Case study provided by the Superbrands organisation.
Market
As one of the world's most sophisticated markets, the UK is naturally an equally complex marketing environment. Businesses constantly face new challenges in their quest to find innovative ways of reaching their customers. But with the splintering of audiences who are now more aware and more knowledgeable than ever, in addition to the tendency of the UK press to seize any sign of weakness, the communications task has become increasingly difficult. A company, its products and its services must be accountable, and consistently communicate 'on message'. In short, reputation is key.
It is within this context that public relations has come of age. Globally, the public relations marketplace is worth US$6.5 billion, and has grown by over 20% in the last decade. The UK market is valued at around US$1 billion and is set to expand further as clients seek more cost-effective ways to target and influence their specific audiences.
Three large groups dominate the overall communications marketplace: WPP Group, Interpublic Ltd and Omincom Ltd. Over the last five years these groups have invested heavily, buying organisations and agencies across a variety of marketing disciplines ranging from public relations, design and advertising to direct and field marketing.
Burson-Marsteller (B-M) is one of the largest public relations networks in the world. The company became part of the Y&R Group of companies in 1977, and joined the WPP family in September 2001 as part of the Y&R Group merger. Large agencies with an international network are plentiful, but the PR world has witnessed especially strong growth in the small hotshop boutiques, which are concentrated on the London marketplace. B-M's competitors therefore include these local independent boutiques, as well as more traditional agency networks such as Hill & Knowlton, Fleishman-Hillard and Weber Shandwick that belong to the three key communication groups mentioned above.
Founded in 1953 by Harold Burson and Bill Marsteller in Philadelphia, B-M has grown into a worldwide network, employing over 2,300 people in 75 offices in 62 cities. The London office was established in 1967 and, after New York and Washington, now stands as the third largest centre in terms of fee income. It has experienced radical change in the past few years, and has emerged as the flagship office for Europe.
Achievements
During its history, and across its international network, Burson-Marsteller has worked with practically all of the world's key blue chip clients. Many have remained loyal to the company for over twenty years, including Accenture, Coca-Cola, Unilever and Johnson & Johnson.
Much of B-M's counsel and activity on behalf of its clients is confidential in nature, and thus not widely publicised. Many of B-M's achievements are, nevertheless, in the public domain. For example, Andersen Consulting's global communications have been handled by B-M for over twenty years, including those focused on the client's split from the parent company and subsequent rebranding as Accenture. Work with Unilever includes the award winning programme for Tea and Health, and for BP the instigation and formulation of the energy company's position on climate change.
B-M also advises many international clients on crisis management. Known as 'The Masters of Disaster', these dedicated specialists advise on Crisis Preparedness training and systems implementation as well as providing an on-call 24 hours seven days a week service for major disasters. Although much of this important area of work is sensitive and highly confidential, acknowledged beneficiaries within the public domain include Perrier, Tylenol and Eurotunnel.
Work for other clients such as Jim Beam, Mercedes-Benz UK Dealers, GlaxoSmithKline and the Association of Tennis Professionals reflects the agency's mix of creativity with solid public relations activity.
The source of B-M's greatest achievements lies with its people. Much of the success of B-M's activity for both local and international clients derives from the outstanding quality of the strategic counsel it provides, achieved through its commitment to training. Widely regarded as the 'University of PR', the organisation promotes an intensive training programme that brings its people together from across the world to learn, share and brainstorm the latest communication skills. B-M is proud to have established such a widespread network, with many one-time employees now working for clients or in other agencies.
Of the very many industry accolades that B-M has won, recent examples include the global IPR gold award for Best International 北京赛车pk10 for the 3com Planet Project in 2000, the PRCA Award for Best Integrated 北京赛车pk10 and the PR Week Award for Best International 北京赛车pk10 for Jim Beam in 2001, the 1999 IPR Young Achiever of the Year Award and the Design Business Association (DBA) Design Effectiveness Award for Corporate Print for the Accenture Alumni 2001 campaign.
History
From the company's inception in 1953, Harold Burson and Bill Marsteller sought to bring together public relations and advertising to provide a fully integrated communications advisory service.
In January 1952, Harold Burson's firm was recommended to Bill Marsteller, owner of an industrial advertising agency in Chicago and Pittsburgh. Marsteller needed a small public relations firm to handle a project for his agency's largest client, Rockwell Manufacturing Company (now Rockwell International). Rockwell wanted to publicise the fact that its chairman, WF (Al) Rockwell Jr, had purchased a helicopter for executive travel - a first.
Since then, B-M has developed one of the most extensive PR networks in the world, and has the greatest number of wholly-owned offices. These have become a bedrock for quality control and have given the company the ability to embrace a universal methodology. In addition, Burson-Marsteller's London office is the oldest PR agency in the UK to still operate under its original name.
