagement, culture point, one constant truth magnified by their social license to As work-from-home restrictions loosen, COVID-19 is that uncertainty breeds vola- operate. The time for employee engagement needs to go beyond tility. The jagged rise-and-fall of the markets pandering is past. The Matt Kucharski the near-term operational communications is not likely to change given that return to public is neither gullible necessary to bring them back to work safely. “business-as-we-now-know-it” will be any- nor guileless. Commitment to a commu- Smart businesses are using this time to an- thing but linear. nity’s well-being must be expressed organ- ticipate and adjust to what kind of employer There are always key inflection points ically and authentically. Organizations can they want to be. requiring effective communications with no longer respond with feel-good efforts or Employees will ultimately determine the investors. Whether it’s the expiration of token endorsements of social movements. ability to pivot quickly and successfully. stay-at-home directives, the emergence of Self-aware organizations know publics are Moving from in-person to digital self-ser- new market opportunities or the elimina- watching. Businesses need to dig deeper vice? Shifting from low cost to high quality? tion of others, every development requires into their corporate psyches—and pocket- Changing processes and operational mod- interpretation and context. If you don’t do books—to earn lasting goodwill and mean- els? None of it happens if employees don’t it, others will do it for you. ingful visibility. get on board—fast. You mitigate uncertainty with clarity, and Expect to see community relations focus Involve employees in problem-solving that requires being abundantly transparent more on basic needs, addressing the per- and visioning. Ask them to identify the cul- within the confines of the business and/or sistent gaps that unfairly disadvantage those tural gaps that are likely to hold you back. industry. Information helps investors and who are deemed different or less-than. For Make sure the business strategy is clear and analysts form a clearer picture of your direc- their efforts, those who practice communi- well-articulated, and then double down on tion and, in turn, lessens uncertainty—and ty relations authentically will be elevated to communications. Engaging employees now therefore volatility—in what lies ahead. the role of “essential providers” in the public will help to build the resilience and determi- The inevitable rise of legal disputes eye. The potential rewards are significant: nation needed for the long recovery ahead. While it doesn’t thrill any of us, it’s inev- goodwill, support, loyalty—even advocacy. Reinventing the customer experience itable. Expect more and more legal chal- You’ve got a seat at the table—keep it COVID-19 resulted in a cycle of rapid in- lenges as the interests of one group come There’s not a single organization that novation. Companies quickly assessed new in direct conflict with others. Nurses suing could’ve managed itself effectively over the customer needs and behaviors and launched hospitals. Students suing colleges. Families past three months without effective com- new experiences and offers to re-capture suing senior facilities. Businesses suing gov- munications. That has earned professional the revenue that disappeared with govern- ernments and each other. The list goes on. communicators and their agency partners ment-mandated prevention guidelines. It seems as if we’re all in this together, until a well-deserved seat at the leadership table, Now, companies are looking toward the we’re not. advising on the implications of important new emerging reality and determining Addressing disputes both in the court of decisions and then communicating them if the changes they made in response to law and court of public opinion is nothing authentically and effectively. As we manage COVID-19 will remain, and what long- new, but the issues arising from COVID-19 the effects of this global pandemic on em- term customer experience shifts are needed will have far-reaching implications on the ployees, customers, investors and commu- to remain competitive. burden of proof and responsibility. Take nities, it’s up to the communications team COVID-19 made it clear that digital is an the time now to conduct risk assessments to bring its “A” game and deliver continuous essential part of every business’s customer and identify potential legal vulnerabilities. value to others on the leadership team. Let’s experience. Clearly, there’s no curbside de- Update business liability insurance. Have not squander that opportunity. livery without the underlying e-commerce, standby communications plans in place. Matt Kucharski is President of Padilla. Na- CRM and API integrations with partners And make sure your legal counsel and your talie Smith, SVP; Dan Morrison, VP; Matt that make it all possible. But COVID-19 communications teams are talking to each Sullivan, VP; Bob McNaney, SVP; and Tom also made it clear that humans and empathy other. Jollie, SVP; contributed to this article. 

14 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Preparing for a pandemic How one PR agency found itself controlling the messages for two high-profile COVID-19 news stories on the same day, proving the adage that there’s no template for a crisis. dominant news story was also controlled By Thomas Butler by us. Within minutes, our team was con- veying the EMS story to some of New York n January, our firm took on a new client, was the first confirmed case of coronavirus City’s biggest editors and TV news chan- New York City’s FDNY Emergency Med- in a county of 1.5 million. nels. Both stories got Iical Service workforce. Looking back, the This was going to be disclosed by the told, but because we had ironies are remarkable. health department to the media first thing the size, capacity and The FDNY EMS came to us because its Monday morning. So, we had a few hours ability to conduct a rap- message simply wasn’t resonating with the to prepare? Unfortunately, no, because at id response to manage news media, nor hitting its target with the that very moment the company was hosting two simultaneous crisis public. So, our team got to work. The origi- 150 people in its performance and restau- situations that day, the nal goal was that the workforce needed bet- rant space. outcome was consid- ter positive recognition about the intensive Together, we had to rapidly establish a ered a success by both medical training it undergoes and its sta- plan that considered best-practices but clients. This all illus- tus as front-line, first responders. In many didn’t incite irrational fear. Americans had trates, again, that there’s Thomas Butler New York neighborhoods, the FDNY EMS been reading all about the tragic death toll no template for a crisis. is referred to as the city’s “Street Doctors.” in Italy and China, but the public didn’t For more than 25 years, I’ve experienced But like Rodney Dangerfield, “they got no have sufficient health and medical infor- my fair share of being called in to help a respect.” mation. How then, would we or anyone corporation, celebrity, CEO or non-profit to In the six weeks that followed, we gained address the public, confronted with such tamp down and then pivot in a positive di- a lot of traction. The storylines we sought alarming news, and not cause permanent rection away from a crisis. Many times, I’ve took shape and began playing out in some brand reputational harm? suggested to various CEOs whose company of New York City’s largest news and edi- Throughout the night and early that reputations were marked with a bullseye, torial pages as well as over the airwaves. morning, the team prepared for a media that the work we can accomplish together, It even brought forward several high-pro- onslaught, and for the health officials’ an- when executed properly, can be a means for file surrogates to stand in unity with this nouncement to come. Believe me, there’s the brand to emerge even stronger. mostly female, underpaid and certainly un- no brand that wants to be first in this type In this pandemic, businesses have need- der-respected workforce. We didn’t plan for of scenario. When the announcement was ed to scramble simply to survive. Despite a crisis with this client, but then the world made by the health department, the com- some nerve-wracking early weeks, the fact changed. pany addressed the media inquiries in a that our firm has a significant crisis man- That very same client, the 4,500 mem- prepared statement from our firm, factual agement practice and long-established bers of the FDNY EMS that months ago but not alarmist, while steadfastly protect- work teams that mirror the operations of a feared its lower profile had become an im- ing the privacy of the employee. newsroom, I believe has given us a greater pediment, had now been foisted into the The company announced it was immedi- resiliency. limelight of American heroes battling the ately closing to the public for several weeks, Throughout this pandemic, we’ve execut- COVID-19 pandemic. to recognize a multi-week quarantine pe- ed crisis plans—some made on the fly—for The resources required by the agency to riod agreed to with the health department dozens of clients in unchartered waters, address various storylines and a long and and to voluntarily conduct a deep steriliza- regardless of their industry. The shuttering winding list of news media is significant, tion of its facilities. By now, we’ve all heard of retail locations and protection of staff but the client has graced most of the ma- about deep cleaning thousands of times or overcoming concerns regarding layoffs. jor network television news channels, and over, but back then it was still news. The In this time, when the existence of many with frequency and repetition told its story firm addressed every media inquiry and long, well-established brands is threatened, to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the coverage was fair, considering the com- it’s the innovative, out-of-the box thinking AP, Reuters and hundreds more. pany had the misfortune of being first. We’d that our industry is recognized for that will Our original goal was to highlight the battened down the hatches for the day-two come out in the end. I’ve spoken with many vital works EMS workers do and the need narrative, and then, something unexpected peers in the PR, marketing and advertising for them to be better compensated. As the happened. side of the business and many have said coronavirus struck, we entered the heat of That day, we received a mid-day call from their world has been turned upside down. battle—with no off-the-shelf game plan— the leader of the FDNY’s EMS union to By this point in my career, having worked and were able to bring that important mes- notify us that it now had the first positive with hundreds of companies, brands, cam- sage to a massive audience. coronavirus case among New York’s first re- paigns, litigations, I thought, frankly, that Similarly, in the earliest days of the out- sponders. He said, “we need to get the word I’d experienced so much, including repre- break—nearly two weeks before the state out to the media now.” senting the FDNY’s firefighters before and stay at home order—I received a call from If you work long enough in this business, after the 9/11 attacks and standing amidst the Co-CEOs of a prominent consumer you’ll always find a time when that big cli- the rubble at Ground Zero. But then a pan- beverage brand. Only 30-minutes earlier, ent news scoop misses, simply because a demic occurred. they’d been notified by an employee—now bigger news event comes along. It just so Thomas P. Butler is President of Butler As- in the hospital with pneumonia—that he happened that on this day, the bigger, more sociates Strategic Communications & PR. 

16 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE The next wave of pandemic communications Ways in which our communications strategies will evolve in the your seat at the table. Use this exercise as a coming months as we navigate the COVID-19 crisis. tool to help your executives look at the company through an external lens and perhaps By Syreeta Mussante realize there are business shifts to be made. Bring out the big guns don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. can be your friend here, and remember, Many companies work to shield their As communications professionals, we’ve sometimes no coverage is the best result. CEOs and founders from crisis situations. Ibeen in crisis mode for months now. As Everything you do remains in the context In fairness, I’ve given that counsel before: of the pandemic select a crisis spokesperson and deflect all we lick our collective wounds, take a deep breath and begin to contemplate a potential Returning to the office isn’t the end of questions in their direction. Beyond the return to the office, it makes sense to also this issue by any stretch of the imagination. top-level crisis resolution messaging, keep begin looking forward to the next phase of And we’re all trying to find ways to return the CEO focused on the business and the vi- the pandemic response and how our com- to “normal,” whatever that now means. Re- sion. And certainly, if there’s a supply chain munications strategies will have to evolve. porters too are getting tired of the deluge of expert or you have a healthcare division, Phase one was emergency response. COVID-19-related story pitches and hun- those folks should con- Stakeholders needed to know: Can we en- ger to return to their assigned beats. And tinue to have a signifi- sure business continuity? How is our supply yet the COVID-19 media coverage contin- cant communications chain being impacted? Are we being good ues, from every angle. Don’t make the mis- role. corporate citizens and giving something take of believing that your announcements, But this is not your back? Not to mention addressing the ques- actions and predictions can be viewed in a typical crisis. This is a tions our teammates have: Is my job secure? neutral light. Even when we try to ignore new normal. If your se- Will I be furloughed? How will you keep me it, the pandemic surrounds us. Masks, nior executives are in safe at work? How will you support the shel- limitations on personal freedoms, record hiding, it’s time for them ter-in-place requirements, and can I work numbers of unemployed: all these things to come out. If you want remotely? permeate our personal lives. It will continue to really reassure your Syreeta Mussante The good news is that most of us have to impact the response, by media and our various constituencies done the work to address these initial issues. stakeholders, to our actions for some time that you’re confident in your business’ abil- Some of them continue of course, and in to come. Connections will be unearthed or ity to persevere, they need to hear it from some cases are exacerbated by how long this inferred, and those connections will drive the folks at the top. COVID-19 is the world pandemic is lasting. But we have a handle the coverage. The only real way to maximize that your business must succeed in; this is on these communications issues. For U.S. your visibility and still control the story—a a C-level conversation. It’s time for top ex- companies, it’s time to turn our attention to little—is to draw those conclusions yourself ecs to emerge as the thought leaders and the next phase of this crazy situation: the re- and move quickly back to your narrative. visionaries they claim to be. How can your turn to the workplace and the new business Which reminds me … executive platforms evolve to encompass climate. The world has changed, and that Refresh your narrative our new reality, and how is your company might mean some big strategic shifts for As a strategist, I’ve counseled many com- going to demonstrate true leadership in this marketing. What do we need to think about panies on the development of their “North new climate? Answer these questions inter- next, from a communications standpoint? Star” or company narrative. I’ve helped ex- nally now. If your thought leader is better It’s time to tell the world that you’re open ecutives and founders articulate their per- in written form, use the blog or contribute for business and ready to face whatever spective on what’s happening in the world, an article to get your ideas out to the public. challenges this new environment and all of what major shift or sea change is approach- Contribute your insights to the industry di- the complexity it brings. ing and why their company is uniquely alogue. Don’t be afraid of the conversation, Put your employees first—publicly suited to address their audience’s needs in welcome it. Winners want the ball. I shouldn’t have to tell you by this point this new environment. And I’ve stated hun- If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that that how you take care of your employees dreds of times that this shouldn’t be a mov- facing our shared issues openly is a much can have a significant impact on the percep- ing target; an authentic company narrative more effective strategy than keeping your tion of your brand. Wal-Mart and Amazon isn’t something that changes often. But this head down and hoping not to be noticed. have been poster children for this brand might be the time to do it. This is especially true in a crisis. If you have issue of late. As business leaders, I assume I’m not suggesting you make a major a security breach, it’s far better to go public you’ll authentically think about the treat- positioning shift. Presumably, your narra- quickly and reassure constituents proac- ment of your employees as they eventually tive addresses issues that still exist. But the tively than to try to conceal the problem. If begin returning to work. As a communi- world has changed dramatically; this is a you’re ousting an executive for misconduct, cations strategist, I encourage you to share moment where the environment has shift- you tell your story first, drive the narrative your thinking publicly, to think about this ed perceptions in ways that you didn’t likely and reassure stakeholders that everything as a defensive maneuver. You don’t have anticipate when you developed your brand. is well in hand. In the new normal that is to—in fact, probably you shouldn’t—try to Your investors, customers and prospects are COVID-19, the same rules apply. Reassure get media coverage for your actions, which looking at the world through a new lens. the world that you’re ready to handle this after all are done in the interest of good Take a moment to consider if your narra- new environment and all that comes with it. business and humanity; but a blog post or tive needs to become more inclusive, more Frankly, we could all use a little reassurance publicly shared internal memo to employ- human or more sensitive to the new world these days. ees can give you a hedge against a potential order. Communications leaders: this is your Syreeta Mussante is North America Man- negative perception. A little transparency responsibility and the reason you deserve aging Director at The Hoffman Agency.

18 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Opening doors Past crises have shown there are often tremendous opportunities content development has become a core to serve clients in new ways, and we’re already seeing this play component of our work today. out amid the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying attuned to the new opportunities So, what doors are opening during this By Bill Haynes crisis? Thus far, the disruption caused by “In the universe there are things that are fice in financial returns when making ESG the pandemic has unknown, and things that are unknown, and in investments. derscored the need for between them there are doors.” We’re proud to help our clients communi- an integrated commu- —William Blake cate with the media and their other constit- nications program that uents during this time. At BackBay, we’re leverages the full array n this era of uncertainty, this march of seeing doors open, and selectively walking of earned and owned Mondays where the future is murky and through them to embrace new opportuni- media. Digital tools Iour minds are often muddled, we still ties. have been essential to have choices. My father has always ob- To be sure, we’ve had to find ways to suc- help facilitate the kinds served, “If you are perceptive, you can see ceed in difficult environments before. In of connections that had doors opening.” And in adversity, if we pay the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 and the previously been made at Bill Haynes attention and have an open mind it’s often ensuing Great Recession, reforms to the conferences and in-per- the case we can recognize where the oppor- banking system led to significant oppor- son meetings. The crisis has also highlight- tunities lie. tunities. As banks spun-off their private ed the importance of BackBay being a stra- Indeed, we have clients who are paying equity businesses into independent com- tegic and tactical extension of our clients’ attention and paying it forward. Vital Cap- panies, BackBay helped these firms create teams. And our flexibility has allowed our ital, for instance, is a pioneering impact new brands. We developed and refined a clients to pivot quickly from crisis to op- investor focused on companies in sub-Sa- research process for identifying the brand portunity. haran Africa. The firm, rather than sit on essence of investment organizations, creat- The crisis has also underscored the im- its hands amid the uncertainty, recently an- ed new names, logos, websites, marketing portance of specialization and being part of nounced a new debt facility that provides collateral, and created excitement around a particular ecosystem, where participants loans to promising businesses to help them the spinoffs through coordinated media know each other and can serve as referenc- get through the coronavirus pandemic campaigns. These initiatives led to long- es and referral sources. For BackBay, those while continuing to offer essential services. term engagements with those firms and specializations are private equity and ven- Alumni Ventures Group, one of the world’s imparted considerable experience as we ture capital, impact investing, asset man- most active venture capital firms, has fol- fine-tuned our process and continue to ap- agement, and fintech. lowed a similar tack, launching a post- ply and iterate it regularly with new clients Historically, we’ve always done better in COVID Fund focused on entrepreneurial seeking to augment their market position- new business pitches and long-term en- companies working to shape and accelerate ing. gagements when the prospective client val- the world’s recovery from the COVID-19 Likewise, when financial services com- ues substance over flash. Ironically, we’re crisis. Many of our private equity firm panies began to adopt social media tools finding that it has been easier to have a sub- clients are likewise helping their existing to disintermediate traditional channels, we stantial initial conversation and get to know portfolio companies manage the crisis and quickly got up to speed on the best ways to prospects and clients better over Zoom than looking for new opportunities to invest. leverage the medium on behalf of our cli- across a large conference room table. The Our asset management clients are simi- ents. And as social media strategies evolve, conversations and dialogue between teams larly searching for value in the market and we continue to provide clients with strate- seems less orchestrated and more genuine. counseling clients on asset allocation and gic counsel, and for many, we will help in Especially when their cat jumps onto their taking a long-term view of their invest- the execution of these strategies through desk during the video conference or you ments. Meanwhile, our fintech clients are writing and designing their posts and fa- can see a shower curtain in the background pursuing opportunities in digital payments, cilitating engagement with new audiences because the bathroom is the only quiet upgrading core banking systems, making and networks. Some have even handed us room in the house (a common scenario for trading more accessible to retail investors, responsibility for managing the social me- people with toddlers running amok). These and providing access to data and analytics dia accounts of their firms’ principals. interactions, however, emphasize how we offering insights into consumer behaviors, As the media outlets consolidated and are all in this together, dealing with wor- investment trends or business processes, journalists became overwhelmed, social ries and inconveniences, and the extent to in addition to other areas across financial media and other electronic communica- which a little kindness and understanding services. tions enabled “owned” media to proliferate. can go a long way. During these periods of dislocation in At BackBay, we recognized that to take full The pandemic is truly a tragedy and it will which so many compromised communities advantage of these new platforms, our cli- take a long time for life to return to normal. are unduly affected, our impact investing ents needed compelling content. We hired But people are using their ingenuity and clients also are driving awareness around journalists who were knowledgeable about dedication to get through this liminal pe- the potential for sustainable investments financial services, adept at research, and riod and create some order amidst the cha- to combat climate change, improve gover- could recognize and write interesting ar- os. Between now and then, there are doors. nance and help reverse social inequality. ticles for the executives at the companies Which door will you open? Importantly, our impact clients are also we represent. Along with message devel- Bill Haynes is Founder and CEO of Back- emphasizing that there need not be a sacri- opment, media relations and social media, Bay Communications. 

20 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Crisis engagement versus crisis management One medical expert recently, in attempting Professionals in our field speak often about “crisis management,” to explain evidence of severe blood clotting but if communicating in the era of COVID-19 has taught us anything, in COVID-19 patients, went into a discus- it’s the need to consider a new approach. sion of “antiphospholipid syndrome.” It By Peter V. Stanton turns out a layperson’s alternative wording could be “sticky blood.” Those words are ince the onset of the COVID-19 pan- begins with a set of guiding principles that much more easily understood and prompt demic, business and management translate into actions suitable to a wide va- curiosity as to what that is exactly. Sjournals have been filled with arti- riety of contingencies. Here are some possi- Similarly, corporate communicators can cles about communication tactics during a bilities that are consistent with Engagement dispense with the jargon of their industry crisis. What to say. When to say it. How to versus Management: and words commonly muster your team. The advice pours in from Principle one: be open and honest accepted in the board every quarter. At the risk of adding to such Honesty maybe the best policy, but it room, speaking instead chatter, one idea may be worthy of special doesn’t come easily to organizations ever with clarity that is nei- consideration. mindful of liability. There can be risk in say- ther condescending nor The very idea of “management” is one of ing, “Here is what we now know and what open to misinterpreta- command and control in a top-down style we do not yet know.” But, our stakeholders, tion. Words that may of leadership. Decisions are made. Direc- if not our attorneys, always will credit us for seem commonplace tions are given. Actions are taken. Messages saying as much, especially when we go on to such as “benchmarking,” are delivered. All of this is very authoritari- describe what we are doing to fill the infor- “OEM’s” or even “supply Peter V. Stanton an. We can see the result of such a top-down mation gaps. chain” can be unfamiliar management style in the way people reacted At the same time, openness requires to those outside the corporate environment. to prolonged edicts about curtailed busi- that we take the initiative to communicate The words “comparisons,” “parts producers” ness, economic and social activities. While quickly rather than risk the perception we and “suppliers” can be far more accessible compliance occurred in the short term, re- are disengaged or, worse, paralyzed by con- substitutes for a broader range of audiences. sistance emerged in the long run. Part of the fusion. Such outreach very early in a crisis Principle four: provide context reason is the manner in which many gov- does not require that we provide all the an- This health crisis brought about a wide ernment officials communicated. “I have swers. It requires that we describe our pro- array of restrictions that often differed from decided.” “This ‘order’ takes effect immedi- cess, our commitment, and our empathy state to state. But residents of one state had ately.” “These regulations are imposed …” for those most negatively affected. Adding equal access to the news of other states and While society may need some measure of how we intend to continually share updated could easily identify differences and incon- direction from government officials during information ensures that our stakeholders sistencies. When a new rule appeared to a pandemic such as this, the language of know we are not spouting platitudes, but make little sense or was radically opposite orders, regulations and imposition doesn’t demonstrating responsible management what an adjacent state mandated, the result foster good will or acceptance on behalf of action. was often confusion and, ultimately, dissen- private sector entities. Principle two: listen carefully sion. Compare this to the original rationale To be sure, corporate communicators During the COVID-19 crisis, press brief- for restrictions of any kind. Health authori- rarely adopt such terms, but the way in ings and public pronouncements and pre- ties in Washington, D.C. discussed “Flatten- which decisions are made and expressed sentations sparked negative and, in some ing the Curve.” They explained what they nonetheless has a profound effect on per- cases, even hostile reactions. The key to meant by that and why such an approach ception. More than a few major corpora- Engagement is to maintain a posture of re- was vital. Generally speaking, people un- tions find themselves today striving to respect and interest rather than responding to derstood and complied. In the beginning, store reputation due to statements poorly negativity in like manner. Letting the audi- there was a broad, general consensus about framed and expressed. ence know that you care about their points the need to do nearly unheard of things, be- “Crisis Engagement” is a far more enlight- of view and appreciate their willingness to cause people understood the reasoning be- ened way to think about what we should be share their thoughts, can significantly im- hind those measures. doing in circumstances such as this. prove the potential for reasoned dialogue. Corporations that take the time to put An Engagement strategy calls for dia- Tonality during a crisis is more important their decisions into context, sharing the logue, transparency, explanation and open- than ever. Words convey not only our mes- rationale for their actions and providing a ness. Business leaders often speak of such sage, but also the personality and character framework for continually reevaluating gain characteristics or build them into a state- of our brand. In an increasingly global com- favor from consumers and the press even if ment of corporate values, but living those munication environment, we must addi- their actions are not immediately popular. values requires that we go well beyond sim- tionally ensure that our ideas and meanings At least it’s understood such actions also ar- ply posting them to the corporate web site. are culturally suitable and understandable, en’t capricious. Building a crisis strategy should never be that our words express the same things in Crisis Engagement must become the new a scenario-based exercise. All too often, the different languages, and our written and approach to navigating difficult waters. scenario we failed to anticipate is the one verbal outreach is done in a measured and Corporations that continue to apply tradi- that arises. Likely there were very few, if any, disciplined fashion. tional “management” thinking and action COVID-19 communication plans on the Principle three: speak clearly will see their brands and reputations suffer shelf waiting for this specific set of circum- People around the world have experienced as a result. stances. a rapid education in medical terminology Peter V. Stanton is Founder and CEO of Instead, a coherent and adaptable plan and systems as a result of the pandemic. Stanton Communications, Inc. 

22 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

REPORT Tech gains ground amid challenging times

O’Dwyer’s interviewed executives at the top PR agencies representing the technology sector to find out what factors contributed to their success this year and what the future holds as an industry known for innovation faces disruption on a global scale. By Jon Gingerich he top 10 PR firms ranked by O’Dw- of putting together the right senior client gies for educational yer’s for technology this year brought team and hiring in growth areas of strategy institutions (including Tin a combined total of more than $476 and insight as well as integrated planning platforms, access, hard- million in tech-related net fees. Eight of this and digital. ware, programs and year’s top 10 tech agencies gained in tech-re- “The Hotwire brand wasn’t well known in distance learning ex- lated billings, and each was also up in O’Dw- the U.S. three years ago and we’ve all been periences) will advance yer’s overall annual rankings—half of them on a mission to connect with the industry due to the COVID-19 by double-digits. Number-one independent here and deliver work for clients that get pandemic, and tech PR giant Edelman now sees technology as talked about,” Kernahan said. will continue to look to its largest practice, accounting for more Looking to the future, Kernahan said innovations in VR, 5G, Peter Finn than 30 percent of its total revenue (or about COVID-19 has companies narrowing down AI and machine learn- $274.6 million). on the most critical busi- ing and cybersecurity as pillars for sector Like most industries, the COVID-19 pan- ness outcomes and growth and momentum. demic has impacted the tech sector in a big asking their PR and More importantly, Finn believes way. The tech industry has faced plenty of communications teams COVID-19 has positioned agencies to help setbacks in recent years, from privacy issues to deliver. As a result, tech clients with lead-gen efforts, as events to data breaches to job-killing robots, each agencies are now being are canceled or moved to virtual settings of which has caused society to reexamine forced to confront and and with traditional media relations being the role technology plays in our lives. refine what works for conducted with more sensitivity. Com- Arguably, however, the technology sector which audiences. bined, these factors have his agency’s glob- is poised to be more resilient than most in “For years we’ve been al tech practice stable as it remains focused the wake of COVID-19. Given that these Heather Kernahan seeing that every indus- on counseling clients as they pivot to sur- companies provided the very offerings try has been figuring vive amid the coronavirus and seek to build that have helped us adapt in these unusual out how to be positioned as a tech company, stronger ties with employees, partners and times—such as streaming services, social and that is accelerating with this pandemic.” customers in the process. media networks and remote working solu- Finn Partners forges ahead “This new environment creates opportu- tions—it isn’t a stretch to consider they’ll Finn Partners held onto its number-three nities to view communications more holis- continue to lead throughout this crisis slot with $32.1 million in 2019 tech-related tically and offer new services to clients who, with untold new advancements we can’t yet billings, accounting for gains of more than pre-COVID-19, might not have considered imagine. Innovation, as it turns out, doesn’t $4.6 million from 2018’s $27.4 million. these offerings,” Finn said. disappear in times of crisis. Founding managing partner Peter Finn PAN picks up number-six slot O’Dwyer’s asked several executives at the said the agency’s technology practice expe- PAN Communications is now ranked top PR firms representing the technology rienced a 15 percent year-over-year growth number-six in O’Dwyer’s tech rankings, world today what the future holds as we in new clients, which he attributes, in part, inching up from the number-seven position balance out an unexpected year and turn “to multi-country assignments with inte- last year after clearing more than $19.3 mil- toward 2021. According to tech PR leaders, grated program elements” such as PR, so- lion in 2019 tech-related net fees to reveal not only will COVID-19 not curb innova- cial, digital and advertising. To address this year-over-year growth of more than $2 mil- tion, our latest global challenge has actually growth, the global independent agency’s lion from 2018’s $17.3 million. presented opportunities for an industry that tech staff grew by approximately 15 percent Executive vice pres- thrives on disruption. this year as well. ident Mark Nardone Hotwire widens lead Finn sees several noteworthy trends cur- said the Boston-based Global tech PR specialist Hotwire ac- rently shaping the tech world. Technolo- tech and healthcare counted for more than $42.1 million in specialist has witnessed tech-related billings in 2019, retaining the a solid lift in its technol- number-two spot in O’Dwyer’s tech rank- ogy practice in the last ings this year with $5.3 million in tech-re- year as brands have be- lated gains from 2018’s $36.8 million. gun to move upstream The U.S. and U.K.-based agency’s growth across various stages of Mark Nardone revealed the biggest overall percentage growth. climb among our top 10 tech firms this year, “The companies that came to us a couple and bested the firm’s own $3.6 million gains years ago as startups and emerging growth in 2018 from 2017’s $33.2 million. brands are now gaining capital and seeing Heather Kernahan, Hotwire CEO, North tremendous success as they enter that mid- America, characterized the agency’s year as stage category and lean more holistically on “really outstanding” and one that’s the result O’Dwyer’s technology PR rankings, pg. 26 _ Continued on page 35

24 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

29. Bospar, San Francisco, CA 466,817

RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN TECHNOLOGY

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $274,677,000 33. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 1,700,000

2. Hotwire, New York, NY 42,161,713 34. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 1,548,647

3. Finn Partners, New York, NY 32,106,000 35. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,274,327

4. Zeno Group, New York, NY 22,648,226 36. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 1,192,453

5. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 19,595,186 37. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 799,308

6. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 19,344,484 38. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 792,669

7. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 18,832,290 39. 360PR+, Boston, MA 724,514

8. ICR, New York, NY 16,671,011 40. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 564,500

9. MWWPR, New York, NY 15,013,280 41. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 525,000

10. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 15,005,000 42. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 518,102

11. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 14,818,082 43. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 488,180

12. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 13,952,000 44. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 357,500

13. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 11,342,681 45. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 331,540

14. Shift Communications, Boston, MA 10,953,765 46. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 322,250

15. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 9,000,000 47. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 258,837

16. Fahlgren Mortine (includes TURNER) Columbus, OH 8,799,734 48. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 248,624

17. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 8,689,663 49. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 210,102

18. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 8,032,000 50. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 159,145

19. Bospar, San Francisco, CA 5,692,505 51. Hunter, New York, NY 150,000

20. Touchdown PR, Austin, TX 4,884,345 52. Akrete, Evanston, IL 148,344

21. March Communications,. Boston, MA 4,693,059 53. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 119,000

22. Lumina Communications, San Jose, CA 4,505,079 54. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 110,003

23. Havas Formula, New York, NY 3,400,395 55. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 109,000

24. SourceCode Communications, New York, NY 3,342,813 56. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 89,983

25. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 3,288,889 57. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 38,416

26. Crenshaw Communications, New York, NY 3,047,435 58. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 35,215

27. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 2,631,389 59. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 30,000

28. Raffetto Herman Strategic Comms, Seattle, WA 2,559,996 60. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 15,481

29. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,395,720 61. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 7,893

30. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,100,000 62. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 6,019

31. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 2,066,442 63. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 4,930

32. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,740,170 64. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 1,169

REPORT Top 10 financial firms see revenues rise 10% For PR firms working in the financial sector, 2019 was overall a bull year, with revenues for the top 10 firms ticking up 9.8 percent to $209.2 million. By Steve Barnes

very firm in the top 10 of O’Dwyer’s Some of the ways in which Prosek says ployee relations and investor relations. rankings of financial PR and investor firms can help make that pivot include vid- The aim of those services, she says, should Erelations agencies saw an increase in eo and virtual fund raising solutions as well be to project an image of safety and stabil- revenues, but the two biggest gainers were as coaching and solutions packages that ity. “We’re advising clients to reassure their the only two to have not cracked the top 10 outline strategies for business development customers and clients about their stability; last year. Finn Partners, which rose from and executive visibility in the virtual envi- telling them to reaffirm their commitment #14 to #6, acquired London-based financial ronment. to the space they’re in; and reassess their firm Moorgate Communications in Febru- Other areas that she sees as likely areas of CSR initiative.” ary 2019, and saw its revenues spike 253 increased activity are financial technology Big Year for BackBay percent to $8.8 million. A 189 percent jump innovation, communications surrounding BackBay moved up from #12 to #11 in this to $3.9 million took Padilla from the #18 bankruptcies and following up on the in- year’s rankings, boasting a 23.1 percent jump spot last year to #10 this year. vestment opportunities that may emerge in in revenues to $3.7 mil- The top five firms all hold the same spot the market ahead. lion. The agency added they did last year. Top of the heap Edelman Vested adds clients, offices, services clients in such financial pulled in $83.6 million, a 4.9 percent in- Vested brought on such clients as Canada services verticals as pri- crease over last year’s $79.9 million. Life, American Express and Scotiabank in vate equity and venture ICR kept the #2 position, with a 3.5 per- 2019, which agency President Binna Kim capital, wealth manage- cent increase taking its revenues to $47.5 attributes to the firm’s “multi-channel, in- ment, fintech and im- million. At #3, Prosek Partners showed a tegrated support, based on a platform of pact investing. 16.2 percent gain, hitting $48.2 million. industry expertise.” BackBay founder and APCO Worldwide’s $11.2 million in reve- Last year also saw Vested open a Toron- CEO Bill Haynes cites Bill Haynes nues (a 4.5 percent hike) kept it in the #4 to office and acquire financial content firm several factors behind slot, while Vested rounded out the five top- Scribe. Kim says that acquisition “enabled what he calls a “record year” for his firm. ranked firms with a 27.1 percent increase to us to deliver turnkey financial content at The first is BackBay’s 92 percent client re- $9.2 million. scale to our clients and new clients.” tention rate. Haynes says that he made client Prosek diversifies In the coming year, retention the agency’s top priority in 2019, Prosek Partners Founder and CEO Jenni- Kim says companies by listening to clients’ business goals and fer Prosek said that her firm’s crisis/special need to rethink the then “working with them to develop and situations practice, which has been dou- ways in which they deploy integrated public relations, content bling each year, was a major driver of its market and communi- development, and digital distribution strat- growth in 2019. cate. “This particular egies.” She also said that Prosek’s strict focus on crisis is challenging be- He also says the agency made a concerted the financial sector (which she termed an cause there’s no prece- effort to drive in-bound new business inqui- “emerging market for marketing”) contrib- dent for it, no standard ries. Focusing on the sub-sectors in which uted to its success, as did its creative ser- of comparison—but si- Binna Kim the agency has particular knowledge was vices, digital and non-PR business. multaneously, it’s a tre- also a successful strategy, as was a strong Offering a diversified set of services is mendous opportunity emphasis on employee engagement. something Prosek sees as a necessity for for creativity and learning,” she noted. Haynes said that continued success in firms looking to keep moving forward She also says that the unstable financial 2020 depends on “being essential to our cli- through the rest of 2020. “Straight-up mar- environment has broadened the relation- ents,” adjusting the agency’s plans to line up keting communications ship Vested has with many of its clients. with client business needs and working as work is in neutral or The expanded services Vested is offering an extension of the client’s team. negative territory right include business continuity planning, em- As regards the effects of the current health now,” she says, “and will and financial crisis, he stresses that “com- likely stay that way for munications and transparency are more most of this year.” important than ever during periods of un- However, the changed certainty.” economic climate will But he also feels optimism about the con- also create new oppor- tinued need for the services that financial tunities, according to PR firms provide. “Financial services is a Jennifer Prosek Prosek. “We see the large and essential part of the economy,” he opportunity to launch said, “and companies in the sector will con- a whole new set of solutions—communi- tinue to need assistance as they move from cations-related and otherwise—that are crisis communications mode to recovery geared toward helping clients pivot from and growth mode.” the old way of doing things and enabling them to thrive in an all-virtual or semi-vir- O’Dwyer’s financial PR rankings, pg. 30 _ Continued on page 35 tual world,” she says.

