Porter Novelli

Last updated
Porter Novelli
Industry Public relations
Founded1972;52 years ago (1972) in Washington, D.C., United States
Founders Bill Novelli
Jack Porter
Mike Carberry
Robert T. Druckenmiller [1]
Headquarters
New York, New York
,
USA
Number of locations
35 (2017)
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Jillian Janaczek (CEO)
Number of employees
720 (2017)
Parent Omnicom Group
Subsidiaries Cone Communications
Voce Communications [2]
Website www.porternovelli.com

Porter Novelli is a public relations firm, part of Omnicom Group. [3] The company has 35 owned offices [2] and clients in 60 countries. [4]

Contents

The firm was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1972 by Bill Novelli and Jack Porter. Its first major client was the National Institutes of Health. Omnicom Group acquired Porter Novelli in 1988. Historically, most of the company's revenue has come from the information technology and pharmaceutical sectors. In the 2010s, Porter Novelli acquired both Voce Communications and Cone Communications. In 2018, the firm launched a "purpose practice" for organizations focused on corporate social responsibility. Past notable campaigns include an HIV prevention campaign for the Centers for Disease Control, the USDA MyPyramid food guidance system, and the M&M's Global Color Vote.

History

The firm was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1972 by Bill Novelli and Jack Porter, advertising executives, who worked together to market the Peace Corps. The company's first major client was the National Institutes of Health, for whom they created the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. [5]

In 1981, an advertising agency in Chicago called Needham Harper Steers acquired Porter Novelli, turning the agency into Needham Porter Novelli, with offices in additional cities. Needham merged with Omnicom in 1988, at which point Porter Novelli expanded internationally. The firm established Porter Novelli International in 1996, partnering with UK firm Countrywide Communications Group, another Omnicom agency. [1] [6]

Helen Ostrowski became CEO of the company in 2001, the first female CEO of a top 10 PR firm; she served in that role until 2008. [7] [8] In 2006 most of the company's revenue came from the Information technology sector, followed by the pharmaceutical sector. [7] The company formed a new business unit in 2006 dedicated specifically to the biotechnology industry. [9] From 1988 to 2016, Hewlett-Packard was a major client of the firm, including when Hewlett-Packard split into HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2015. [10] [11]

The company created a Jack + Bill "popup agency" in September 2008 led by eight younger Porter Novelli employees. [12] In 2008 several senior managers left along with Ostrowski, and Gary Stockman was made CEO. [8]

In 2011, Porter Novelli acquired Silicon Valley–based Voce Communications. [13] That same year, several senior executives left the firm, including its global digital director, director of global health and regulatory affairs, executive VP for strategic planning and research, senior VP for global digital and PR and its executive VPs for global content director and social media. [14] Departures continued in 2012 with departures of Stockman, the CFO, the chief marketing officer, and the president. [15] [16] [17] Karen van Bergen was selected as the new CEO in December 2012. [18] In November 2013, the Navy Federal Credit Union filed a complaint against the firm in the San Diego County Superior Court to collect payment on a contract. [19] Brad MacAfee then became CEO in February 2016, when van Bergen rose to the role of CEO of parent Omnicom Public Relations Group. [20] David Bentley became the CEO in March 2020, replacing Brad MacAfee. [21]

In 2017, Omnicom shifted Cone Communications under Porter Novelli, although Cone retains its separate brand. [22] In 2018, Porter Novelli launched a "purpose practice" for organizations focused on corporate social responsibility. [23] [24] The company has also researched how advertising that features a brand's purpose affects consumer perception. [25] [26]

In 2022, the firm co-published research with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disability and the Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, studying the use of a paid digital marketing campaign to promote a mobile childhood developmental tracking application. [27]

Jillian Janaczek, formerly of Burson Cohn & Wolfe, became CEO in August 2023, following David Bentley's departure in June 2023. [28]

House investigation

Between 2017 and 2020, Porter Novelli earned more than $5 million in taxpayer funds to promote the public profile of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, a Trump administration official. [29] In September 2020 the House Committee on Oversight and Reform released a report outlining how Porter Novelli used taxpayer funds to promote Verma, and detailing how Porter Novelli shuffled money to private Republican political operators including Nahigian Strategies, Pam Stevens, and nearly two dozen other Republican contractors. The committee stated that CMS "potentially" violated the law by directing taxpayer funds. [30] [29]

