May '11 PR Rankings Issue - Odwyerpr.com

PRR’S SOCIAL MEDDIA GROWTH
Continued from page 11
The firm, he said, has become “a valued
partner to the most innovative companies
across many sectors.” Sparkpr got
involved early in social media and building
online communities, he noted.
Despite the recession, he said the firm
“experienced unprecedented demand for
our services ... I couldn’t be prouder of the
team we have assembled, located in San
Francisco, New York, London and Cape
Town ... they bring a level of commitment,
enthusiasm and value to our clients.”
Imre marks fast growth
Imre, founded in 1993 by David Imre,
was the fourth fastest growing firm in the
top 50, up 33% to
$7.69 million.
Imre said Target
and Pfizer expanded
their relationships
with the firm
while new clients
included Wells
Fargo and T. Rowe
Price. Long-time
Keith Zakheim,
President and CEO
of Beckerman, said
being a smaller
agency helps it
adapt to new trends
in the market.
client John Deere
named the firm for
social marketing.
A new unit is Imre
Sports which will
build on the firm’s
experience in promoting
corporate
relationships with
the NFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR and other
such groups for clients including
Travelers, Black & Decker, Target and
John Deere.
Imre has nearly two decades of experience
in home and building, healthcare and
financial services.
“Our expertise reaches far beyond marketing
and PR,” said Imre. “We provide
actionable strategies that produce results.”
Beckerman, based in Hackensack, N.J.,
posted the fifth largest increase among the
top 50 — up 32% to $6.1 million — said
its “effective delivery of value-added services
and a proven return on investment”
brought growth in spite of the recession.
The firm’s “clean tech practice, poised
to become the leading such practice in the
nation,” and the acquisition of the Antenna
Group, San Francisco, were among factors
in the increase, said Keith Zakheim, president
and CEO.
Use of social media tools has grown into
a profit-generating specialty area over the
past year, he added.
“As a smaller agency, we are not
beholden to old methods and operations
and we have been successful leveraging
the new distribution channels opened up
by digital and the new media,” he said.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
TECH PR firms, pg. 32
Zakheim paid tribute to the firm’s
“national network of talented and experienced
communications professionals.”
Jeff Lambert, managing partner of
Lambert-Edwards, & Assocs., Grand
Rapids, which gained 14% to $5.65 million,
said “Social media has clearly had a
positive impact on our business though it’s
still an evolving specialty and most of the
time is just one part of a broader program.”
“One of the wins for PR firms relative to
social media is the increasing share of the
overall marketing mix we’re getting.
While overall marketing budgets are
increasing, social media is also gaining a
larger foothold in the total marketing
spend,” he added. “As PR firms take over
this business, as they should, it provides
growth over and above the industry resurgence.”
Morgan & Myers grows 68%
Tim Oliver, president of Morgan &
Myers, Waukesha, Wisc., which soared
68% to $3.8 million, said main areas of
growth were in agriculture and food which
is where the firm’s expertise and practice
As one of the fastest-growing health communications
agencies, Jones Public Affairs specializes in influencer
relations, offering all the expertise of a large agency,
with the advantages of a boutique firm.
jonespublicaffairs.com
areas are grounded.
He pointed out the importance of social
media as a driver of revenues.
“Our rapid growth is coming from helping
current and new clients meet the growing,
global demand for food through adoption
of more sustainable technologies ,” he
said.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
FOOD/BEV. PR firms, pg. 30
“These practices will help family farmers
and ranchers produce more with less impact
on the environment. At the same, we’re also
using social media to
create transparency
and to communicate
the consumer benefits
in all of this.
“Social media
allows us to create
meaningful, peer
experiences and
share insights from
the key opinion lead-
ers that consumers
trust. It’s an exciting
time for us to be
building brands,
relationships and
reputations in areas
that we’re all very
passionate about.”
Lambert-Edwards, &
Assocs. Managing
Partner Jeff Lambert
said social media
has “clearly had a
positive impact” on
his firm’s business.
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