28 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FINANCE

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $83,645,000 24. KCD Public Relations, Inc., San Diego, CA $989,089

2. ICR, New York, NY 49,124,635 25. 360PR+, Boston, MA 771,240

3. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 48,213,707 26. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 769,590

4. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 11,223,699 27. Akrete, Evanston, IL 710,121

5. Vested, New York, NY 9,236,000 28. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 689,114

6. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,825,000 29. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 671,717

7. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 6,318,683 30. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 538,819

8. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 5,136,000 31. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 515,166

9. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 3,976,000 32. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 426,370

10. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 3,939,768 33. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 366,762

11. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 3,674,919 34. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 360,732

12. RBMG (RB Milestone Group), Stamford, CT 3,433,225 35. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 330,000

13. Caliber Corporate Advisers, New York, NY 2,922,102 36. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 287,000

14. Hewes Communications, New York, NY 2,761,129 37. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 260,237

15. Zeno Group, New York, NY 2,633,958 38. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 230,760

16. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 2,573,000 39. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 173,000

17. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,100,000 40. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 112,953

18. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 1,978,358 41. SPI Group LLC, The, Fairfield, NJ 100,000

19. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 1,692,445 42. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 92,000

20. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,611,164 43. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 79,286

21. Peppercomm, New York, NY 1,571,186 44. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 65,000

22. Havas Formula, New York, NY 1,476,595 45. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 14,469

23. Buttonwood Comms Group, New York, NY 1,212,200

REPORT Top 10 healthcare firms post 14% gain

The top 10 healthcare PR firms posted a robust 14.3 percent rise in 2019 fee income to $565 million, compared to last year’s $480 million, according to the 2020 O’Dwyer’s rankings. By Kevin McCauley he performance of this year’s top 10 “In the last year we opened our fourth of- Jones said JPA broke healthcare PR firms outstripped the 10 fice in Philadelphia and produced work rep- new ground with in- Tpercent gain to $697.4 million for the resented on four continents,” he said. “Em- novative digital cam- top 50 firms on the list. pathy and compassion are universal human paigns, including the Jim Weiss’ W2O Group retained com- traits, and we’re proud to be the champion #NotAwkward cam- mand of the top position. A 30.2 percent of both on a global scale.” paign for Medicines360 surge in fees powered the San Francis- Finn Partners credits deep bench that encouraged women co-based firm to $218.9 Gil Bashe, Managing Partner of Global to share stories about million in fees. Health at Finn Partners, said its strong lead- their reproductive Imre, which ranked ership team is the key to the group’s success, health. Carrie Jones eighth, registered the up 46.3 percent to $31 million. The firm also devel- largest percentage gain That group includes Kristie Kuhl and oped a program for The Physicians Foun- in the Top 10, up 82.6 Fern Lazar in New York, Nicole Cottrill in dation called “Vital Signs: Attend to Your percent as a mix of new Nashville, Alex Borisov in Washington, Joe Wellbeing,” which empowered doctors, business wins; organic Foster on the West Coast, Goel Jasper in Je- colleagues and loved ones to check on one growth and more over- rusalem, Shuchi Joseph in another’s wellbeing. Jones said that program Jim Weiss seas work sparked the Singapore and the Euro- gained traction in helping to destigmatize Baltimore-based firm. pean team led by Chan- the negativity around physicians seeking Three firms broke into tal Bowman-Boyles. help for their mental health. the Top 10 ranks. Evoke KYNE checked in Finn Partners made Evoke KYNE completes integration at No. 6 with $25.2 million fees following two key health-specific David Kyne said his 2019 focus was to the merger of Huntsworth’s Evoke with spe- acquisitions in 2019— integrate KYNE with Huntsworth’s Evoke cial healthcare communications specialist science-based PR/inves- PR & Influence offering to become Evoke KYNE in May. ICR is now the No. 9 ranked tor relations firm Lazar KYNE, a global, unified team with a singu- O’Dwyer’s firm with $18.9 million in fees, Partners in New York, lar purpose and mission. thanks to its January 2019 acquisition of Gil Bashe and Medical & Health “While that was happening, we continued Westwicke Partners, a health-centered IR Consulting, a Par- to scale and diversify shop in Baltimore. M Booth Health, the No. is-based health and biopharma consultancy. our roster of clients, in- 10 firm, is the result of the October 2019 “Our values-based culture, cross-practice cluding nearly 25 per- acquisition by UK’s Next Fifteen Commu- collaboration and commitment to work- cent growth driven by nications Group of Creston’s Plc US assets ing hard and playing nice, is a plus for strong legacy clients, (Health Unlimited). growth-oriented agency leaders,” said Finn. tremendous organic Imre puts empathy into practice JPA bolsters biopharma roster growth and more than In 2019, Imre evolved its strategy and dig- Carrie Jones, who heads No. 12 JPA Health 15 new clients across ital-led service offerings from patient con- Communications, said the firm strategically sectors and geogra- sumer marketing into medical and scientific expanded its client roster with biopharma phies,” he said. David Kyne affairs and HCP marketing. clients and professional societies. Kyne said the firm “We’ve long said we believe that taking The D.C. firm, which enjoyed an 11.2 made more than 30 new hires, invested in a moment to listen can percent rise in fees to $10.3 million, also experienced strategic advisors and appoint- change everything, and expanded its branding capabilities, produced a global head of digital to oversee the 15- that approaching pa- ing award-winning creative, including the plus team. tients and physicians— corporate rebrand for Milestone Pharma- “We also grew our creative, earned media and our clients—with ceuticals. and public health teams globally, and invest- more empathy can be a ed significantly in our robust internal pro- game changer,” said Jeff grams including health and wellness, cor- Smokler, Imre Health porate giving, volunteering and mentorship, President. “We’ve Kyne said. evolved our empathy Crosby expands client relationships Jeff Smokler approach and further Raymond Crosby, CEO of Crosby Mar- put it into practice with keting Communications, said health con- a global product we call Compassionate In- tinues to be the lead growth driver at his telligence.” Annapolis-based firm. The firm registered a Smokler is confident this orchestrated 21.8 percent gain in health fees to snag the effort to live up to his firm’s values will en- No. 7 spot on O’Dwyer’s rankings. sure that it attracts the best talent and brand In 2019, Crosby built on its more than 20- marketing teams who wish to lead the phar- year relationship with Kaiser Permanente maceutical and biotech brands of tomorrow. O’Dwyer’s healthcare PR rankings, pg. 36 _ Continued on page 34

32 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE Culture during times of crisis What business leaders can do to strengthen their internal cultures as they manage through the COVID-19 crisis. all return to the office. By Jennifer Prosek Be the chief hope officer hen people ask what I’m most to do it despite high levels of uncertainty. While it’s important to be transparent and proud of about the agency I start- Giving honest answers is critical, including honest with employees, you also need to give Wed, I never mention our growth, being honest about what you don’t know. them a sense of optimism. We have weekly our client base or the work we do. My an- Anything less can lead to reputational dam- staff meetings, and during those meetings swer is always our culture. It’s not that those age from which you may never recover. I talk candidly about both wins and losses. other things aren’t important. It’s just that Show your human side I also give people tools none of them would even be possible with- Leaders need to realize that everything and strategies they can out the strong, supportive work environ- is on display now. Five years ago, we start- use to make their own ment we’ve built. ed an employee benefit program at Prosek luck. When I first started The COVID-19 crisis has tested our cul- called “Up the Humanity.” It was all about doing this, some manag- ture—and the culture at all businesses— helping people form connections with one ers wondered if we were like never before. Every move a CEO makes another. This is the most “Up the Human- panicking junior staff. I today is being watched. The best talent will ity” moment I’ve ever experienced. We’re asked a group of young judge companies on how they commu- seeing people’s bedrooms on video calls people and it turned out nicated and came together during these and meeting their kids as they wander into that they wanted to hear Jennifer Prosek difficult times, and the organizations with the picture. While it can sometimes be dif- the good, the bad and strong cultures will ultimately benefit. ficult in the moment, embrace the opportu- the ugly. Some had roommates whose lead- What can leaders do to strengthen their nity it provides to get to know colleagues on ers told them nothing—until one day they cultures as they manage through the crisis? a different level. got laid off. People deserve the truth, along Here are a few tips: Create meeting equality with a sense of hope and a course of action. Overcommunicate on multiple levels I’ve also noticed that large scale video I believe our culture has made it possi- In normal times, most employees want calls make it easier for people at all levels to ble for our firm to quickly adapt to rapidly to hear about two things: how the business speak up. Instead of executives being at the changing circumstances, which will ulti- is doing and the impact on their salary head of the table, everyone is in the same mately make us stronger in the future. But and benefits. Today, business leaders need little box on a computer screen. That cre- keeping that culture intact requires vigi- to communicate about so much more— ates what I call “meeting equality.” Leaders lance every day, now more than ever. health, safety, empathy, government re- should be thinking now about how to make Jennifer Prosek is Founder and CEO of Pro- sponse, customer needs—and they have sure that equality doesn’t disappear once we sek Partners.  Healthcare roundup the Chicago Department of Public Health ries of hospitals suing patients for unpaid _ Continued from page 32 to raise knowledge about pre-diabetes bills, the perception of and increase enrollment in a diabetes healthcare providers and significantly expanded digital work with prevention program among underserved had been evolving for Shriners Hospitals for Children. communities in Chicago,” said Zach Sil- some from beloved pro- “We are also at the forefront of helping ber, Chief Innovation Officer. tectors of the commu- federal agencies communicate about the Silber said Kivvit’s healthcare unit has nity to collections-hun- COVID-19 crisis, including work with the invested in leading-edge technology and gry, overcharging, Department of Health and innovative data analy- faceless institutions,” he Human Services and De- sis that enables clients said. partment of Defense,” said to engage with finely Jarrard said 2019 rep- Crosby. targeted audiences. resented a year in which David Jarrard The firm invested in dig- “This work rang- every organization that ital marketing, analytics, es from stakeholder provides care underwent a level of redef- and social content creation mapping that visualiz- inition as the relationships between var- and community manage- es policymakers’ net- ious stakeholders shifted—mergers and ment during the past year. works to building cus- acquisitions continued, disruption from Raymond Crosby It also formally launched a tom digital audiences Zach Silber non-traditional healthcare companies in- military & veterans prac- of advocates, patients, creased and regulatory adjustments affect- tice that leverages its expertise in engaging and consumers via a robust series of ed the finances of healthcare. that community about important health care, proprietary, HIPAA-compliant audience JPC&H developed strategic communi- wellness and family life issues. datasets,” said Silber. cations solutions to guide leaders through Kivvit jumps 12 notches on list JPC&H targets healthcare challenges executive transitions, patient experience Kivvit moved up 12 spots in the rankings to David Jarrard said Jarrard Phillips Cate initiatives and health services company No. 27 with fees of $3 million, up 103.9 per- & Hancock used 2019 to position for the growth acceleration goals. cent from a year ago. rapid, unexpected and transformative Each of these areas has positioned the “We collaborated on several public aware- shifts across healthcare. firm well for helping clients emerge from ness campaigns last year, including a project “With the escalating cost of care, the the COVID-19 maelstrom and either re- with the Illinois Public Health Institute and advent of high ‘surprise billing’ and sto- pair and rebuild or pivot as necessary. 

34 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Technology roundup rus is predicated on the idea that the verti- ecute. Not true. While not the glamorous _ Continued from page 24 calization of technology isn’t just the “next part of our business, our ability to execute shiny object.” As sectors that were once con- client programs month an integrated marketing and PR program,” sidered “traditional” now find themselves after month after month Nardone told O’Dwyer’s. transformed by tech—everything from real also differentiates us Nardone said one area in the agency’s estate, to legal and insurance—these indus- and explains why clients technology practice that has experienced tries find themselves increasingly relying on engage with us.” tenfold expansion is its measurement and technology to bring new levels of experience Hoffman noted that analytics services. PAN has also witnessed to their customers. the definition of a tech an uptick in organic growth within its tech Hoffman hits top ten company has morphed practice as brands that came to the agency The Hoffman Agency enteredO’Dwyer’s in recent years, evolving for earned media now expand into content, top ten for tech for the first time, leaping from vendors to com- social, digital and other integrated areas. from the number-12 positon with $13.6 panies that depend on Lou Hoffman “When we began to ramp up our integrat- million in tech-related billings last year to technology to differenti- ed practice five-plus years ago, this was the $15,005,000 this year to claim our num- ate their products or services. goal, and now it has become our reality,” ber-10 spot. As a result, Hoffman said one could make Nardone said. “Tech brands are approach- CEO Lou Hoffman told O’Dwyer’s that the the argument that most companies today are ing PAN for insights into customer conver- San Jose-headquartered tech agency’s “sweet now tech companies. And with COVID-19 sations within a crowded market, and our spot, the area we believe there’s no agency cratering clients’ sales-lead process with the social listening and monitoring has played a on the planet better than us,” lies in running closure of conferences and trade shows, the critical role in delivering this data.” multi-country campaigns for tech compa- crisis may actually accelerate tech agencies’ Nardone believes the technology sector nies. push into integrated campaigns, content post-coronavirus will come back stronger “Last year saw us reach the tipping point marketing and lead-gen programs. than ever. Venture capital continues to raise as far as critical mass. More than win “That’s why I think demand for tech PR large rounds of funding and seek out new multi-country opportunities, we’re also see- will continue to grow in coming years,” areas of tech in which to invest. And clients ing clients engage with us in a single geogra- Hoffman said. “Big picture, the saying are continuing to turn to agencies because phy and then later expand to other markets. ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ has they’re approaching PR with a different A large percent of our revenue now comes forced us to step back and take fresh eyes mindset than they were 10 years ago, as they from clients we support in two or more to how we can best support our clients. In now recognize integrated marketing’s ability countries.” a weird and ironic way, COVID-19 has de- to produce content that connects their prod- Hoffman also points to the quality of ser- livered an opportunity to the tech industry uct or service with the right audience. vice delivery at his global firm, which was to remind the world that it can be a force More than anything, Nardone said tech’s founded in 1987, as a key factor. for good which is playing out right before continued success in light of the coronavi- “Clients assume that every agency can ex- our eyes.” 

Financial roundup (a hedge that is likely to keep its value), a website The Knot for an insurance carrier _ Continued from page 28 company that roots out financial fraud, and and providing social media content for a a tele-medicine, tele-psychology services UHNW (ultra-high net worth) wealth ad- Dukas Linden sticks to its roots provider. visor. Dukas Linden, which He also cites the expanding possibilities Cody sees a paradigm kept the #7 spot it held that video-conferencing technologies will shift in the way that last year, saw its reve- offer, from the ability to do interviews at any communications will nues rise 16.8 percent hour of the day to the increasing ability of need to be carried out to $6.3 million in 2019, international companies to do interviews on to ensure success in the and agency chairman U.S. networks. near future. “The great- and CEO Richard Du- Some potential down sides: lay-offs of key est opportunity,” he kas attributes a big part client contacts, bankruptcy and restructur- says, “is in rethinking of that to “sticking to ings, and the propensity of stressed out ex- old ways of connecting ecutives to make mistakes. Richard Dukas our roots—media rela- with audiences and de- Steve Cody tions.” “In one year from now,” Dukas said, “we veloping new and inno- Dukas says that while will still be in a downturn.” However, he vative service offerings.” the agency does provide content creation, added that “there will always be opportunity He stresses the need for financial institu- social media support, messaging and for smart, resourceful companies to utilize tions to change which aspects of their op- coaching services, its ability to get compa- PR effectively to grow their businesses and erations they put front and center in their nies coverage in such outlets as the Wall brands.” communications, bringing their skills in Street Journal, Barron’s, Bloomberg and Peppercomm ‘busier than ever’ complex debt restructuring, bankruptcy CNBC is what keeps clients coming back. Peppercomm returns to the list of O’Dw- and divestment into the spotlight. They Dukas adds that the firm secures 500 to 600 yer’s top financial firms this year, with its will also need to “work long and hard on segments per year on top broadcast outlets. $1.6 million in revenues snagging it the #21 communication to restore trust” with their Some of the new clients the agency has spot. customers. brought on in the last year are good in- Peppercomm Founder and CEO Steve He also expects internal communications dicators of where the opportunities lie Cody says his firm is “busier than ever in to grow in importance as companies “face in the new financial world. Dukas says the financial sector.” Its projects over the the multiple challenges engaging the work- those clients include: a firm that sells gold past year included a wedding contest with force during these unprecedented times.” 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 35 RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HEALTHCARE

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

1. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA $218,883,000 35. Shift Communications, Boston, MA $1,472,202 2. Edelman, New York, NY 154,744,000 36. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 1,450,000 3. Spectrum, Washington, DC 33,900,000 37. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 1,249,665 4. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 31,556,300 38. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 1,235,239 5. Finn Partners, New York, NY 31,010,000 39. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,178,004 6. Evoke KYNE, New York, NY 25,149,453 40. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 995,984 7. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 23,420,131 41. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 932,222 8. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 20,995,000 42. Agency Ten22, Cumming, GA 803,475 9. ICR, New York, NY 18,873,911 43. Raffetto Herman Strategic Comms, Seattle, WA 665,954 10. M Booth Health, New York, NY 16,582,440 44. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 631,016 11. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock,Brentwood, TN 12,416,807 45. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 601,000 12. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 10,305,362 46. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 593,655 13. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 9,800,000 47. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 590,182 14. Zeno Group, New York, NY 9,746,452 48. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 565,643 15. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 8,454,957 49. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 511,025 16. Sam Brown Inc., Wayne, PA 6,341,947 50. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 507,455 17. McCabe Message Partners, Washington, DC 5,789,127 51. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 382,105 18. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 4,859,956 52. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 377,000 19. SPI Group LLC, The, Fairfield, NJ 4,700,000 53. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 344,950 20. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,600,000 54. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 320,000 21. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster, NJ 4,372,952 55. Peppercomm, New York, NY 284,061 22. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 3,511,000 56. Perry Comms Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 273,675 23. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 3,389,675 57. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 206,011 24. LaVoie Health Science, Boston, MA 3,270,282 58. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 193,000 25. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 3,149,102 59. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 155,000 26. MWWPR, New York, NY 3,145,208 60. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 154,768 27. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 3,024,369 61. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 152,772 28. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,952,973 62. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 135,000 29. Hunter, New York, NY 2,950,000 63. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 134,943 30. MP&F Strategic Comms, Nashville, TN 2,816,689 64. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 111,540 31. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 2,656,882 65. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 109,496 32. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 2,319,782 66. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 106,000 33. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 2,260,799 67. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 61,584 34. Havas Formula, New York, NY 1,560,052 68. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 33,000

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN AGRICULTURE RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN TRAVEL & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY $13,883,411 2. Edelman, New York, NY 10,133,000 1. Edelman, New York, NY $36,330,000 3. Peppercomm, New York, NY 3,668,793 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 12,498,000 4. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 2,965,000 3. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 12,000,000 5. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 2,056,297 4. J Public Relations, New York, NY 11,149,000 6. Zeno Group, New York, NY 1,827,427 5. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 11,004,894 7. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,652,375 6. MMGY NJF, New York, NY 10,710,041 8. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 531,890 7. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 9,976,317 9. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 370,000 8. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 8,112,253 10. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 154,978 9. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 6,000,000 11. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 59,516 10. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 4,806,932 12. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 35,800 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,487,319 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 2,912 12. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,568,936 13. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 3,000,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN SPORTS & LEISURE 14. Zeno Group, New York, NY 2,724,979 1. Taylor, New York, NY $9,300,000 15. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 2,700,000 2. MWWPR, New York, NY 7,474,187 16. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 2,465,825 3. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 4,029,255 17. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 1,905,975 4. Berk Communications, New York, NY 2,030,195 18. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,800,000 5. Edelman, New York, NY 1,416,000 19. Pineapple Public Relations, Chamblee, GA 1,336,144 6. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 778,000 20. Lion & Lamb Communications, New York, NY 999,000 7. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 662,038 21. 360PR+, Boston, MA 791,390 22. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 625,256 8. Havas Formula, New York, NY 655,188 23. Berk Communications, New York, NY 623,200 9. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 600,000 24. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 508,000 10. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 536,085 25. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 321,863 11. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 350,000 26. Violet PR, Montclair, NJ 314,189 12. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 310,821 27. Hunter, New York, NY 300,000 13. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 302,881 28. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 264,000 14. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 200,000 29. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 200,000 15. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 183,000 30. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 174,544 16. 360PR+, Boston, MA 151,649 31. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 155,000 17. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 148,429 32. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 134,488 18. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 112,470 33. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 132,068 19. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 35,000 34. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 110,700 20. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 33,636 35. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 100,000 21. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 33,367 36. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 54,500 22. Perry Communications Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 20,200 37. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 35,000 23. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 7,050 38. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 15,449 24. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 2,500 39. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 8,531

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN BEAUTY & FASHION Home Furnishings cont.

1. Edelman, New York, NY $82,624,000 12. Havas Formula, New York, NY 642,304 2. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 6,366,720 13. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 415,302 3. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 5,400,000 14. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 408,110 4. Zeno Group, New York, NY 3,861,222 15. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 363,613 5. Turner, a Fahlgren Mortine company, New York, NY 3,617,938 16. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 303,000 6. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 3,487,000 17. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 240,095 7. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,800,000 18. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 236,086 8. Havas Formula, New York, NY 2,630,991 19. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 209,359 9. Hunter, New York, NY 1,600,000 20. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 172,000 10. 360PR+, Boston, MA 1,295,201 21. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 166,767 11. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 1,140,465 22. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 78,000 12. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 952,574 23. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 35,329 13. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 848,000 24. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 10,000 14. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 836,915 15. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 754,250 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENTERTAINMENT 16. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 694,989 1. Edelman, New York, NY $27,050,000 17. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 543,612 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,602,000 18. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 459,000 3. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 5,481,574 19. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 319,692 4. Zeno Group, New York, NY 4,031,254 20. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 200,000 5. Taylor, New York, NY 3,700,000 21. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 147,812 6. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 3,056,891 22. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 146,000 7. 360PR+, Boston, MA 874,767 23. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 136,714 8. Havas Formula, New York, NY 730,472 24. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 128,331 9. Berk Communications, New York, NY 661,250 25. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 123,726 10. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 637,000 26. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 123,000 11. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 519,631 27. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 108,097 12. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 425,295 28. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 102,500 13. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 381,567 29. Berk Communications, New York, NY 55,000 14. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 351,000 30. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 32,000 15. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 299,566 31. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 10,000 16. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 277,060 32. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 4,416 17. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 242,500 18. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 105,224 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN HOME FURNISHINGS 19. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 104,951 1. Edelman, New York, NY $7,646,000 20. Hunter, New York, NY 100,000 2. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,306,722 21. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 92,550 3. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 3,420,644 22. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 85,472 4. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 3,400,000 23. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 79,763 5. Hunter, New York, NY 2,950,000 24. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 65,500 6. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 2,000,000 25. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 49,950 7. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 1,800,000 26. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 39,728 8. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,374,085 27. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 27,592 9. Zeno Group, New York, NY 927,154 28. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 8,840 10. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 830,000 29. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 7,250 11. 360PR+, Boston, MA 659,434 30. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 6,000

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 39 Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN NON-PROFITS AUTOMOTIVE/TRANSPORTATION 1. Kivvit, Chicago, IL $5,298,276 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC $13,118,500 2. Zeno Group, New York, NY 495,029 2. Zeno Group, New York, NY 5,493,631 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 480,000 3. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 3,400,000 4. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 455,182 4. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 2,595,000 5. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 303,273 5. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 2,383,000 6. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 280,947 6. Havas Formula, New York, NY 1,422,413 7. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 259,513 7. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 910,683 8. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 254,462 8. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 803,629 9. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 239,000 9. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 738,000 10. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 227,000 10. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 733,113 11. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 212,359 11. Peppercomm, New York, NY 575,999 12. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 200,070 12. 360PR+, Boston, MA 555,038 13. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 180,700 13. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 509,116 14. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 146,207 14. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 464,863 15. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 123,000 15. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 375,104 16. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 101,548 16. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 250,000 17. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 93,000 17. Serendipit. Phoenix, AZ 144,779 18. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 38,800 18. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 78,000 19. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 38,691 19. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 52,000 20. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 37,527 20. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 6,410 21. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 34,250 21. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 2,700 22. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 31,504 23. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 25,975 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN 24. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 25,459 ENVIRONMENTAL, SUSTAINABILITY & GREENTECH 25. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 7,675 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC $52,755,899 2. Edelman, New York, NY 20,678,000 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN INDUSTRIAL 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 11,220,000 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,808,000 1. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN $5,341,407 5. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,637,398 2. G&S Business Communications. New York, NY 5,311,553 6. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 2,396,450 3. Zeno Group, New York, NY 4,226,285 7. Perry Communications Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 2,129,323 4. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 3,169,201 8. Zeno Group, New York, NY 938,817 5. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 1,738,000 9. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 800,508 6. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,041,810 10. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 625,176 7. Havas Formula, New York, NY 904,577 11. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 512,817 8. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 651,954 12. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 388,000 9. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 377,500 13. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 375,000 10. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 315,734 14. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 371,466 11. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 265,892 15. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 337,337 12. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 163,204 16. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 210,040 13. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000 17. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 198,121 14. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 150,000 18. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 150,062 15. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 108,757 19. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 129,317 16. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 32,444 20. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 104,383 17. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 16,356 21. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 100,000 18. Peppercomm, New York, NY 15,467 22. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 90,000 19. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 10,000

RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN EDUCATION RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN REAL ESTATE/FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT 1. Edelman, New York, NY $12,900,000 2. Finn Partners, New York, NY 8,462,000 1. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA $1,530,537 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 4,388,800 2. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,432,734 4. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 2,364,279 3. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 1,363,359 5. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 1,478,000 4. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 1,304,868 6. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 1,336,430 5. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 812,908 7. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 896,165 6. Zeno Group, New York, NY 804,159 8. Zeno Group, New York, NY 891,384 7. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 697,000 9. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 869,505 10. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 634,665 8. Havas Formula, New York, NY 655,053 11. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 622,375 9. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 572,181 12. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 478,000 10. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 451,075 13. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 370,075 11. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 427,761 14. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 343,807 12. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 338,267 15. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 259,000 13. J Public Relations, New York, NY 194,000 16. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 178,769 14. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 177,570 17. 360PR+, Boston, MA 166,814 15. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 117,320 18. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 160,000 19. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 134,874 16. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 100,374 20. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 134,695 17. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 85,000 21. Peppercomm, New York, NY 128,610 18. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 72,230 22. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 119,727 19. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 54,000 23. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 116,133 20. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 53,176 24. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 110,138 21. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 32,109 25. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 60,000 22. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 21,843 26. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 50,516 23. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 18,000 27. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 48,166 28. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 47,859 24. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 4,700 29. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 33,008 30. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 27,682 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN ENERGY 31. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 14,344 1. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC $10,350,400 2. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 5,968,170 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN PURPOSE/CSR 3. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 3,021,698 1. Finn Partners, New York, NY $3,320,000 4. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 1,129,746 2. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 2,586,614 5. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 978,042 3. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 653,676 6. Zeno Group, New York, NY 801,209 4. Zeno Group, New York, NY 496,690 7. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 655,225 5. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 322,000 8. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 556,570 6. 360PR+, Boston, MA 306,484 9. 7. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 271,700 LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 396,000 8. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 125,000 10. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 348,607 9. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 111,000 11. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 156,701 10. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 57,376 12. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 144,000 11. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 37,391 13. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 6,388 12. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 22,316 14. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 6,045

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $83,834,000 27. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN $489,298

2. MWWPR, New York, NY 9,471,571 28. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 472,000

3. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 8,570,356 29. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 459,989

4. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 7,145,500 30. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 419,281

5. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 6,000,000 31. Peppercomm, New York, NY 415,546

6. Infinite Global, New York, NY 5,959,532 32. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 412,922

7. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 5,788,000 33. Violet PR, Montclair, NJ 394,375

8. Finn Partners, New York, NY 4,146,000 34. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 380,426

9. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 4,018,129 35. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 379,535

10. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 3,600,000 36. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 343,500

11. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 3,441,154 37. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 245,305