Notable campaigns

Porter Novelli has received attention for campaigns including an HIV prevention campaign for the Centers for Disease Control, [31] the USDA MyPyramid food guidance system, [32] the M&M's Global Color Vote, [33] [34] and the Almond Board of California's "Carpe PM" campaign. [35] In 1998, the firm launched Florida's anti-tobacco "Truth" campaign, [36] which expanded nationally two years later. [37] The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2009 gave the firm a three-year contract to support its "Learn More Breathe Better" campaign for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease awareness. [38] [39] In 2015, Porter Novelli helped facilitate the Ice Bucket Challenge with the ALS Association, and guided the campaign to receive more national and international media attention. [40]

Porter Novelli was hired by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, designated with the task to attract businesses to the state, to rebrand Indiana's image after backlash from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law in March 2015. [41] The state considered eight other firms before selecting Porter Novelli. The state rejected Porter Novelli's suggestions of sponsoring the Silicon Valley Pride Festival or content in Pride Magazine . [42] The firm was fired after only three months. [43]

Related Research Articles

Omnicom Group Inc. is an American global media, marketing and corporate communications holding company, headquartered in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ketchum Inc.</span> American public relations firm

Ketchum Inc. is a global public relations firm, offering marketing, branding, and corporate communications services in the corporate, healthcare, food and beverage, and technology industries. George Ketchum founded the firm as a Pittsburgh-based advertising company in 1923. It later evolved to include a public relations practice. The firm is headquartered in New York City, with auxiliary offices and affiliates in North America, EMEA, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The agency has been owned by Omnicom Group since 1996. Ketchum merged with Düsseldorf-based Pleon in one of the industry's largest mergers in 2009. It has been led by President and CEO Mike Doyle since 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Publicis</span> French multinational advertising and public relations company

Publicis Groupe is a French multinational advertising and public relations company. One of the oldest and largest marketing and communications companies in the world, it is headquartered in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Interpublic Group of Companies</span> American advertising company

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG) is an American publicly traded advertising company. The company consists of five major networks: FCB, IPG Mediabrands, McCann Worldgroup, MullenLowe Group and Marketing Specialists, as well as several independent specialty agencies in the areas of public relations, sports marketing, talent representation and healthcare. It is one of the "Big Four" agency companies, alongside WPP, Publicis, and Omnicom. Phillippe Krakowsky became the company's CEO on January 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hill & Knowlton</span> Public relations consulting company

Hill & Knowlton is an American global public relations consulting company, headquartered in New York City. The firm has over 80 additional offices in more than 40 countries. The company was founded in Cleveland, in 1927 by John W. Hill and is now owned by the WPP Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edelman (firm)</span> American public relations and marketing consultancy firm

Edelman is a multinational American public relations and marketing consultancy firm. The company was founded in 1952 and named after its founder, Daniel Edelman. Since 1996 and as of November 2023, Edelman has been run by his son Richard Edelman, from its primary headquarters in New York City. As of 2022, it is the largest public relations firm in the world by revenue, with around 6,000 employees across 60 global offices.

Weber Shandwick is a marketing communications firm formed in 2001 by merging the Weber Group, Shandwick International and BSMG. The company is part of global agency network Interpublic Group (IPG), as part of the parent company's IPG DXTRA operating division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trimedia International</span>

Trimedia International was a pan-European PR agency employing around 600 staff in 30 offices and 11 European countries. In August 2009, Huntsworth, the parent company of Trimedia, announced that Trimedia would merge with sister company Mmd which has 18 offices in Central Europe, Russia and Eurasia and Grayling which has offices in The Americas, Middle East, and Asia Pacific. The new company is called Grayling Global and is the second largest independent PR firm in the world. The changes took effect from 1 January 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WE Communications</span> Public relations and integrated marketing communications firm

WE Communications and commonly known as WE is a global public relations and integrated marketing communications firm often associated with its largest client, Microsoft. The firm was founded in 1983 by Melissa Waggener Zorkin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burson (company)</span> American public relations firm

Burson is a multinational public relations and communications firm, headquartered in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">APCO Worldwide</span> Public relations firm based in Washington, D.C.

APCO Worldwide is an independent global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy. With 680 employees in 35 worldwide locations, it is also the fifth largest independently owned PR firm in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO was founded in 1984 by Margery Kraus, who is now the firm's Executive Chairman.

