DG&A
While
DG&A entered its sixth year of existence with a number of
quantitative goals, those successes hinged much on its qualitative
goal: rebranding from David Grossman & Associates.
DG&A explained that the rebranding was symbolic of its
transcendence from a boutique agency based on the founder to a growing
firm with a cadre of expert communicators.
With its new name, the agency successfully increased revenues,
retained clients, and expanded its services. As 2006 drew to a close,
DG&A boasted a staff of 20 and expected revenues of $2.6 million,
up from $1.9 million a year before.
The firm did more than just take stock in its sixth year; it changed
the way it approached its business. DG&A, realizing that clients
were asking its employees to wear multiple hats, expanded its service
offerings and spun off two new practice areas: leadership communication
and business consulting. Its major focus is still internal
communications (70% of business), but leadership communication (20%)
and business consulting (10%) had strong debuts.
"It truly seems to be evolving its offerings," said one judge.
The agency had a banner year in 2006, adding Abbott Laboratories,
Texas Instruments, and ACNielsen, as well as seven others, to its
blue-chip-filled client roster that also includes McDonald's, Baxter
Healthcare, and Lockheed Martin. It managed a 100% retention of
non-one-time clients, a huge criterion cited by judges, as well as an
87% overall retention rate. The company also added two top-level
staffers.
Judges were also impressed by how its large clients looked to the firm to handle their critical leadership issues.
DG&A also acknowledged the importance of "taking care of its
people who take care of its clients" by going out on group outings,
matching staff donations to charities, and making pumpkin pies together
for holiday presents for clients.
Any PR firm worth its salt tells clients about the importance of
presentation: to the media, to partners, and to employees. So it's no
surprise that this winning agency received high marks for its PRWeek Awards submission. Judges were unanimously impressed with the way that DG&A conveyed itself and its work.
"It was a great presentation – to the point and covering all forms
of PR," one judge said. "Best supporting material; it feels very
professional," noted another.
Finalists
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Capstrat
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DG&A
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Kwittken & Company
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Peppercom
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Racepoint Group
Honourable Mention
Kwittken & Company
In
only a year, Kwittken & Company has accumulated 18 staffers, 20
clients, and an expected $2.7 million in billings for 2006. Among those
debut clients are HR global consultancy Towers Perrin, medical device
manufacturer Stryker, some Thomas Learning businesses, American Eagle,
and Uniqlo, Japan's largest apparel retailer. One judge was impressed
by the young firm's client list, while another said, "Kwittken has the
heft and professionalism of a much larger shop." Aaron Kwittken was
previously CEO of Euro RSCG Magnet. Two former Magnet employees,
president Jason Schlossberg and MD Gabrielle Zucker Acevedo, help give
the agency an experienced backbone. Among its goals, the firm listed
"truly leveraging and navigating the complex media landscape" - a goal
that, based on media results for clients, all judges agreed was reached.
Capstrat
Capstrat CEO Ken Eudy has said that his goal for the past couple of
years has been for his Raleigh, NC-based agency to stay ahead of a
quickly changing discipline of PR. While success in that respect is
difficult to qualify, net revenue increases of 21% and profit increases
of 20% show that Capstrat has indeed come a long way. New clients, many
of which came from established client referrals, include Lenovo,
GlaxoSmithKline, the North Carolina Department of Justice, and Siemens
Medical Solutions. The agency also took great pride in its marketing
efforts for a Post-It Note Elvis viral campaign, which earned
Capstrat's creative director Todd Coats an appearance on The Late Show
with David Letterman. "[Capstrat] has a unique approach to the changing
nature of communications," one judge noted.
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