12. Zeno Group, New York, NY 2,913,174 38. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 234,125

13. Ripp Media/Public Relations, Inc., New York, NY 2,499,532 39. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 229,668

14. Havas Formula, New York, NY 2,191,579 40. Hunter, New York, NY 150,000

15. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 1,966,466 41. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 150,000

16. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 1,732,988 42. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 109,826

17. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 1,677,532 43. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 89,700

18. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 1,467,000 44. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 77,000

19. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 1,418,000 45. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 43,000

20. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,387,769 46. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 32,625

21. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 1,204,435 47. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 30,050

22. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 1,119,000 48. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 26,500

23. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 920,000 49. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 20,000

24. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 885,320 50. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 16,287

25. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 569,780 51. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 6,175

26. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 519,231 52. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 1,050

42 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM RANKINGS OF FIRMS SPECIALIZING IN FOOD & BEVERAGE

Firm 2019 Net Fees Firm 2019 Net Fees

1. Edelman, New York, NY $109,260,000 24. Peppercomm, New York, NY $1,037,075

2. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 18,817,400 25. Berk Communications, New York, NY 936,500

3. Hunter, New York, NY 16,100,000 26. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 873,557

4. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 15,597,995 27. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 660,379

5. Zeno Group, New York, NY 13,803,895 28. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 594,561

6. Havas Formula, New York, NY 9,335,758 29. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 450,000

7. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 7,660,000 30. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 388,676

8. MWWPR, New York, NY 7,637,440 31. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 375,354

9. Taylor, New York, NY 7,200,000 32. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 364,000

10. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 5,658,579 33. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 322,676

11. Finn Partners, New York, NY 5,085,000 34. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 309,000

12. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 4,600,000 35. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 300,000

13. 360PR+, Boston, MA 4,030,009 36. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 239,465

14. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 3,551,959 37. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 231,401

15. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 3,395,408 38. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 139,348

16. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 3,298,872 39. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 133,139

17. Lion & Lamb Communications, New York, NY 1,869,000 40. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 125,011

18. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 1,784,792 41. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 99,579

19. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 1,605,000 42. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 99,400

20. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 1,254,000 43. J Public Relations, New York, NY 97,000

21. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 1,196,000 44. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 89,000

22. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 1,108,789 45. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 34,300

23. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 1,041,861 46. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 19,799

REPORT Independent PR firms grew 7.7% in 2019 The top 130 independent PR firms posted 7.7 percent average growth in 2019 to $2.89 billion and a 6.0 percent jump in employment to 16,201, according to O’Dwyer’s 2020 annual rankings. By Kevin McCauley he 25 biggest firms showed a 8.1 per- Champions of Diversity award for its “Ac- Kraus said APCO, which ranks No. 3 on cent gain to $2.2 billion in fee income tions Speak Louder Diversity and Inclu- O’Dwyer’s rankings, is “seeing immense Tand a 5.6 percent uptick in staff to sion” initiative. pressure and expectations from clients in 12,420. W2O hones analytics edge all sectors to go beyond their business ob- Ninety-eight firms posted gains, while 27 W2O, which is the No. 2 ranked firm, fur- jectives and make a positive impact on so- reported declines in fee income. thered its goal of being the leading analyt- ciety, which has been an area of focus since Remaining firms were either flat or 2019 ics-driven, digital-first our inception.” reported numbers not comparable with last healthcare marketing In early 2020, APCO acquired Tembo year’s, largely due to restructurings. and communications Group, a leading social impact advisory Edelman remains the top dog as net fees company, according firm, to strengthen its approach to advising inched ahead 0.4 percent to $892 million to Founder/CEO Jim clients on social and environmental oppor- and employment rose 1.5 percent to 5,703. Weiss. tunities and risks. That marks somewhat of a turnaround The San Francis- The firm also launched a strategic part- for Richard Edelman’s firm following its 0.6 co-based firm, which nership with Erie Street—a Chicago-based percent slip in fees to $888.4 million in the has more than 100 ana- independent advisory firm—and appoint- 2019 rankings. lysts and data scientists, ed Erie Street CEO and Chairman Terry Finn sets pace put its data-savvy to Jim Weiss Graunke as Lead Direc- Finn Partners showed the biggest per- work as the COVID-19 tor of APCO’s board. centage gain among the Top Ten firms, up crisis unfolded. Kraus anticipates that 35 percent to $119.3 million. Weiss noted that collaboration with the strategic partnership It outpaced ICR (+27.6 percent to $88.3 California Life Sciences Association en- will help position her million), W2O Group (+26 percent to ables W2O to track COVID-19-specific firm to deliver more $222.9 million) and Pro- conversations and trends across the health high-end consulting sek Partners (+16.5 per- ecosystem, and an adapted relevance services that clients cent to $54.8 million). framework is helping clients understand need the most and help Peter Finn said 2019 how to build a new playbook to navigate it identify opportuni- growth was driven by these challenging times. ties for acquisitions and Margery Kraus new business wins, ex- Following an investment by private equi- continued growth in the pansion of existing cli- ty firm New Mountain Capital, W2O made advisory and communications market. ents, key senior hires three acquisitions in 2019 to boost its sci- Noting that the war for talent is increas- and strategic acquisi- ence communications, medical education ingly a hot topic in PR, Kraus said APCO tions that bolstered ca- and scientific visualization capabilities. has invested time and resources in hosting Peter Finn pabilities in health, dig- APCO makes social impact groups of students from leading universi- ital/creative, consumer, APCO Worldwide, which reported a six ties. and financialservices. percent growth in fees to $142.3 million, It also held a career development event He noted that the healthcare group led enjoyed double-digit growth in about a in partnership with ColorComm for 70 by Gil Bashe expanded from less than 10 third of its global office network. diverse industry professionals and par- employees and clients in 2015 to a group Margery Kraus, Founder/Executive ticipated in events centered on women’s that now has more 120 staffers and 100- Chairman, singled out expansion in Ma- empowerment, such as the World Woman plus clients. nama (Bahrain) and strong results in New Summit, Women President’s Organization “Our values-based culture, cross-practice York, Raleigh, Brussels, Rome, Milan, Ri- Conference and the WBENC National collaboration and commitment to working yadh and Tokyo. Conference & Business Fair. hard and playing nice, continued to attract “We also invested heavily in expanding top talent at all levels,” noted Finn. our training and development inside of He’s confident Finn Partners’ senior lead- APCO,” said Kraus. ership in health, sustainability, technology, APCO’s D&I Council launched uncon- integrated marketing, consumer and finan- scious bias training for senior leaders, part- cial services will power future growth. nered with ColorComm, and held engage- “Our 800 staff across 19 offices in the US, ments with select universities. Europe and Asia, continue to deliver break- Coyne PR grows into documentary films through campaigns rooted in analytics and Tom Coyne’s firm posted a seven percent insights and powered by strategy and cre- gain in fee income to $32 million, earning ativity,” said Finn. the 18th notch on O’Dwyer’s roster. A highlight in 2019: Finn Partners be- “Our team members continue to grow as came the first general market PR firm to be honored with the New York Urban League’s O’Dwyer’s rankings of PR firms, pg. 48 _ Continued on next page

46 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM nance reporting,” he noted. O’Dwyer’s rankings Ryan said Zoom, Peloton, Colgate-Pal- _ Continued from page 46 molive, Heidrick & Struggles, IBM Watson Marketing, Northern Oil and Gas, Well- professionals and lead the way with fully tower, Adamas Pharmaceuticals and BioN- integrated ideas and breakthrough pro- Tech AG were major account wins in 2019. grams,” said Coyne. “We have also grown MWWPR invests for future our offices by more than 40 percent and MWWPR, which recorded flat fees of expanded our service offerings, including $42.7 million, accelerat- documentary films.” ed investment in people Coyne PR produced and client services ini- its first documentary, tiatives during the past GATEWAY, in a part- year, said CEO Michael nership with Pacira O’Dwyer’s rankings by PR specialty, pg. 38 Kempner. BioScience. It brought The firm launched impact of every action, quality of content awareness of how opi- new tools and offerings and imagery, and the most detailed conver- oids used post-surgery in search marketing, sion tracking available.” are often a gateway to paid marketing and in- Cowling said 2019 was a “relatively stable lifelong addiction, ac- fluencer marketing and year” because Citizen was selective in new Michael Kempner cording to Coyne. a panel of Generation Z business efforts, focused on clients that fit Tom Coyne Coyne noted that consumers. its vision, while parting with clients that GATEWAY received He credited those initiatives combined didn’t. more than a dozen awards from film festi- with MWWPR’s “core approach to PR root- “We continue to put our people first, with vals around the US. ed in earned-worthy content was instru- an emphasis on culture and training for ex- The Jersey-based firm added clients such mental in adding and growing client rela- isting employees and finding new ones that as Hilton, Otsuka, ASPCA, Yahoo Sports, tionships with blue-chip brands from the Stevens Institute of Technology, Crook & strengthen our group,” he said. ICR makes big move in health, tech food and beverage, retail, and sports and Marker, Fairleigh Dickinson University, entertainment sectors.” Lundbeck and Fox Factory. ICR, No. 5 on O’Dwyer’s list, enjoyed a Zeno exceeds boundaries “breakout year in 2019,” “We modernized and streamlined our Zeno Group CEO Barby Siegel said 2019 said CEO Tom Ryan. media monitoring efforts with intuitive showed that “a mid- He said the acqui- dashboards, automated reporting and ac- sized firm can exceed sition of Westwicke cess to actionable, contextualized metrics boundaries and be truly Partners, a healthcare beyond impressions,” said Coyne. global.” strategy firm based in The firm’s state-of-the-art digital platform The No. 6 firm posted Baltimore, bolstered fi- empowers clients to monitor, measure and an eight percent spurt nancial-oriented ICR’s maximize their communications efforts to $79.3 million in 2019 depth and scale in through custom-built dashboards. fee income. healthcare and technol- “The new end-to-end measurement sys- She said forty percent ogy. Tom Ryan tem collects and organizes key data points of Zeno’s business stems Ryan said ICR saw across a robust stream of print, online, from clients served in significant growth in traditional corporate Barby Siegel broadcast and social content to set bench- more than one region. communications, including business and marks, attribute value and demonstrate Key 2019 wins were financial media strategy, digital/social, cri- earned media ROI in real-time,” said Ancestry, Tinder, Virgin Voyages, Carhartt, sis management and shareholder activist Coyne. Abbott Vascular, IBM Health, Electrify defense. Transformation at Citizen Relations America and others. “We also launched ICR governance solu- Citizen Relations President Nick Cowling Siegel, who said culture has always been a tions, focused on advising boards and se- said the firm underwent a transformation big part of Zeno’s game plan, said the firm nior management teams on best-practice during 2019. launched “Zeno Gives Back” during 2019. governance processes and structures, in- “Our new vision is to create consequen- That program resulted in staffers logging cluding environmental, social and gover- tial changes to attitudes, behaviours, per- more than 3,800 hours of service at more ceptions and actions by designing the con- than 25 charities. versations our clients need with the people The firm also expanded its focus on men- they care most about,” tal health. said Cowling. Siegel said the “Be Kind to Your Mind” He said the No. 16 program launched by Zeno London ac- firm with fees of $32.6 knowledges that PR is a high-stress profes- million “combined its sion and that topics such as depression and best research, platform anxiety should not be taboo in the work- and data partners into place. one solution to allow The program includes free Headspace it to select the highest membership, an all-employee online fo- quality and best per- rum for sharing comments and posts about forming influencers and Nick Cowling mental health, as well as group activities, seamlessly measure the O’Dwyer’s rankings of firms by region, pg. 52 such as agency-wide meditation sessions. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 47 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Employees % Change from 2018 1. Edelman, New York, NY $892,039,000 5,703 0.4 2. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 222,865,000 923 26 3. APCO Worldwide, Washington, DC 142,262,200 786 6 4. Finn Partners, New York, NY 119,322,000 777 35 5. ICR, New York, NY 88,280,795 228 27.6 6. Zeno Group, New York, NY 79,269,860 489 8 7. Ruder Finn Inc., New York, NY 78,000,000 702 12.9 8. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 54,738,707 181 16.5 9. MWWPR, New York, NY 42,741,686 178 0 10. Hotwire, New York, NY 42,161,713 285 14.3 11. Padilla, Minneapolis, MN 37,327,206 194 -9 12. Spectrum, Washington, DC 33,900,000 116 3 13. 5W Public Relations, New York, NY 33,830,327 158 4.4 14. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 33,334,000 158 52 15. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 33,087,699 105 36.7 16. Citizen Relations, Los Angeles, CA 32,577,578 206 NA 17. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC 32,509,302 121 11 18. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 32,000,000 150 7 19. G&S Business Communications, New York, NY 30,733,412 179 1 20. Fahlgren Mortine (includes TURNER), Columbus, OH 29,504,385 193 0 21. Havas Formula, New York, NY 25,630,379 135 15 22. Evoke KYNE, New York, NY 25,149,453 107 24 23. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 24,844,375 140 -1.8 24. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 24,534,990 85 18.6 25. Hunter, New York, NY 24,300,000 121 1 26. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 23,174,274 166 17.4 27. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 22,493,586 148 13.1 28. Taylor, New York, NY 20,200,000 85 -3 29. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 20,167,063 116 14 30. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 19,595,186 82 9.5 31. Regan Communications Group, Boston, MA 18,913,994 106 2 32. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 18,832,290 135 32.9 33. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 18,602,385 117 -3.5 34. Racepoint Global, Boston, MA 18,337,000 81 -12 35. M Booth Health, New York, NY 16,582,440 50 NA 36. Shift Communications, Boston, MA 15,884,974 91 -9 37. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 15,447,216 80 14 38. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 15,400,000 48 1 39. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 15,005,000 33 10 40. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg, PA 14,548,629 74 -11.6 41. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 13,275,000 57 20.3 42. JeffreyGroup, Miami, FL 12,864,916 232 29 43. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 12,416,807 42 7.1 44. J Public Relations, New York, NY 11,440,000 71 7.6 45. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 11,400,000 77 16.3 46. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 11,220,000 35 0 47. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 11,136,484 58 10.8 48. MMGY NJF, New York, NY 10,710,041 63 14 49. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 10,570,000 56 5 50. 360PR+, Boston, MA 10,326,547 56 6 51. JPA Health Communications, Washington, DC 10,305,362 45 11 52. MP&F Strategic Communications, Nashville, TN 9,480,016 68 0 53. Vested, New York, NY 9,236,000 30 26 54. Peppercomm, New York, NY 8,971,064 34 NA 55. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 8,817,078 39 31 56. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 8,765,091 42 3.5 57. Lou Hammond Group, New York, NY 8,112,253 40 4 58. Pierpont Communications, Houston, TX 7,011,832 33 3 59. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 6,481,237 38 13 60. Sam Brown Inc., Wayne, PA 6,341,947 40 12.8 61. Dukas Linden Public Relations, New York, NY 6,318,683 24 17 62. Hawkins Int’l Public Relations, New York, NY 6,154,855 38 15.8 63. Infinite Global, New York, NY 5,959,532 23 9.4 64. McCabe Message Partners, Washington, DC 5,789,127 32 -6 65. Bospar, San Francisco, CA 5,692,505 29 28 66. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,483,657 18 -30 67. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 4,959,635 24 -11 68. Touchdown PR, Austin, TX 4,884,345 16 19.1

48 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM © Copyright 2020, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS WITH MAJOR U.S. OPERATIONS Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Employees % Change from 2018 69. SPI Group LLC, The, Fairfield, NJ $4,800,000 26 -6 70. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 4,730,468 28 15 71. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,728,220 25 1 72. March Communications, Boston, MA 4,693,059 33 12 73. Lumina Communications, San Jose, CA 4,505,079 22 8 74. MCS Healthcare Public Relations, Bedminster, NJ 4,372,952 23 4.3 75. Berk Communications, New York, NY 4,306,145 21 24.6 76. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 4,226,126 38 -17.3 77. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale, FL 3,740,011 23 13.3 78. BackBay Communications, Boston, MA 3,674,919 17 23 79. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,637,398 15 -3.6 80. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,626,587 17 24 81. Champion Management Group, Dallas, TX 3,577,408 21 26.6 82. Beehive Strategic Communication, St. Paul, MN 3,436,169 13 15.5 83. RBMG (RB Milestone Group), Stamford, CT 3,433,225 4 41.2 84. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 3,421,775 28 18 85. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 3,418,589 18 35 86. SourceCode Communications, New York, NY 3,342,813 22 112 87. Idea Grove, Dallas, TX 3,288,889 26 22 88. LaVoie Health Science, Boston, MA 3,270,282 15 31 89. Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications, Seattle, WA 3,225,950 19 -5 90. CashmanKatz, Glastonbury, CT 3,175,000 26 11 91. TruePoint Communications, Dallas, TX 3,094,469 20 18.8 92. Crenshaw Communications, New York, NY 3,047,435 14 35.9 93. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 3,000,000 17 3.5, 94. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,993,000 11 38 95. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 2,961,685 14 57 96. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,952,973 19 0 97. Caliber Corporate Advisers, New York, NY 2,922,102 16 10.8 98. Lion & Lamb Communications, New York, NY 2,868,000 21 38.8 99. Brandware, Atlanta, GA 2,795,237 16 2.1 100. Hewes Communications, New York, NY 2,761,129 8 13.6 101. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 2,631,389 27 16.3 102. Gatesman, Pittsburgh, PA 2,622,440 67 0 103. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 2,552,461 23 22 104. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 2,540,300 12 20 105. Ripp Media/Public Relations, Inc., New York, NY 2,499,532 8 13.3 106. Perry Communications Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 2,423,198 10 -10.3 107. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,395,720 21 19 108. SPM Communications, Dallas, TX 2,312,203 14 10 109. O’Malley Hansen Communications, Chicago, IL 2,183,000 11 -9.5 110. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,077,286 10 19.5 111. Stanton Communications, Washington, DC 1,993,272 14 1 112. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,787,338 22 0 113. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 1,733,479 10 15 114. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr, PA 1,559,003 8 -1.7 115. WordWrite Communications LLC, Pittsburgh, PA 1,553,497 9 13.5 116. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY, 1,547,713 8 23 117. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,530,091 22 8 118. Pineapple Public Relations, Chamblee, GA 1,336,144 10 38.6 119. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 1,286,045 11 4.4 120. Buttonwood Communications Group, New York, NY 1,212,200 9 -7.5 121. Marketing Maven Public Relations, Camarillo, CA 1,201,671 9 -10.3 122. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY 1,140,465 7 71.4 123. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 1,100,000 11 -8.3 124. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 1,028,570 12 31.5 125. KCD Public Relations, Inc., San Diego, CA 989,089 7 -5.5 126. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 937,926 5 -27 127. Lawlor Media Group, New York, NY 812,541 6 -11 128. Agency Ten22, Cumming, GA 803,475 4 -2.3 129. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 781,509 4 -13 130. BizCom Associates, Plano, TX 763,299 8 7.7 131. Violet PR, Montclair, NJ 704,241 3 13 132. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 639,561 2 26 133. Novitas Communications, Denver, CO 550,578 3 32.7 134. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 542,409 7 -11.4 135. Feintuch Communications, New York, NY 488,180 3 -45

© Copyright 2020, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 49 FEATURE Winning today’s relevance challenge Defining brand relevance in a post-COVID world. porting small family farms and gives con- By Erin Weinberg sumers real-world guidance and expertise rands are being tested like never be- resonant messaging and putting that in the on raising their own happy hens. fore amid a soft retail environment, right places for consumers to access it, and Being true to your brand Bsupply chain disruptions and a new adding third-party endorsements via media Understanding customer needs and wants communications landscape. While there are and influencers to propel engagement. was another powerful theme that resonat- bright spots—food and beverage, fitness, Survey participants spoke extensively ed throughout the research. When asked outdoor and some tech sectors—the im- about relevance being more than just prod- what best describes how they measure their pact is widespread, which has left marketers ucts and services. They shared that beyond brand’s relevance, half of struggling to find the most appropriate way creating innovative products, the brands respondents said it’s un- to connect and communicate with custom- they felt were most relevant were innovative derstanding and know- ers. But consumers are still paying attention, with their hiring practices and how they ap- ing what customers and brands that find ways to sustain—and proach marketing. need and what makes even increase—relevance will be in a posi- It’s important for PR teams to be brought them happy. Executives tion to reap the benefits long term. in to product and organizational innovation shared that knowing New research offers insight into how discussions as they can provide platforms what motivated cus- marketing leaders define and measure rel- for thought leadership—elevating brands, tomers means having a evance, as well as challenges and solutions businesses and executives in the market- clearly articulated and for ratcheting-up relevance. In early March place. Such was the case with our vacation authentic purpose. “Stay- Erin Weinberg 2020, just as news about the coronavirus rental client Vrbo, which was planning to ing true to their brand began to pervade our daily lives, 360PR+ roll out a set of new tools, including a filter and being interested in what is important engaged Engine Group to survey 300 senior to make it easier for families to find ideal to their customers sets them apart,” stated marketing executives, gauging opinions of getaways within driving distance of their one respondent. Having an authentic pur- their and other brands’ relevance. pose was a top choice with executives These marketing leaders speak for in health and wellness, travel, fashion a broad range of sectors, including and food and beverage industries. technology, finance, health and well- “Brands need to adapt with the times ness, fashion, entertainment, food while being consistently true to their and beverage, travel and automotive. core values,” noted an executive. Adaptability is key Trader Joe’s was cited as an example A dominating theme that surfaced of a brand that’s clear about what its from our research was adaptabili- brand stands for. This has translated to ty. Respondents were clear that the a passionate and engaged workforce ability to adapt, regardless of the cir- and a customer base that spans gener- cumstances, is undeniably critical to ations with a cult-like status. sustaining relevance. As one respon- Having a well-articulated and authentic purpose ranked Barriers to relevance dent stated, “The brand that is open high on the list for what makes brands in certain industries While the 300 marketing executives to consistent change with the culture most relevant with customers. who participated in the survey shared and environmental needs of the times their thoughts on how they plan to is one that clearly demonstrates relevance.” own homes. The timely tool elevated Vrbo achieve relevance, they were equally candid ‘Relatability,’ ‘interest,’ ‘awareness’ most as a bellwether for the travel industry and about the barriers. Limited resources and associated with relevance gave vacationers reason to travel again, only competition from other brands topped the “Brands that have created relatable con- a little closer to home. list of challenges. Fashion executives iden- tent and an experience that motivates cus- Another relevance-building strategy em- tified limited budgets as their top barrier, tomers to remain brand loyal are the ones phasized by marketers entails creating more while those in travel cited a decline in con- winning the fight for relevance,” explained content for their owned channels. Tommee sumer loyalty and increased brand compe- another marketing leader who participated Tippee, the popular infant and toddler feed- tition. Finance and food and beverage mar- in the research. ing brand (and an agency client), is giv- keters cautioned about not trying to be all Marketers cited sales, customer feedback ing parents new reasons to #SmileOn by things to all people. and reviews as the most important met- helping them de-stress with resources like Amid the backdrop of COVID-19, mar- rics for tracking brand relevance, followed on-demand yoga classes and virtual muse- keting doesn’t stop, but it must evolve. Now, by brand recall and growth among new um tours. more than ever, brands should be present in audiences. Related to customer feedback, Another example is Pete and Gerry’s Or- customers’ lives even if their business has larger brands are more likely than smaller ganic Eggs (one of our clients as well). Like dramatically shifted. For the foreseeable fu- businesses to associate engagement with all grocery brands, its objective is to move ture, that will mean re-imagining the brand relevance and believe that permission to product off shelves, but the brand is also experience as a virtual one—but that can be innovate is the greatest benefit of rele- sharing what it knows about raising free a boon to relevance as brands take advan- vance. Customer feedback and reviews are range, happy hens for consumers inter- tage of more frequent mini-moments to be powerful forms of engagement and ones ested in the modern homesteading move- present in customers’ lives. that PR can have a direct hand in driving ment—a hot topic! The content reminds us Erin Weinberg is General Manager of for brands, teeing up the right content and how committed Pete and Gerry’s is to sup- 360PR+’s New York office. 

50 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM LEADING GAINERS AMONG PR FIRMS

Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Employees % Change from 2018

Firms in the top 25 (representing fees from $24.3M to $892M) 1. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD $33,334,000 158 +52 2. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 33,087,699 105 +36.7 3. Finn Partners, New York, NY 119,322,000 777 +35 4. ICR, New York, NY 88,280,795 228 +27.6 5. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 222,865,000 923 +26 6. Evoke KYNE, New York, NY 25,149,453 107 +24 7. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 24,534,990 85 +18.6 8. Prosek Partners, New York, NY 54,738,707 181 +16.5 9. Havas Formula, New York, NY 25,630,379 135 +15 10. Hotwire, New York, NY 42,161,713 85 +14.3

Firms ranked 26 through 50 (representing fees from $10.3M to $23.2M) 1. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL $18,832,290 135 +32.9 2. JeffreyGroup, Miami, FL 12,864,916 232 +29 3. Bliss Integrated Communication, New York, NY 13,275,000 57 +20.3 4. Matter Communications, Newburyport, MA 23,174,274 166 +17.4 5. Gregory FCA, Ardmore, PA 11,400,000 77 +16.3 6. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 20,167,063 116 +14 7. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 15,447,216 80 +14 8. MMGY NJF, New York, NY 10,710,041 63 +14 9. PAN Communications, Boston, MA 22,493,586 148 +13.1 10. Development Counsellors Int’l (DCI), New York, NY 11,136,484 58 +10.8

Firms ranked 51 through 100 (representing fees from $2.8M to $10.3M) 1. SourceCode Communications, New York, NY $3,342,813 22 +112 2. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 2,961,685 14 +57 3. RBMG (RB Milestone Group), Stamford, CT 3,433,225 4 +41.2 4. Lion & Lamb Communications, New York, NY 2,868,000 21 +38.8 5. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,993,000 11 +38 6. Crenshaw Communications, New York, NY 3,047,435 14 +35.9 7. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia, PA 3,418,589 18 +35 8. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 8,817,078 39 +31 9. LaVoie Health Science, Boston, MA 3,270,282 15 +31 10. Bospar, San Francisco, CA 5,692,505 29 +28

Firms ranked 101 through 131 (representing fees from $488K to $2.6M)

1. AMP3 Public Relations, New York, NY $1,140,465 7 +71.4 2. Pineapple Public Relations, Chamblee, GA 1,336,144 10 +38.6 3. Novitas Communications, Denver, CO 550,578 3 +32.7 4. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 1,028,570 12 +31.5 5. Stuntman PR, New York, NY 639,561 2 +26 6. Butler Associates, LLC, New York, NY 1,547,713 8 +23 7. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 2,552,461 23 +22 8. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 2,540,300 12 +20 9. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,077,286 10 +19.5 10. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,395,720 21 +19

© Copyright 2020, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 51 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Empl. Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Empl. CONNECTICUT NEW YORK & NEW JERSEY 1. ICR, Norwalk, CT $35,357,638 36 1. Edelman (includes Rochester) $204,314,000 152 2. Prosek Partners, Fairfield, CT 4,926,484 24 2. Prosek Partners 45,706,821 139 3. RBMG (RB Milestone Group), Stamford, CT 3,433,225 4 3. Finn Partners 39,511,000 245 4. CashmanKatz, Glastonbury, CT 3,175,000 26 4. 5W Public Relations 33,830,327 158 5. W2O Group. Ridgefield, CT 397,752 1 5. Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ 32,000,000 150 6. MWWPR, New York, NY 30,366,222 91 CHICAGO 7. Havas Formula 25,630,379 135 1. Edelman (includes Detroit) $94,648,000 118 8. ICR 25,365,485 85 2. Zeno Group 25,900,000 135 9. Evoke KYNE 25,149,453 107 3. Walker Sands Communications 18,832,290 135 10 . Hunter 24,300,000 121 4. W2O Group 18,530,055 46 11. Zeno Group 18,600,000 93 5. Finn Partners (includes Detroit) 12,189,000 59 12. M Booth Health 16,582,440 50 6. Kivvit 9,254,915 29 13. APCO Worldwide 15,021,800 58 7. Greentarget Global LLC 8,765,091 42 14. Bliss Integrated Communication 13,275,000 57 8. G&S Business Communications 5,222,793 34 15. W2O Group, New York, NY 12,719,265 422 9. APCO Worldwide 4,767,300 20 16. Taylor 12,200,000 58 10. L.C. Williams & Associates 4,728,220 25 17. W2O Group, Florham Park, NJ 12,134,355 159 11. Public Communications Inc. 4,226,126 38 19. J Public Relations 11,440,000 71 12. Zapwater Communications 3,421,775 28 19. Kivvit 11,368,635 30 13. O'Malley Hansen Communications 2,183,000 11 20. Development Counsellors Int'l (DCI) 11,136,484 58 14. MWWPR 2,075,678 8 21. G&S Business Communications 10,724,915 61 15. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,530,091 22 22. MMGY NJF 10,710,041 63 16. Taylor 450,000 3 23. Vested 9,236,000 30 17. Infinite Global 259,110 1 24. Lou Hammond Group 8,112,253 40 25. Kivvit, Asbury Park, NJ 6,404,525 20 FLORIDA 26. Dukas Linden Public Relations 6,318,683 24 1. rbb Communications, Miami 15,447,216 80 27. Hawkins Int'l Public Relations 6,154,855 38 2. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee 15,400,000 48 28. Peppercomm 5,207,069 27 3. JeffreyGroup, Miami 12,864,916 232 29. SPI Group LLC, The, Fairfield, NJ 4,800,000 26 4. Moore, Inc., Tallahassee 8,817,078 39 30. MWWPR, E. Rzutherford, NJ 4,416,617 38 5. Fish Consulting, Fort Lauderdale 3,740,011 23 31. MCS Healthcare PR, Bedminster, NJ 4,372,952 23 6. Edelman, Orlando 3,427,000 12 32. Berk Communications 4,306,145 21 7. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale 3,000,000 17 33. Infinite Global 3,627,541 14 8. Hemsworth Communications, Ft. Lauderdale 1,787,338 22 34. SourceCode Communications 3,342,813 22 9. Kivvit, Miami 854,687 5 35. Crenshaw Communications 3,047,435 14 10. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa 542,409 7 36. Caliber Corporate Advisers 2,922,102 16 11. W2O Group, Tampa 323,810 4 37. Lion & Lamb Communications 2,868,000 21 38. Hewes Communications 2,761,129 8 BOSTON 39. Ripp Media/Public Relations, Inc. 2,499,532 8 1. W2O Group $26,105,995 31 40. 360PR+ 2,391,213 12 2. PAN Communications 22,493,586 148 41. Inkhouse 2,295,456 14 3. Regan Communications Group 18,913,994 106 42. Butler Associates, LLC 1,547,713 8 4. Matter Communications 18,698,070 138 43. Buttonwood Communications Group 1,212,200 9 5. Racepoint Global 18,337,000 81 44. AMP3 Public Relations 1,140,465 7 6. Shift Communications 15,884,974 91 45. Rosica Communications, Fair Lawn, NJ 937,926 5 7. Inkhouse, Waltham, MA 10,893,791 66 46. Lawlor Media Group 812,541 6 8. Finn Partners 10,000,000 41 47. Violet PR, Montclair, NJ 704,241 3 9. 360PR+ 7,935,333 44 48. Stuntman PR 639,561 2 49. Feintuch Communications 488,180 3 10. ICR 4,903,785 9 11. March Communications 4,693,059 33 PENNSYLVANIA 12. BackBay Communications 3,674,919 17 1. Bravo Group, Inc., Harrisburg $14,548,629 74 13. LaVoie Health Science 3,270,282 15 2. Gregory FCA, Ardmore 11,400,000 77 14. Prosek Partners 2,736,935 12 3. Sam Brown Inc., Wayne 6,341,947 40 4. W2O Group, New Hope 5,010,192 103 WASHINGTON, D.C. 5. Brownstein Group, Philadelphia 3,418,589 18 1. Edelman $76,108,000 289 6. Gatesman, Pittsburgh 2,622,440 67 2. APCO Worldwide 37,311,700 164 7. Buchanan Public Relations, Bryn Mawr 1,559,003 8 3. Spectrum 33,900,000 116 8. WordWrite Comms. LLC, Pittsburgh 1,553,497 9 4. IMRE, LLC, Baltimore, MD 33,334,000 158 5. Crosby, Annapolis, MD 24,534,990 85 MIDWEST CITIES 6. ICR, Baltimore, MD 12,988,560 14 1. Edelman (incl. Detroit) Chicago, IL $94,648,000 118 7. Finn Partners 12,090,000 59 2. Fahlgren Mortine (incl. TURNER), Columbus, OH 29,504,385 193 8. JPA Health Communications 10,305,362 45 3. Zeno Group, Chicago, IL 25,900,000 135 9. McCabe Message Partners 5,789,127 32 4. Walker Sands Communications, Chicago, IL 18,832,290 135 10. Kivvit 5,204,937 21 5. W2O Group, Chicago, IL 18,530,055 46 11. Stanton Communications 1,993,272 14 6. Finn Partners (incl. Detroit), Chicago, IL 12,189,000 59 12. Raffetto Herman Strategic Communications 1,672,196 9 7. Lambert, Grand Rapids, MI 10,570,000 56 13. MWWPR 1,202,269 12 8. Kivvit, Chicago, IL 9,254,915 29 14. W2O Group 879,137 243 9. Greentarget Global LLC, Chicago, IL 8,765,901 42

52 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS BY CITY/GEOGRAPHY Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Empl. Firm 2019 Net Fees FT Empl.

