Turning Something Bad into Oppertunity

When a majority of his staff left to form their own firm, Edelman knew he had turn bad news into good news fast. As a true PR professional would, he was the first to get the news of what had happened out into the media and took the opportunity to hire fresh new talent who would be able to help grow the company. He also saw it as an opportunity to branch out and gain clients that were outside of Chicago as a means to strengthen the firm. The steps that he took can be applied to any PR crisis. When encountering a crisis it is most important to figure out a way to turn the most negative aspects into positive ones. Turning things that can hinder you into new opportunities for improvement. It would be easy in this situation to feel overwhelmed and throw in the towel but, instead Edelman took the opportunity to turn things around and improve his business. Taking what he learned from the negative he was able to gingerly pick a talented and loyal staff who he could rely on. In addition to that he saw how important it was to have strong roots. By feeling like he was threatened, he realized he needed to strengthen the company and that called for expanding which ultimately helped the growth into a new globally known firm.

Edelman: Transforming The Way We Think

At our visit to Edelman, we were able to visit Dan's office. With everything left untouched, it was easy to envision him sitting there helping shape the agency to what it would become today. Edelman has always been a pioneer in the public relations field, but it hasn't always been easy. As with every new endeavor, plans didn't always go accordingly. It took Dan multiple tries and a few bad partnerships before he was able to establish Edelman in Asia. One thing that stood out was Dan's persistent commitment to make it happen, regardless of the continuous failures. Too often do people give up the moment things get hard. It was inspiring to see that with commitment to a goal you can accomplish it. 

Edelman over the course of its existence is known for being innovative. We can see this with Dan's pioneer into the public relations field with television, and later with Richard and the Internet. Both times they have taken risks, and both times they have succeeded. One takeaway from Richard's efforts with helping to launch computers and the Internet is to always pursue new ventures even if the payoff initially isn't big. It could be the smaller ventures, like starting a company website like Richard did, that could leave you ahead of the competition, and a leader in the field. 

During our visit, Rick Murray, President of Edelman Chicago, explained Edelman's approach of expanding their agency, telling us they like to acquire smaller firms to incorporate. By keeping the company debt free they are able to take new risks, and have leeway room should something go south. The key is knowing when you can afford the risks, and having a backup plan if the risk doesn't go your way. 

I think Michael Deaver put it best when he said, "Know who you are. Be open and transparent. Be ready for change. These three values easily describe Edelman today. We are on the verge of something great." This perfectly describes not only Edelman but also the public relations field as a whole. Be ready, PR is about to take flight.  

Desire’ Knorr is currently a senior at DePaul University. She will receive a B.A. in Public Relations and Advertising and a minor in Marketing in Fall 2013. She is currently interning with Molise PR and can be reached at dknorr4@gmail.com or followed at @dknorr4.

Learning About Edelman from Rick Murray

On May 22,2013 our PRAD class visited the Edelman agency. Rick Murray, President, Edelman Chicago gave our class a breaking through PR lecture of what its like to work for Edelman.

The Highlights of Working for Edelman:

-Edelman is the best place to work in marketing and media- adverting. According to Rick Murray.

-Edelman has different focuses that all contribute to the final product (outcome), Those areas that Edelman focuses on are: Diversified business,Consumer brands, Tourism & Lifestyle, Business Industrial, Technology and financial series. These selected areas of business make Edelman different from other agencies.

-Not many agencies can say that they are independent and   STILL family owned. I learned that Edelman profited 13-14% during the recent recession, which show that Edelman is currently in no debt, because they are independent, and everything is paid in cash. This would be a palce to work for because that shows with more money Edelman can disperse their money to new positions.

-It was very interesting to hear Rick Murray state their strengths and weakness of Edelman. There has not been many agency visits that I have visited that openly give out that information. The strengths of Edelman are: The pay very close attention to their clients by meeting every need of the client first and scoring high on Chicago Customer Review with an 8.69. Rick Murray said the weaknesses of Edelman were there wasn't much stragety and creativity, to overcome there weakness Edelman will try to involve a more tactful way to be more creative interaction with their clients.

Lastly, It is important to keep a notebook handy when working for Edelman because  it helps keep a log of ideas, and a space for creativity.