Communications & New Media May 2019 I Vol. 33 No. 3 FIRMS RANKED BY ANNUAL GROWTH, PG. 53 PR FIRMS RANKED BY NET FEES, PG. 50 FIRMS RANKED BY REGION, PG. 54 ANNUAL RANKINGS ISSUE PR FIRMS RANKED BY NET FEES, SPECIALTY, REGION & GROWTH RANKINGS OF TECH PR FIRMS, PG. 26 FINANCIAL & IR FIRMS RANKED, PG. 30 RANKINGS OF HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS, PG. 36 May 2019 | www.odwyerpr.com Vol. 33. No. 3 MAY 2019 EDITORIAL O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF FINANCIAL PR FIRMS CAN BAD PUBLICITY 6 30 IN HEALTHCARE, CHANGE RESPONSE BOOST VALUE? 8 32 IS THE NEW NORMAL MARKETERS TO RAISE O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF 12 INFLUENCER SPENDS HEALTHCARE PR FIRMS SILENCE IS SAFEST POLICY 8 36 O’DWYER’S RANKINGS OF ON SOCIAL ISSUES PR SPECIALTIES EXECS MATTER MORE 9 38 DATA CALLS THE SHOTS THAN INFLUENCERS 10 42 AS PR FACES THE FUTURE THE PERILS OF CONTENT O’DWYER’S RANKINGS BY COMMITTEE 12 50 OF MAJOR US PR FIRMS WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU LEADING GAINERS 50WWW.ODWYERPR.COM CAN’T BELIEVE YOUR EYES 14 53 AMONG PR FIRMS Daily, up-to-the-minute PR news PATH TO SUCCESS CAN O’DWYER’S REGIONAL HAVE MANY TWISTS 16 54 RANKINGS OF PR FIRMS INOCULATING AGAINST LESSONS LEARNED AFTER BUBBLE-THINK AN AGENCY ACQUISITION 18 56 A CRISIS PRIMER FOR THE CORE OF YOUR THE SOCIAL MEDIA ERA COMMS STRATEGY 58 20 PEOPLE IN PR WHY NOT ALL LEADERS ARE THOUGHT LEADERS 60 PROFILES OF RANKED 22 PR FIRMS TECH SECTOR THRIVES 62 EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2019 ON INNOVATION WASHINGTON REPORT January: Crisis Comms. / Buyer’s Guide 24 March: Food & Beverage O’DWYER’S RANKINGS 84 May: PR Firm Rankings OF TECH PR FIRMS COLUMNS July: Travel, Tourism & International PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 26 Fraser Seitel August: Financial, I.R. & Prof Services FINANCIAL FIRMS FIND 82 October: Healthcare & Medical SUCCESS IN VOLATILITY FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 28 83 Richard Goldstein November: Technology & Social Media ADVERTISERS 5WPR .............................................................3 Finn Partners ...............................................47 Kekst CNC ...................................................65 APCO Worldwide .........................................43 Health Unlimited ............................Back cover LaVoieHealthScience ..................................37 BackBay Communications ..........................29 The Hoffman Agency ...................................57 Lou Hammond Group ..................................19 BerlinRosen .........................Inside front cover Hotwire ........................................................25 Padilla ..........................................................11 Bliss Integrated Communication .................31 The Hoyt Organization .................................59 PAN Communications .................................13 Butler Associates ...........................................9 ICR ...............................................................27 Qorvis Communications ..............................17 Crosby .........................................................23 Infinite Global ................................................5 rbb Communications .....................................7 Edelman ................................................44, 45 Jarrard Phillips Cate & Hancock .................49 Sloane & Company ......................................71 Evoke PR & Influence ..................................35 Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher .....61 W2O Group .................................................21 Fahlgren Mortine .........................................15 JPA Health Communications .......................33 WebTalkRadio .............................................77 O’Dwyer’s is published monthly for $60.00 a year ($7.00 for a single issue) by the J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc., 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. (212) 679-2471; fax: (212) 683-2750. Periodical postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to O’Dwyer’s, 271 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016. O’Dwyer’s PR Report ISSN: 1931-8316. Published monthly. EDITORIAL Drop the ‘socially conscious’ brand act e all know the drill. Consumers today are more attuned to their purchasing habits and how they impact the world, and expect brands to take a stand on social and political EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Wissues with clearly-defined values that align with their own. Kevin McCauley In recent years, we’ve witnessed the rise of the socially-conscious brand, of companies reshap- [email protected] ing their reputations through random acts of kindness and tossing their hats in the ring on any number of hot-button social issues in a bid to position themselves as authorities on everything from climate change to racial injustice to sexual