10. G&S Business Communications, Chicago, IL $5,222,793 34 SAN FRANCISCO & NORTH CALIFORNIA 11. Tunheim, Minneapolis, MN 4,959,635 24 1. Edelman (includes Silicon Valley) $48,204,000 195 12. APCO Worldwide, Chicago, IL 4,767,300 20 2. W2O Group 29,131,297 101 13. L.C. Williams & Associates, Chicago, IL 4,728,220 25 3. Highwire PR 19,595,186 82 14. Public Communications Inc., Chicago, IL 4,226,126 38 4. LaunchSquad 18,602,385 117 15. Standing Partnership, St. Louis, MO 3,626,587 17 5. Zeno Group 16,100,000 63 16. Beehive Strategic Comm., St. Paul, MN 3,436,169 13 6. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 15,005,000 33 17. Zapwater Communications, Chicago, IL 3,421,775 28 7. ICR 9,665,327 7 18. Approach Marketing, Worthington, OH 2,961,685 14 8. Inkhouse 7,230,736 36 19. O'Malley Hansen Comms., Chicago, IL 2,183,000 11 9. Bospar 5,692,505 29 20. MWWPR, Chicago, IL 2,075,678 8 10. Singer Associates, Inc. 5,483,657 18 21. FrazierHeiby, Columbus, OH 1,733,479 10 11. Finn Partners 5,047,000 23 22. Akrete, Evanston, IL 1,530,091 22 12. Lumina Communications, San Jose, CA 4,505,079 22 23. Bianchi Public Relations, Troy, MI 781,509 4 13. Peppercomm 3,763,995 7 24. Taylor, Chicago, IL 450,000 3 14. Edelman, Sacramento, CA 3,377,000 19 25. Infinite Global, Chicago, IL 259,110 1 15. Perry Comms. Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 2,423,198 10 16. Karbo Communications 2,395,720 21 TEXAS 17. Landis Communications 2,077,286 10 1. W2O Group, El Paso $25,695,943 57 18. Infinite Global 2,072,881 8 2. Edelman (incl. Dallas & Houston), Austin 22,836,000 199 3. Pierpont Communications, Houston 7,011,832 33 WESTERN CITIES 4. Touchdown PR, Austin 4,884,345 16 1. Edelman (incl. Silicon Valley), San Francisco, CA $48,204,000 195 5. Champion Management Group, Dallas 3,577,408 21 2. Edelman, Seattle, WA 38,192,000 177 6. Idea Grove, Dallas 3,288,889 26 7. TruePoint Communications, Dallas 3,094,469 20 3. Edelman (incl. Beverly Hills), Los Angeles, CA 31,795,000 1,260 8. SPM Communications, Dallas 2,312,203 14 4. W2O Group, Los Angeles, CA 29,131,297 28 9. BizCom Associates, Plano 763,299 8 5. W2O Group, San Francisco, CA 29,131,297 101 6. Highwire PR, San Francisco, CA 19,595,186 82 SOUTHEAST 7. LaunchSquad, San Francisco, CA 18,602,385 117 1. French | West | Vaughan, Raleigh, NC $32,509,302 121 8. Zeno Group, San Francisco, CA 16,100,000 63 2. Jackson Spalding, Atlanta, GA 24,844,375 140 9. Hoffman Agency, The, San Jose, CA 15,005,000 33 3. Edelman, Atlanta, GA 23,582,000 114 10. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 11,220,000 35 4. rbb Communications, Miami, FL 15,447,216 80 11. ICR, San Francisco, CA 9,665,327 7 5. Zimmerman Agency, Tallahassee, FL 15,400,000 48 12. Edelman, Portland, OR 7,629,000 35 6. G&S Business Communications, Raleigh, NC 14,785,704 84 13. Inkhouse, San Francisco, CA 7,230,736 36 7. JeffreyGroup, Miami, FL 12,864,916 232 14. Konnect Agency, Los Angeles, CA 6,481,237 38 8. Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, Brentwood, TN 12,416,807 42 15. Bospar, San Francisco, CA 5,692,505 29 9. Finn Partners, Nashville, TN 12,160,000 76 16. Singer Associates, Inc., San Francisco, CA 5,483,657 18 10. MP&F Strategic Comms., Nashville, TN 9,480,016 68 17. Finn Partners, San Francisco, CA 5,047,000 23 11. Taylor, Charlotte, NC 6,500,000 23 18. Finn Partners, Los Angeles, CA 4,591,000 35 12. APCO Worldwide, Raleigh, NC 5,790,700 25 19. Lumina Communications, San Jose, CA 4,505,079 22 13. W2O Group, Atlanta, GA 5,544,072 9 20. Finn Partners, Portland, OR 3,764,000 20 14. Trevelino/Keller, Atlanta, GA 4,730,468 28 21. Peppercomm, San Francisco, CA 3,763,995 7 15. Edelman, Orlando, FL 3,427,000 12 22. Cerrell Associates, Los Angeles, CA 3,637,398 15 16. BoardroomPR, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 3,000,000 17 23. Edelman, Sacramento, CA 3,377,000 19 17. Lovell Communications, Nashville, TN 2,952,973 19 24. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,993,000 11 18. Brandware, Atlanta, GA 2,795,237 16 25. MWWPR, Los Angeles, CA 2,971,189 16 19. ARPR, Atlanta, GA 2,631,389 27 26. Serendipit, Phoenix, AZ 2,552,461 23 20. Hemsworth Comms., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 1,787,338 22 27. 21. Pineapple Public Relations, Chamblee, GA 1,336,144 10 BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 2,540,300 12 22. Bradford Group, The, Nashville, TN 1,286,045 11 28. Perry Comms. Group, Inc., Sacramento, CA 2,423,198 10 23. Kivvit, Miami, Florida 854,687 5 29. APCO Worldwide (incl. employee presence 24. Agency Ten22, Cumming, GA 803,475 4 from CA to CO), Seattle, WA 2,397,300 12 25. Judge Public Relations, LLC, Tampa, FL 542,409 7 30. Karbo Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,395,720 21 26. W2O Group, Tampa, FL 323,810 4 31. Landis Communications, San Francisco, CA 2,077,286 10 32. Infinite Global, San Francisco, CA 2,072,881 8 LOS ANGELES 33. Raffetto Herman Strategic Comms., Seattle, WA 1,553,754 10 1. Edelman (includes Beverly Hills) $31,795,000 1,260 34. Prosek Partners, Los Angeles, CA 1,368,467 6 2. W2O Group 29,131,297 28 35. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 1,201,671 9 3. Davies, Santa Barbara, CA 11,220,000 35 36. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 1,100,000 11 4. Konnect Agency 6,481,237 38 37. Taylor, Los Angeles, CA 1,050,000 4 5. Finn Partners 4,591,000 35 38. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 1,028,570 12 6. Cerrell Associates 3,637,398 15 39. KCD Public Relations, Inc., San Diego, CA 989,089 7 7. IW Group, Inc., West Hollywood, CA 2,993,000 11 40. Novitas Communications, Denver, CO 550,578 3 8. MWWPR 2,971,189 16 9. BLAZE, Santa Monica, CA 2,540,300 12 The firms ranked in the O’Dwyer Co. rankings of PR firms have satisfied O’Dwyer’s ranking rules, supporting fee and 10. Prosek Partners 1,368,467 6 employee totals with income tax and W-3 forms and providing a current account list. The O’Dwyer rankings should be regarded as an expression of our judgment of a firm’s standing within the industry, and are not warranted to 11. Marketing Maven PR, Camarillo, CA 1,201,671 9 comply with any specific objective standards. 12. Hoyt Organization Inc., The, Torrance, CA 1,100,000 11 Firms are added to O’Dwyer’s rankings throughout the year. Go to odwyerpr.com for an up-to-date version of the 13. Taylor, Los Angeles, CA 1,050,000 4 rankings. 14. Bob Gold & Associates, Redondo Beach, CA 1,028,570 12

© Copyright 2020, J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 53 REPORT How small business loan program put corporations, financial institutions in crisis crosshairs Large, publicly-traded companies are facing immense backlash after taking millions in Paycheck Protection Program loans intended for small businesses. Now, the banks that processed these loans have become public targets as well, after a series of class-action lawsuits accused these lenders of deliberately pushing loans for corporations to the front of the line while leaving cash-strapped small businesses in limbo. By Jon Gingerich he Small Business Administration’s companywide). Others were able Paycheck Protection Program re- to secure loans more than once, Topened in late April after Congress through the use of subsidiaries, passed a second round of funding, offering taking far more than the PPP’s $10 an additional $310 billion in small business million limit. relief. “While the program was touted These emergency loans give small busi- as relief for small businesses, we nesses a second shot at surviving the also learned it stipulated that any COVID-19 pandemic after the U.S. gov- restaurant business—including ernment’s initial $350 billion federal relief restaurant chains—with no more program—part of the sprawling $2.2 tril- than 500 employees per location lion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Econom- would be eligible,” Shake Shack ic Security Act (CARES) stimulus package said in a statement posted to its signed into law in March—fell short of help- LinkedIn page. “There was no fine ing most businesses impacted by the crisis. print, anywhere, that suggested: The SBA loans, which are eligible for com- ‘Apply now, or we will run out of panies with fewer than 500 employees, pro- money by the time you finally get vide more than twice a company’s average in line.’” monthly payroll costs—up to a maximum Call it a crisis within a crisis. In of $10 million—and can be forgiven as long the average crisis manager’s play- as companies agree not to lay off staff and book, COVID-19 is a catastro- use the money on payroll, rent or utility phe of biblical heights, but now, payments. an unlikely centerpiece of what The problem? A backlog of applicants has become both a public health overloaded the system and the lending pro- emergency and an economic di- gram was exhausted in less than two weeks, saster are the national brands that with very few small businesses receiving find themselves in the spotlight anything, leaving untold thousands of for usurping a relief program that companies without the critical lifeline they was intended to keep struggling Photo: Pierre Hauser needed to stay afloat. According to an April businesses afloat, essentially profiting from 22 LendingTree report, only five percent of a pandemic and widening the national in- of the World’s Most Successful CEOs.” the small business owners surveyed had re- come gap in the process. Yaverbaum told O’Dwyer’s that despite ceived a PPP loan, even though 60 percent Predictably, news that these national apologies and public announcements of had applied. brands had taken valuable PPP funding the loans’ return, a lingering resentment What happened? The federal loan program from small businesses resulted in public among consumers and small businesses was tapped out by large corporations—fa- outrage and calls for boycotts. In response who missed out on the funds will probably mously, restaurant chains Ruth’s Chris Steak to the backlash, Potbelly (which received linger “due to what can be framed as an in- House, Shake Shack and Potbelly Sandwich $10 million), Shake Shack (which received stance of corporate greed.” The public will Shop, as well as Harvard, Trump-connected $10 million) and Ruth’s (which received $20 also likely question the motive behind the data-collection firm Phunware and about million by applying through two subsidiar- return, Yaverbaum said, as most will recog- 200 other publicly-traded companies—who ies) have each since returned the funds in nize it for the PR opportunity it is, which made headlines when it was discovered a desperate attempt to change the narrative could further influence purchasing habits they’d snatched up millions in emergency amid the mounting outcry. when the country reopens. coronavirus loans meant for small organi- “The fact that there are millions of small “However, the quick turnaround on these zations, essentially sucking the initial round businesses across the country who were un- returns and subsequent apologies by the of funding dry and leaving small businesses able to get funds from the original round of brands means they’ll recover more quickly in the cold. PPP funding, while corporations like Shake than if they’d left it to fester,” Yaverbaum Some of these publicly-traded business- Shack and Potbelly were approved will neg- said. “While they’ll certainly feel the squeeze es were able to secure the PPP loans by atively affect these brands for at least as long in the short-term, depending on how long taking advantage of a loophole that stated as the crisis lasts,” said Eric Yaverbaum, CEO this pandemic lasts, a sincere apology, cou- only that applicants must have fewer than of Ericho Communications and author of 500 employees per location (as opposed to “PR for Dummies” and “Leadership Secrets _ Continued on next page

54 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM pled with a grand gesture, can repair some loan is very similar to the cost, time and ef- 21, Aaron’s), to clothing companies (Arelle of the damage done by applying for—and fort to process a $1,000,000 SBA loan. Loan Apparel Group), to food giants (The Her- accepting—these loans. Don’t be surprised officers are paid compensation based on a shey Company), to entertainment (Ticket- if one or more of these companies takes the percentage of the loan amount, producing master), to book stores (B arnes & Noble), apology a step further by providing direct an understandable desire to pursue the larg- to schools (Culinary Institute of America), financial aid to hard-hit small businesses in er loan requests first. All of these real world to fintech companies (C2FO), to casinos ( the near future.” challenges should have been addressed in Penn National Gaming), to medical staffing Wall Street over Main Street the legislation to encourage banks to treat (ADEX), to airport restaurant management Corporations aren’t the only entities fac- all size loan requests with equal urgency. companies (OTG Management). ing a backlash over their exploitation of The program was not structured in a way to Bailout 2.0 the Paycheck Protection Program: the cri- encourage banks to sacrifice time and man- Expanded additional rounds of feder- sis has now put banks in the reputational power to facilitate solely the smallest loans.” al funding offer a glimmer of hope for the crosshairs as well. Although the SBA is re- K Street cashes in on relief funds estimated 100,000 small businesses that as- quired to process the PPP loans it receives Aside from lacking the cash reserves of sumed they were near the finish line when on a first-come, first-served basis, no such larger companies, your average mom-and- they had their loan applications processed rules apply for the individual SBA-approved pop also typically doesn’t have the influence in early April, only to find themselves sitting lenders that process them, essentially al- or ability to make inroads with legislators, in the pipeline along with countless others, lowing banks the freedom to determine tools that many publicly-traded corpora- waiting for the crapshoot chance of getting which applications the federal government tions use on a near daily business. O’Dw- the relief they need. sees first. According to data provided by yer’s counted nearly 40 companies and If the recent past is a reliable indicator, the Small Business Administration, nearly trade groups for the month of April so far Paycheck Protection Program 2.0 will also half—45 percent—of the loans given out in that have hired K Street lobbying firms for undoubtedly run dry very soon, but in the program have been in the amount of $1 the expressed purpose of revising the Small the meantime, the SBA has become a tar- million or more. Business Administration’s rules regarding get of renewed criticism for other reasons. “I have participated in at least three cli- PPP loans so that they might be expanded From the very beginning, the PPP has been ent board of directors meetings in recent to include their respective industries. plagued with problems, from website crash- weeks, and when the PPP issue was raised, Noticeably not-so-small business Hilton es to nigh-universal confusion regarding the reaction from the leaders across the ta- Worldwide retained lobbying support with its cumbersome application process. And ble has been scorn for some institutions, es- Harbinger Strategies to inquire about the now the process has apparently hit a few pecially one who is among the biggest,” said PPP and the Treasury Department’s Ex- additional snags, with the SBA’s electron- Tom Butler, President of Butler Associates, change Stabilization Fund as they pertain ic filing system crashing within minutes of which represents multiple financial insti- to the hotel industry. Telecomm giant S in- opening after it was flooded with a backlog tutions, including community based and clair Broadcast Group—which posted more of applications from the first round of loans infrastructure lenders and those in the SBA than $3 billion in revenue in 2018—is lob- on top of the new ones. These issues only space. “They were seeking solutions, but bying Congress as well as the FCC and the compound an initiative that, so far, has re- made clear that the banking-trust that they National Economic Council regarding PPP mained out of reach for a majority of small had appeared to be seriously fractured, and eligibility with respect to broadcast stations. and local businesses across the country. when the time was appropriate, might need Then there are the trade groups. The Inter- “The government was forced to use the to be reevaluated.” national Franchise Association, the Nation- best tool available to them for the distribu- Now, a series of class-action lawsuits filed al Association of Home Builders, the A f- tion of these rescue loans. That tool was the in California and New York—against Bank fordable Housing Developers Council, the Small Business Administration,” Lawless of America, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase Petroleum Marketers Association of Amer- told O’Dwyer’s. “The high volume of appli- and U.S. Bank—allege these institutions ica, the Small Business Investor Alliance, cants that the current legislation encour- unfairly gave priority to larger companies’ the Wireless Internet Service Providers’ aged has completely overshot the capacity loan applications over smaller ones, clients Association, the Consumer Credit Indus- of the SBA and their partner banks to re- for whom banks are generally incentivized try Association, the National Association of spond effectively.” to lend money given that their higher-value Federally-Insured Credit Unions, the New In an April 26 statement, the SBA issued loans bring higher commissions. Accord- York Bankers Association, the Structured new guidance for the next round of funding to data released by the SBA, approvals Finance Association, the American Shrimp ing in an attempt to prohibit large com- for smaller loans—those under $150,000— Processors Association and the National panies from accessing the loans. Treasury surged near the end of the program’s initial Indian Gaming Association are among the Secretary Steven Mnuchin additionally run, suggesting the largest loans had been industry associations that have hired lobby- announced that there will be a mandatory “front-loaded,” or pushed ahead so banks ing firms in an attempt to advocate on Cap- review of any company receiving more than could maximize the payout they received itol Hill for a rewrite of small business loan $2 million in PPP funds before those loans while leaving small businesses in limbo. A rules, according to Lobbying Disclosure Act are forgiven, to ensure they’re being used in recent analysis of financial records by Na- documents filed with Congress in April. accord with the program’s intent. tional Public Radio found that U.S. banks It’s been a busy month in Washington. “I think it was inappropriate for most of have collected more than $10 billion in fees O’Dwyer’s also identified more than 50 these companies to take the loans … we from processing these loans. companies that had filed for lobbying repre- don’t think they ever should be allowed to,” “The internal cost structures and compen- sentation between April 1 to April 15 alone Mnuchin told CNBC today. “I never expect- sation programs of most banks will always in the hopes of gaining access to corona- ed in a million years that the Los Angeles favor larger SBA loans over a high volume of virus stimulus dollars through the CARES Lakers—which I’m a big fan of the team— very small SBA loans,” said Richard Lawless, ACT, representing virtually every business but I’m not a big fan of the fact that they a career banker and entrepreneur. “The cost, imaginable, from sporting goods stores took out a $4.6 million loan. I think that’s time and effort of processing a $10,000 SBA (Dunham’s), to department stores (Century outrageous.” 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 55 FEATURE Earned media measurement essentials Adding these seven digital metrics to your existing earned media coverage toolkit to capture better data and provide the insights that truly matter. the independent third-party site referenced By Michele Frost in coverage. This allows you to report on traffic coming from coverage. ow likely are you to ask a roomful of this is no more than a dozen keywords, and Social media SOV. Share of voice mea- your company’s top sales profession- the strategic terms map to core services and sures how much of the conversation your Hals: “Are we making your life easier? products sold. It’s an estimate of the per- brand owns with target prospects versus Do we help you close business?” centage of clicks your site receives, based on what your competitors own. This analysis If you’d hesitate to ask this question, the the ranking positions across all keywords looks at social media channels. When your old adage “Don’t ask a question you already you are tracking. Earned media featuring earned media coverage is integrated into know the answer to” may have sprung to product launches and thought leadership organic social media, traffic to the site will mind. should increase rankings. rise. Marketing communications professionals Organic web traffic with conversion. Reviewing metrics early and often all need to be willing to ask that question. Organic traffic is the opposite of paid traffic, When grounded in It’s our true north and the only way to earn which defines the visits generated by paid business goals and mea- a top net promoter score from the sales ads. Organic web visitors find your website surement, team mem- organization. The current economic land- after using a search engine like Google or bers at all levels have scape brings heightened attention to this Bing, so they aren’t “referred” by any oth- the contextual stickiness idea, increasing the pressure on marketers er website. Web traffic with conversion needed to learn and to deliver revenue-driven metrics and re- data highlights web sessions that result in a manage revenue cam- sults. conversion. Conversions are predefined ac- paigns. With a focus and There’s a way to know the answer to the tions—demo request, contact sales, down- shared responsibility for question before asking. Top sales profes- loads, video views—set up in your analytics moving the needle on sionals report using earned media coverage application. Earned media coverage drives these metrics, PR pro- Michele Frost throughout the entire sales cycle. Captur- search traffic. fessionals can help solve ing that direct revenue attribution is chal- High-value page traffic. Percent of or- the most pressing question in your organi- lenging and not the goal to chase. The air ganic web traffic to top-10, prospect-cen- zation: Do we have enough in market to hit cover generated by increased brand aware- tric web pages. It’s critical to ensure overall our marketing attributed revenue goal? ness, strong media coverage, content mar- traffic increase is reported relative to pages The average sales cycle is too long for the keting and organic social media flushes out known to contribute to conversions. These likes of your C-suite and anyone with vari- prospects with intent to purchase. That we are the pages designed to move a prospect able compensation tied to winning oppor- can measure. to the next best step in the buyer journey. tunities. They want more, faster. Adding The earned media measurement goal is to Earned media focus is often aligned to criti- these seven digital metrics to your existing capture the correlation between coverage— cal announcements, tracking impact on key earned media coverage allows you to pro- air cover— and known digital metrics used related pages during strategic times demon- vide insights and actions related to building to forecast the marketing and sales funnel, strates earned media attribution. The de- pipeline velocity and marketing attributed otherwise known as the pipeline. To do mand generation team has long tracked the revenue. so, we recommend you partner with your correlation between campaign timing and Good marketing captures the attention digital analyst, web team or agency and ask increased traffic. Apply this methodology of those with the intent to purchase. If you them to build reports capturing the data to capture the correlation between coverage don’t grab them, your competitors will. that truly matters. and online search activity, which drives or- Michele Frost is Vice President of Integrated Once built, reports can be automatically ganic traffic to the website. Marketing at PAN Communications.  sent at regular intervals or when key met- Key linking domains. Inbound and mu- rics indicate a change +/- 5% (or desired or- tual links are a key metric in the Google PR news brief der of magnitude change). Tracking chang- search algorithm. Domain authority is a es allows you to quickly flag and analyze Moz-calculated metric for how well a given Joele Frank works Penney’s closure potential earned media coverage. domain is likely to rank in Google’s search Joele Frank is working the bankruptcy filing of Here are seven metrics that will help at- results. Earned media links often have high J.C. Penney as the 118-year-old retailer blames the tribute your earned media efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic for spurring an accelerated finan- authority. While not all media allows for cial restructuring program. bottom line: links back to your site, the percentage that Prior to the pandemic, Penney had made progress Branded search visibility. Brand- do allow you to track how PR links posi- on its “plan for renewal” strategy, according to CEO ed search visibility represents the click- tively impact search visibility. Jill Soltau, but the closing of stores due to the health through rate of branded terms in organic Referral web traffic. Referral traffic is emergency, “necessitated a more fulsome review to include the elimination of outstanding debt.” search. It’s an estimate of the percentage of Google’s method of reporting visits from The Chapter 11 protection enables Penney to step clicks your site receives, based on the rank- sources other than direct traffic, search en- up its store optimization effort, which includes reduc- ing positions across brand-only keywords. gines and your social channels. This metric ing the “store footprint to better align its business Earned media drives brand search volume. is the PR catch-all. Ask your colleague or with the current operating environment.” Strategic search visibility. Search Vis- agency to create a Google Analytics seg- Soltau will close stores in phases during the restructuring, with the first shutdowns announced in ibility represents the click-through rate of ment for traffic from specific media URLs, the coming weeks. strategic terms in organic search. Typically, including Wikipedia. Wikipedia is often

56 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM COVID-19 brings continued client losses to PR sector

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in client terminations for 88 surveyed—those with revenues in excess percent of U.S. PR firms, resulting in an upswing of lost revenues, of $25 million—3.8 percent of whom re- staff layoffs and salary cuts, according to a report. ported terminating staff. Staff terminations By Jon Gingerich were lowest among the smallest firms sur- he COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a client net revenues due to COVID-19. veyed—those with less than $3 million in devastating blow to the U.S. public Firms across the board reported lost rev- revenues—only one percent of whom re- Trelations industry, resulting in client enues, but they appeared to hit the smallest ported cuts. reductions across the board and plummet- firms surveyed—those with less than $3 mil- Staff furloughs, unsurprisingly, were more ing revenues that have agencies of all sizes lion in revenues—hardest, where net reve- common, affecting 2.6 percent of the firms cutting staff to make up for the losses, ac- nues losses largely ran the gamut between surveyed. Interestingly, the largest amount cording to a new report by PR merger and 10 and 49 percent. Two firms in this cate- of furloughs came from the middle-sized acquisition consultancy Gould+Partners. gory reported losing more than 50 percent agencies, or those with between $3 million The Gould+Partners report, which sought of their net revenues due to COVID-19. The and $10 million in revenues (5.1 percent). to gauge the coronavirus’ financial impact largest firms surveyed, meanwhile—those Firms with between $10 million to $25 in on the U.S. PR sector and how the industry with revenues in excess of $25 million—re- revenues were least likely to furlough staff is moving forward, found that 67 of the 76 ported the smallest losses, with a majority (one percent). Agencies that issued a man- firms polled (88.1 percent) said they’d lost of losses coming in at the 10 percent or less datory temporary leave of absence report- client revenues as a result of COVID-19. range. ed an average furlough time period of 1.9 More than a third of those firms (36.8 per- “I am actually surprised that 100 per- months. cent) reported losing more than 20 percent cent of firms have not lost revenue from According to the report, every eligible PR of their client revenues. A quarter (25 per- COVID-19. Every firm that I have per- firm surveyed filed for a small business loan cent) lost between 10 percent and 19 per- sonally talked to had terminations and/ under the Small Business Administration’s cent, while an additional 26.3 percent expe- or a ‘pause’ in their retainers and projects,” Paycheck Protection Program. The average rienced client terminations of 10 percent or Gould+Partners Managing Partner Rick amount of time it took for agencies to re- less. Gould told O’Dwyer’s. ceive the funds after applying was about two These figured actually show a slight im- The good news: only 1.6 percent of the PR weeks (14.9 days). provement from a previous Gould+Part- firms surveyed reported terminating staff Gould+Partners’ “PR Firm Coronavirus ners report in April, which found that 88.5 in light of the COVID-19 crisis. The larg- Financial Crisis Report” surveyed 76 agen- percent of agencies surveyed said they’d lost est staff cuts came from the largest firms cies across North America in May. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 57 FEATURE Perceptions and preparations from the kitchen table The COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed some communications fundamentals. Namely, that you should be prepared for whatever situation might arise, and you need to understand an audience’s perceptions if you want your messages to reach and resonate with them. By Brandon Stephenson ou can’t overstate the impact issues relevant to our intended audience, workers demanding better protections and COVID-19 has had on every aspect of making our issue their issue. But figuring casting businesses in a negative light as be- Your lives: physical, emotional, finan- out the “what’s in it for me” proposition in ing uncaring or unresponsive. cial. It has exasperated our hyper-partisan our new normal is radically different as peo- What’s amazing is how many businesses, environment, brought our once-bustling ple’s perceptions have changed. regardless of size, still don’t have crisis com- economy to a grinding halt and created new Just think about what life was like in Jan- munication plans, nor the trained team to barriers for our interconnected society. And uary. Unemployment was at historic lows, implement those plans, in case of an inci- just as individuals are responding to the the stock market continued to reach new dent that could hurt a company’s reputa- pandemic and our altered reality different- heights and consumer confidence was high. tion. These companies ly, the same is true for the communications People now see things through the lens of risk having their story be industry. a societal shift that we haven’t seen in de- told by someone else if Firms specializing in serving tourism, cades, if not generations. they don’t rapidly deploy recreation and hospitality clients have ob- Recent polling by California-based survey a program to providing viously seen a drastic reduction in revenue research experts Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, timely and accurate in- as these sectors have been devastated since Metz & Associates details just how much formation. travel restrictions and Safer at Home orders COVID-19 is weighing on the minds of the This goes without say- were put in place. Conversely, firms that public. Eighty-nine percent of respondents ing, but since so many have more of a diverse or different clien- said the economic impact of coronavirus is people and organiza- Brandon tele—health care, natural resources, trans- an extremely serious/very serious problem, tions are unprepared Stephenson portation, technology, infrastructure—are unsurprisingly outstripping issues that pre- it can never be stated in a better position to weather the storm. viously dominated surveys such as health- enough: good crisis planning, preparation But even for those of us fortunate enough care, housing and climate change. The same and execution, even in the middle of a pan- to be at firms that have been able to miti- poll found that concerns about unemploy- demic, is vital. Companies that are ready gate the impact of COVID-19 on its opera- ment has shot up more than 24 percent in to respond to various scenarios have the tions—or for those that have expanded their the last 12 months. internal-consultant team in place who own business—we’ve all had to make significant None of this should come as a surprise, the crisis communications plan, with mes- adjustments on the fly. but we must constantly remind ourselves saging and trained spokesperson(s), ready Successful communications professionals that this is the mindset of the public and the to communicate rapidly and across a broad and firms have had to quickly adapt to this concern of decision-makers that we’re ulti- spectrum of channels. new normal, changing how we approach the mately trying to influence. We must tailor This includes social media, which is still internal and external aspects of our opera- public relations and public affairs strategies seen as an afterthought by too many tradi- tions. Rightfully so, there’s more of a focus to this current climate. Understand where tional leaders and organizations. Sure, soon employee well-being and flexibility as your audience is now coming from—their cial media can be your best friend or your part of ongoing retention and development concerns, stress and fears—when develop- worst enemy. But in a time of crisis, it’s often programs. Client services and marketing ef- ing how and when you’ll communicate with the very first place people turn to get the lat- forts to secure new clients have taken on re- them. est information. Social media should be one newed importance as clients from all sectors This is a delicate balancing act. Contin- of the first places you disseminate informa- tighten budgets and look to trim expenses. ue with your pre-coronavirus communi- tion. Use your social channels often, moni- This is the new reality we find ourselves in. cations plan and you’ll look tone deaf, like tor and respond to comments, and push out This is our new normal. the property management company post- essential information in a consistent and These two months have reaffirmed some ing a celebratory post about the first day of timely manner, just like you’d do with tradi- foundations of successful communication Spring on the same day Los Angeles County tional press releases and press conferences. programs; you must put yourselves in the announced its Safer at Home order. But at You need to hope for the best but plan for shoes of your audience and understand the same time, people are experiencing fa- the worst. We know that one day this pan- their perceptions if you wish to truly reach tigue from the wall-to-wall COVID cover- demic will end. We hope it ends soon, but them, and you must be prepared for what- age. While we always want to be mindful of we have to plan that this new normal will ever situation might arise as every organiza- the current situation, we also need to make last for the foreseeable future. And as our tion finds itself on the front lines. sure we aren’t overwhelming anyone with offices and conference rooms have become Understanding your audience coronavirus-related content nor can we get kitchen tables and Zoom virtual meetings, Our formula is tried and true: determine distracted from achieving the client’s goals. we still need to develop strategies and solu- the best messages, messengers and delivery Preparing for what’s next tions to tackle complex problems. Through to engage our target audiences, educating Every day, you read about some COVID-19 persuasive storytelling, understanding our them, influencing them, motivating them crisis: a protest against government shelter audiences and being prepared to rapidly re- toward a certain action or position. It has orders, conflicts that spirals into confronta- spond to crises, communications firms can always been and will continue to be about tions at businesses that are trying to protect continue to help our clients meet their goals. clearly and consistently communicating the shoppers and employees, mass outbreaks of Brandon Stephenson is Chief Strategic Offi- “what’s in it for me” to make our clients’ coronavirus at large employers’ worksites, cer with Cerrell Associates. 

