Winner: APCO Worldwide
APCO stands alone this year as an agency whose opportunity for independence gave it a chance to excel. APCO has 400 employees and will report estimated global revenues of $71.5 million for 2005, a fine figure for the newly created 40 or so employee-owners who were senior enough to own an equity stake.
At the time of the management buyout from Grey Global Group in 2004, APCO CEO Margery Kraus commented, "I really wanted this to be a legacy. Now, we are definitely in control of our own destiny."
Since the MBO, APCO has reported growth of 23.5% and projected revenues of $42.4 million in North America, fueled by new offices in New York and Chicago. The company opened an Israeli office in Tel Aviv, but its North American region remains its strongest suit.
In a year in which public affairs professionals shuffled jobs, many found themselves at APCO. The company hired Ambassador Elizabeth Jones, former US Department of State assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasia, as EVP; Darren Murphy, former special adviser to the UK Prime Minister, as a director in its London office; and Cassandra Pye, former deputy chief of staff for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA), as SVP.
Its campaign successes included helping launch the largest-ever private-sector program to provide free or low-cost prescription drugs to needy Americans, a communication strategy for a leading athletic brand's second public corporate responsibility report, and assisting a global IT firm's positioning in Europe. APCO also won accounts in the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, local government, and hotel industries.
Its online tactics were also successful, launching RussiaInFocus.com, a website that provided client MENATEP with the opportunity to deliver near real-time news and events from the trial of its former core shareholder, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, to a global audience. The website fed information to a paid placement on The New York Times' international homepage. The program generated more than 6 million impressions and 5 million unique site visits during the eight-week campaign period.
Other campaign highlights include the firm's work with PhRMA, the trade association for the US drug industry, and its Partnership for Prescription Assistance program. The work included a 50-state grassroots education and mobilization campaign.
One judge said, "Performance seems to have zoomed since the MBO. They are doing high-quality work." Another added, "[APCO] really does it all – rapid growth, industry leadership, and a solid commitment to clients."
Honorable Mention: Edelman
Edelman's devotion to innovation and embracement of the blogging environment won it many fans in 2005. 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 also 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," which was proclaimed the largest entertainment launch in history with $140 million in worldwide sales in its 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.
Finalists:
APCO Worldwide
Edelman
Peppercom
Sponsor:
Medialink is a global leader in providing unique news and marketing media strategies and solutions that enable corporations and organizations to inform and educate target audiences with maximum impact on TV, radio, print, and the internet.