Winner
Edelman

Edelman has certainly been a thought leader in the areas of new and social media. In 2007, it took steps to further strengthen that position, something that impressed judges across the board.

Last year, Edelman hired nearly 50 staffers dedicated solely to new media. Slightly fewer than 50 employees author their own blogs. The agency also managed to incorporate social media elements into almost every client program. Examples of this include developing "Open Mike," a blog for Pitney Bowes chairman Mike Critelli, where he can engage influencers in government, business, and the public sector; creating "Keep the Drive," an interactive teen-to-teen movement designed to spread the message of safe driving on behalf of insurer Allstate; and crafting an online and offline "cheer pass" campaign for Starbucks.

One of the agency's goals over the  past few years has been to establish itself as the lead communications counsel for clients, rather than just being a media partner. It did this successfully in several instances last year, which included a multi-faceted launch for Microsoft's Halo 3 that featured interactive storytelling, social gaming, and influential icons. The campaign not only helped to achieve $170 million in US sales on opening day, but a 100% spike in Xbox console sales in the three weeks following the launch.

It also planned the largest Adobe launch in that company's 25-year history for Creative Suite 3, which led to a 41% year-over-year revenue growth.

But it was the agency's "impressive growth" that really stood out to judges. It grew by 26.2% globally, increasing revenue from $298 million to $376 million. Its US revenue jumped 25.3% from $198 million to $248 million. And where the consumer and health practice used to account for more than 50% of its worldwide revenue, in 2007 the firm was able to distribute income far more equally: consumer (26%), health (16%), technology (13%), corporate (14%), public affairs (14%), and interactive and others (18%). It also increased the number of its offices from 47 to 50 and the number of worldwide employees from 2,100 to 3,000.

As one judge noted simply, "Edelman just had a great year."

Honorable Mention
Ketchum



Ketchum was able to find success in a number of areas in 2007, including employee and client satisfaction, innovation, and new business wins. The agency's employee turnover rate dropped three percentage points and Ketchum took steps to engage employees, including a month-long "MySpace Meets my KGN" series, that profiled 36 agency employees and doubled traffic to the agency's Intranet. That satisfaction apparently extended to clients, as a survey of Ketchum's top 30 clients showed that they believe the agency is a "good value for the investment." The firm's innovation was clear in its creation of Zocalo Group, an agency focused on creating word-of-mouth and customer evangelism programs for clients. Ketchum had a year filled with standout work for its existing clients, including a campaign for Eastman Kodak to launch its first inkjet printer, and work with Delta Air Lines to fight a hostile takeover attempt by US Airways. But it was the "impressive marquee wins" that impressed judges the most, including its Olympic work for Lenovo.

Finalists 2008
Edelman
Ketchum
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Weber Shandwick

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