58 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE The end of mediocrity

The COVID-19 crisis forced a raising of the bar, but it also proved what people can do when they know there’s no choice but to avoid failure, showing that keeping the bar high can challenge us to improve at every level. By Christine Barney

or communications professionals, a looking at their people assets now saw an weeks of planning to salvage conferences silver lining to the COVID-19 pan- opportunity to trade up. Some very good and stay relevant to their audiences. Many Fdemic is that it brought an abrupt end talent was jettisoned by industries that of them had no technology platforms, but to the acceptance of mediocrity. When, were decimated. The top digital strategist they went from zero to 60 because they had overnight, your company must cull 75 per- at a cruise line who last year wanted double to. What’s the old expression: what would cent of its workforce or reduce expenses by what you were willing to pay is now willing you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? Well, half, it becomes suddenly much easier to to accept 20 percent less than their most re- we’ve just seen what people can do when distinguish between excellence and every- cent salary just to find a safe port. they know there’s no choice but to act to thing else. You feel like your biz dev person isn’t de- avoid failure. The questions ask themselves: “Is this livering enough ROI? Play the field. You Ultimately, it’s clear person really performing well? Do I need let people go and then got Paycheck Pro- that mediocrity isn’t a this particular technology tool? Is my tection Plan funds and now must get your fixed state. Any single agency really delivering?” headcount back up or be penalized on the person, company or Communications is an industry that’s forgiveness of the loan? Why not invest in technology can choose ripe with mediocrity. Anyone can hang hiring to add some new capabilities like a to rise above mediocrity out a shingle and start offering consulting videographer or content creator. If you’re with effort, inspiration services. There’s no certification or licens- like me, your LinkedIn has exploded with or perhaps a kick in the ing required and voluntary honorifics like communications people looking to con- pants. Having the bar Christine Barney PRSA’s Accredited in Public Relations have nect. Some who are unemployed, smart higher should challenge barely made a dent in the population of stars who are looking for a stronger em- all of us to improve at practitioners. (Note, I proudly tag APR af- ployer and yes, even the mediocre. My re- every level. ter my name and am glad I took the time to cruiter has never been busier. Will mediocrity come back like a weed? earn the designation, but can’t remember a The bar just got higher Once this pandemic is no longer top of time when it made a difference in whether No matter where you sit in the commu- mind, will we go back to our lazy ways? someone decided to do business with me nications industry, everyone’s demand- Maybe, but just like working from home or work for me.) ing more. When resources are scarce, you is now a mainstay of many organization— Corporations often promote to incompe- can’t afford to keep mediocre performers. and predictions say lots of these folks will tence, take the safer route to avoid failure Say you have a tool that was supposed to never go back—once you get a taste of real- and measure outputs vs. outcomes. But in enhance your productivity by 50 percent izing the power of eliminating mediocrity, our new world of rampant unemployment but delivered only 30 percent. In the past, and see the impact on the bottom line, my and uncertainty, the mediocre will not sur- the argument might be made that, well, 30 guess is it will be hard to give that up. vive. percent is still good and the scale would We’ll live in the shadow of COVID-19 Mediocrity loses to those trading up tip toward the easier path of doing nothing for quite a while; we’ll wonder when it will Organizations that follow Six Sigma or versus the more involved steps to make a ramp up or mutate or if some other dev- Top Grading philosophies are comfortable change. astating event will come along. The apple with the idea of categorizing employees as No one wants to admit they accept aver- cart was upset so quickly, it will be a long A or B players who are rewarded if they’re age or less, but I believe every organization time before we feel safe enough to become in the top 10 percent and expendable if in has a person, tool or vendor that just isn’t complacent again. the bottom 10 percent. delivering at expected levels and only gets This residual fear is why I still clip cou- Many organizations are uncomfortable away with it because mediocrity is easy to pons years after I no longer need to. I re- with this “Hunger Games” like approach to ignore. However, in today’s new environ- membered those times when I had no weeding out lesser performers, and that’s ment, we have permission to be—or in fact choice but to watch every penny and each why so many C players linger and even get are being forced to be … brutally honest. decision was carefully evaluated against promoted. It’s easy to fire those who are Now, your first thought is, “do I need this that high bar I mentioned earlier. terrible. But those who might have a few tool at all” and your second is, “can I get a So, if every action requires you to take a really strong skills? Or those who are liked better tool for a better price from someone mediocrity test, chances are we in the com- by that one client or that one manager? Fir- else?” munications industry will be less willing ing that person is harder, until, of course, The current crisis forced the raising of to fail that test. It will be those with agil- you’re forced into the lifeboat and there the bar, but it also brought opportunity ity, drive and flawless execution who will isn’t enough room for everyone. Suddenly, and accelerated change. If someone had succeed while the mediocre will be forced that decision is a whole lot easier. asked you to put on a virtual conference to up their game or be watching from the So, in the wake of COVID-19, not only in 2019, you might have said you needed sidelines. did many mediocre people suddenly find at least six months to plan. Yet thousands Christine Barney is CEO and Managing themselves cast out, but organizations of organizations switched gears with mere Partner of rbb Communications. 

60 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

FEATURE PR agencies learn tough lessons

What PR agency leaders can do to improve their balance sheets and maintain a more proactive, aggressive stance as we gradually begin to move into the pandemic recovery stages. clients are impacted, their emerging needs and the latest trends in the market’s future By Art Stevens recovery can help you determine what skills ust like every other organization in during good times and squirrel it away. Un- to develop at this time. the communications industry, public fortunately, “rainy days” do come. We’re all working to process an abun- Jrelations firms have been forced to Encourage transitioning to a virtual dance of constantly-changing information dramatically alter how they operate in re- agency. The concept of office space is a ma- about the virus and its impact, adjusting sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. jor consideration looking ahead. In many to unavoidable changes in our professional While I could wax philosophical about cases, rent expenses can equate to 10 per- and personal lives and taking precautions how this ongoing catastrophe continues cent of your overall revenue. Not only can to be safe and healthy. to affect virtually every sector of the glob- you save a lot of money on rent by working And no one thing, by al economy, I’ll instead focus on what PR from home, but you can also cut back on itself, can clear the gray agencies should learn when it comes to overhead and travel expenses. More agen- cloud of uncertainty in- running their businesses going forward. cy buyers recognize that brick and mortar stantly or significantly If there are any positive aspects that re- isn’t what necessarily defines a modern PR lessen its impact. How- sult from these challenging times, it’s that business. And, if you do want office space, ever, if agency leaders agency leaders are being required to better take less space than you need for all your can assume a more pro- reassess and clarify goals, review team and employees and sign minimum year agree- active, aggressive stance, they boost their odds of staff roles and much more. ments: three years at the most. Art Stevens In fact, many leaders are now reshaping Try to have one-year agreements with maintaining a better bal- and reprioritizing 2020 strategy plans in clients rather than 30-day, 60- day or 90- ance and shaping their the form of stabilizing and taking care of day termination provisions. future once we do eventually come out on employees, connecting with clients to keep Diversify. It’s no longer fashionable to put the other side. vital services going, preserving as much of all of your eggs in one industry basket or Art Stevens is Managing Partner of The the current business as possible and ob- niche. For example, if you’re in the travel Stevens Group, consultants to the PR agency  serving the competition for opportunities space, consider exploring complementary profession. to succeed in the pandemic recovery stages. niches like consumer products. Those PR Of course, there will be post-pandemic firms that are more diversified and increase News brief winners and losers, and for the agencies their bandwidth tend to weather a crisis Chinese business leaders that can keep their doors open, they may better than niche firms. be able to gain market share as the compe- Put crisis provisions in your employ- target U.S. tition plummets. ment agreements that can enable you to Despite trade tensions with the U.S., Chinese If you were caught off-guard in recent reduce salaries or furlough people if the sit- companies consider America their No. 1 growth mar- months—especially if you’re a niche agen- uation warrants it. ket, according to a survey by Brunswick Group. There’s room for growth, as Brunswick reports that cy specializing in areas like travel or tour- Don’t lay out large sums for your clients 128 countries do more business with China than the ism, for example—it’s time to step back and in the form of reimbursable expenses. In- U.S. does. reassess. Here are several lessons learned stead, have clients pay for any expense di- Thirty-nine percent of Chinese business leaders from the pandemic to consider as we re- rectly that’s over $500 in advance. said the US is their top overseas growth target, up four percent from a 2018 study. group and aim to get businesses gradually Make it clear to your various vendors At 45 percent, the US ranks near the bottom in the back on track: that you’re not responsible for costs in- developed nations polled by Brunswick, only topping Have a line of credit established with curred on behalf of your clients. Canada (44 percent) and Japan (41 percent). They your bank (whether you need it or not). A few final thoughts may face an uphill battle in their bid to crack the U.S. Cash set aside, or a line of credit that’s set The PR agencies that survive any type of market as their country’s favorability rating lags here. Germany (64 percent), France/Singapore (61 per- up in advance could be a useful backup massive crisis like the COVID-19 pandem- cent), Czech Republic (60 percent) and UK (55 per- plan in an emergency situation, such as a ic are the ones who can quickly adapt to cent) have the most positive opinions about China. pandemic, recession or natural disaster. change. I urge PR leaders to be as proac- Overall, China enjoys a much stronger favorability Now is a good time to review your agency’s tive as possible in reaching out to clients to score (84 percent) in emerging nations than the average 53 percent score in developed countries. profitability and stress test your business to learn how to best support them right now. Brunswick found that developed countries agree see how you can handle a drop off in rev- I believe it’s vital to learn how to commu- that China will surpass the U.S. as the world’s lead- enue. nicate via the latest technology and tools, ing technological and economic power during the Always have three months operating including social media and any other virtu- 2020s. cash in the bank. Perhaps you’ve had to fur- al communication platforms like Zoom and Currently, the U.S. holds a 40 percent to 37 percent edge over China in the technology sector. Those num- lough or terminate employees during these GoTo Meeting. bers will flip to 43 percent to 31 percent in China’s uncertain times. Most financial experts rec- It’s also wise to use any free time well: favor. ommend putting away a minimum of three consider staying active mentally by regis- The US today tops China (51 percent to 35 percent) to six months of operating expenses in the tering for online courses and webinars that on the economic front. It will trail 47 percent to 30 percent with the dawn of what Brunswick calls “The bank for a “rainy day.” The bottom line: take can help you hone your skills and grow in China Century.” as much cash out of your agency as possible your career. Staying in touch with how your

62 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM

O’Dwyer’s guide to RANKED PR FIRMS

in. We help evolve the story and APCO WORLDWIDE the conversation, making brands relevant in new ways. We do that 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW by breaking through to media and Suite 300 influencers who have the greatest Washington, DC 20004 impact with your target customers 202/778-1000 and with content and experiences Fax: 202/466-6002 that elevates brand and corporate [email protected] communications, driving thought www.apcoworldwide.com

leadership and real business out- Margery Kraus, Founder & comes. For legacy brands needing Executive Chairman to connect with new audiences, or Brad Staples, CEO emerging brands wanting to establish themselves in a competitive APCO Worldwide is an adviso- category, we know how to drive ry and advocacy communications relevance today and how to sustain consultancy helping leading public it for the future. and private sector organizations 360PR+ is an award-winning, act with agility, and build organi- creative, independent agency, zational reputations, brands, rela- ranked as a Top-50 PR firm nation- tionships and solutions to succeed. At a launch event for 360PR+ client Trek Bicycle. ally. 360PR+ has been recognized APCO is an independent and as an Agency of the Year and Best majority women-owned business. 5W PUBLIC 5WPR’s notable clients in- Place to Work and is a partner in Most importantly, we are a trust- clude Sparkling ICE, SodaStream, PROI Worldwide, offering clients ed partner to our clients. We help RELATIONS Welch’s, CheapOAir, It’s a 10 in-market resources in 100+ cities. them anticipate, plan, execute and Haircare, jane iredale, L’Oreal Pro- secure impact through our curiosi- 230 Park Ave., 32nd Floor fessional, SAP NS2, VIZIO, The ty, insights and diverse expertise. New York, NY 10169 Trade Desk, CareerBuilder, Santa AKRETE, INC. Our clients benefit from APCO 212/999-5585 Margherita, Paris Baguette, &Piz- leaders who have the pulse of the [email protected] Downtown Chicago • Evanston, IL www.5wpr.com za, Lifestyles, SMEG and Zeta dynamically changing global en- Global. Our innovative work has (Main office) • Boston Metro www.Akrete.com vironment that defines the market- Ronn D. Torossian, Founder & been awarded PR Agency of the Twitter: @TeamAkrete place; the first-hand experience of CEO Year, PR Executive of the Year, LinkedIn.com/company/akrete having faced significant issues or Dara Busch, President, Consumer Product Launch of the Year and Facebook.com/TeamAkrete opportunities; the ability to har- Practice Business to Business Program of Instagram @TeamAkrete ness the power of data, insights Matthew Caiola, President, the Year. and technology; and the passion to Corporate & Technology Practice Margy Sweeney, Founder & CEO deliver unparalleled results. ([email protected]) Since 2003, New York City- 360PR+ Our expertise and integrated ap- Nicole Stenclik, Boston Office proach enable us to provide a full based 5W Public Relations (5WPR) Lead ([email protected]) range of services, across industry has worked with widely known 200 State St. and emerging brands, corporations Boston, MA 02109 A national content-driven mar- sectors and global markets, allow- and high-profile individuals. Our 617/585-5770 keting, public relations and social ing us to offer effective counsel practice areas include Consumer www.360PR.plus media firm, we articulate and pro- and programs for boards of direc- Products & Brands, Food & Bev- mote business growth stories. We tors and CEOs. We meet the evolv- erage, Health & Wellness, Beauty, Additional locations: New York, with specialize in financial services and ing needs of executives and their affiliates in 100 other cities Apparel & Accessories, Home & commercial real estate, and offer teams in communications, public Housewares, Travel & Hospitality, an emerging cannabis practice. We affairs, government relations, le- Laura Tomasetti, CEO gal, risk, organizational transfor- Entertainment & Sports, Corporate, Victoria Renwick, Michael Rush, write to inspire individual people Technology, Public Affairs & Gov- Partners to action: clients, prospects, media mation, international relations, ernment Relations, Nonprofit, Cri- Matthew Lenig, Creative Director and influencers alike. We speak corporate responsibility and brand sis Communications, Events and Erin Weinberg, GM-NY the language of business—and can marketing. Digital & Social Media. We have a Rob Bratskeir, EVP translate to B2H (Business to Hu- We measure success in the trans- 360-degree approach to PR, social Stacey Clement, Ali Kavulich, man) in ways that connect inves- formations we help to catalyze, our Caitlin Melnick, SVPs tors, clients and companies. clients’ impact on society and their media, branding and digital market- Jenni Brennan, Melinda Bonner, ing that delivers game-changing re- No subject matter is too com- continued profitable growth. Jill Hawkins, Melissa Perroni sults to our clients. Our 175+ tena- (HR), Morgan Salmon (Finance), plex, no growth vision too expan- cious and creative communications VPs sive for #TeamAkrete’s 20+ person BACKBAY practitioners develop and execute team of senior storytellers. Our creative campaigns that connect The world today is ultra-con- vibrant, thought leadership-driv- COMMUNICATIONS our clients with their target audi- nected, new trends emerge, media en campaigns are delivered with ences in memorable ways. Every entities rise and fall, competitors high-touch service, and attention to 20 Park Plaza, Suite 801 aspect of programming is designed come in and shake things up and timelines that accelerate business. Boston, MA 02116 customers expect more from the Accept no substitute for strong con- 617/391-0790 to impact our clients’ bottom line, www.backbaycommunications.com bringing leading businesses a re- brands they love. Many brands tent; our team can make your ideas sourceful, bold and results-driven struggle to stay relevant in this cli- come alive and help you achieve 14-16 Great Chapel Street approach to communication. mate. That’s where 360PR+ comes meaningful media coverage. London, W1F 8FL

6464 APRILJUNE 20152020 || WWW.ODWYERPR.COMWWW.ODWYERPR.COM || ADVERTISINGADVERTISING SECTIONSECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

+44 (0) 203 475 7552 young start-ups. We’ve done it for Partner agencies, offering clients immedi- established multinationals. We can Meg Wildrick, Managing Partner ate global resources for projects or Bill Haynes, Founder & CEO do it for you! Cortney Stapleton, Partner & campaigns with consistent pricing We are currently promoting Professional Svcs. Practice Leader and centralized management. BackBay Communications is an products and services worldwide Michael Roth, Partner & Clients Include: Anthem Sports integrated public relations, content for a select collection of brands Healthcare Practice Leader & Entertainment, Cisco, Con- development and digital market- Alexis Odesser, Greg Hassel, such as Edible, Gold’s Gym, Julia Mellon, Keri Toomey, Reed tent Delivery & Security Assn. ing firm focused on the financial School of Rock, 9Round Fitness, (CDSA), Corning Optical Com- services sector. BackBay special- Handley, Sally Slater, Senior VPs Neighborly, Best Life Brands, Liz DeForest, Miles Hill, Megan munications, Immersion Neuro- izes in private equity and venture Restoration 1, New Method Well- Tuck, Morgan Musikantow, VPs science, Media & Entertainment capital, asset management, fintech, ness, Brix and many others. Services Alliance (MESA), Nice and impact investing. With offices In addition to our PR services, Bliss Integrated Communication Label, Open Gear, Plume, The Ca- in Boston and London, BackBay we offer a complete suite of com- is a 45-year old integrated market- ble Center, Viamedia. serves companies in North Ameri- munications tools needed to reach ing communication agency that ca, Europe, and elsewhere, leverag- today’s audiences through Digi- partners with top-tier healthcare, ing global partners. tal BizCom, BizCom Design and financial and professional services BOSPAR BackBay takes a brand-centric, BizComPress. To find out how companies—and those who live Locations in San Francisco, LA, content-driven approach to devel- we can give your emerging con- “in between”—to build reputation oping and executing integrated Orange County, Chicago and the cept a growth spurt or bring a and sales through strategic PR, Washington, D.C. area. communications programs for fi- fresh approach to marketing your thought leadership, targeted digital nancial services firms including 415/913-7528 mature brand, contact Scott White media and analytics. Bliss focus- [email protected] marketing strategy, content devel- at [email protected] or es on finding the whitespace that @BosparPR opment, media relations, brand re- 214/458-5751. makes each business unique, driv- search and message development, ing toward business goals and se- Chris Boehlke, Curtis Sparrer, creative design and multi-channel BLAZE curing real results. Clients include Tom Carpenter, Principals distribution of company news and some of the most respected names Tricia Heinrich, Chief Content perspectives to build brand aware- 1427 Third Street Promenade in the industries served; average Officer ness, credibility and drive new Santa Monica, CA 90401 310/395-5050 tenure among large clients is eight Hey—can we talk to you for a business for our clients. plus years. What sets Bliss apart is Solely focused on financial ser- [email protected] second? Yeah—you—the person www.blazepr.com its dedicated and experienced ex- vices since its founding in 2005, reading these descriptions. ecutives, an understanding of how Is it us or does this copy all seem BackBay has unparalleled industry Matt Kovacs, President to forge deep, long-lasting client expertise and strong relationships the same? We bet nearly every partnerships and an unwavering agency description says “we’re with the business and financial BLAZE is the trusted partner commitment to success. media. At BackBay, every client of choice for lifestyle challenger award winning” and “tech blah, account is staffed with senior team brands hungry for a real piece of blah, blah” and you’re left won- members dedicated to providing the marketshare. BLAZE has been BOB GOLD & dering: who do I pick? Here’s our advice: pick an agen- clients a high-touch, results-orient- retained by a growing number of ASSOCIATES ed experience. savvy clients who want integrated cy that is the right size to care BackBay was recently ranked #1 PR, influencer and social media about you passionately with the in Boston for financial services PR strategies—and flawless execu- 1640 S. Pacific Coast Highway right team to get it done. Redondo Beach, CA 90277 We of course think that’s us! by O’Dwyer’s for the fourth year tion. BLAZE senior level profes- 310/320-2010 in a row and was recognized as sionals play a hands-on, day-to- Bospar was named PRWeek’s Out- www.bobgoldpr.com standing Boutique agency for the Communications Firm of the Year day role with clients. With more [email protected] by M&A Advisor. BackBay also than two decades of relationships second year in a row, because we offer the best of big and small. consistently ranks as a top 10 glob- and a solid team founded in stra- Bob Gold, President al PR Agency in The Deal’s private tegic approaches, BLAZE is adroit Like a big agency, Bospar has seasoned professionals across the equity league tables. in advancing client objectives and PR and marketing agency, Bob country, based in San Francisco, nimble to the quick-changing pace Gold & Associates provides guar- Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, of media. anteed results in every contract. BIZCOM Orange County, San Diego, New Clients include: AmaWater- The agency was founded in 1997 York, and Washington, D.C. Its ASSOCIATES ways, Bilinski’s Sausage Co., and along the way, Bob has been content department provides blog BIOHM Health, BodyBio, Bush- named Public Relations Society of posts, case studies, ghost-written 1400 Preston Rd., #305 wick Kitchen, Chronic Tacos, America’s (PRSA-LA) 2019 Com- articles, messaging, positioning, Plano, TX 75093 ESPN, Golden West Food Group, munications Professional of the press releases, social media con- 214/458-5751 Heat Holders, Hilton Hotels, Loop Year and inducted as a Cable TV tent, website copy, infographics, [email protected] Neighborhood Stores, Mary’s Pioneer. www.bizcompr.com research projects and videos. Gone Crackers, Mayweather Box- The company has launched or www.digitalbizcom.com But like a boutique, you will get ing + Fitness, Nature’s Path, Ono grown more than 20 TV sports net- www.bizcompress.com attention from the most senior staff Hawaiian BBQ, Youtheory works, numerous streaming ser- www.bizcomdesign.com and a team of people who have vices, many major cable TV oper- worked together for years. Locations: Plano, Texas; Chicago BLISS INTEGRATED ators and vendors and associations in the industry. Widely recognized Scott White, COO _ Continued on page 66 Monica Feid, President COMMUNICATION as a specialist in the space where Melissa Rubin, Vice President Member of The Worldcom Public technology meets entertainment, Relations Group the agency is also called upon The July issue of O’Dwyer’s will For over two decades, we have when reputations need to be en- profile Travel & Tourism PR firms. 500 5th Ave., 16th Floor hanced or even saved. delivered award-winning PR and If you would like to be profiled, marketing communications results New York, NY 10110 With offices in Los Angeles and for disruptive brands, dynamic en- 212/840-1661 New York City, Bob Gold & Asso- contact Editor Steve Barnes at Fax: 212/840-1663 646/843-2089 or trepreneurs, innovative franchise www.blissintegrated.com ciates co-founded WIN PR Group, chains and other creative busi- an international association of [email protected] ness leaders. We’ve done it for hot Elizabeth Sosnow, Managing independently owned hi-tech PR

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 65 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

D.C.; Texas; United Kingdom lic Relations LLC is an award-winning, dog-friendly, national com- Chris Bravacos, CEO munications agency based in Rhett Hintze, COO Philadelphia. We specialize in Topper Ray, President, Comms. media relations, digital, and crisis Dennis Walsh, Pres., Government communications, with expertise in Relations Megan Madsen, VP, Comms. healthcare, life sciences, financial services, professional services, not- What keeps you up at night gets for-profit, real estate and consumer us up in the morning. goods. When chaos reigns. When time With excellence and integrity as is against you. When bold steps are guiding principles, we help brands needed. We move people to action. find and share stories that mat- Our solutions are grounded in data ter. Our storytelling tools include science but designed for humans, graphics and video, in addition to which gives our clients an edge to writing. We pride ourselves on sol- win tough fights. id, long-term relationships with our We help organizations to find clients. clarity in chaos so they can see Our amazing client roster in- clearly and act decisively. Ranked cludes: Anthony & Sylvan, At- the number one PR firm in Penn- lantiCare, Bimbo Bakeries USA, sylvania, we specialize in industries Barsz Gowie Amon & Fultz, LLC, where government and public opin- Blaschak Coal Corp., Chester Up- ion impact success, including en- land School District, DELCORA, ergy, infrastructure, utilities, trans- Foundation to Abolish Child Sex portation, health care, life sciences, Abuse, Lancaster General Health, nonprofits and education. McCollom D’Emilio Smith Ueb- We are committed to continuous ler, Opportunity Finance Network, innovation that puts our clients at Pennsylvania Trust, Pepper Ham- the forefront of the industries they ilton LLP, Philadelphia Insurance serve. We develop relationships at Companies, Ramboll, Salveson scale, unify intelligence, simplify Stetson Group, Tyson Foods, Wis- performance and accelerate growth, sahickon Trails and World Affairs driven by in-house capabilities in Council of Philadelphia. research, communications, digital A founding member of the Pub- marketing, creative, advocacy, gov- lic Relations Global Network Bospar’s team of professionals are where you need them: San Francisco, ernment relations, media relations (PRGN), we offer clients access to Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and San Diego. and media planning and buying. 50 top-tier, independent PR firms Our partial client roster includes around the world. American Cancer Society, Aqua, and speaking and awards programs. BUTLER BOSPAR The agency’s specialty is driving Commonwealth Charter Academy _ Continued from page 65 coverage from the likes of ABC to (CCA), Comcast, CVS Health/Aet- ASSOCIATES, LLC the Wall Street Journal. na, Enterprise, Genentech, Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Bospar’s staff includes journal- 353 Lexington Ave., 17th flr. BRAVO GROUP Pennsylvania (HAP), Lehigh Val- New York, NY 10016 ists who know how to reverse-en- ley Economic Development Cor- 212/685-4600 gineer media coverage from a cli- poration, Pennsylvania Turnpike, [email protected] ent’s needs and provide intensive 20 N 2nd St. www.ButlerAssociates.com Harrisburg, PA 17101 Pharmaceutical Research & Man- media training with an insider’s ufacturers of America (PhRMA), perspective. Bospar supports its 717/214-2200 290 Harbor Dr. [email protected] PPL Electric Utilities and Energy Stamford, CT 06902 media efforts with analyst and in- Transfer. fluencer relations, customer and Additional locations: Philadelphia, Thomas P. Butler, President third-party relations, case histories PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Washington, BUCHANAN 2019 Winner of PRSA-NY’s Best PUBLIC RELATIONS of the Best. Recent winner of other top PRSA-NY accolades: Best LLC Legal Campaign & Best Business Communications Campaign & Best 890 County Line Rd. Public Affairs Campaign, as well as Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 PR News Agency Elite Best Public 610/649-9292 Affairs Campaign. Other accolades [email protected] include Best PR & Political Mes- BuchananPR.com Twitter: @BuchananPR saging Campaign in U.S./Canada LinkedIn.com/company/buchananpr from the International Association Facebook.com/BuchananPR of Fire Fighters. Butler is ranked among New York’s top agencies Anne A. Buchanan, APR, for its business, financial, profes- President (anne.buchanan@ sional services, public affairs, envi- buchananpr.com) ronmental, legal and crisis manage- Nancy Page, EVP (nancy.page@ ment practices. Butler Associates buchananpr.com) Buchanan PR will be there for you. Founded in 1998, Buchanan Pub- _ Continued on page 68

66 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

we understand how to reach the Group®. audiences that matter most. Cerrell That’s a bit about who we are and creates strategic and multilingual what we do, but we still believe programs that California’s diverse the most important question to al- environment demands. The key ways ask is, “why?” At Coyne PR, to our success is a comprehensive we like to say Y is at the center of approach that combines the disci- Coyne—both literally and figura- plines of government affairs, public tively. This simple observation led relations, community outreach and us to ask ourselves: Why? Why campaigns. does Coyne exist? Our value-driven approach al- We believe great communication lows for consistency in the manage- can change the world. We believe Among its clients, Butler Associates represents the Greater New York ment of your project with one team that it is both “what we say” and Automobile Dealers Association, which owns and produces the New focused on achieving your goals. “how we say” it that matters im- York International Auto Show. That’s why Cerrell is the firm of mensely. Communication can fund choice for local, national and glob- charities, save factories, inspire a BUTLER ASSOCIATES Package Store Association, New al organizations doing business in movement, defend the righteous _ Continued from page 66 York City Fire Pension Fund, New California. Strategy. Action. Re- and give a voice to the voiceless. York Production Alliance, Patriot sults. Communication inspires, explains is a communications strategy and Bank, NA, Plaza College, Sharps Clients Include: Allied Universal, and provides a real understanding. research team with a proven track Technology, Inc., Siebert Williams Biocom, Broadrock Renewables It helps end conflicts amicably, with record of high-impact results. Shank & Co., L.L.C., Steamfitters LLC, BYD Motors, California a sense of fairness. It brings people Butler Associates campaigns Local 638, New York, Zalkin Law Nevada Cement Assn., California together to work toward common range from victorious Fortune 50 Firm and Zara Realty Holdings Resources Corp., California Water goals and aspirations. Communi- shareholder proxy battles, direct- Corp. Assn., Estee Lauder, HDR Engi- cation is the multiplier that drives ing messaging for public affairs, neering, Inc., Hollywood Burbank success whether it be between two, legal, crisis and public safety Airport, Kiewit Corp., Legado two hundred or two million peo- awareness campaigns, to visibility CERRELL Companies, Liberty Utilities, Local ple that allows for collaboration and multi-channel, content devel- ASSOCIATES, INC. Initiatives Support Organization— and contribution toward a better opment and messaging for organi- LA, Pharmaceutical Research existence. Great communication is zational CEOs. The Butler group 5900 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2150 and Manufacturers of America what makes us the best versions of includes seasoned media and com- Los Angeles, CA 90004 (PhRMA), Providence St. Joseph ourselves. Therefore, we choose to munication pros, committed to their 323/466-3445 Health, Sandstone Properties, Ser- pursue communication because we clients, who deliver consistently. Its Fax: 323/466-8653 vicon and TopGolf. choose to make the world a better Litical Solutions division delivers www.cerrell.com place. online engagement and results via COYNE PUBLIC broadcast and digital. Hal Dash, Chairman & CEO CROSBY Clients Include: 2020 Irish Amer- Trevor Daley, President RELATIONS ican Presidential Forum, American Steve Bullock, CFO Brandon Stephenson, CSO 705 Melvin Avenue Triple I Partners, Association of Marc Mitchell, Tori Chica, VPs 5 Wood Hollow Road Annapolis, MD 21401 BellTel Retirees, Inc., Barasch Mc- Amy Rosenfeld, Assoc. VP Parsippany, NJ 07054 410/626-0805 Garry P.C., Cognitive Assessment 973/588-2000 www.crosbymarketing.com Group, Core Theatre Company, Cerrell builds strategic communi- www.coynepr.com Davidoff Hutcher Citron LLP, De cations and advocacy programs to Raymond Crosby, President Caro & Kaplen LLP, Election Sys- meet our clients’ needs. 1400 Broadway Joel Machak, Exec. Creative tems & Software, Fleet Financial, 36th & 37th floors Director Our team of professionals blends New York, NY 10018 FDNY EMS Local 2507, Friars Denise Aube, Healthcare Practice diverse experience and relentless 212/938-0166 Leader Club, Greater New York Automo- dedication to client service to en- Anna Zawislanski, Government bile Dealers Associates, Greenport sure a collaborative and custom- Tom Coyne, CEO Practice Leader Harbor Brewing Company, Home ized approach to crafting winning Rich Lukis, President Meg O’Grady, Military & Veterans Health Care Workers of America, strategies. In today’s complex and John Gogarty, President Practice Leader Home Health Care Employers As- rapidly changing political and so- Kelly Dencker, Jennifer Pam Atkinson, Director of sociation of New York, Hooks for cial landscape, Cerrell is the one- Kamienski, Tim Schramm and Connection Planning Heroes, Hunts Point Cooperative stop-shop for advocacy, outreach Lisa Wolleon, Executive VPs Suresh John, Director of Digital Strategy & Analytics Market, Knights of Saint Patrick of and proactive branding, imaging As 2019 Creative Agency of the New York City, Mechanical Con- and crisis communications. Year, Coyne PR delivers programs The Crosby team is passionate tractors Assn. of New York, M-Fire With deep roots and extensive built on a foundation of stand-out about helping clients Inspire Ac- Suppression, Inc., Metropolitan networks throughout California, creative, integrated thinking and tions That Matter™—actions that activation capabilities to effective- positively impact people’s lives and ly convey messages across paid, contribute to the greater good. earned, shared and owned chan- Crosby helps clients make pow- nels for its clients. These programs erful connections with their cus- have been recognized with more tomers, constituents, and commu- than 1,000 industry awards since nities to shape attitudes, inspire the agency’s inception in 1991 and behavior change, and motivate led to the agency being one of the action. The firm’s award-winning top 15 independent PR firms in campaigns, which integrate paid, the U.S. In addition to its offices earned, shared and owned media, in New York and New Jersey, the have touched the lives of virtually agency’s footprint spans across every American. As 2019 Creative Agency of the Year, Coyne PR is a public relations firm 115 cities, in 49 countries on six The firm has specialized practices with expertise in PR, social, advertising and digital with more than 150 continents through its partnership in Healthcare, Government, Non- full-time professionals. in The Worldcom Public Relations profits and Causes, and Military

