I have been in Israel for the past ten days with my family, my first trip to the country since 1976. For those of you accustomed to my Jeremiah-like thundering from the PR stump, I promise to be short and to the point for a change. Here are three highlights of my trip:

1) I visited my great-grandfather’s grave on the Mount of Olives. Abraham Isaac Edelman, grandfather of my father Dan Edelman, was born in 1840 in Minsk, Russia. He studied to be a rabbi, moving to the US in 1885, settling in Brooklyn. He toiled for two years until he could afford to bring his wife and four children (including my grandfather, Selig) to the US in 1887. After his wife’s death and the at the end of World War I, he informed his children that he intended to move to Palestine. He spent his final years in Jerusalem, as a teacher and rabbi, dying there in 1927. I quote from his tombstone, “Many students drank of his waters and he succeeded in spreading his teachings to see (-) with his own eyes.” I have been studying Hebrew for the past year so that I could say the Kaddish at his grave (mission accomplished). Here is a photo of yours truly at the site, plus a photo of Rabbi Edelman and the translation of the gravestone. Here is a question—do you think that I look like him? My father is convinced that I do.



2) I went to caves about an hour outside of Jerusalem where Judah Maccabee and his followers hatched the revolt against Antiochus, a Greek king (ultimately the Temple in Jerusalem was purified and the Kingdom of Israel was restored). We went below ground to do the usual rummaging around in loose earth. By complete chance, I dug right at the edge of the wall at the farthest extent of the cave and hit a cylindrical object. I did my best Fido imitation and unearthed a 2,000 year old wine jug almost completely intact. It will go to the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. I may have a second career as an archaeologist but recognize beginner’s luck when I see it. I posed with the pedagogue for the dig with my trophy.



3) The fortress at Masada was conquered by the Roman army in 73 AD when 15,000 troops overwhelmed the Zealots who had been holding out for two years. The ramp constructed by the invading army is still intact in parts; so is the camp established within a half mile of the fortifications. The Snake Trail, aptly named, is a serious aerobic challenge for any of the fitness inclined. I pose here with my daughter, sweaty but unbowed, in awe of the eternal symbol of resistance against tyranny.

These three rich experiences reminded me how important it is to spend time with your family, get away and do things out of your comfort zone.

I wish you Happy New Year.

Richard,

Thanks for sharing these "rich experiences" with your family in Israel. You may have a second career as a historian: I admire your ability to re-enact history in sites where the events occurred--from the Mount of Olives, to the Temple in Jerusalem and the fortress at Masada.

Welcome home. Here's to a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous 2010 and new decade!

Cheers, Renee

Nice post, Rich. As to you looking like Rabbi Edelman, I would never argue with Dan!

I thought that was you walking out of the hummus restaurant in Akko! I wasn't a big fan of their hummus...
(I'm a former Edelman Chicago Rep Man intern...I'm now Asst. Dir. of Comm. at American Jewish Cmte. in Chicago)

I met for breakfast yesterday with Raju Narisetti, managing editor of the Washington Post. He has been on the job for 11 months now, coming back from India where he had been editor of the business start-up newspaper, MINT, now #2 in the market. Earlier in his career, he had worked at the Wall Street Journal for 13 years. Here are some of his observations about the paper:

1) Crowd-sourcing can be a very smart strategy for newspapers. He cited the example of the Guardian, which when confronted by the release of thousands of pages of documents from the UK government on expenses incurred by MPs, offered the public the chance to assist in evaluation, leading to significant new investigative stories (http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/06/four-crowdsourcing-lessons-from-the-guardians-spectacular-expenses-scandal-experiment.) "There are so many passionate experts in the government policy arena who can also help our readers to understand issues. We should give them a venue to discuss policy even as we provide deep factual backdrop for stories in our on-line edition."



2) In print, the Post is a local newspaper in that it primarily serves DC and about 8 counties in Maryland and Virginia, though its content is inherently global and national. Bureaus in three US cities have been closed recently; reporters will continue to cover significant breaking stories nationally. There is no longer an artificial separation of the print and on-line reporting or editing staffs.



3) A key online challenge for the Post, as for all newspapers, is to monetize content. Will readers pay more for immediacy, for topical discussion roundtables online, for a higher level of analysis? In addition to the website, other delivery vehicles, whether the Kindle or Nook or other electronic platforms such as iPhone will all be key to news as you want it when you want it.



4) It is necessary for the Post journalists to have a more personal connection with readers. This explains the inclusion of photos of columnists and emails of reporters as part of the paper's recent redesign. There are still many opportunities for short form topical video, with more reporters making a more 360 degree view of a story.



5) As with all newspapers, Post's advertising revenue in traditional categories of retail, jobs, financial services and autos has fallen. The Post is still garnering robust policy and brand advertising, both in print and online, from industries seeking to reach and influence Washington decision-makers.