William D. Novelli is an American executive, public relations professional, author and educator. He was born in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania. He is currently Distinguished Professor of the Practice at the McDonough School of Business of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he teaches in the MBA program and founded the Georgetown Business for Impact center. He is also the co-chair of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC), an organization he co-founded in 2009 to improve advanced illness and end-of-life care in the U.S. He earlier co-founded Porter-Novelli, today a global public relations firm. Prior to joining the faculty at Georgetown in 2009, Novelli was the CEO of AARP . He has been influential in American politics, especially in issues related to health and health care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Salzman</span> Jewish-American business executive (born 1959)

Marian Salzman is an American advertising and public relations executive. She is Senior Vice President, Global Communications for Philip Morris International, a tobacco company. She was formerly CEO of Havas PR North America and chaired the Global Collective, the organizing collaborative of all of the PR assets of Havas. She rejoined Euro RSCG in August 2009, having previously worked for the holding company as executive vice president, chief strategic officer, from January 2001 to October 2004.

Portland Communications is a political consultancy and public relations agency set up in 2001 by Tim Allan, a former adviser to Tony Blair and director of communications at BSkyB. Portland provides communications and public affairs advice to brands and high-profile individuals.

Alan Hilburg is an American trust communications and branding consultant. Hilburg specializes in crisis management, litigation and organizational brand alignment. Hilburg has worked on 107 trials and over 200 global crisis cases and branding campaigns beginning in 1982 for companies like Tylenol and more recently with, Ford, Disney and the U.S. Veterans Administration. He has also worked in various industries including the tobacco industry, transportation, hospitality, environmental industries, chemical, healthcare and education sectors. Hilburg has over 30 years of experience as a communications strategist consultant and has also written two New York Times best-selling books and produced several Emmy-nominated documentaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSLGROUP</span> Public relations network of companies

MSLGROUP is a public relations (PR) network of companies. Specialists in strategic communications and engagement, the company is part of the French multinational Publicis Groupe. It evolved as a merger of Publicis Consultants and Manning Selvage & Lee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serge Dumont</span> French businessperson

Serge Dumont is a global entrepreneur, business executive, and philanthropist. He is one of the pioneers in China’s corporate and marketing communications industry. From 2006 to 2018, he served as Omnicom Group Vice Chairman and Chairman, Asia Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OMD Worldwide</span> American media communications agency (1996–)

OMD Worldwide is a media communications agency. It is a subsidiary of Omnicom Group and an Omnicom Media Group agency considered the holding company's "media specialist brand". Omnicom Media Group is the media services division of Omnicom Group. OMD is headquartered in New York City and its chief executive officer is George Manas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FGS Global</span> Public relations company based in London and New York

FGS Global is a strategic advisory and communications consultancy formed in 2021 by the merger of Finsbury Glover Hering and Sard Verbinnen & Co. It is a subsidiary of British advertising and media conglomerate WPP plc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berk Communications</span>

Berk Communications is an American public relations firm that works in consumer lifestyle, food and beverage, travel, sports and entertainment. Ron Berkowitz is the company's founder and CEO. The firm's corporate headquarters is in New York City, New York, with an office in Los Angeles, California.