harassment. Unfortunately, too many of these PUBLISHER efforts are disingenuous, and it’s only a matter of time until consumers grow cynical about this John O’Dwyer overplayed strategy and begin getting the sneaking suspicion that many of these initiatives are [email protected] empty advocacy platitudes, consumer marketing efforts disguised as corporate benevolence. The fifteen minutes are just about up. An unpopular opinion, I’ll admit. But one issue isn’t up for debate: Americans want corpora- SENIOR EDITOR tions to be socially aware, and the public’s perception of brands is now greatly determined by Jon Gingerich companies’ commitment to causes we believe in. A March Hotwire survey found that nine out [email protected] of 10 consumers consider themselves conscious of how their personal values align with their ASSOCIATE EDITOR purchasing habits, and 76 percent said they now make a concerted effort to buy products and Steve Barnes services only from companies whose beliefs are in line with their own. [email protected] Another similar recent survey discovered that 71 percent of U.S. shoppers think it’s import- ant for businesses to take a stance on social causes, with three-quarters claiming they’re more CONTRIBUTING EDITORS inclined to buy from companies that support issues they agree with. The same study also found Fraser Seitel that some social stances now influence consumers’ buying decisions more than price: a com- Richard Goldstein pany’s environmentally-friendly business record, for example, took greater precedence among more Americans (71 percent) than how much a product costs (44 percent). Granted, consumers place higher expectations on some industries’ commitment to CSR ini- EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS tiatives than others; according to a recent Clutch survey, 70 percent of respondents said they & RESEARCH associate the food sector—namely, restaurants and food retailers— as uniquely poised to tackle Jane Landers issues such as food insecurity in their local communities. Additionally, 70 percent said they Melissa Webell expect the tech industry to take the lead in addressing data and privacy issues, and 65 percent want the fashion industry to invest more in the use of ethically-sourced materials. Marketers are keenly aware of this, of course, and as a result, Corporate Social Responsibility Advertising Sales: programs have exploded in popularity in recent years. The Hotwire survey found that more John O’Dwyer than half of the marketers polled (61 percent) believe their organization should take a more [email protected] proactive stance on social issues. It’s a nice idea, I suppose, and each of these topics invokes con- versations worth having, but there’s just something vaguely opportunistic about the notion of a company whose lone priority is profit stealing the mic every time a controversial issue arises in O’Dwyer’s is published seven times a year the national conversation. Does anyone actually believe Gillette exists to cure toxic masculinity, for $60.00 ($7.00 a single issue) by the or that it’s Nike’s mission to end police brutality? J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. If those aforementioned companies’ recent earnings are any indication, some clearly do. And 271 Madison Ave., #600 therein lies the problem. Companies that shape public opinion through self-congratulatory acts New York, NY 10016. of advocacy are simply responding to consumer demand. The greater challenge will be convinc- (212) 679-2471 Fae: (212) 683-2750. ing Americans in this “woke” age that buying things will never alone suffice as a moral value expression. The socially-conscious shopper conducts a performative display to take a stand on © Copyright 2019 J.R. O’Dwyer Co., Inc. something he knows he’ll never be called on to actually fix; it allows us to engage in these narcis- OTHER PUBLICATIONS: sistic moral purity contests where we compete to achieve the prestige of being labeled the most conscientious among our peer group. But hey, it feels good to believe we’re making a difference, right? I wonder how much these “enlightened” consumers actually do in the way of directly www.odwyerpr.com Breaking news, commentary, useful data- helping their communities, be it through volunteering at a shelter, or canvasing for a political bases and more. candidate, but why do any of that when you can buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and leave with the feeling that you’re Rosa Parks? The undue moral scrutiny we give our purchasing habits feeds a O’Dwyer’s Newsletter lazy misconception that the private sector can do all the ethical heavy-lifting for us and we don’t A four-page weekly with general PR have to do anything aside from buy certain products. This isn’t how reality works. news, media appointments and placement Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, that more consumers are beginning to question the motives opportunities. of companies who engage in CSR. According to a Harris