A Marsteller practice has also been established in the same London building as the public relations arm, so the two can work together to provide highly integrated solutions, thus acting as a 'one-stop shop'. For clients, this enhanced synergy has resulted in a unique offering that can deliver tangible benefits within the UK marketplace. The London office now boasts one of the most successful Marsteller practices worldwide, with clients from the parent Burson-Marsteller as well as independent clients seeking advertising and design solutions, often within the B2B environment.
As the marketplace has evolved, B-M has adapted to meet the changing needs of its clients. A decade or two ago there was a demand for large networks able to handle increasingly global brands, products and services. The new Millennium has seen a shift away from mass marketing and globalisation, and with it B-M has helped pioneer the concept of 'Glocal' - a hybrid of global communications tailored for specific localities that is far more relevant to today's audiences.
In October 2000, the B-M office in London acquired Communiqu茅, a Manchester based agency which had been voted IPR Northwest PR Consultancy of the Year 1998 and 1999 and Marketeer Magazine's PR Consultancy of the Decade in 2000. Communiqu茅 continues to offer highly creative solutions to local UK clients, as well as those global clients requiring regional UK activity.
Product
Through its Perception Management Methodology, B-M works to a common process that allows account teams to focus on the intellectual capital of a client's business: the intangible assets of their brands and reputation, their people, their relationships with key stakeholders, and their systems for sharing and building knowledge across their organisation. Byleveraging these assets through effective communications, B-M is able to create 'Communications Capital' in order to help its clients achieve business results. In other words, B-M manages perceptions and builds informed opinions about what each client does, and why they do it.
B-M has built teams of expertise, linked across the world, comprising highly knowledgeable and experienced specialists in fields such as Corporate Reputation, Public Affairs, Government Relations, Healthcare, Technology and Crisis Communications.
In the pursuit of its aim of creating and managing 'Communications Capital', B-M has commissioned a number of exclusive studies, including the renowned global CEO Reputation survey. These initiatives provide qualitative and quantitative insights which substantiate the programmes recommended by B-M to its clients.
As business objectives and marketplaces change, B-M seeks to continue to achieve maximum communication impact for its clients. The company has a long-established reputation for lobbying and public affairs and, over the past five years, has enjoyed greater involvement in the consumer and technology sectors, as well as more frequent integration with other communication disciplines. The London office has developed the marketing strapline 'Influential Thinking' to differentiate itself from its competitors.
Influential Thinking encapsulates the way in which Burson-Marsteller London operates. Its mission is to create tangible results for clients through strong strategic communication advice that has real impact on clients' stakeholders and customers. As a marketing theme, Influential Thinking has been brought to bear on both external and internal promotional activity. To foster business development across the entire agency, specialist representatives work with a central team to advance the latest 'Influential Thinking' within their specific area. Examples include 'Reversing Negative Word of Mouth', which takes a traditionally political campaigning model and utilises it in the context of the fast moving consumer goods (fmcg) marketplace, and the 'e-fluentials' study that demonstrated the potential power of viral marketing.
Recent developments
In the 21st century business environment, clients are exhibiting an even greater desire to gain the best advice from the most trusted sources. B-M has evolved to meet these demands not simply by promoting greater cohesion across its internal practices, but also by actively integrating its operations with those of a wider group of experts, frequently brought in from across the WPP Group.
A key area of growth for B-M has been the development of specialist products and services. In the UK, B-M leads the market with its dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Internal Communications teams. With the emotional decline in the trend for mass globalisation and increased emphasis on accountability, clients are keen to ensure that their operations and communications work harder to contribute positively to their overall reputation.
For example, B-M's report on Corporate Social Responsibility 2000 highlights the need for a company's communications to reflect external behaviour and internal beliefs. The result is a greater accent on internal communication and earning positive word of mouth recommendations, which in times of economic downturn can play a major part in an organisation's ability to maintain its position.
Evaluation and measurement models must be continually developed. Knowing whether programmes are achieving the desired result is crucial, as is understanding which elements of the programme are key drivers. B-M offers one of the most sophisticated in-house evaluation tools to be found within the industry, thus providing measurable and accountable PR services.
Promotion
Ensuring that clients are aware of the latest developments and thinking that affects their business is a critical part of B-M's promotion. For instance, informal but informative sessions such as the Burson Breakfasts enable senior clients and stakeholders to come together in a relaxed, congenial environment that often opens doors to honest and fruitful dialogue.
Within the agency, the New Business Awards were created to recognize those individuals or teams who have contributed to business growth through innovative ideas or have generated outstanding client satisfaction and retained a client over many years.
Brand values
Burson-Marsteller is one of the strongest PR brand names in the world. It was founded on mutual trust and respect, and a desire to have fun in creating inspired communications for clients.
Today, those principles remain the ethos behind B-M. The people who work for the agency embody its brand values of integrity, dedication and innovation, and the simple enjoyment derived from working with clients to discover the most creative, appropriate communication solutions for their particular needs.
As Burson-Marsteller's long track record has shown, 'Influential Thinking' stands the test of time.
Things you didn't know
漏 2002 Superbrands Ltd