Public Relations and the Advertising Industry

The public relations industry, the same as advertising, is concentrated in the hands of few dominant firms. Still, the striking element about corporate public relations is that PR firms are tightly related to advertising companies. Nine out of the ten biggest international PR agencies have close ties with the advertising industry. Also, looking at the largest acquisitions involving U.S. PR firms from 1997 to 1999 it is apparent that money coming from advertising agencies has played an important role.


Table: Top 10 PR Firms 1998


Rank 1998

PR Firm

Advertising Agency Related

1998 Net Fees (in U.S. $)

1997 - 1998 % Change

1

Burson-Marsteller

yes

258,417,000

4.2

2

Hill and Knowlton

yes

206,000,000

8.9

3

Porter Novelli Int.

yes

183,050,000

23.6

4

Shandwick

yes

170,300,000

7.3

5

Fleishman-Hillard

yes

160,692,000

19.1.

6

Edelman PR Worldwide

no

157,840,530

18.1

7

Ketchum

yes

125,248,000

29.6

8

BSMG Worldwide

yes

118,963,000

93.0

9

Weber PR Worldwide

yes

83,166,000

36.2

10

GCI/APCO

yes

79,667,957

28.4




With many PR agencies sold to advertising companies, the advertising industry's influence further increases; enabling them to offer their clients not only advertising services, but also know-how in marketing, public opinion, crisis and issues management and political lobbying.

Table: Acquisition of PR Agencies (1997 - 1999)

Acquired Company

Buyer

Buyers Industry

Estimated Purchase Price (in millions of U.S. $)

International PR

Interpublic Group of Cos.

Advertising

230

Fleishman-Hillard

Omicom Group

Advertising

85

Ketchum

Omnicom Group

Advertising

60

Dewe Rogerson

Incepta

Advertising

40

Financial Rel. Bd.

BSMG/TN

Public Relations

33

Weber PR

Interpublic Group of Cos.

Advertising

15

Alexander

WPP Group

Advertising

15

Charles Barker

BSMG/TN

Public Relations

15



Source: Odwyerpr.com.

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Theoedore Roosevelt

With the assassination of President McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history. Roosevelt's youth differed sharply from that of the log cabin Presidents. He was born in New York City in 1858 into a wealthy family. Roosevelt steered the United States more actively into world politics. He liked to quote a favorite proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick. . . . "

He won the Nobel Peace Prize for mediating the Russo-Japanese War.

for more information see the official website:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presidents/html/tr26.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/glimpse/presiden...
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T. Matthew Ciolek, Global Networking: A Timeline

This document, intended as a reliable electronic reference tool, provides a timeline for three types of developments and milestones: (1) advances in long distance person-to-person communication; (2) advances in storage, replication, cataloguing, finding, and retrieval of data; and (3) standardization of concepts and tools for long distance interaction.

The advancements may have a technical (hardware), conceptual (software), or an organizational aspect, or represent an important milestone in the history of a given invention, and are annotated as such in the timeline.

The period covered ranges from 30000 BC up to now.

http://www.ciolek.com/PAPERS/milestones.html

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Center for Democracy and Technology

The Center for Democracy and Technology works to promote democratic values and constitutional liberties in the digital age. With expertise in law, technology, and policy, the Center seeks practical solutions to enhance free expression and privacy in global communications technologies. The Center is dedicated to building consensus among all parties interested in the future of the Internet and other new communications media.

http://www.cdt.org

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Viacom

One of the largest and foremost communications and media conglomerates in the
world. Founded in 1971, the present form of the corporation dates from 1994 when Viacom Inc., which owned radio and television stations and cable television programming services and systems, acquired the entertainment and publishing giant Paramount Communications Inc. and then merged with the video and music retailer Blockbuster Entertainment Corp. Headquarters are in New York City.

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