68 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms agement, alternatives and private [email protected] equity, and investment and community banking. DLPR has proven Fahlgren Mortine is an integrated professional services experience communications company help- within accounting, business con- ing brands engage in ways that are sulting, compliance, cybersecurity, precise and meaningful. Locations economics, risk management, man- include Columbus (headquarters), agement consulting and law. DLPR Cleveland and Dayton, Ohio; also has strong experience in fin- Charleston, W. Va.; Boise, Idaho; tech and B2B technology. Denver, Colo.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; DLPR has an exceptionally Miami; Chicago and New York strong broadcast group that, on City. The agency is a member of average, secures approximately 50 the global IPREX network. Crosby staff members support the company’s mission of “Inspiring Ac- bookings per month, primarily on Industry expertise includes B2B, tions That Matter” by donating time and money to worthy charities and CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business CPG, economic development, nonprofits. and Yahoo! Finance. healthcare, higher education, man- Clients Include: ARK-Invest, Ad- ufacturing, logistics, retail, technol- and Veterans. Clients include the suite of integrated communications ams Street Partners, BlueMountain ogy, and travel and tourism. Agency for Healthcare Research services includes: comprehensive Capital, Brandes Investment Part- Fahlgren Mortine helps brands and Quality (AHRQ), Centers for messaging and media relations ners, Brightstar Capital Partners, get to precisely what matters using Disease Control and Prevention across multiple platforms, content Brown Advisory, Crossmark Glob- a powerful combination of data, (CDC), DAV (Disabled American creation, media and presentation al Investments, Duff & Phelps, Eis- design and creativity. Doing work Veterans), Dept. of Defense/Mili- coaching, crisis and special situa- nerAmper, Global X Management, that dares to make a difference and tary OneSource, ENERGY STAR, tions communications, online rep- JMP Group, Kearney, Livingstone remaining accountable for getting Kaiser Permanente, OrganDonor. utation management and internal Partners, Navigant, Neuberger Ber- measurable results is one of the gov, Shriners Hospitals for Chil- communications. man, OceanFirst Bank, Raymond many reasons clients choose to stay dren, Social Security Administra- DLPR’s clients include well- James and Robeco Global. with the company at a tenure 182% tion, Substance Abuse and Mental known, large and middle-market longer than industry average. Health Services Administration companies in key areas of finance, EDELMAN Fahlgren Mortine regularly earns (SAMHSA), U.S. Dept. of Agricul- including: institutional investing, Best Place to Work and Agency of the Year honors from various trade ture (USDA), U.S. Dept. of Health mutual funds, ETFs, wealth man- 250 Hudson St., 16th Floor and Human Services, Veterans New York, NY 10013 organizations, as well as indus- Health Administration, and The 212/768-0550 try-specific recognition for cam- Wallace Foundation. Fax: 212/704-0117 paign excellence. Crosby is #24 on O’Dwyer’s na- www.edelman.com TURNER, a travel, tourism and tional ranking of PR firms, #7 for active lifestyle public relations healthcare PR, and is a member Edelman is a global commu- agency, is a Fahlgren Mortine com- of the PR Council and American nications firm that partners with pany. Association of Advertising Agen- businesses and organizations to cies (4As). The firm has offices in evolve, promote and protect their FEINTUCH Maryland’s state capital of Annap- brands and reputations. Our 6,000 olis and in Washington, D.C. people in more than 60 offices de- COMMUNICATIONS liver communications strategies that give our clients the confidence DUKAS LINDEN to lead and act with certainty, earn- 245 Park Ave., 39th Fl. ing the trust of their stakeholders. New York, NY 10167 PUBLIC RELATIONS Our honors include the Cannes Li- 212/808-4901 ons Grand Prix for PR; Advertising [email protected] 100 W. 26th St. Age’s 2019 A-List; the Holmes Re- www.feintuchcommunications.com New York, NY 10001 www.PRWorldAlliance.com 212/704-7385 port’s 2018 Global Digital Agency of the Year; and, five times, Glass- [email protected] Henry Feintuch, President www.dlpr.com door’s Best Places to Work. Since Rick Anderson, Senior Managing our founding in 1952, we have re- Director Richard Dukas, Chairman & CEO mained an independent, family-run Doug Wright, Senior Account Seth Linden, President business. Edelman owns specialty Director Zach Leibowitz, Executive VP companies Edelman Intelligence (research) and United Entertain- Looking for highly experienced Dukas Linden Public Relations practitioners to manage, hands-on, (DLPR) is a communications partment Group (entertainment, sports, lifestyle). your critical PR campaign? Let’s ner for leaders in finance, asset open a conversation together. management, professional services, FAHLGREN Feintuch Communications is an fintech and B2B technology. We award-winning technology and create compelling narratives that MORTINE financial services firm offering se- expand our clients’ share of voice, nior counsel, experience and tacti- enhance their brand value and— 4030 Easton Station, Suite 300 cal support to a broad range of or- most important—engage key audi- Columbus, OH 43219 ganizations—from the Fortune 500 ences in a global marketplace. 614/383-1500 to emerging companies, non-profits Ranked #7 on O’Dwyer’s list of Fax: 614/383-1501 www.fahlgrenmortine.com and associations. top financial PR firms, we’re driv- Key market segments include en by a passion to deliver targeted Neil Mortine, President AV, adtech/martech, cleantech, strategies and creative solutions [email protected] consumer electronics, e-commerce, that provide measurable benefits From top: DLPR Chairman & CEO Aaron Brown, Executive VP to clients—and help their busi- Richard Dukas, President Seth [email protected] _ Continued on page 70 nesses grow and succeed. Our full Linden. Marty McDonald, Executive VP

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 69 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms Partners. “The senior leaders who FRAZIERHEIBY joined us last year in health, sustainability, integrated marketing, 1500 Lake Shore Drive, Suite 300 consumer and financial services Columbus, OH 43204 made significant contributions to 614/481-7534 our growth and, with our senior www.frazierheiby.com leaders across our global network, [email protected] will support our trajectory moving forward.” Finn continued to be Lauren Parker, President + CEO Ann Mulvany, Sr. Partner, recognized with industry awards, Marketing + Operations including being the first general Whitney Somerville, Sr. Partner, market PR firm ever to be honored Client Experience with the New York Urban League’s Champions of Diversity award for FrazierHeiby is an award-win- FrazierHeiby owners Lauren Parker, Whitney Somerville and Ann Mulva- its Actions Speak Louder Diversity ning, intelligent communications ny at the agency’s headquarters. and Inclusion initiative. “Our 800 consultancy based in Columbus, staff globally across 19 offices in Ohio. In operation since 1983, the FINN PARTNERS the US, Europe and Asia, continues team of curious minds, creative FEINTUCH COMMS. to deliver breakthrough campaigns thinkers and collaborative partners _ Continued from page 69 301 East 57th St. rooted in analytics and insights and uses evidence-based communica- New York, NY 10022 powered by strategy and creativi- tions to guide and support organi- 212/715-1600 ty,” continued Finn. zations that propel the economy. fintech and financial services, in- www.finnpartners.com Specialties include agriculture, dustrial tech, professional services Twitter.com/finnpartners energy, manufacturing, healthcare, Facebook.com/finnpartners FISH CONSULTING professional services and economic and start-ups. LinkedIn.com/company/finn- Our focus is on business re- development. partners 117 NE 2nd Street sults—helping our clients build Rooted in research and inspired Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 by insight, FrazierHeiby creates distribution, sell more products or Peter Finn, Noah Finn, Dena 954/893-9150 services, improve their corporate Merriam, Richard Funess, www.fish-consulting.com tailored marketing communica- or brand image and achieve other Alicia Young, Dan Pooley, tions programming that helps drive business outcomes. Every client Howard Solomon, Mark Singer, Lorne Fisher, CFE, CEO/ business objectives. Services in- engagement is managed—hands- Scott Widmeyer, Founding Mng. Managing Partner clude strategic planning, branding on—by a senior practitioner re- Partners Jenna Kantrowitz, COO/SVP and positioning, public relations, Gil Bashe, Mng. Partner Lauren Simo, VP social media, marketing services, sponsible for results. Marty Ettlemyer, CFO We provide clients with an inte- content, media relations, crisis and Founded in 2004, Fish is a na- grated blend of public relations, so- Finn Partners Best Year Ever. reputation management, employee tional PR agency supporting com- cial media, advertising/marketing, Finn Partners unprecedented 35% engagement, creative design and munications strategies for a variety investor relations, web/digital mar- growth in 2019 was driven by new measurement. of nationally recognized brands keting and other services. Our firm business wins, expansion of exist- In early 2020, FrazierHeiby re- including Dunkin’, Best Western serves on the board of PR World ing clients, key senior hires and turned to its roots as a female-owned Hotels & Resorts, Neighborly, FO- Alliance (www.PRWorldAlliance. several strategic acquisitions that business with president and CEO CUS Brands, UFC Gym, Chicken com), a global partnership of pre- bolstered the firm’s capabilities in Lauren Parker, senior partners Ann Salad Chick, Regus and more. Our mier independent communications health, digital/creative, consumer, Mulvany and Whitney Somerville core services and capabilities range consultancies. and financial services. High growth taking over agency operations. from national consumer and busi- Our goal is to provide the expert practice areas included health, With employees in Columbus and ness media relations, franchisee service, experienced counsel and technology, financial services, New York City, this next genera- recruitment and internal commu- hands-on support that our clients and integrated marketing, and the tion of FrazierHeiby leadership is nications to crisis communications, need to meet their business objec- firm’s New York, London, and US reinventing the agency to meet the social influencer marketing and tives. Our commitment is to be a midwestern and southeastern re- changing needs of CMOs in the grand opening support. superior business partner in each gions also experienced significant digital age. For more information, With a maniacal focus on our and every client engagement. expansion. “Our values-based cul- please visit www.frazierheiby.com. team, we have been able to suc- Clients include: BasisCode ture, cross-practice collaboration cessfully attract and retain smart, Compliance, HDMI Licensing and commitment to working hard strategic and creative PR pros, who FRENCH/WEST/ Administrator, Leclanché, NCSo- and playing nice, continues to at- in turn, produce stellar work for lutions, Nexans, Silicon Line and tract top talent at all levels,” said VAUGHAN all of our partners. We’re incred- ZeeVee. Peter Finn, Founding Partner, Finn ibly proud of the five Best Places 112 E. Hargett St. to Work awards we’ve received 919/832-6300 over the past year recognizing the Raleigh, NC 27601 magnetic company culture we’ve www.fwv-us.com built here at the agency. Investing in our people and their well-being Rick French, Chairman & CEO has always been a top priority, and David Gwyn, President / Principal Natalie Best, Chief Operating it’s an honor to have our efforts cel- Officer / Principal ebrated at a national and local level by some of the industry’s most French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is prestigious rankings including Inc., the Southeast’s leading public re- PRWeek, PR News, PRovoke Me- lations, public affairs, advertising dia and the South Florida Business and digital media agency. Firmly Journal. entrenched among the country’s 20 Based in Fort Lauderdale, Flor- largest PR firms (2020 O’Dwyer’s Henry Feintuch receives PRSA-NY’s President’s Award from 2019 Chapter ida, Fish has operations in Dallas, Ranking of Top U.S. PR Firms), President Leslie Gottlieb. Washington D.C., and London. FWV was winner of the Bulldog

70 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Reporter Best PR Agency of 2019. [email protected] hospitality and entertainment, with Revation, SmartSens, SpinTrans- FWV is the only N.C.-based public category expertise in food and bev- fer, SuperMicro, Syniverse and relations firm to capture National Aaron Schoenherr, Founding erage, retail and restaurants, beer/ Tealium. Agency of the Year honors, some- Partner wine/spirits, sports/leisure, con- thing it has now done 20 times over John Corey, President & Founding sumer packaged goods, home, and the past two decades. Partner beauty/fashion. HOTWIRE Laura Miller, Executive VP Founded in April 1997, the firm Clients include: Jaguar Land 45 E. 20th St., 10th Floor is led by Chairman & CEO Rick Greentarget is a strategic public Rover, JPMorgan Chase, Panda New York, NY 10003 French, President David Gwyn and relations firm that helps profes- Express, Jim Beam, Maui Jim, 646/738-8960 Chief Operating Officer Natalie sional and financial services orga- Wholly Guacamole, Sun-Maid, [email protected] Best. Among its operating divisions nizations create unique positions Schlage, Justin’s, Shure, RE/MAX, hotwireglobal.com are: FWV Fetching, a pet and vet- of authority to participate skillful- TurboTax, Golden Boy, Republic @hotwireglobal erinary PR and marketing agency ly in the conversations that matter Services. based in Tampa; AMP3 PR, a fash- most to their key stakeholders. Our 222 Kearny St., #400 ion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle San Francisco, CA 94108 multi-channel communications THE HOFFMAN 415/840-2790 PR firm based in New York City; strategy empowers firms to in- CGPR, an active lifestyle, outdoor, crease market share, attract leading AGENCY 225 S. 6th Street, Suite 3900 ski, fashion, technology and travel talent and achieve a higher purpose. Minneapolis, MN 55402 PR and consumer brand marketing Founded in Chicago, Greentarget 325 South 1st St., 3rd Floor agency based in Greater Boston; has grown into a world-class team San Jose, CA 95113 Barbara Bates, Global CEO and Prix Productions, the compa- spread across five offices and in- 408/286-2611 Heather Kernahan, President, ny’s longform content feature and fused with the same entrepreneurial Fax: 408/286-0133 North America Adrian Talbot, Chief Finance documentary film division, with spirit that led to the firm’s creation. [email protected] offices in Raleigh and L.A. FWV www.hoffman.com Officer Our culture reflects Greentarget’s Andy West, Chief Dev. Officer employs more than 120 public re- core values: hard work, risk-taking, Lou Hoffman, CEO Chris Paxton, Chief Strat. Officer lations, public affairs, social media, authenticity, creative thinking and Syreeta Mussante, Managing Fiona Chilcott, Chief People & advertising and digital marketing individual and team growth. Director, North America Culture Officer experts between its Raleigh, N.C. We deliver a mix of earned me- Caroline Hsu, Managing Director, headquarters and other offices dia, content, research, digital and Asia Pacific Hotwire is a global communica- around the country. special-situations counsel to help Mark Pinsent, Managing Director, tions consultancy that helps busi- In addition to ranking FWV 17th clients communicate and influence Europe nesses better engage and connect nationally in audited annual fee through normal business cycles and Lydia Lau, CFO / EVP of Global with their customers. From Syd- Operations billings, O’Dwyer’s ranks FWV #1 in times of crisis. This powerful ney to San Francisco, we operate in the Southeast, a position it has with a borderless mindset across combination positions our firm to Defining communications broad- occupied for more than 15 years. elevate the brands and reputations 12 locations covering the US, UK, Among the top agencies, FWV ly to include digital, content mar- France, Germany, Spain, Italy and of clients across earned, owned, keting, thought leadership as well ranks second in Beauty & Fashion, shared and paid media channels. Australia, together with a partner third in both Entertainment Mar- as traditional PR, The Hoffman network spanning 29 cities around Through our proven client en- Agency knows how to differenti- keting and Sports, seventh in both gagement process, we empower the world. Agriculture and Energy, eighth in ate brands and deliver air cover for clients to direct conversations that sales. With heritage in the technol- Purpose/CSR, ninth in Environ- influence their audiences, drive THE HOYT mental/Sustainability and 10th in ogy sector, the firm’s work today business objectives and create val- cuts across a range of industries. Real Estate. The agency’s work in ue. ORGANIZATION Travel & Economic Development, While campaigns vary by client and industry, all share one theme: Industrial, Automotive/Transporta- HAVAS FORMULA 23001 Hawthorne Blvd., #200 tion, Education, Home Furnishings, the creation of content that reflects Torrance, CA 90505 Professional Services and Food & the tenets of storytelling. This 310/373-0103 200 Hudson St. Beverage also earned category means developing narratives that [email protected] New York, NY 10013 prompt journalists to write and www.hoytorg.com rankings in the top 20. 212/219-0321 FWV has been recognized over target audiences to read—a far cry Fax: 212/219-8846 from the “corporate speak” that Leeza L. Hoyt, President 1,000 times with awards on behalf www.havasformula.com Kent Barrett, VP of clients such as Wrangler, Pend- satisfies internal stakeholders. To- leton Whisky, the Wilmington and Michael Olguin, CEO ward this end, the firm conducts The Hoyt Organization, Inc., is Beaches Convention & Visitors storytelling workshops for internal a full-service strategic public re- Bureau, ABB, Teen Cancer Amer- Founded in 1992, Havas Formula communicators, executives and lations and integrated communica- ica, LS Tractor and numerous oth- is an award-winning, national pub- employees. tions agency that specializes in the er industry leading companies and lic relations agency headquartered For clients with global needs, the development of real estate, archi- brands. in New York, with offices in Los company operates in Asia Pacif- tectural & construction, financial It has also become one of the Angeles, Chicago, San Diego, and ic, Europe and the United States. and professional services, tech- nation’s go-to agencies for issues Miami. Part of Havas, the agency Unlike traditional agencies handi- nology, healthcare and consumer management and crisis counseling is committed to making a meaning- capped by their silo structure, The lifestyle programs on a national work, having defended the reputa- ful difference to brands, businesses Hoffman Agency applies a collab- and regional basis. Based in South- tion of dozens of high-profile indi- and people. Havas Formula special- orative approach to implementing ern California, the 30 year-old viduals, institutions, companies and izes in general market and Hispanic multi-country campaigns. This firm also provides global coverage associations. PR, social/digital and experiential leverage of content and thinking through its partner agencies in the marketing. Its corporate philoso- across geographies ultimately gen- Public Relations Global Network phy—Be Brave—stems from the erates better results. GREENTARGET (PRGN.com). Specialized services belief that for a brand to truly dif- Sample Clients: Axis Com- include media relations, social me- GLOBAL GROUP ferentiate itself in the marketplace munications, Baidu, Blackberry, dia, digital media, content genera- it must exhibit bravery. The agen- Cypress, City of Fremont, Flex, tion programs, media training, and 141 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 3100 cy’s core practice areas include KaiOS, Lam Research, Lenovo, crisis communications. Chicago, IL 60604 consumer, lifestyle, consumer tech- Lumileds, Nautilus, NextFlex, 312/253-8106 nology, high-tech, B-to-B, travel/ Nokia, Nutanix, OSIsoft, Rambus, _ Continued on page 72

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 71 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

[email protected] www.icrinc.com

Thomas Ryan, CEO ([email protected]) Don Duffy, President ([email protected]) Established in 1998, ICR partners with companies to execute strategic communications and advisory programs that achieve business goals, build awareness and credibility, and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm’s highly-differen- HUNTER provides an integrated suite of marketing services for Pompeian, imre Founder and CEO Dave Imre. now the #1 brand of olive oil in the US, and manages all owned, earned, tiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with se- and paid media. HUNTER was tasked to help Pompeian break away from agency’s 2019 growth to an invest- nior communications professionals, ment in people and reimagination other olive oil brands and created a 360-degree integrated campaign brings deep sector knowledge and which repositioned Pompeian as “The Olive Oil People” through digital across the agency. “Growth like relationships to more than 650 cli- this can only happen when you re- creative, educating consumers on what makes Pompeian different: its ents in approximately 20 industries. farmers, craftsmanship and quality. tain and attract exceptional talent. ICR’s healthcare practice operates That starts with a company culture tions firm with primary offices in under the Westwicke brand (www. people want to brag about,” Imre THE HOYT ORGANIZATION New York, Los Angeles and London westwicke.com). Today, ICR is one _ Continued from page 71 said. and a footprint across North Ameri- of the largest and most experienced In 2019, the agency brought in Clients include: Aesthetica ca. Beginning with research-driven independent communications and 48 new employees across all func- Medical, ACE Mentorship Pro- consumer insights, HUNTER exe- advisory firms in North America, tions of its business, with the large gram LA/OC, Auction.com, Auto- cutes strategic, integrated programs maintaining offices in New York, majority joining across the Creative gravity.com, Calmwater Capital, that build brand equity, increase Norwalk, Boston, Baltimore, San team and its Creators practice (Dig- CIRCA, CREW-LA, Elevé, Forté engagement and drive measurable Francisco, San Diego and Beijing. ital/Social, PR, User Experience, Specialty Contractors, Four Sea- business results for consumer prod- ICR also advises on capital markets and Analytics & Reporting.) It also son Private Residences (FSLA), ucts and services. The 130-person transactions through ICR Capital, added Shanee Cohen, EVP of Con- Gage Academy of Art (Seattle), firm employs a powerful blend of LLC. sumer, to its Executive Committee. Hankey Investment, Heartfulness marketing solutions including stra- Clients; Abbott Laboratories, Alongside talent, Imre singled Institute, HGA Architects & En- tegic planning, social and digital Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Beyond out the agency’s Strategy & In- gineers, Hoefer Wysocki, Kenne- media, talent and influencer en- Meat, BJ’s Wholesale, Boot Barn, sights team as the key differentia- dy Wilson Mountain Real Estate gagement, media relations, expe- Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics, tor. “Empathy & Optimism are the Capital, Los Angeles Headquar- riential, multicultural, and content Capri Holdings, Cardlytics, Inc., twin values that power our culture, ters Assn., LYFE Kitchen, Nadel creation and distribution for all Cardtronics, CareDx, Inc., Chungh- but the secret sauce is how they’re Architects, New Vista Behavioral platforms and channels to earn con- wa Telecom Co. Ltd., Colgate-Pal- represented in our approach to cli- Health, NxGen, PatientPop, Pin- sumer attention on behalf of some molive, Darden Restaurants, Green ent briefs. That team has leveled nacle Treatment Centers, Phoe- of the world’s best known and most Dot, Freshpet, Genuine Parts Co., up our work for long time clients nix Realty Group, Quantimetrix. beloved brands. Harman, Heidrick & Struggles, like John Deere and Travelers, and Inc., Rainbow Housing Assistance Founded over 30 years ago with Herbalife Ltd., The Hershey Com- we’re beginning to see it bring new Corp., Retail Design Collabora- a specialization in food and nutri- pany, Mobileye Inc., Jamieson clients into the fold,” he said. tive/Studio-111 (RDC-S111), Riaz tion, HUNTER has grown into one Laboratories Ltd., Knopp Biosci- In 2019, the agency recorded a Capital, South Bay Hospital, South of the most respected and awarded ences, Legg Mason & Co., LLC, tremendous 71% win rate across Bay Independent Physicians Med- mid-size marketing communica- lululemon athletica, MongoDB, new business, which includes add- ical Group, Inc., Southern Cali- tions firms in the country, proudly Inc., New Relic, Osram, Paramount ing giants like GSK, Pfizer, Bausch fornia Development Forum, Star- serving a broad range of esteemed Group, Inc., Peloton, Planet Fit- & Lomb, and Major League Soccer point Properties, Ten-X, Torrance companies and brands across Food ness, Red Hat, Inc., Rite Aid, Shake to its client roster. Memorial Home Health & Hos- + Beverage, Wine + Spirits, Health Shack, Starwood Property Trust, pice, Torrance Memorial Medical + Beauty, House + Home, Retail + Tencent, Tilray, Waitr, Welltower, Center, Urban Land Institute, Los Ecommerce, and Education. Workiva and Zoom. INKHOUSE Angeles District, USC Judith and Our motto is “we earn it,” and at Hunter we focus on doing so in 260 Charles Street, Suite 200 John Bedrosian Center, USC Lusk IMRE Waltham, MA 02453 Center for Real Estate and Water- three key areas: earning consumer attention, earning client relation- 781/966-4100 ton Investment. 210 W. Pennsylvania Ave., 7th Floor www.inkhouse.com ships and earning staff dedication. Baltimore, MD 21204 Twitter: @InkHousePR Our creative approach and client www.imre.com [email protected] HUNTER service-orientation has led to some [email protected] of the most enduring client relation- 550 Montgomery Street, Suite 450 Dave Imre, CEO & Founder San Francisco, CA 94111 41 Madison Ave., 5th Floor ships in the business including TA- BASCO® Pepper Sauce (31 years), Mark Eber, Partner & President 415/299-6600 New York, NY 10010 Crystalyn Stuart, Partner 212/679-6600 3M (24 years), Diageo (15 years), Jeff Smokler, Partner & President 199 Water Street, Floor 34 [email protected] Church & Dwight (15 years), and Johnson & Johnson (14 years). New York, NY 10038 Earning a seat at the strategic ta- 646/975-5142 Grace Leong, CEO ble. Fiercely independent agency, Jonathan Lyon, Donetta Allen, Gigi Russo and Erin Hanson, ICR imre, had the largest growth per- Beth Monaghan, CEO & Co- Partners centage among the top 80 firms on Founder, [email protected] our annual listing, up 52 percent to Jason Morris, President, jason@ 685 Third Ave., 2nd Flr. inkhouse.com HUNTER is an award-winning New York, NY 10017 $33.3M in 2019. consumer marketing communica- 646/277-1200 CEO, Dave Imre, attributes the _ Continued on page 74

72 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION

w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms INKHOUSE J PUBLIC _ Continued from page 72 RELATIONS

Alison Morra, EVP & East Coast 530 7th Ave., #502 General Manager, alison@ New York, NY 10018 inkhouse.com 212/924-3600 Dan O’Mahony, EVP & General [email protected] Manager, San Francisco, www.jpublicrelations.com [email protected] Instagram.com/jpublicrelations/ Kate Riley, EVP & General Manager, Seattle, kate@inkhouse. Jamie Sigler O’Grady and Sarah com Evans, Partners InkHouse is an integrated PR J Public Relations (JPR) is a agency for innovative thinkers, cre- global communications, influenc- ators and leaders who believe in the er management and social media Karbo Communications managed the creation of a customer video high- power of stories to effect positive agency specializing in travel, desti- lighting how client Penguin Computing’s technology brought Gemini Man change. We translate complex ideas nation, consumer, real estate, well- director Ang Lee’s vision to life. into accessible stories that move being and sustainable brands. With innovation and culture forward. four offices in New York City, Lon- Places to Work” by PR News and igate confidently through change, We were founded in 2007 and are don, Los Angeles and San Diego, “Agency of the Year” by Bulldog challenge and opportunity. With of- one of the fastest growing agencies along with additional locations in Reporter in addition to multiple fices in Nashville and Chicago, Jar- in the country. Find us in the real Toronto, Denver, Nashville and Ar- trade and consumer awards for rard Inc. has guided leaders at more world in Boston, New York and San izona, JPR is a trusted leader in in- company culture and brand suc- than 500 healthcare organizations Francisco, and in the digital one at tegrated media relations and brand cess. JPR’s client campaigns have across the country through high- www.inkhouse.com. strategy, brand launches, trend fore- won multiple HSMAI Adrian stakes moments, including leading casting, guest programming, brand Awards and named a finalist in The communications and political strat- partnerships, experiential activa- Shorty Awards. egy for more than $60 billion in an- tions, influencer engagement, crisis Sampling of clients: Adare nounced M&A. Our team of former communications and social media Manor, Aulani, a Disney Spa & journalists, political operatives and strategy. Always innovating, JPR Resort, Hotel Chateau du Grand- healthcare executives works along- was the first agency in its space to Lucé, Chewton Glen, Cliveden side every client to build a custom launch a podcast in 2018, Priority House, Discover Baja California, strategy that delivers measurable Status. Dream Hotel Hollywood, Four results in the areas of M&A, issues Established in 2005, JPR has Seasons Resort Lana’i, Grand Ho- and crisis management, strategic consistently risen to become one of tel Tremezzo, Great Wolf Lodge, positioning opportunities and sys- the world’s fastest growing agen- Helena Bay, Hotel del Coronado, temic change management. For cies. The company’s global portfo- Iconic Luxury Hotels, InterCon- more information, visit jarrardinc. lio includes clients in the U.S., U.K. tinental Los Angeles Downtown, com. and throughout Europe, Mexico, InterContinental, Washington DC Caribbean, Dubai, New Zealand, —The Wharf, L’Auberge de Se- KARBO InkHouse CEO and Co-Founder Asia and more. The agency rep- dona, Perry Lane Hotel, Rancho Beth Monaghan. resents destinations such as North La Puerta, Rancho Valencia Resort COMMUNICATIONS & Spa, The Palms and The Shore Client list: Blume Global, Carbon Carolina and Utah as well as world- 601 Fourth St., #204 Black, Cockroach Labs, Fuze, Gig- wide brands including Relais & Club and Waldorf Astoria Los Ca- San Francisco, CA 94107 amon, Harvard Graduate School Châteaux, Jumeirah Hotels & Re- bos Pedregal. 415/255-6510 Inrupt, Inc., InterSystems, Lend- sorts, Vail Resorts Hospitality, Vail [email protected] lease Development, Massachusetts Mountains and multiple Ritz-Carl- JARRARD PHILLIPS www.karbocom.com College of Art and Design, Mind- ton Hotels & Resorts. Edge, Neo4j, Nexthink, Nucleus For the past four years in a row, CATE & HANCOCK, Julie Karbo, Founder & CEO Research, Nutanix, Okta, Patient- JPR has been listed on the Observ- INC. er’s annual “PR Power 50” as one Are you looking for a respected Keeper, Raytheon, Recorded Fu- and inventive global agency with a ture, Rhode Island Commerce Cor- of the country’s most powerful PR The Horse Barn at Maryland Farms firms and in 2019 Crain’s “Best track record of delivering revenues, poration, Rockland Trust, Thermo 219 Ward Circle industry leading stature, partners Fisher, Wasabi Technologies, Inc. Places to Work in New York City.” Brentwood, TN 37027 The agency also garnered “Top and funding? Karbo Com’s ser- and Wistia. 615/254-0575 vices combine successful commu- [email protected] www.jarrardinc.com nications and content with the new- est in digital marketing. Startups 150 N Wacker Dr., Suite 2925 to global Fortune 500 enterprises Chicago, IL 60606 trust Karbo Communications for 312/419-0575 our industry knowledge, strategic thinking, creativity and entrepre- David Jarrard, Kevin Phillips, neurial spirit. Everything we do is Molly Cate, Anne Hancock designed to create and amplify mar- Toomey, Magi Curtis, Jana Atwell, Kim Fox, Isaac Squyres, ket leadership and help companies Lauren McConville, Partners out-perform competitors. Unlike most other agencies, Kar- Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock, bo Com ensures client teams are al- Inc. is a top-10 strategic communi- ways led by senior people on a day- cations consulting firm devoted to to-day basis. You won’t get bench helping the nation’s health systems players. A varied and multi-talented J Public Relations partners Jamie Sigler O’Grady and Sarah Evans. and health services companies nav- team synthesizes the worlds of PR,

