The 2017 O’Dwyer’s Directory of PR Firms, the 47th annual edition and the only remaining printed directory in PR, has been published digitally and will shortly be available in hard copy.
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More than 1,200 firms are listed including conglomerate-owned as well as independent PR firms. The Directory has 39 display ads and expanded entries by more than 250 of the firms.
The list of 123 ranked firms is topped by Edelman’s $874.9 million in fees, up 2.4%. Edelman employees in the U.S. and more than 30 foreign countries total 5,903.
W2O group, spurting 33% to $122.7 milion, took over the No. 2 spot from APCO Worldwide, which was up one percent to $120.6M.
14 Firms in Top 30 Grow in Double Digits
Three other firms in the top ten grew in double digits, Prosek Partners 28% to $31.2M; Coyne + 26.9% to $27.3M, and Fahlgren Mortine, + 18.9% to $24.4.
Ten firms in the 11-30 bracket grew in double digits: ReviveHealth +40% to $14M; Spectrum +34.8% to $20M; Hotwire +32% to $13.2M; Crosby +21.7% to $12.2M; PAN Communications +18.6% to $15.6M; Jackson Spalding +15.6% to $21M; Inkhouse Media +13.8% to $13.7M; 5W PR +13.2% to $24.3M; Hunter PR +14.6% to $23.5M, and French|West|Vaughan +10.4% to $23.3M.
90 of 123 Ranked Firms Boosted Revenues
The health segment of PR continues to be one of the fastest-growing with W20 Group posting a 33.9% gain, Spectrum up 34.8%, and ReviveHealth, up 40%. The October O’Dwyer’s magazine focuses on healthcare PR. The healthcare ranking will be featured and profiles of more than 50 healthcare practices are expected.
Firms with tech specialties or which are entirely tech did well including Racepoint Global, +7.8%; PAN Communications, +18%, Highwire PR +27.6%, Hotwire +32%, and Inkhouse Media, +13.8%.
WE, third largest firm in last year’s rankings with $98.7M in net fees and 645 employees, did not take part in this year’s rankings.
More than 400 rankings are in the 12 specialties tracked by the directory, the only such database in PR. They are agriculture, beauty & fashion, entertainment, environmental & PA, financial & investor relations, food & beverage, healthcare, home furnishings, professional services, sports, technology, and travel & economic development.
Each issue of the O’Dwyer’s monthly magazine focuses on one of the special practice areas. Firms provide profiles in which they describe their special practice areas in detail
Firms are also ranked by cities including New York, Boston, District of Columbia, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco and by regions including Southeast, Midwest and Western. There are separate rankings for Texas and Florida.
PR has evolved into specialty practices as did medicine and law. They have compiled information on the relevant traditional and social media and learned the financial and regulatory environment.
Ranked firms provide the top page of the latest corporate income tax return and W-3 showing total payroll to establish them as PR firms rather than another type of business.
DJE Holdings, parent of Edelman and Zeno, launches RUTH as an independent shop named after Ruth Edelman, mental health advocate, wife and longtime business partner of Dan Edelman.
New York City PR firms make up the largest slice of O'Dwyer's 147 firm overall ranking with 33 of 40 in the New York/New Jersey area either calling Manhattan their home or having a presence there.
Subject Matter+Kivvit, which joined forces in May, has rebranded as Avoq, an integrated shop with more than 200 professionals in Washington, New York, Asbury Park (NJ), Miami and Chicago.
While PR pros stationed at in-house comms. teams and those working for agencies share many of the same objectives, they also have markedly different top priorities, according to a recent report.
Edelman is cutting 240 employees or about four percent of its workforce to cope with the cooling down of the PR sector, according to a memo from CEO Richard Edelman.
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