PR legend Harold Burson, who passed January 10 at the age of 98, disproved the notion that “nice guys finish last.”
 Harold Burson |
Along with marketing communications wizard Dan Edelman, Harold set the foundation for what evolved into today’s PR business.
He forged the first global PR firm and “professionalized” the business by offering counsel to CEOs at blue-chip companies, such as Johnson & Johnson (Tylenol) and Union Carbide (Bhopal toxic gas explosion), during their time of crisis.
DuPont CEO Edgar Woolard memorialized Burson as “the man to call when major problems appeared” because “he always cooled the issues.”
More important, Harold was basically a nice guy who was always generous with his time and counsel. The pride of Memphis was a southern gentleman.
Jack O’Dwyer viewed Burson as PR’s gold standard, a reliable sounding board for potential story ideas.
Earlier during my career at O’Dwyer’s, Jack frequently told me to bounce something off Harold. If it received his imprimatur, I was on the right track.
Harold left some pretty big shoes to fill. It’s up to the PR business to live up to his high standards and commitment to ethics.
It’s evident to all that our 80-year-old president is a man stuck in the past but did he really have to invoke the spirit of disgraced FBI director J. Edgar Hoover?... NYC probes prediction markets. Kalshi Polymarket, Coinbase and Gemini Titan... Does anybody want Karoline Leavitt's job? It's no fun playing second fiddle to Trump, who serves as his own press spokesperson.
Kudos to the American Academy of Pediatrics for pulling no punches in blasting Trump's new childhood vaccine recommendations as "dangerous."... Billionaire Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is tired of hearing about people struggling with the economy... Trump delivers priceless gift to Iran's propaganda machine.
Understatement of the Year: FIFA president Gianni Infantino concedes mistakes were made in his scheme to sell-out the World Cup... Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch charges Israel with deliberately targeting and attacking journalists in Lebanon... It will take images of US soldiers throwing rocks at the People's Liberation Army as it invades Taiwan before Trump admits the munitions shortage.
Donald Trump, who earned more than $2B last year, accuses oil companies of making too much money... Rocket science isn't easy, according to SpaceX chief Elon Musk... The volatile Jeanine Pirro has the edge over smarmy Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in the battle over blame for The Reflecting Pool mess... Omnicom CEO John Wren credits clients for adjusting pretty well to the disruptions caused by the Middle East, Ukraine and tariff chaos. 
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino’s audacious scheme to sell stakes in a new subsidiary that will manage the World Cup is the payoff for his obnoxious pandering to Donald Trump... PwC's "thought leadership" pieces on AI and electric vehicles are riddled with "hallucinations."... 