74 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Amanda Bialek, EVP, Public with offices in Grand Rapids, De- Relations troit, Lansing, Phoenix and New York City. Posting more than 20 Konnect Agency is a fully inte- years of growth, Lambert is a top- grated agency that represents pre- 50 agency in the U.S. and top-10 in eminent brands in the food & bever- Automotive & Mobility, Education age, lifestyle, family, and franchise and IR/Financial Communications spaces. For more than a decade, (O’Dwyer’s) as well as the #4 PR Konnect has created unrivaled ho- firm for M&A and private equity listic brand programs that support (The Deal). Lambert also made the vision and growth strategies three acquisitions in the past year, of the innovative businesses they adding a Phoenix PR office, New serve. Utilizing elements of earned York investor relations firm Casteel Konnect Agency: Carmen Hernandez, Sabina Gault and Amanda Bialek. and paid media, social media, digi- Schoenborn and Michigan ad and tal strategies, marketing, and expe- branding agency Fairly Painless. journalism and digital marketing— measurement means that our work riential activations, Konnect deliv- Lambert has earned firm of the year with a Silicon Valley ethos. Our utilizes resources in the most effi- ers distinguished campaigns with honors from PR Week and PRNews teams have ushered in technologies cient fashion, maximizing results long-lasting impact. Made up of a and is the reigning winner of the such as the cloud, SaaS, AI, the and achieving our clients’ goals. team of over 40 communications Sabre Crisis Campaign of the Year. Internet of Things, data analytics, We are committed to building and digital experts, Konnect Agen- Lambert is also a global partner in mobile, security, networking, aug- the agency of the future and have cy works with national and interna- PROI Worldwide, the largest part- mented reality and wearables. invested in creating a best-in-class tional clients via offices in Los An- nership of independent PR firms in We’ve worked extensively with culture that fosters collaboration, geles, New York, Denver, CO, and the world spanning 120 cities on both B2B and consumer tech com- creativity, and innovation across Austin, TX. Clients include Lyft, five continents. panies ranging from small startups our teams. Dave & Buster’s, KRAVE Jerky, to global, billion-dollar brands, Our success delivering on these Sky Zone, Mrs. Fields and ONE including: Apple, Cisco, Hoot- priorities has earned Kivvit signif- Brands, to name a few. LANDIS suite, eBay, Equinix, Fog World icant recognition in 2020 as Pub- COMMUNICATIONS Congress, RTI, GoDaddy, Intel, lic Affairs Firm of the Year (Reed LAMBERT & CO. Juniper Networks, TIBCO, the IoT Awards), Most Innovative Agency (LCI) World Conference, The National (Bulldog PR Awards), a top 5 Dig- 47 Commerce Ave. SW 1388 Sutter St., #901 Geographic app, NerdWallet, and ital PR Agency in North America Grand Rapids, MI 49503 Oracle. and a Best Agency to Work For San Francisco, CA 94109 616/ 233-0500 415/561-0888 Clients include: 500 Startups, (Provoke). We also lead O’Dwyer’s www.lambert.com Fax: 415/561-0778 Alpha Group, Harmony Helper, national rankings across multiple [email protected] Hootsuite, In Loco, The Lazaridis categories, including #1 for Non Jeff Lambert, CEO and Founder www.landispr.com/ Institute, Logitech, Penguin Com- Profits, #2 for Energy, #2 for Real Don Hunt, President puting, RTI (Real-Time Innova- Estate, #2 for Corporate Social Re- Jordan Hoyer, General Counsel David Landis, CEO tions), Subtext and TDK. sponsibility, and #4 for Education. Michelle Olson, Partner, Auto & Sean Dowdall, General Manager Mobility Chair Brianne Miller, Business Matt Jackson, Partner, Food & Development Manager KIVVIT Beverage Chair David Cumpston, Senior Director KONNECT AGENCY Mike Houston, Partner, IR & Capital Markets Chair 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza Named America’s #1 PR Agen- Joe DiBenedetto, Managing Suite 2400 888 S. Figueroa St., #1000 cy (Small Firm) (Ragan’s), the #1 Director, Education and Social Chicago, IL 60654 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Impact Chair Healthcare PR Agency in America 312/664-0153 213/988-8344 Heather Lombardini, Managing (Ragan’s) and the firm PRSA San [email protected] [email protected] www.konnectagency.com Director, Public Affairs Chair Francisco named “Agency of the www.kivvit.com Year,” San Francisco-based Landis Communications Inc. (LCI) is cel- Additional Offices: New York, NY Carmen Hernandez, EVP, Digital Lambert & Co. is Michigan’s / Washington, D.C. / Miami, FL / Strategy top-ranked PR firm and a top-10 ebrating 30 years in business. LCI Asbury Park, NJ / Boston, MA Sabina Gault, Founder & CEO investor relations firm in the U.S. also is a two-time Gold Quill IABC Award winner, a PRSA Silver An- Eric Sedler, Managing Partner vil national award winner and has Maggie Moran, Managing Partner been named a top U.S. Social Me- dia, Reputation Management and Kivvit is one of O’Dwyer’s top- Media Relations Agency by Top- ranked and fastest-growing inde- PRAgencies.com. pendent strategic communications LCI is an integrated public re- and public affairs firms in the Unit- lations, digital/social media and ed States. Our motto is “Insights marketing communications agency Drive Results” because the heart that specializes in healthcare, real of our work integrates cutting-edge estate, environmental, consumer, data tools and technology to create consumer technology, technolo- impactful strategies and measur- gy, educational, B2B, corporate able outcomes for our clients. and institutional public relations At Kivvit, we don’t have silos. We campaigns that help support each integrate our full suite of strategic business’ identified goals. Through communications and data-driven its Promised Results© return-on-in- advertising capabilities in order to vestment program, LCI provides run hyper-targeted campaigns that tangible metrics for your PR dol- take advantage of our wide-ranging LCI receiving its award this year from PRSA San Francisco as the best expertise. Our relentless focus on small agency of the year in the San Francisco Bay Area. _ Continued on page 76

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 75 w Profiles of Ranked PR Firms decades, they have built long-last- LAWLOR MEDIA LANDIS COMMUNICATIONS ing, powerhouse brands. Much _ Continued from page 75 like the disruptors they represent, GROUP INC. they like to do things differently. LaunchSquad’s expertise spans 443 Park Avenue South, Suite 603 lars. Among LCI’s services: public New York, NY 10016 relations, marketing, content mar- both consumer-facing and B2B clients in a variety of industries 212/967-6900 keting, social media, digital strat- www.lawlormediagroup.com egies and marketing, advertising, including consumer technology, email marketing, video produc- enterprise technology, entertain- Norah Lawlor, Founder & CEO tion, crisis communications, me- ment and media, e-commerce, ed- dia and presentation training and ucation, gaming, finance, fashion, Lawlor Media Group is a full-ser- more. Clients include: Velodyne retail, energy and more. vice, Public Relations and Digital Lidar, Sutter Health, Evoco Labs, Marketing Agency based in New Raycop vacuums, Lucile Pack- LAVOIEHEALTH York City, with over twenty years ard Children’s Hospital Stanford, experience in successfully meeting SCIENCE the diverse needs of corporations, Marketing Maven CEO and Presi- UCSF, Global Alzheimer’s Plat- dent Lindsey Carnett. form, Walmart, Match.com, Cali- organizations and individuals. fornia Bank & Trust, Brain Health One Thompson Square, #503 Lawlor Media Group combines a style, and technology. With offices Registry, Carrington College, Save Boston, MA 02129 strategic approach coupled with an in New York, Charleston, Denver, 617/374-8800 out-of-the-box creativity resulting Houston, Miami and Los Angeles, the Redwoods League, Peninsula [email protected] Open Space Trust, MetLife, Whole in a successful track record of deliv- the agency has 40 employees offer- ering Client campaigns and events Foods Market and more. LCI is a Donna L. LaVoie, President & CEO ing brand development, public rela- proud member of the National Gay Douglas Russell, Sr. VP, Client for a Clientele encompassing the tions, digital strategy, social media & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, Services & PR/Media hospitality & travel, literary, fash- management and analysis, creative is an official Corporate Diversity Sharon Correia, EVP and Chief ion, film, real estate, retail, beauty programming, and marketing strat- Supplier and is certified as a Small Strategy Officer and entertainment industries, as egy. Business Enterprise by the City Sharon Choe, Sr. VP, IR & BD well as a number of personalities, For over three decades, LHG has Paul Sagan, VP, IR & Corporate philanthropic foundations and char- of San Francisco. LCI is the San Communications been an industry leader providing Francisco member agency of the itable organizations. superior, results-driven services to Lisa DeScenza, VP, Integrated Lawlor Media Group’s busi- Public Relations Global Network, Communications clients around the globe. Founded with 50 affiliate agencies world- Harriet Ullman, AVP, PR & Product ness approach is client-centered by industry trailblazer Lou Ham- wide. Communications with Clients receiving individual mond, the agency takes pride in Ella Deych, VP, Finance & Chief high-level attention throughout the remaining fiercely independent and Operations Officer relationship, supported by a PR departing from business-as-usual. LAUNCHSQUAD campaign developed and imple- LHG continues to grow with an LaVoieHealthScience partners mented specific to each company, emphasis on digital, social, design, 340 Pine St., #100 with leading health and science person or brands requirements. advertising and branding in an ev- San Francisco, CA 94104 brands to build value for their Lawlor Media Group’s expertise 415/625-8555 er-evolving media landscape. With companies, attract capital and covers the spectrum of public rela- quality and trust as guiding princi- [email protected] reach key stakeholders through www.launchsquad.com tions capabilities — from branding, ples, LHG has developed a proven integrated communications, access strategic marketing, buzz building, yet agile and strategic approach Jason Mandell and Jesse Odell, and marketing. With two decades crisis management, investor rela- earning it recognition as one of the Co-Founders of industry-tested counsel to more tions and political communications, nation’s most award-winning mar- Lisa Picasso, Consumer Practice than 375 clients, we provide pub- underpinned by long-standing rela- keting and communications firms. Lead lic relations, investor relations and tionships with print, digital and so- Meghan Cavanaugh, SVP, Talent strategic consulting to build recog- cial media outlets and influencers. nition and increase sales and value Led by Founder and Princi- MARKETING 373 Park Ave S., 4th Floor for health science innovations pal Norah Lawlor, Lawlor Media New York, NY 10016 The agency has received over MAVEN 212/564-3665 Group represents clients in the hos- 50 awards in recognition of the pitality & travel, literary, fashion, Gavin Skillman, NYC Lead 1460 Broadway, 1st Floor Lori Hoffman, Head of Content work it has done helping health film, real estate, retail, beauty and and science innovators, from de- New York, NY 10036 nightlife & entertainment indus- 212/967-5510 222 Third St., #3100 velopment to launch and commer- tries, as well as a number of philan- www.MarketingMaven.com Cambridge, MA 02142 cialization, to connect with key thropists, foundations and charity [email protected] 617/945-1915 stakeholders. We help advance benefits. Mike Farber, Boston Lead health and science innovations by Los Angeles Headquarters providing specialized thinking to 310/994-7380 111 W. Illinois St., #5021 LOU HAMMOND Chicago, IL 60654 clients throughout the company Lindsey Carnett, CEO & President 312/561-4560 and product life cycle building in- GROUP Daniel Paul, SVP novation and value for humankind. We offer direct connections to me- 900 Third Avenue With offices in Los Angeles and LaunchSquad is an award-win- dia, investors, partners, advocacy New York, NY 10022 New York City, Marketing Maven’s ning public relations and creative groups, and KOLs. We are focused 212/308-8880 combination of PR, social media, communications agency with of- on building trust and long-term re- [email protected] influencer marketing and market fices in San Francisco, New York, lationships based on the quality of www.louhammond.com research helps provide a competitive edge to their clients. Marketing Boston and Chicago. LaunchSquad the work that we deliver. In Janu- Lou Rena Hammond, Founder is a group of dynamic storytell- ary 2020, LHS and Omnicom Pub- Stephen Hammond, CEO Maven helps businesses grow their ers who build meaningful brands lic Relations Group (OPRG), a di- revenues by developing campaigns by creating and sharing stories of vision of Omnicom Group (NYSE: Lou Hammond Group (LHG) is that engage a target audience, gen- change-the-world companies. OMC), formed a strategic alliance an award-winning firm specializing erate sales then utilize advanced LaunchSquad takes a cus- to bring global clients a broader in the key industries of travel, eco- metrics to measure ROI. tomized, holistic approach to set of integrated health- and sci- nomic development, destinations, Named to the 2018 and 2017 Inc. storytelling. Over the past two ence-experienced teams. culinary/spirits, real estate, life- 5000 List of Fastest Growing Com-

76 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION trr Profiles of Ranked PR Firms panies in America and Entrepre- the world’s most innovative com- 202/868-4808 data and analytics, digital and con- neur magazine’s 2016 Entrepreneur panies across high-technology, www.MessagePartnersPR.com tent and creative teams, MWW- 360 List as one of the Most Entre- healthcare, consumer technology PR’s expertise spans Consumer preneurial Companies in America, and consumer markets, from start- Patrick McCabe, President Lifestyle Marketing, Corporate their services aid national market- ups and nonprofits with focused Mike Warner, Becky Watt Knight Communications and Reputation ing campaigns and product launch- needs to well-known corporations. and Paul Skowronek, Senior VPs Management, Public Affairs, Issues es with reputation management, Like a stone meeting water, ef- & Crisis Management, LGBTQ+, organic SEO tracking, competitive fective communications expand to Technology, Sports & Entertain- analysis reports and online product reach and motivate many audienc- ment, B2B, Food & Beverage and reviews to help increase revenue. es. Washington, DC-based McCabe Health & Wellness. To learn more Marketing Maven is a federal- Message Partners helps clients about MWWPR, visit http://www. ly recognized Native American create their own ripple effect. Fo- mww.com or follow us on social @ Owned 8(a) and WOSB certified cusing solely on health and issues MWW_PR. company. We are also a certified that affect it, agency leaders bring Small Business (SB) with the Cal- experience in journalism, market NOVITAS ifornia Department of General Ser- research, public policy, consumer vices (DGS) and a certified Wom- advocacy, corporate communica- COMMUNICATIONS en’s Business Enterprise (WBE) tions, and non-profit management. 1732 Wazee Street, Suite 201 with the Women’s Business Enter- McCabe Message Partners offers prise National Council (WBENC). Denver, CO 80202 the expertise and professionalism 202/380-7114 Specialties include: Multicul- of a large agency with the warmth tural, beauty/fashion, professional Michelle Lyng: mblyng@ CEO of Matter, Scott Signore. and passion of a small business. novitascommunications.com services, travel/hospitality, home Abigail Anello: aanello@ furnishings, financial PR/investor novitascommunications.com relations, healthcare, food & bever- We are experts in storytelling. MWWPR age, entertainment/sports, technol- That means we are laser-focused Michelle Balch Lyng, CEO and ogy, environmental/public affairs on getting a client’s message out 1250 Broadway, 3rd Fl. Founder clients and social media. and heard by the right audiences, in New York, NY, 10001 Krista Crouch, Manager the right places. Our strategic com- 212/704-9727 [email protected] Novitas Communications is a munications programs maximize full-service and award-winning MATTER earned, owned, shared and paid Michael Kempner, Founder + CEO public relations firm located in media to tell—and show—credible Bret Werner, President Denver offering media relations, 50 Water St. brand stories. Mill #3, The Tannery Tara Naughton, MD, Consumer issue management, crisis commu- Newburyport, MA 01950 We have in-house graphic design Lifestyle nications, strategic marketing, and 978/499-9250 and web development capabilities Dawn Lauer, Chief Client Officer + MD, B2B public education campaigns to cli- www.matternow.com/ as well as video and live broadcast ents globally. Founded in 2008, No- Facebook.com/ services for projects big and small. Carreen Winters, Chair, Corporate Reputation vitas helps clients craft and imple- mattercommunications Our creative, video and digital mar- ment communications campaigns Instagram.com/mattercomm/ keting services groups work hand- Parker Ray, Chief Digital Strategist Michelle Rios, MD, Washington that influence public opinion, en- Twitter.com/MatterComm in-hand with the PR teams to cre- Linkedin.com/company/matter- D.C. hance brand recognition, and keep ate high-quality assets to support Rich Tauberman, EVP, Issues and stakeholders informed. Novitas has communications campaigns. Our digital marketing Youtube.com/user/MatterNow Crisis Management traditionally worked with compa- Vimeo.com/matternow capabilities amplify brand stories William Murray, MD, Public Affairs nies in banking, data centers, edu- to increase reach and ROI. Our cation, healthcare, oil and gas, real Scott Signore,CEO & Principal teams understand how a campaign Thirty-three-years young, MWWPR is among the world’s estate, technology and transporta- Patty Barry, Principal can be brought to life across multi- tion, among other industries. Mandy Mladenoff, President ple platforms and mediums, and the leading independent, integrated PR agencies with nine offices across Whether it’s a no-notice call for interplay between the mix. We un- a pressing media engagement or a Matter is a Brand Elevation derstand how to elevate any brand. the US and the UK. Powered by Agency that unifies PR, video ser- data and guided by insights, in- long-term strategic plan to enhance vices, creative services and digital tellect and human instincts, the brand awareness, our clients’ pri- marketing to create strategic, con- MCCABE MESSAGE agency leans heavily into a digital- orities are our priorities, and we tent-rich communications cam- PARTNERS ly-led, content-driven approach. Its deliver. We have built a reputation paigns that inspire action and build mission is to ignite influence and since our founding of doing right value. Founded in 2003, with seven by our clients and we believe that 1825 Connecticut Ave. NW impact to help organizations mat- offices spanning North America Suite 300 ter more to those who matter most. and 200 employees, we work with Washington, D.C. 20009 With dedicated insights, strategy, _ Continued on page 78

The Novitas team and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce judging committee celebrate Novitas being named a finalist in the women-owned The McCabe Message Partners team. business category.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 77 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

Human Resources serving blue chip and breakout Employees develop an “owner’s NOVITAS Darlene Doyle, Exec. VP, Client clients with forward-thinking new mindset,” delighting clients with _ Continued from page 77 Relations service offerings and the freshness top-quality service, fresh ideas and Gary Torpey, Exec. VP, Finance of a start-up. This unique mix of flawless execution. Gene Carozza, Dan Martin, Nikki experience and energy attracts and integrity should be the cornerstone Festa O’Brien, Meg Kessler, Sr. empowers teams with a creative VPs PUBLIC of every business or organization. Gareth Thomas, Mng. Dir., UK edge, drive and a passion for pro- Novitas is proud to be the only moting, protecting and connecting COMMUNICATIONS Colorado affiliate of the Public PAN Communications is a lead- clients in a fast-changing market- INC. Relations Global Network’s invi- ing integrated marketing and PR place. tation-only network. Through our agency servicing B2B tech and Peppercomm operates on a Partner in the WORLDCOM Public PRGN membership, Novitas Com- healthcare brands. Recently named different wavelength. We have Relations Group a unique approach to integrated munications has a global footprint. “Tech Agency of the Year” and One East Wacker Dr., 24th flr. Novitas isn’t just a public rela- “Best Mid-Sized Agency to Work communications and marketing Chicago, IL 60601 tions firm, Novitas is truly an ex- For” by Holmes Report in 2018, driven by the time-tested tenets of 312/558-1770 tension of each of its clients’ busi- the firm has office locations in comedy. Research has proven that [email protected] nesses. Boston, San Francisco, New York, laughter changes how our minds www.pcipr.com Orlando and London. work, making us more aware, better focused, calmer and more cre- Jill Allread, CEO PADILLA PAN moves ideas by creating Craig Pugh, President compelling stories, driving intent ative. It also makes us better listen- ers and better storytellers. In our Pamela Oettel, CFO & COO and influencing markets across all Sharon Dewar, Mary Erangey, 1101 West River Parkway 24/7/365 always-on world where Suite 400 (Headquarters) forms of media. The firm offers the Wendi Koziol, Leigh Madden, Sr. Minneapolis, MN 55415 agility and personalized service of inflection points come fast and fu- VPs 612/455-1700 a mid-size agency while lever- rious, the Peppercomm Way helps Amanda ReCupido, VP PadillaCo.com aging national and internation- us all think differently and produce al relationships to manage large the breakthrough work that drives Public Communications Inc. pro- Matt Kucharski, President scale communications programs business results for clients. vides strategic counsel to clients, for brands such as SAP, Radial, whether they’re dealing with the Padilla is an independently op- MediaMath, Toast, Cogito and PROSEK PARTNERS most serious and complex issue, erated, globally resourced pub- athenahealth. PAN strives to help a national awareness campaign or lic relations and communication today’s modern marketers by inte- 105 Madison Ave., 7th flr. the splashiest of events - and we’ve company with offices across the grating a combination of services New York, NY 10016 been doing so for more than 50 United States. The agency builds, 212/279-3115 to better engage with target audi- years. PCI is a Woman Business grows and protects brands and Fax: 212/279-3117 ences and move markets. Enterprise (WBE). reputations worldwide by creating [email protected] Connected Content—Creative Our job is to safeguard repu- purposeful connections with the www.prosek.com Storytelling —Results that Matter! tations and recommend the right people who matter most through Clients include: 8x8, Absolute Jennifer Prosek, Mark Kollar, way for clients to communicate so public relations, advertising, digi- Software, Amdocs, App Annie, Russell Sherman, Andy Merrill, what they have to say is heard and tal and social marketing, investor Mickey Mandelbaum, Karen athenahealth, Bazaarvoice, BMC, influences their audiences. We are relations and brand strategy. Padil- Niovitch Davis, Caroline Gibson, ByMiles, Citrix, CloudBees, Cy- an integrated communications firm, la includes the brand consultancy David Wells, Partners berX, GetWellHealth, GreatCall, large enough to provide all com- of Joe Smith, the food and nutri- Fiona Laffan, Managing Dir. (UK) Health Dialog, Homemade, Ig- munications services a client might tion experts at FoodMinds, and the Michael Del Vecchio, CFO loo, MediaMath, Nice, NTT Data, Kelly Smith Aceituno, Senior VP need but the right size so that the research authorities at SMS Re- Outsystems, Quanterix, Quorom Ashely Dolliver, VP, Digital firm’s officers are directly involved, search Advisors. Clients include Software, Radial, Rapid7, SAP, hands-on, in each client’s program. 3M, Avocados From Mexico, Blue Sift, Software AG, Toast, Vibepay Prosek Partners is among the PCI is a founding partner of the Cross and Blue Shield of Minne- and WhiteOps. largest independent public rela- WORLDCOM Public Relations sota, Cargill Animal Nutrition, tions firms in the U.S., and one Group, the world’s leading partner- Dole Food Company, Mayo Clin- PEPPERCOMM of the few domestic, mid-size ship of independently owned pub- ic, Prosciutto di Parma, Rockwell firms that offers global capabili- lic relations counseling firms with Automation, Sanofi Pasteur, U.S. 470 Park Avenue South ties through its London office and more offices in more cities and Highbush Blueberry Council and 4th Floor North international network. We deliver countries than any multinational Winnebago Industries. Padilla is New York, NY 10016 an unexpected level of passion, firm. an AVENIR GLOBAL company 212/931-6100 creativity and marketing savvy to We have a strong concentration and is a founding member of the www.peppercomm.com the financial and business-to-busi- of business in healthcare, conserva- Worldcom Public Relations Group, [email protected] ness sectors. Our “Unboxed Com- tion/environment, education, cul- a partnership of 132 independently Twitter.com/Peppercomm munications” approach brings ture and destinations, and business owned partner offices in 115 cities Facebook.com/Peppercomm clients from tech to non-profits, Instagram.com/peppercomm breakthrough ideas and unmatched on six continents. Connect with results to every client engagement. entrepreneurs to advocacy groups purpose at PadillaCo.com. Steve Cody, Founder and CEO • We are a rare hybrid; a corpo- nationally, regionally and locally. Jackie Kolek, Senior Partner and rate communications firm with a Specialties in community engage- PAN General Manager, NY Office fully integrated, top-ranked deal ment for municipalities. Maggie O’Neill, Senior Partner and shop and a comprehensive investor Our clients trust us and stay with COMMUNICATIONS Chief Client Officer relations practice inside. us. Our business grows primari- Ann Barlow, Senior Partner and ly through referrals and word of West Coast President • Through our gateway office 255 State St., 8th Flr. in London and network of partner mouth. Most of our clients have Boston, MA 02109 Peppercomm is an award-win- agencies, we can deliver for clients been with us five years or more; 15 617/502-4300 ning strategic, integrated commu- in major business and financial and 20+ year relationships are com- [email protected] mon (and valued). www.pancommunications.com nications and marketing agency centers around the world. headquartered in New York City • We are an “Army of Entrepre- Our size and the depth of our Philip A. Nardone, Pres. & CEO with offices in San Francisco and neurs™.” Our creative, entrepre- staff enable us to manage the most Mark Nardone, Exec. VP London. The firm combines 25 neurial culture attracts and retains sophisticated assignments while Elizabeth Famiglietti, Exec. VP, award-winning years of expertise the most talented professionals. allowing us to move quickly, be

78 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms flexible and change course when it earned-first approach to storytell- Rosica Communications is an in- SOURCECODE makes sense. ing that builds brands, supports tegrated PR, marketing and digital Select clients: AIDS Foundation growth and protects reputation. agency that focuses on our clients’ COMMUNICATIONS of Chicago, American Association RPG is headquartered in Boston, business objectives, imperatives, of Diabetes Educators, American MA, with additional offices in Lon- and goals. We start with strategy 153 West 27th Street, Suite 505 Epilepsy Society, American Society don, New York, Raleigh and San and assist our client-partners by New York, NY 10001 of Anesthesiologists, Chicago Acad- Francisco. honing their positioning and mes- sourcecodecommunications.com emy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Capabilities: Media & Analyst saging, which impacts all inter- Rebecca Honeyman, Co-Founder Nature Museum, Chicago’s First Relations, Digital Marketing, In- nal and external communications, and Managing Partner Lady Cruises/Mercury, Chicago’s fluencer Engagement, Strategy & thought leadership, and marketing. Greg Mondshein, Co-Founder and Skyline Cruiseline, Chimp Haven, Comms. Planning, Creative Strat- Founded in 1980, the firm serves Managing Partner Cradles to Crayons, Howard Brown egy, Video & Content Production, a diverse healthcare, nonprofit, ed- Health Center, Georgia Aquarium, Media Training, Paid Media, Crisis ucation, and food clientele. Our PR Based in New York, SourceCode Giving USA, International Crane Communications, Public Affairs, and communications capabilities Communications is an award-win- Foundation, Lowry Park Zoological Event Management & Support, include positioning and messag- ning communications marketing Society of Tampa, National Society Measurement & Analytics ing, media relations, social media agency. Launched in 2017 by tech- of Genetic Counselors, Northwest- marketing, marcom and PR strate- nology PR industry veterans Greg ern University Buffett Institute for RBB gy, thought leadership, crisis com- Mondshein and Rebecca Honey- Global Affairs, Option Care, Inc., munications, influencer marketing, man, our mission is to evolve pub- The Marine Mammal Center, The COMMUNICATIONS content development/marketing, lic relations and communications Nature Conservancy and University corporate communications, cause marketing through a steady dose 355 Alhambra Circle, Suite 800 of humanity, technology, and data. of Illinois at Chicago Miami, FL 33134 marketing, direct marketing, and 305/448-7450 media training. We focus on delivering measur- www.rbbcommunications.com Rosica’s social media services in- able business impact to brands in RACEPOINT clude strategy, management, brand- five major sectors: Consumer & GLOBAL Christine Barney, CEO & ing, content development, optimi- Lifestyle Technology, Financial Managing Partner zation, and follower acquisition. Technology, Mobile, Cloud & Tele- 2 Center Plaza, Suite 210 Lisa Ross, President Our online marketing team, based coms, Insights & Engagement, and Boston, MA 02108 in New Windsor, NY, is a Google Enterprise Technology. rbb Communications champions 617/624-3200 Certified Partner with 20 full-time The interpretable path to knowl- breakout brands with integrated Fax: 617/624-4199 employees and specializes in SEO, edge drives our programs, which marketing, digital and public rela- www.racepointglobal.com online reputation/reviews manage- is why we remain fiercely commit- tions strategies that engage stake- ment, online advertising (PPC and ted to our narrative process: The Larry Weber, Chairman & CEO holders. rbb’s employee-driven social), website development, and SourceCode Storyboard. Informed Bob Osmond, President workplace empowers its staff to WordPress security. by this approach, we build the Philip Chadwick, SVP, Finance deliver strategic insights and in- We craft compelling, authentic award-winning, data-driven and novative campaigns that inspire stories and messaging then effec- engaging campaigns we’re best Society has always been pro- action and deliver bottom line re- tively disseminate our client-part- known for. Recently shortlisted pelled forward by technology. sults. Recognized multiple times ners’ good news while supporting for PRWeek’s 2020 U.S. Awards There is a growing expectation, as “Agency of the Year” and “Best their sales and communications shortlist for Outstanding Boutique however, that innovation must Agency to Work For,” rbb’s 80+ goals. Our process includes: Agency, we are the Holmes Report serve humanity—there must be a professional and creative staff ex- • Strategically identifying our cli- 2019 New Agency of the Year and higher moral purpose than innovat- cels in PR, Digital, Creative and ents’ business and marketing goals/ PRNews’ Best Place to Work and ing only because we can. Advertising. Specialty practices objectives Small Agency of the Year. We believe that the complex include consumer, travel, health, • Identifying target audiences, in- challenges we face as a global soci- entertainment, education, profes- fluencers, and key opinion leaders ety can only be tackled by embrac- sional services, luxury, real estate SPM • Honing the positioning, story, ing creativity and innovation fueled and B2B. Breakout Brand cli- and key messages—tailoring mes- COMMUNICATIONS by purpose. Every company in events include: Hilton, AMResorts, sages to each audience ery category is in some way using CINCH Home Services, Disney • Developing KPIs for our inte- INC. technology to sustainably change on Ice, Codina Partners, First Ser- grated and creative PR, social me- the way we work, live and play. vice Residential, Bank of America, 2332 Irving Blvd., Ste. 110 dia, and internal/external commu- At Racepoint Global (RPG), our DHL, Suffolk, Virgin Voyages, Dallas, TX 75207 nications programs mission is simple: We help our cli- Brown & Brown, Chopin, Nozin, 214/379-7000 • Proactively communicating ents navigate and succeed in the Cleveland Clinic and The Related 24-hour media line: 817/329-3257 with clients new communications landscape Group. With a presence in Miami, www.spmcommunications.com • Aggressively securing results, by shaping the conversations that Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles and evaluating these against pre-deter- SPM is the creative, no-jerks, matter. We live at the intersection New York, the firm also has inter- mined KPIs above-and-beyond PR, social, in- of conversation and innovation and national reach across more than • Repurposing and leveraging fluencer and reputation manage- we serve clients with channel-ag- 100 cities in 50 countries through content and PR coverage to augment agency where people come nostic communications strategies its partnership in PROI Worldwide, ment SEO, sales activities, online first, and great work wins the day. that engage their target audiences the largest global network of inde- reputation, tradeshow marketing, Since 1999, SPM has partnered in authentic and meaningful ways. pendent communications agencies. Our work with clients establish- analyst relations, and direct mar- with food, restaurant, retail, apparel es competitive differentiation and ROSICA keting. and lifestyle brands to tell their sto- drives business impact. Clients include: Boys & Girls ries in a rapidly changing media and RPG is an independent integrated COMMUNICATIONS Clubs in New Jersey, Easterseals, social landscape. We think critically communications agency that com- Encompass Group, Exergen, Na- about clients’ business and proac- bines the most powerful aspects 2-14 Fair Lawn Ave. tional Society of High School tively find solutions that make a of public relations, marketing and Fair Lawn, NJ 07410 Scholars (NSHSS), Newark Public measurable impact on their bottom advertising to deliver breakthrough 201/843-5600 Library, Newark Trust for Educa- line. We’ve worked with emerging [email protected] tion, NJ Sharing Network, Open Up brands to help take them national stories and results. Clients—from www.rosica.com Fortune 50 corporations to start- Resources, Salvation Army NJ Di- ups—value RPG’s disciplined, Chris Rosica, President vision, TriStar Products and others. _ Continued on page 80

