PR Firm Rankings - Odwyerpr.com

REPORT
Few bright stars shine for PR industry revenues
Jack O’Dwyer
Eight of the 10 largest O’Dwyerranked
independent PR firms
found themselves in the minus
column for 2009, a trend that extended
to 15 of the top 25 firms and 32 of the
top 50.
Similarly, most specialty PR rankings
bore all the signs of ’09’s economic
rough patch, aptly reflecting the recession’s
impact on the communications
industry and resulting in a decline of
dozens of firms taking part in our annual
rankings.
Several areas of PR however, showed
promise and even signs of improvement
in ’09, during a time that otherwise
made for a year to forget.
Healthcare reveals rare ’09 gain
Eighty firms reported more than $284
million in healthcare billings in 2009,
according to the O’Dwyer rankings in
that category.
Perhaps PR’s lone sector bright spot
over the past year, eight of the top 10
firms in the healthcare realm showed at
least modest gains last year compared
with ’08.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
HEALTHCARE PR firms, pg. 34
Edelman and Ruder Finn saw
increases of nearly 6% and 4% at the
top of the heap, respectively, while
Cooney/Waters Group (+18%),
Spectrum (+8.6%), GYMR (+11%),
Hager Sharp (+18%), MCS (+15%) and
Crosby Marketing Communications
(+19%) posted gains among mid-sized
firms.
Widmeyer Communications more
than tripled its $1 million in ’08 healthcare
billings to $3.4 million.
APCO Worldwide (-28%) and
Makovsky + Co. (-7.3%) were down
from ’08 in healthcare.
Ninety-six firms reported figures last
year in the category.
Food/beverage PR shows promise
The food & beverage category of the
O’Dwyer rankings drew entries from
54 firms reporting 2009 revenue,
almost the same number as for the previous
year.
Twelve of the 25 largest food PR
practices showed declines while ten
had gains and three were even. Food
PR firms reported revenue totaling
nearly $103 million for ’09.
Category leader Edelman had a 5%
decline to $51,947,570 while second
place APCO Worldwide had a gain of
16% to $6,546,408.
Hunter PR, New York, in third place,
was about even at $5,669,985.
A newcomer in the No. 4 spot,
weighing in at $5,651,110, is
FoodMinds, administratively based in
Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., but with offices
and correspondents in major cities.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
FOOD/BEV. PR firms, pg. 34
Clients of the three-and-a-half-yearold
firm include Applegate Farms,
Dairy Management, Distilled Spirits
Council of the U.S., Kellogg Co.,
National Confectioners Assn. and
Welch Foods.
The firm is headed by PR pros Laura
Cubillos, Bill Layden and Sue Pitman,
who were formerly at Porter Novelli
and then Edelman.
Fourteen full-time pros are assisted
by a network of 70 pros throughout the
country who include registered dietitians,
Ph.D.s, science writers and food
policy specialists.
Other PR firms with expanding food
practices included Coyne PR,
Parsippany, N.J., up 5% to $2,571,000;
M/C/C of Dallas, up 150% to $500,000,
and Hope-Beckham, Atlanta, up 197%
to $513,431.
Financial PR, IR reveals a bad year
Most financial/IR firms reporting to
O’Dwyer’s had significant declines in
2009 because of poor economic conditions,
particularly on Wall Street. Only
four firms managed sizable gains while
three others were flat.
Forty-four firms, including 11 new to
the list, reported their figures, down
from 69 that reported 2008 revenue.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
FINANCIAL PR firms, pg. 33
Gaining were Cubitt, Jacobs &
Prosek, up 14% to $4,500,000; RF|
Binder Partners, New York, up 12% to
$2,600,000; Gregory FCA
Communications, Ardmore, Pa., up
26% to $1,900,000, and Lambert,
Edwards & Assocs., Grand Rapids,
Mich., up 16% to $1,845,600.
Edelman, the largest firm in financial/IR,
saw revenues in this category
fall to $22,696,826 from $53,298,302.
Because of gains in other categories,
Edelman’s overall fees were only off
2% to $440.1M.
ICR, Westport, Conn., No. 2 ranked
firm, declined 11% to $20.5M from
$23.2M.
Ruder Finn, No. 3, had a drop to
$2,200,000 from $17,324,279. Its overall
fees were off only 7.2% to $89.1
million.
APCO Worldwide, No. 4, was about
even at $11.6 million in 2008 vs. $11.4
million in 2009.
Some firms said their figures were
too bad to report, ignoring traditional
advice on Wall Street that bad as well
as good numbers must be reported on a
regular basis.
FTI Consulting, which owns the
financial communications firm FD,
reported in February that its PR operations
fell 20% in 2009 to $180 million.
Tough sledding for travel
A majority of the 35 firms reporting their
travel PR fees to O’Dwyer’s had negative
performances in 2009.
Two bright spots were category leader
Edelman, which was even at $15,213,343
and Ruder Finn, which posted a 16% gain
to $3,500,000.
Lou Hammond & Associates was off 5%
to $5,413,488 while M. Silver Associates,
was down 3% to $3,986,000 and Quinn &
Co. was off 18% to $2,401,972.
Others on the negative side were Allison
& Partners, San Francisco, down 23% to
$2,235,926, and Vollmer PR, Houston,
down 14% to $1,796,582.
rbb Public Relations, Coral Gables, Fla.,
posted the biggest gain, up 33% to
$612,812.
See O’Dwyer’s rankings of top
TRAVEL/TOURISM firms, pg. 37
Twenty-three of those on the 2008 list of
45 did not return while 13 firms joined the
list including Ypartnership of Orlando, Fla.,
with travel fees of $1,938,067, and 5W
Public Relations, New York, with travel
fees of $1,174,750.
Firms reporting figures accounted for
$53M in travel PR fees for 2009.
Environmental, public affairs down
Most of the environmental and public
affairs practices of firms reporting to
O’Dwyer’s had declines in 2009.
Edelman continues to head the practice
area with fees of $53.4 million, off 16%.
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MAY 2010 WWW.ODWYERPR.COM