Eight of the ten largest O'Dwyer-ranked independent PR firms were in the minus column for 2009. Also reporting negative years were 15 of the top 25 and 32 of the top 50.
Edelman, by far the largest PR firm, only had a 2% dip to $440M from $449M in 2008.
| |
Firm |
|
|
% chge from '08 |
| 1. |
Edelman, New York [listing] |
$440,110,343
|
3,143 |
-2.0% |
| 2. |
APCO
Worldwide, Wash., DC [listing] |
100,300,000
|
507 |
-10.8 |
| 3. |
Ruder Finn Group, New York [listing] |
89,175,000
|
564 |
-7.2 |
| 4. |
Text
100 International, San Francisco [listing] |
48,600,000
|
454 |
-22.0 |
| 5. |
Schwartz Communications, Waltham, MA [listing] |
24,905,403
|
177 |
-19.8 |
| 6. |
ICR , Westport, CT [listing] |
22,011,161
|
88 |
-16.0 |
| 7. |
Regan Communications Group, Boston |
19,859,000 |
45 |
-9.0 |
| 8. |
Gibbs
& Soell, New York [listing] |
16,888,152
|
94 |
-12.0 |
| 9. |
Allison & Partners, San Francisco [listing] |
14,662,255
|
80 |
+12.1 |
| 10. |
Cooney/Waters Group, New York [listing] |
12,344,058
|
38 |
+18.0 |
| 11. |
Coyne PR, Parsippany, NJ [listing] |
12,176,000
|
89 |
+4.2 |
| 12. |
RF | Binder
Partners, New York [listing] |
11,600,000
|
70 |
-5.0 |
| 13. |
5W Public Relations, New York [listing] |
11,061,338
|
67 |
-7.2 |
| 14. |
Makovsky & Co., New York [listing] |
10,200,000
|
50 |
-7.0 |
| 15. |
Zeno Group, New York [listing] |
10,052,218
|
59 |
-10.4 |
| 16. |
Hunter PR, New York [listing] |
10,027,706
|
61 |
+5.5 |
| 17. |
Widmeyer
Communications, Wash., DC [listing] |
9,771,259
|
42 |
+7.4 |
| 18. |
Kaplow
Communications, New York [listing] |
9,523,000
|
50 |
-6.0 |
| 19. |
Levick Strategic Communications, Wash., D.C. [listing] |
9,143,087
|
47 |
-8.8 |
| 20. |
S&S PR, Chicago [listing] |
9,106,800
|
44 |
-3.4 |
|
The only firms on the positive side in the top 10 were Allison & Partners, San Francisco, a generalist firm, which grew 12% to $14.6M, and Cooney/Waters Group, New York, specializing in healthcare PR, which grew 18% to $12.3M.
A total of 128 independent firms took part in the rankings, which was a decline from the 157 that took part last year.
Last year, which was also a difficult year for many PR firms, saw 50 firms drop off the list rather than report their numbers. A number of firms similarly decided to duck the rankings this year rather than report declines.
Newsletter editor Jack O'Dwyer said the firms that reported their figures, whether up or down, have done credit to themselves and the industry.
More than $1.2 billion in PR fees were tabulated in this year's rankings.
They will be in the 12 specialist categories (healthcare, tech, financial, etc.) that are ranked, he noted.
Nine major firms that were in last year's rankings, all of them members of the Council of PR Firms, were not allowed in this year rankings because attempts to sell them O'Dwyer website licenses to replace their one or two O'Dwyer subscriptions were unsuccessful.
O'Dwyer said he doubts that only one or two people in these firms are accessing the website as dictated by the website contract terms.
The nine firms had 2008 fees of $223 million, employed 1,486 PR people, and paid $112,000 in dues to the Council of PR Firms. But they only had a total of eleven $295 O'Dwyer subscriptions.
Waggener Edstrom, with $119 million in fees in 2008 and 843 employees, has one subscription, O'Dwyer noted.
"None of the principals of these firms will meet with us or even talk to us on the phone so we have concluded they don't have the right to call themselves PR firms since PR means debate, discussion and dialogue," said O'Dwyer.
View the complete rankings. |