References

  1. 1 2 Heath, Robert L. (2005). Encyclopedia of Public Relations . Sage Publications, Inc. p.  266. ISBN   9781412952545 . Retrieved 12 May 2017. porter novelli founding.
  2. 1 2 PRWeek staff (1 May 2017). "Porter Novelli - Looking to new areas". PRWeek. Retrieved 12 May 2017.(subscription required)
  3. "PRWeek profile of Porter Novelli". PRWeek.
  4. Miller, Kathleen (22 October 2007). "Power Profile: Bill Novelli: Former ad man unites AARP's 38 million members in pursuit of retirement security". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  5. "The Pennsylvania Gazette: Taking on the Tobacco Giants". University of Pennsylvania . 1999-01-05. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  6. Nicholas, Kate (13 December 1996). "NEWS: 1996 Mad cows, fat cats and blue Pepsi". PRWeek. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  7. 1 2 Chandiramani, Ravi (November 8, 2006). "Profile: Helen Ostrowski, global chief executive, Porter Novelli". PR Week.
  8. 1 2 "Editors' Choice 2009: Who to watch". PR Week. January 5, 2009.
  9. Barnes, Kirsty (17 January 2006). "Porter Novelli forms dedicated biotech biz". Outsourcing-Pharma.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  10. "Edelman Wins Lucrative HP Inc Global PR Duties". The Holmes Report. 27 September 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  11. "Porter Novelli - Looking to New Areas". PR Week. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  12. Elliott, Stuart (September 16, 2008). "A Pop-Up Agency Shows Off Emerging Talent". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  13. Garcia, Tonya (24 February 2011). "Porter Novelli Acquires Voce". Adweek. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  14. Dickson, Virgil (June 12, 2012). "Goldberg exits Porter Novelli after just six months".
  15. Bruell, Alexandra (July 2, 2012). "More Turmoil in Porter Novelli's C-Suite". Ad Age.
  16. "Gary Stockman to Leave Porter Novelli". Ad Age. June 22, 2012.
  17. "Porter Novelli President Julie Winskie Exits Firm". Ad Age. January 19, 2012.
  18. Barber, Lynsey (17 December 2012). "Karen van Bergen named Porter Novelli global CEO". PR Week. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  19. "Navy Federal Credit Union vs. Porter". UniCourt. 2021-12-24. Archived from the original on 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  20. Lazare, Lewis. "Porter Novelli names Brad MacAfee to top global post". Chicago Business Journal. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  21. Czarnecki, Sean. "Porter Novelli's CEO reveals how he's turning around the PR firm by helping tie companies to social issues". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  22. Czarnecki, Sean (9 February 2017). "Omnicom shifts Cone Communications under Porter Novelli". PRWeek. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  23. Marszalek, Diana (13 February 2018). "New Porter Novelli Practice Puts Purpose Under One Group". The Holmes Report. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  24. "Porter Novelli". PR Week. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  25. Czarnecki, Sean (30 May 2018). "Eight in 10 consumers say they're more loyal to purpose-driven brands: Cone". PRWeek. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  26. Marszalek, Diana (29 May 2019). "Study: For Consumers, Brand Purpose Is Emotional". The Holmes Report. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  27. Arshanapally, Suraj; Green, Katie; Slaughter, Karnesha; Muller, Robert; Wheaton, Demeika (2022-04-05). "Use of a Paid Digital Marketing Campaign to Promote a Mobile Health App to Encourage Parent-Engaged Developmental Monitoring: Implementation Study". JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting. 5 (2): e34425. doi: 10.2196/34425 . ISSN   2561-6722. PMC   9019642 . PMID   35380545.
  28. Marszalek, Diana (7 August 2023). "Jillian Janaczek Appointed Porter Novelli CEO". PRovoke Media. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  29. 1 2 Williamson, Elizabeth (2020-09-10). "Investigation of Medicare Chief Exposes Underside of Washington". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  30. "Democratic Committee Leaders Release Report Detailing Abuse of Taxpayer Funds by Top Trump Administration Official". House Committee on Oversight and Reform. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  31. Quenqua, Douglas (29 October 2004). "CDC hands Porter Novelli HIV-prevention brief". PRWeek. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  32. Van Der Pool, Lisa (13 July 2004). "Porter Novelli Wins PR Contract With USDA". Adweek. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  33. Severson, Kim (10 April 2005). "When a Food Marketer Devises Nutrition Advice". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  34. Holmes, Paul. "M&M's Global Color Vote". Holmes Report. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  35. Frederick, David (20 October 2017). "Almond Board of California Shows Consumers How to Crunch the Afternoon Crash". PR Week. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  36. Zbar, Jeffery D. (28 June 1999). "National PR Society Awards Anvil To Novelli For Anti-smoking Ads". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 6, 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  37. Elliott, Stuart (4 February 2000). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; 'Youth' rhymes with 'Truth,' and both are central to a big new national campaign against smoking". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  38. Lee, Jaimy (16 April 2009). "NHLBI hires PN to buoy COPD awareness efforts". PR Week. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  39. Holmes, Paul (25 April 2009). "Porter Novelli Wins New NHLBI Business". The Holmes Report. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  40. Nichols, Laura (2 July 2015). "Comms team goes all hands on deck amid ALS fundraising phenomenon". PR Week. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  41. Terkel, Amanda (April 13, 2015). "Indiana Hires PR Firm To Rebuild Image After 'Religious Freedom' Fiasco". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 13, 2015.
  42. Washkuch, Frank (2 March 2016). "Indiana considered Edelman, Levick, Sitrick before hiring Porter Novelli last spring for 'Religious Freedom' response". PR Week. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  43. Porter Novelli, Gov. Mike Pence Tight-Lipped on ‘Religious Freedom’ Relationship Adweek, 2015