Winner: Edelman
In 2005, Edelman decided to take a great leap forward in the world of communications. CEO Richard Edelman began blogging, the company partnered with blog search firm Technorati for multiple surveys, and an impressive online component helped Dove garner great media attention for its "Campaign for Real Beauty" initiative. Edelman's strategy was plainly put: Empower employees, do pioneering work, improve its commitment to quality, expand client relationships, and establish itself as a thought leader.
For its first goal, empowering employees, the agency built upon its Edelman University, which provided biweekly, web-based sessions that brought professionals from different countries together to tackle case studies and develop strategies for clients. It also convened a global task force of senior leaders, clients, vendors, and Harvard ethics professor Elliot Schrage to create a personal code of conduct, which addressed such perpetual issues as "pay-for-play" to new concepts like blogging.
Edelman also created a proprietary database of 7,000 influential bloggers for employees so they could better understand the marketplace and its players. The company's philanthropy included $250,000 in pro-bono support to the Global Business Coalition Against AIDS and 800 hours to Save the Children to help with tsunami relief efforts in Asia.
Edelman worked with Wal-Mart, giving the much-maligned brand a human touch in the wake of the devastating hurricane season, providing all the news of its philanthropy efforts to bloggers. Other key campaigns were the highly successful launch of Halo 2, proclaimed the largest entertainment launch in history with $140 million in worldwide sales, in the first weekend alone. Edelman also won the Burger King account, and worked with Toys "R" Us and the Boy Scouts of America through buyout and crisis communications situations, respectively.
In measuring quality, Edelman noted that it has worked with five clients for at least nine years, and that its top 40 clients now account for 50% of global revenues, up from 46% a year ago.
Edelman's blog attracted more than 2,000 visitors a week and earned him the position as the leading PR CEO blogger. The agency also released numerous white papers on the state of the blogosphere and how it affected employee relations, as well as the sixth edition of the Edelman Trust Barometer.
The company also reports that client and employee retentions are at an all-time high. In its first annual employee opinion survey, staffers strongly agreed (4.4 out of 5) with the statement "I am proud to be employed by Edelman."
Honorable: Weber Shandwick
Among Weber Shandwick's work, Allstate and BEA Systems stand out. WS helped Allstate compile its first-ever America's Best Drivers Report, which received 700 media placements, including USA Today and The New York Times, and reached 45 million impressions. With BEA, WS helped drive its strategic rebranding, launching "Think Liquid" at NASDAQ headquarters, and following a 60-day campaign placing stories in various influential publications. It also worked extensively with Kraft Foods and MasterCard. The agency launched its Weber Shandwick – Making a Difference, a program recognizing employees' pro bono contributions to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and Namaste Charter School. In addition, CEO Harris Diamond appeared in The New York Times to discuss ethical dilemmas and was tapped often by publications to author Op-Eds, discussing the issues impacting the PR industry, bolstering his thought-leadership position.
Finalists:
Edelman
GolinHarris
Ketchum
MS&L
Weber Shandwick
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