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 79 Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

SPM COMMUNICATIONS our clients’ business goals through Valuation. And yes, there are nu- Dan Simon, CEO & Co-Founder creative communication. ances to each of these, but most Binna Kim, Pres. & Co-Founder _ Continued from page 79 For over 30 years, the firm has of our clients land on one of these Ishviene Arora, COO & Co- and with established national brands enjoyed a reputation for combin- outcomes as part of their strategic Founder that have important stories to tell to ing serious strategic thinking with objective. Have your own outcome, Amer Roberts, CEO of Prof Svcs. make a deeper impact. service excellence, and for blend- great. Serve it up and we’ll give Elspeth Rothwell, CEO, Vested UK Through our robust crisis coming thoughtfulness and strategy you our honest take on whether we Vested is an award-winning, munications practice, we’ve helped with tremendous agility. We build can achieve it. Beyond outcomes, global integrated communications clients prepare for and manage our teams with a balance of talent we connect with clients who have firm that is at the front of the rap- through some 4,000 crises, from so clients benefit from the best we something to tell about their ambi- idly evolving financial sector. The this year’s coronavirus pandem- have to offer. tions—Disruptive Forces, Category agency’s approach merges deep ic to foodborne illnesses, data Among our clients are some of Pioneers, Stealth Leaders and Won- financial expertise with creativity breaches, product recalls and more. the world’s most successful organi- der Women. So ask yourself, what’s and an obsessive commitment to SPM’s media protocol is current- zations in consumer products, trav- your story? creating value for clients through ly deployed in more than a thou- el and lifestyle, professional soci- As far as experience goes, we paid, earned, shared and owned sand restaurant and retail locations eties and industry associations. We have eight practices, six ranked channels. Vested works with brands across the nation to help quickly es- provide a range of services from nationally — technology, health, fi- across financial services, ranging calate problems out of locations so issue communication and public nancial services, food & beverage, from newer fintechs to institutional they can get back to business. affairs to strategic communication government, lifestyle and environ- firms. Its clients include American Our work integrates earned me- planning, reputation enhancement, ment. Franchising, the agency’s Express, Morgan Stanley, Morn- dia, influencer partnerships, events, marketing communication, crisis eighth practice, is in an unranked ingstar, Bloomberg, Grayscale, community outreach and paid so- mitigation and spokesperson prepa- category, but it has featured brands SEI, Scotiabank and RBC Capital cial media to create campaigns that ration. such as Nathan’s Famous, Paris Markets, among others. target the right audiences, increase On behalf of our clients, Stanton Baguette, TCBY, Johnny Rockets, The agency, which has offices in brand awareness and meet business Communications has won more Corner Bakery Café and Moe’s New York, San Francisco, London objectives. We also partner with than 50 industry awards including Southwest Grill. Based in Atlan- and Toronto, is a founding member agencies to amplify advertising multiple Silver Anvils, the public ta’s urban westside, the firm op- of the Global Fintech PR Network messages through traditional and relations profession’s highest honor erates Groovy Studios, a creative and operates an investment group, new media outreach and place- and Gold Quill Awards of Excel- arm that offers graphic design, web Vested Ventures. In 2019, it made a ments. lence, the premier award presented services, content development and strategic investment in PR/content We go above and beyond in all by the International Association of brand identity. Since its inception, firm Caliber Corporate Advisers, we do. We put our people first. We Business Communicators. We also Groovy Studios has received more and acquired the financial content do what’s right. We foster mutual have been named the Best Small than 60 creative awards. Treveli- marketing firm Scribe. Vested has respect. We build and protect our Agency in America by The Holmes no/Keller also owns and runs the been recognized as one of Inc. clients’ brands. We listen intently Report and one of the Best Places Winepreneurs.Club, an initiative com’s Top Places to Work, Bulldog and deliver results that matter. to Work by the Washington Busi- that brings together entrepreneurs PR’s Best Industry-Focused Agen- Current Clients: Big Shots Golf, ness Journal. and small batch winemakers to sip, cy, PRovoke’s Financial PR Agen- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dal- Clients Include: American Assn. taste and connect each quarter. The cy of the Year, and PRNews’ Best las, Bruegger’s Bagels, Cicis Pizza, for Public Opinion Research, firm’s Start-Opia platform houses Places to Work. Gold’s Gym, Haggar Clothing Co., American Nurses Assn., American its technology and entrepreneur Kirkland’s, Leslie’s Pool Supplies, Statistical Assn., Asbury Commu- endeavors that establish it as a first VIOLET PR Nothing Bundt Cakes, Pollo Camp- nities, International Coaching Fed- mover in the region with support ero, RW Garcia, Velvet Taco, Taco eration, International Society on for Atlanta Tech Village, Atlanta 7 N. Willow St. Cabana and Travis Frederick’s Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Kel- Tech Angels, Tech Alpharetta, Kei- Suite 8C, Mailbox 11 Blocking Out Hunger ly Insurance Group, Live! Casino retsu Forum, Launch Pad2X and Montclair, NJ 07042 & Hotel, Railway Supply Institute, Raise Forum. Client work features 646/586-9931 STANTON and W. L. Gore & Associates. a mix of publicly traded, middle www.violetpr.com market and emerging companies, COMMUNICATIONS TREVELINO/KELLER including Belgard, Carvana, Ciox, April Mason, President Interface, Sita, SOC Telemed and Christina Forrest, Account Manager 1875 Connecticut Ave., NW, 10th Flr. Washington, DC 20009 981 Joseph E. Lowery Blvd., #100 Nathan’s Famous. Whether it’s rebranding a city, 202/223-4933 Atlanta, GA 30318 drawing attention to a revitalized [email protected] 404/214-0722 neighborhood, or promoting a new www.stantoncomm.com [email protected] VESTED [email protected] sustainable development, Violet 45 Rockefeller Plaza, #2000 www.trevelinokeller.com 22 W. 38th Street, Floor 9 PR helps clients make a difference. New York, NY 10111 www.groovy-studios.com 917/765-8720 Through a combination of news 212/616-3601 [email protected] stories, social media, and compel- [email protected] Dean Trevelino, Founder and Principal, 404/214-0722 X106 100 International Dr., 23rd Flr. Genna Keller, Founder and Baltimore, MD 21202 Principal, 404/214-0722 X105 410/727-6855 [email protected] Outcome-Driven. Beyond services, industry practices and even Peter V. Stanton, CEO Lori Russo, President results, come to us if you have a Emily Wenstrom, VP specific outcome you’re trying to achieve. We’ll use our reputation Stanton Communications, Inc., marketing suite of services—pub- is a strategic public relations firm lic relations, digital/social mar- providing counsel and program keting, demand generation and implementation to clients across creative services—to deliver. We the globe. We are fully independent feature four—Thought Leader- From left: Vested President & Co-Founder Binna Kim, CEO & Co-Founder and wholly dedicated to advancing ship, Growth, Engagement and Dan Simon and COO & Co-Founder Ishviene Arora.

80 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | ADVERTISING SECTION Profiles of Ranked PR Firms

hire amazing talent with diverse come the CMOs and CEOs of to- perspectives that spark tech-en- morrow while leading B2B market- abled creative-fueled solutions, ing into a new era. We are Walker resonate with the audiences we in- Sands: the B2B growth agency. fluence and work with clients that innovate and disrupt. Our #One- WORDWRITE TeamOneDream culture builds collaborative partnerships that fully COMMUNICATIONS harness the power of multi-disci- plinary teams doing breakthrough 611 William Penn Place, #501 work. Pittsburgh, PA 15219 412/246-0340, ext. 25 Montclair, N.J.-based boutique PR firm, Violet PR, works with economic Fax: 412/246-0342 development, CRE and AEC clients across the U.S. WALKER SANDS [email protected] www.wordwritepr.com ling content, our NJ-based boutique Gig economy, where access and de- 55 W. Monroe St., 39th Floor public relations firm helps clients livery are transformed and consum- Chicago, IL 60603 Paul Furiga, President & CEO 312/267-0066 Jeremy Church, Partner & VP, attract more dollars and supporters. erized by an Uberized, Appified [email protected] Director of Results We serve clients in industries reality. Our specialized approach walkersands.com Brenda Furiga, VP, People, Policy including economic development, builds unfair advantage for clients and Profits real estate, architecture, engineer- by following the data to create Additional offices in San Francisco ing, professional services, hospi- more relevant targeted content, en- and Seattle Every company has at least one tality and more. www.violetpr.com. gagement and experiences. Mike Santoro, President & Partner great story to tell: its own. At Word- We deliver integrated corporate/ Ken Gaebler, CEO & Partner Write, we believe authentic stories W2O product comms; advertising; ani- move hearts and minds and inspire mation, VR and creative; multi-lin- Walker Sands is a full-service action. We uncover, develop and 50 Francisco Street, Suite 400 gual data-analytics-and-insights- B2B marketing agency with core share your company’s Capital S San Francisco, CA 94133 informed influencer and media capabilities in public relations, Story to reveal why someone would targeting engagement and activa- demand generation, branding, want to partner with you, work for Jim Weiss, Founder & CEO creative, marketing strategy and you or do business with you. It’s Jennifer Gottlieb, Global President tion; medical/scientific commu- Richard Neave, Chief Financial nications; publication planning; web. Our integrated approach to your most powerful marketing as- Officer corporate/product branding; patient marketing drives awareness, cred- set and is the difference between a ambassador and advocacy rela- ibility and conversions for 100+ transactional service versus secur- W2O: The First of What’s Next tions; access/pricing policy and B2B technology and professional ing a long-term mutually beneficial in Healthcare comms; crisis and organizational services clients around the world. relationship with a customer or oth- We provide data and in- comms; and more. We also partner A seven-time Inc. 5000 honoree, er stakeholders. sights-driven digital-first marketing with clients to apply machine learn- we’re one of the fastest-growing For nearly 20 years, our approach communications for the health- ing, AI and behavioral econom- B2B marketing agencies in the to public relations has proven to be care sector under one P&L across ics to listen, learn and effectively world, with offices in Chicago, San unlike any other firm: it’s driven by 18 offices in the U.S. and Europe. impact desired customer behavior Francisco and Seattle. a trademarked storytelling method Our mission is to make the world a with the greatest integrity and trust. For two decades, we’ve pushed and our unique 3P process—a stra- healthier place in the tech-enabled We want to #BecomeTheBest, the limits of what B2B marketing tegic plan, a pyramid to craft and can do to get the results and recog- organize key messages, and the nition our clients deserve. We pride industry-leading PESO model that ourselves on helping B2B brands focuses on the right mix of paid, reach their goals—whether that’s earned, shared and owned content. increasing revenue, pushing into WordWrite is a member of PR new markets, attracting top talent, Boutiques International, a world- going public or getting acquired. wide collaborative network of Our mission is to accelerate boutique PR firms, as well as a the growth of B2B companies. HubSpot Certified Partner Agency Through strategic programs tai- and the publisher of both The Pitts- lored to meet our clients’ needs, burgh 100 ezine and P100 podcast. we offer a full range of marketing Clients include Carnegie Li- expertise—from strategy to execu- brary of Pittsburgh, Koppers Inc., tion—to provide endless possibili- McClintock & Associates, Meyer, ties for the best B2B brands in the Unkovic & Scott, New Pig, Pfizer world. Inc., The Waterfront, VetAdvisor/ In the process of helping our part- Three Wire Systems, Waldron Pri- ners, we also accelerate the growth vate Wealth and YMCA of Greater of our people as they work to be- Pittsburgh. 

Walker Sands celebrates being named an Inc. 5000 fastest-growing com- W2O’s tribute to our frontline corona fighters (May issue, MM&M). pany for the seventh consecutive year.

ADVERTISING SECTION | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 81 OPINION Professional Development CNN: the most tainted name in news By Fraser Seitel CNN, citing the administration’s attempts Acosta, who was booted from the White to “propagandize” the proceedings, has de- House in 2018 for failing to relinquish his merica is crumbling. The masking, cided to sporadically dip into Trump’s night- microphone at a press conference. But now distancing and sheltering-in-place ly White House feeds only when it considers he’s back on Coronavirus Task Force detail Amandates have resulted in accelerat- the news of the moment “justifies” such an with a grudge as big as his ego. ing domestic quarreling, families splintering intrusion in its regular schedule. The result Then there’s the lugubrious Jake Tapper, and grocery buy- is that while every other cable network—in- another CNN anchor whose antipathy to- ers brawling. The cluding Trump-hating MSNBC—dutifully ward Trump is boundless. Even formerly mood has turned covers the live White House news confer- bone fide journalists, like Anderson Cooper, ugly. And I believe ence, CNN holds forth with an ad nauseam Blitzer and Erin Burnett, seem to have been I know one reason loop of tedious Wolf Blitzer physician inter- persuaded to bludgeon the President at ev- why: CNN. views or panel discussions. ery opportunity. One wonders if they’ve all Ever since the There’s no question that megalomaniacal been coaxed, coached or coerced into cor- coronavirus forced Trump does, in fact, use the nightly brief- roborating CNN’s anti-Trump position. the nation in- ings to puff himself up, but that’s not the Boosting political favorites doors, CNN has point. The point is that like it or not, what Finally—and most egregiously—while the become the most the President or Dr. Birx, Dr. Faucci or Vice President is persona non grata at the Zucker blatantly-biased, President Pence say at these nightly soirees news digs, another more favored son literal- Fraser P. Seitel has anti-Trump “news” is “news.” And a network whose business is ly enjoys the run of the network. been a communications source on the plan- to cover the “news” ought to be there. Every day, CNN has been right there as consultant, author and teacher for more than et, making the New On the other hand, if CNN’s real objec- Gov. Andrew Cuomo gavels to order his 30 years. He is the au- York Times, Wash- tive is to position itself as the “anti-Trump own coronavirus give-and-take with the thor of the Prentice-Hall ington Post, MSN- network,” than the decision to be the only media. When Cuomo began his daily news text, The Practice of BC and the Chi- network to boycott the nightly news confer- conferences, even his archest critics who Public Relations. nese Communist ence makes inimitable sense. considered the New York chief-of-state Party resemble Crawling with hostility more drama queen than truth-bearer had Rush Limbaugh by comparison. Avid news watchers have grown weary to acknowledge the relevance of the updat- CNN’s conversion from credible news of the nonstop Chyron text-based graphics ed facts and homespun wisdom that Cuo- reporting to left-leaning mud-slinging ap- that crawl across their screens to juice up mo conveyed. The governor’s good-natured pears to be part of an ingenious master plan what’s being presented. Much of the time, jousting with his COVID-19-suffering to improve ratings. And it’s working. Ever blazing red “BREAKING NEWS” is any- CNN broadcaster brother Chris was partic- since the virus penned people into their thing but. ularly moving and memorable. homes, CNN’s ratings have risen, leaving While most networks are guilty of hyping For weeks, Cuomo’s daily televised ses- liberal rival MSNBC in the dust. these news crawls, CNN has taken the art sions were, indeed, “must see” TV. But after CNN’s “anti-Trump all-the-time” strategy form to a new level of anti-Trump bash- a while, the daily Cuomo briefings became is the brain-child of network president Jeff ing. Typical was CNN’s all-cap Chyron stale, devolving into insufferable mono- Zucker, a veteran of NBC’s entertainment bombardment during one recent White logues about armchair pandemic philos- division, who first green-lit Donald Trump’s House Coronavirus Task Force, where ophy, late night chats with newly-nesting “The Apprentice” in 2004 and then used the the President, in all his venomous glory, daughters and crisis management lessons next decade to learn not only what made his mud-wrestled with cranky reporters: “AN- from a fearless, flawless government leader, reality show meal-ticket tick but also, for GRY TRUMP TURNS BRIEFING INTO “working seven days a week, 24/7 for the CNN’s purposes, what most ticked Trump PROPAGANDA SESSION,” “TRUMP people of New York.” off. MELTS DOWN IN ANGRY RESPONSE Now, with New York State’s COVID-relat- If you’re among the fortunate few who’ve TO REPORTS HE IGNORED VIRUS ed hospital admissions and death numbers been spared CNN’s daily assault on what WARNING,” “TRUMP REFUSES TO AC- dropping, Cuomo’s daily self-aggrandizing used to be known as “objective journalism,” KNOWLEDGE ANY MISTAKES.” Some- diatribes have caused most other networks here’s what you’ve missed. where, Walter Cronkite is cringing. and even local New York City stations to Boycotting Trump news conferences Commenting with contempt cherry pick relevant information and bail Traditionally, when the President of the Journalists aren’t supposed to befriend out when Cuomo starts waxing poetic on United States speaks, it’s big news. Every the people they cover. At best, reporters his own brilliance. The New York Times typ- network, like every daily, covers every word. and their subjects can be “friendly adver- ically covers the “news” content of the gov- So, when President Trump began con- saries.” No doubt due to the current Presi- ernor’s daily TV preening with a paragraph vening daily White House Coronavirus dent’s overwhelming un-likability, the vast or two, if at all. Task Force press conferences, here was the majority of those who cover him probably But one network stubbornly clings to media’s chance not only to score nightly don’t like him. But most, at least somewhat broadcasting the governor’s every word. ratings but also to confront the chief exec- cognizant that a reporter’s role is supposed Lately, in fact, CNN has doubled down on utive directly. Accordingly, every cable net- to be that of an “objective” observer, try to Cuomo’s regular repetitious gabfest, oc- work from MSNBC to Fox to CSpan to One disguise their animus. Not so for CNN’s on- casionally even breaking into regularly America News dutifully provided live, wall- air staff. scheduled programming—as it did Sunday to-wall coverage. But one “news” network The network’s most obvious Trump de- in the middle of an interview with Trump has conspicuously demurred. spiser is White House correspondent Jim _ Continued on next page

82 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM Financial Management The Paycheck Protection Program and Secure Act By Richard Goldstein mortgage obligation, and payment on any Therefore, the employer will be eligible for covered rent obligation and any covered the credit if the employer is otherwise an el- mall businesses—many PR agencies utility payment. However, see below! igible employer. fall into this category—that have re- Top Congressional tax writers disagree Is an employer eligible to receive an Em- Sceived loans through the Paycheck with IRS interpretation of expenses re- ployee Retention Credit after the PPP loan Protection Pro- lated to PPP Loans. Senate Finance Com- is forgiven? No. An employer that receives gram should be mittee Chairman Chuck Grassley, ranking a PPP loan may not receive an Employee aware of certain tax member Ron Wyden and House Ways and Retention Credit regardless of whether and deduction rules. Means Committee Chair Richard Neal ex- when the loan is forgiven. The IRS released pressed disapproval of the recent IRS guid- The Secure Act and your retirement guidance to clarify ance (see above) regarding deductions for The Setting Every Community Up for Re- whether taxpayers small business that receive PPP loans. The tirement Enhancement Act of 2019, better receiving the loans IRS guidance stated that business can’t take known as the “Secure Act,” contains some may deduct oth- deduction for expenses, including wages, if significant provisions aimed at increasing erwise deductible the payment of the expenses results in for- access to tax advantaged accounts and pre- expenses. giveness of a PPP loan. venting older Americans from outliving On May 14, The Congressional tax writers sent a let- their assets. Richard Goldstein is the SBA changed ter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin The following are key provisions of the a partner at Buchbind- course and an- requesting to reverse the guidance, as it Secure Act, which became law on Decem- er Tunick & Company LLP, New York, Certified nounced that bor- goes against Congressional intent. The letter ber 20, 2019. Public Accountants. rowers, together states, “We believe the position taken in the • Makes it easier for PR firms—small with their affiliates, IRS Notice ignores the overreaching intent businesses—to set up 401(k)s by increasing who received PPP of the PPP, as well as the specific intent of the cap under which they can automatically loans of less than $2 million have been Congress to allow deductions in the case of enroll workers in “safe harbor” retirement granted a safe harbor. The safe harbor PPP loan recipients.” plans, from 10 percent of wages to 15 per- means that anyone who received a PPP The PPP loan issue is expected to be ad- cent of wages. loan “under $2 million” is automatically dressed in the next next round of economic • Many part-time workers will be eligible deemed to have made a good faith certi- relief legislation. to participate in an employer retirement fication of need. As a result, they are safe Employee Retention Credit plan. from having their initial need for the PPP The Employee Retention Credit is a re- • The Act pushes back the age at which loan second-guessed and challenged on au- fundable credit against employment taxes retirement plan participants need to take dit. Borrowers with PPP loans greater than equal to 50 percent of the qualified wages required minimum distributions from 70.5 $2 million do not qualify for this automatic an eligible employer pays to employees after to 72 for those who are not 70.5 by the end safe harbor protection. March 12, 2020, and before January 1, 2021. of 2019 and allows traditional IRA owners Businesses can’t deduct the wages or oth- Can an employer that receives a PPP loan to keep making contributions indefinitely. er business expenses they paid for using receive the Employee Retention Credit? The • The Act mandates that most non-spous- the loan. The IRS has clarified that no de- simple answer is no! An employer may not es inheriting IRAs take the distribution that duction for any expense is allowed for an receive the Employee Retention Credit if end up emptying the account in 10 years. expense that’s otherwise deductible if both the employer receives a PPP loan that’s au- The Act allows 401(k) plans to offer annu- the payment of the expense results in for- thorized under the CARES Act. An eligible ities. giveness of a loan made under the Paycheck employer that receives a PPP loan, regard- Another change in the Act is the elimina- Protection Program and the income associ- less of the date of the loan, cannot claim the tion of a provision known as stretch IRAs, ated with the forgiveness is excluded from credit. which allowed non-spouses inheriting re- gross income pursuant to the Coronavirus, Is an employer that repays its PPP loan tirement accounts retirement accounts to and Economic Aid, Relief and Economic by May 14, 2020, eligible for the Employ- stretch out disbursements over their life- Security (CARES) Act. ee Retention Credit? Yes. An employer that times. The new rules require a full payout The Paycheck Protection Program pro- applied for a PPP loan, received payment from the inherited IRA within 10 years of vides small business with loans to pay pay- and repaid the loan by May 14, 2020, will the death of the original account holder, roll costs, mortgages, rent and utilities. The be treated as though the employer had not raising an estimated $15.7 billion in addi- loans are forgiven for payments of payroll received a covered loan under the PPP for tional revenue. This will apply to heirs of costs, and payment of interest on covered purposes of the Employee Retention Credit. account holders who die starting in 2020.  CNN standard bearer Joe Biden fail to vanquish dent Zucker is asked if CNN’s coverage _ Continued from page 82 the sexual harassment furor and drop out. is anti-Trump, he quickly responds that Cuomo, a self-acknowledged “good friend CNN is “pro-truth.” But “truth” these economic advisor Larry Kudlow about the and admirer of Vice President Biden,” has days, rather than being an absolute, is fate of the economy—so as not to miss out vowed he’s not a Presidential candidate, more often than not in the eye of the be- on Cuomo’s latest oratorical pearls. won’t run and is staying put in New York. holder. And for the millions of people A cynic might suggest that in providing the Yeah right. in America and elsewhere who despise governor with unlimited air time, Zucker is So, is CNN purposely prejudiced against Donald Trump’s every move, the “truth” laying the groundwork for Prince Andrew reporting anything remotely positive about that CNN serves up each day is just what to swoop in should beleaguered Democrat the current President? When CNN Presi- they’re looking for. 

WWW.ODWYERPR.COM | JUNE 2020 83 WASHINGTON REPORT COVID-19 claims create insurance industry nightmare

he insurance sector finds itself in uncharted waters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented economic disrup- Ttion of the coronavirus has commercial insurance companies seeing a deluge of claims from policyholders whose businesses have been interrupted or forced to close in light of the outbreak. The problem: while “business interruption” coverage is a common feature of commercial insurance policies, it doesn’t typically provide coverage for communicable diseases or government-imposed shutdowns caused by a national emergency. As a result, countless small businesses across the country have filed claims with their insurance provider for COVID-19-related losses only to see those claims denied. And in response, many of those businesses are taking insurance providers to court for refusing to cover the COVID-19 pandemic ... providing a coverage never intend- those claims. ed when the policy was underwritten and priced,” WSIA said in a Now, federal lawmakers have introduced legislation that would statement. essentially rewrite existing business interruption provisions for The list goes on. Life insurance trade group The American business insurance coverage, requiring insurance carriers to pay Council of Life Insurers; The Reinsurance Association of America, COVID-19-related business interruption claims. In April, Rep. which represents property and casualty reinsurers; and indepen- Mike Thompson (D-CA), introduced H.R.6494, the “Business In- dent agent group the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers terruption Insurance Coverage Act of 2020,” which would make of America all registered in April to lobby against H.R.6494 and business interruption insurance coverage available to businesses and H.R.6494. They were followed by insurance carriers State affected by losses due to viral pandemics. A similar bill, H.R.6497, Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, Hartford Financial the “Never Again Small Business Protection Act,” would mandate Services Group, Encova Insurance and Liberty Mutual Insurance insurance carriers that offer business interruption insurance to Company, all of whom similarly retained lobbying firms in April. make available additional coverage that keeps small businesses Another group to oppose H.R.6497 and H.R.6494 is the National afloat during national emergencies. Association of Insurance Commissioners, the regulatory organi- In response, insurance companies and the trade groups that rep- zation comprised of elected state officials who regulate insurance resent them are flooding Washington to voice their opposition to companies and establish the standards used by state insurance reg- these bills, claiming that forcing carriers to pay for coverage they ulators. never sold in the first place threatens their business and poses sig- “Business interruption policies were generally not designed or nificant future affects for the industry. priced to provide coverage against communicable diseases such The American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the na- as COVID-19 and therefore include exclusions for that risk,” the tional trade group representing home, auto and business insurers, NAIC said in a statement. “If insurance companies are required registered in April to lobby Congress on behalf of “COVID-19 Re- to cover such claims, such an action would create substantial sol- lated Insurance Legislation” as it relates to “Business Interruption vency risks for the sector, significantly undermine the ability of Insurance.” insurers to pay other types of claims, and potentially exacerbate the “These types of proposals could have dramatic repercussions for negative financial and economic impacts the country is currently families, individuals, motorists and businesses,” APCIA said in a experiencing.”  statement. “If policymakers force insurers to pay for losses that are not covered under existing insurance policies, the stability of the sector could be impacted and that could affect the ability of con- Shirley & McVicker fights sumers to address everyday risks that are covered by the property casualty industry.” Michigan’s lockdown The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents, the nonprofit representing independent insurance agents, registered hirley & McVicker Public Affairs is promoting the push in April to lobby Congress on “issues related to business interrup- against Michigan’s lock-down strategy designed to stop the tion insurance and COVID-19.” Sspread of COVID-19. “Retroactively rewriting contracts undermines existing contrac- Erik Kiilunen, Founder of Neuvokas, rebar manufacturer, hired tual relationships and risks injecting new uncertainties into our the Alexandria, VA-based firm to bolster visibility for his “All current economic crisis,” PIA said in a statement. “Only a small Business is Essential” campaign. percentage of businesses would benefit in any way from it, and Claiming that he lost $600,000 in business due to the lockdown, thousands of small business owners would be left struggling.” Kiilunen, paid for 23 billboards across the state to display the All The Wholesale & Specialty Insurance Association hired law firm Business is Essential message. He also declared May 21 “Take Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath to lobby Congress on “COVID-19 Yourself to Work Day.” response on insurance impacts including business interruption Kiilunen has been booked by local radio/TV stations and scored and recovery fund legislation.” coverage by the Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times and “These bills attempt to change every insurance policy issued for USA Today. loss of use and occupancy and business interruption so that each Kevin McVicker, who supervises the campaign, said Kiilunen’s policy would effectively be rewritten to include coverage for busi- “leadership is an example to business owners who want to survive ness interruption during the declared state of emergency due to and continue to provide jobs.” 

84 JUNE 2020 | WWW.ODWYERPR.COM International PR News Glover Park cries for Argentina The collapse of oil prices and spread of COVID-19 has ham- mered Kazakhstan’s economy. lover Park Group is providing strategic communications ser- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with Kazakhstani Presi- vices to Argentina, which is on the brink of defaulting on $66 dent Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in April about joint efforts to address Gbillion in debt held by Wall Street bankers and other foreign the pandemic and reaffirmed their intent to work closely on bi- entities. lateral and global affairs. Pompeo visited Kazakhstan in February. The COVID-19 economic lockdown, rising healthcare costs, BGR PR President Jeffrey Birnbaum and VP Jo Maney work on rampant inflation and increased poverty among its 45 million peo- the $160,000 contract. They report to Erzhan Kazyhanov, Kazakh- ple led to Argentina defaulting for the third time in two decades stan’s ambassador to the U.S.  when it missed a $503 million debt payment on May 22. The government of Alberto Fernandez, which took power seven months ago, is forecasting a 6.5 percent economic contraction Qatar cuts Ballard Partners fee during 2020. The New York Times warns that another default threatens to re- he Embassy of Qatar trimmed Ballard Partners monthly fee vive Argentina’s “reputation as a serial deadbeat and global finan- from $115,000 to $50,000 effective May 1. cial pariah.” T The Trump-connected firm is working to better U.S.-Qatari Glover Park is counseling Argentina’s DC embassy on its diplo- relations and on political, legislative and regional developments in matic and economic relations with the U.S. as a subcontractor to Qatar. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer.  Qatar initially signed Ballard Partners to a one-year contract on June 28, 2018, at $50,000 per month. That fee was upped to $115,000 last year. The amended pact runs through December 31. BGR works Kazakhstan media Qatar was the biggest foreign spender at Ballard Partners during the six-month period ended Oct. 31, 2019. It contributed $660,000 GR Government Affairs is providing strategic communica- of the total $2.1 million fees. tions and media outreach for Kazakhstan, the oil-rich central Qatar topped outlays from Zimbabwe, Kosovo, Dominican Re- BAsia state. public and Turkey’s Halbank, which cut ties with the Ballard Part- Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s only leader since it was ners on Oct. 16, 2019, after spending $455,000 during the period. carved off from the Soviet Union, stepped down in 2019 after thir- Brian Ballard is Finance Chair of the Florida unit of Trump Vic- ty years at the helm. tory organization. 

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.

Dickens & Madson Canada, Inc., Washington, D.C., registered May 12, 2020 for Republic of Vanuatu, Port Vila, Vanuata, regarding how best to deal with climate change as it specifically impacts the Pacific Island Region.

Baker & McKenzie, New York, NY registered May 13, 2020 for The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, regarding assistance with a broad economic restructuring mandate as well as the government’s multilateral relations with the Inter- national Monetary Fund.

BGR Government Affairs, LLC, Washington, D.C., registered May 1, 2020 for Embassy of Kazakhstan, Washington, D.C., regarding strategic public relations services in the US and assistance with outreach to members of the media.

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.

Capitol Hill Policy Group LLC, Washington, D.C., registered May 20, 2020 for International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), Boston, MA, regarding efforts to expand the applicability of COVID-19 relief measures to more association members.

Greenberg Traurig, LLP, Washington, D.C., registered May 20, 2020 for Hotel Association of New York City, New York, NY, regarding administra- tive and legislative monitoring and outreach on issues related to COVID-19 relief.

Forbes-Tate, Washington, D.C., registered May 20, 2020 for Vir Biotechnology, Inc., San Francisco, CA, regarding healthcare initiatives related to its novel antibody technology platform.

Cornerstone Government Affairs, Inc., Washington, D.C., registered May 19, 2020 for JR Automation, Holland, MI, regarding automation of manufacturing for high demand medical devices and equipment for novel COVID response.

Ervin Hill Strategy, Washington, D.C., registered May 19, 2020 for Starc Systems, Brunswick, ME, regarding disaster planning within the Health and Human Services Office of Preparedness and Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority for healthcare isolation solutions.