WE Communications

Last updated

WE Communications
Company typePrivate
Founded1983;41 years ago (1983)
Headquarters Seattle
Number of locations
23 cities [1]
Key people
Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO
Revenue$126.6 million (2018) [2]
Number of employees
1000+
Website https://www.we-worldwide.com

WE Communications (previously Waggener Edstrom) 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. [3]

Contents

History

The Waggener Group was founded in 1983 by Melissa Waggener Zorkin. In 1984, Pam Edstrom joined the firm, which was renamed Waggener Edstrom. [4] Edstrom previously worked for Microsoft, which became one of the agency's first clients. [5]

The firm acquired PR.com in 2001, Maloney & Fox in 2003, Shout Holdings in 2004, Patzer PR in 2012, Buchan in 2016, Red Bridge Consulting and WATATAWA in 2017. [6] The firm also acquired Indian integrated consultancy Avian Media in 2018 and Codeword in 2019. [7]

In September 2015, the company re-branded as WE Communications. [8]

In 2022, WE acquired Hopscotch Consulting, a social impact and behavior change agency. [9]

Services

WE Communications focuses on three sectors — healthcare, consumer and technology. [10] [11] Its services include media relations, corporate and executive communications, digital marketing, creative, social media and content strategy, crisis communications, insights and analytics, corporate social responsibility, brand purpose and reputation.

Notable clients and campaigns

Notable clients include Microsoft, Volvo, Boehringer Ingelheim, VSP, Honeywell, Tencent, Cisco, McDonald's, Tabula Rasa, Brother, Amgen, Gilead, iRobot, RSA, Lenovo, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AT&T and others. WE Communications is often associated with its work for Microsoft, [12] one of its first clients. In the firm's early years, this relationship led to it working primarily with other technology companies, before expanding into healthcare, consumer and other sectors. [13] For more than a decade, WE Communications supported Mercy Corps on a pro-bono basis after CEO Waggener Zorkin took on the client after visiting the Good Shepherd orphanage in Ghana. [14]

In 2018, WE Communications handled the PR for the McDelivery Day 2.0 and was shortlisted for PRWeek Global Award. [15]

Related Research Articles

<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> 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> American 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.

Ruder Finn is a public relations firm with headquarters in the United States and China. It is a large privately-owned communications agency, serving corporations, governments, and non-profits. It also has offices in San Francisco, London, Washington, D.C., Singapore, and several Indian metro areas including the National Capital Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porter Novelli</span> American public relations firm

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

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

Edelman is an American public relations and marketing consultancy firm. It was founded in 1952 and named after its founder, Daniel Edelman. Since 1996 and as of November 2023, the company has been run by his son Richard Edelman. 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">Burson Cohn & Wolfe</span> American public relations firm

Burson Cohn & Wolfe is a multinational public relations and communications firm, headquartered in New York City. In February 2018, parent WPP Group PLC announced that it had merged its subsidiaries Cohn & Wolfe with Burson-Marsteller into Burson Cohn & Wolfe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Weber</span>

Larry Weber is an American entrepreneur and the founder, chairman & CEO of Racepoint Global, a communications agency headquartered in Boston, MA. He has served as CEO of both mid-and large-scale companies, and has founded several other public relations and interactive marketing agencies including The Weber Group, ThunderHouse and W2. His clients have included AT&T, Boston Scientific, Coca-Cola, Deere, General Electric, General Motors, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Lotus, Microsoft, Panasonic, SAP, and Verizon Wireless.

Schwartz MSL, formerly Schwartz Communications was a public relations agency based in Waltham, Massachusetts. It was acquired in 2011 by French multinational advertising and public relations group Publicis Group, and in 2014 was fully absorbed into Publicis Group's MSLGROUP subsidiary.

Frank Public Relations Limited, trading as Frank PR, is a consumer public relations agency based in Farringdon, London, United Kingdom.

Real Chemistry, formerly known as W2O Group, is a global health innovation company that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) for its healthcare services. Founded by Jim Weiss in 2001, Real Chemistry is an American company with global offices in Europe and Canada.

Public relations is a term that refers to the management of communications between an entity such as an organization or a celebrity, and stakeholders, internal or external, such as investors, employees, communities, customers or clients. It is concerned with reputation building, and is often considered to be a subset to marketing, advertising, or corporate communications.

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

Qorvis is an international Washington, D.C.-based public relations, advertising, media relations and crisis communications firm. It was acquired by the Publicis Groupe in January 2014, and became Qorvis/MSLGroup.On December 31, 2022, Qorvis was sold by Publicis to a group led by long-time Qorvis executive Matt J. Lauer.

<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.

Teneo is a public relations and advisory company. The company was founded in June 2011 by Declan Kelly, Paul Keary, and Doug Band, and currently has more than 1,450 employees located in 40 offices. In 2019, Teneo sold a majority stake to CVC Capital Partners, at a total valuation of around $700 million. Today the company is led by Chairwoman Ursula Burns and CEO Paul Keary.

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

MikeWorldWide is a public relations firm. The company works in public relations and marketing, technology, digital and social media marketing, public affairs and government relations, corporate communications, healthcare, sustainability, and visual branding. Michael W. Kempner is the company’s founder and CEO. The firm's corporate headquarters is in East Rutherford, New Jersey; the firm's operating headquarters is in New York City.

Shift Communications is a public relations and marketing firm based in Boston with offices in New York and San Francisco. The company was founded in 2003, when the clients and assets of former public relations firm Sterling Hager was acquired by three of its top executives. In 2006, it created the first world's first Social Media Release. The firm's primary practice areas are in the healthcare, technology and consumer markets.

<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. "About Us". WE. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  2. "WE". PR Week.
  3. "PR News: Top Public Relations, Marketing and Social Media Blog". Archived from the original on 2017-07-14.
  4. "Melissa Waggener Zorkin, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide". PRWeek. July 1, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  5. Pasiuk, Laurie (2005). Vault Guide to the Top Advertising & PR Employers. VAULT. p. 144. ISBN   9781581313833.
  6. "WE Communications acquires two firms in Asia | PR". Campaign Asia. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  7. "WE Communications merges with Avian Media to strengthen its presence in India". The Drum. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  8. "Waggener Edstrom Restructures, Rebrands As WE". The Holmes Report. The Holmes Group. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  9. "WE Acquires Hopscotch Consulting". PRovoke Media. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  10. What We Do, Waggener Edstrom, retrieved January 30, 2013
  11. Chupick, Jason (June 23, 2009). "Survey: 86% Feel Corporations Can Address Social Issues". PRNewser. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  12. "Huge companies need as much PR". CNET. September 11, 1996. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  13. "25. Melissa Waggener Zorkin, CEO, president, and founder, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide". PRWeek. July 1, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  14. Wilhelm, Steve (July 13, 2008). "A grateful Melissa Waggener Zorkin helps Mercy Corps". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  15. Harrington, John. "PRWeek Global Awards 2019: shortlist revealed". www.prweek.com. Retrieved 2019-04-22.