Narisetti, who reports to Executive Editor Marcus Brauchli, sets an ambitious agenda for the paper in online and print, to have a national/global impact from a local footprint. I love his vision of tapping into the global expertise of the crowd in order to enrich the discussion around certain issues.

As a DC area native, now living in New Jersey, and a life long reader of the Post I think they still have it wrong, as do all newspapers: they continue to write for the print edition and "experiment" with the online edition. If newspapers are to break through, they need to start writing and releasing stories for the web, and then digest them in print. A good picture of this can be seen in the coverage of the Washington Capitals, the town's hockey team. The beat writer does a wonderful job blogging, with video even, and tweeting as well, but the emphasis and deference still seems to be put on cranking out columns for the print edition. Sooner or later, papers will need to go whole hog and focus on their web deliverables first - it's what I believe the majority of their audience wants, or will soon want. Print readers aren't being born everyday these days. The money will follow a solid online-first effort.

Disagree on point one. That crowdsourcing was a handy way of disguising a lack of journalists to do the job.

Advertising Age recognized Edelman as one of the Ten Agencies of the Decade (and the highest ranked PR firm) along with such worthy firms as Crispin, BBDO, AKQA and Weber Shandwick. I am humbled by our inclusion in this list and even more by the flattering comments --“leading agency and most recognizable name in the entire industry…continually breaks new ground in the world of communications and has redefined the role PR agencies play in the marketing mix.”

What has happened in the past ten years that has allowed us to even be considered for this award?

1) Values—Dan Edelman set the tone with his “Dan-o-grams,” notes from the boss correcting and insisting on continual improvement. It has to be clients first, money second. It must also be continual growth, not short-term profit. Finally our job is to deliver results, based on strong creativity and hard work.

2) Clients – who entrusted us with their brands and reputations enabled us to grow geographically by--for instance, supporting the introduction of Microsoft’s Xbox in Japan from our new office in Tokyo--and to be bold, for clients such as Unilever’s Axe (cited by Ad Age as #3 most important new products of the decade), and Johnson & Johnson’s health initiative in China.

3) Independence—The firm puts its earnings back into building the enterprise, with acquisitions in the past decade in China, India, Russia, Poland, Vancouver, Atlanta, Indonesia, plus opening offices in Abu Dhabi and Tokyo. We have built a robust digital practice by hiring visionaries, training existing staff, and acquiring specialist units such as Spook in the UK. We can go into new areas such as entertainment or digital without fear of alienating a sister company.

4) Culture—We have a culture of “yes.” We like to take risks. We are prepared to experiment and to fail, but to get up and try again. If a young person has a good idea (Jonny Bentwood with his Twitter index), we say go for it. We run the company on the basis of quality reports from clients, not on weekly financial flash reports so prevalent at holding companies.

5) Leadership—It is one thing to acquire offices, it is quite another to get them to work together on behalf of clients. Layer on top of that the need to harmonize practices and global clients, you have a true waltz. My Executive Committee has done a brilliant job, airing problems, finding solutions, determined to deliver excellence. I want to mention the recently retired Pam Talbot, the late Mike Deaver and now-client Leslie Dach (Wal Mart) as having showed the way earlier in the decade.

6) Intellectual Property—The Edelman Trust Barometer, Good Purpose, Health Barometer and Digital White Papers allowed us to come into meetings with an informed point of view, to consult and to create. We have committed to sharing with the academic community through our New Media Academic conference each June.

7) Our People—This is the most important factor of all. There is a relentless and restless quality about the Edel-people. They have to know what is going on in the world on a 24/7 basis, through mainstream media and Twitter feeds alike. They connect to new influencers, from NGOs to mommy bloggers. They want to be leaders in communications, to have a seat at the decision-making table.

Ten years ago, we were sixth ranked among PR firms and today we are second or third. But even more important, our profession has moved up in importance. PR people must be included in any discussion of corporate reputation or brand positioning. It is for all of us in PR to deliver on the expectation of wisdom and innovation.

Congratulations to the entire firm and especially to Dan and Richard for their vision and leadership. Your independence and research are highly appreciated around the globe.

As we near the end of this very difficult year for communications companies of all stripes, let’s take solace in an industry first. Public relations has outperformed advertising in this recession, according to William Blair analyst, Meggan Friedman. In fact, this trend began before the recession of 2008-09. She told my executive committee last week in Chicago that, “increase in advertising spend has exceeded growth in GDP on an historical basis but not since year 2000. There is clearly a move of advertising dollars to digital and marketing services such as public relations.”

Let’s be honest—the average large PR firm has declined in revenue between 8-10% this year. This reflects companies reduced communications budgets; the impact of procurement officers on hourly rates; and the clients’ desire to preserve internal staff and contract more project/less retainer work. The financial results reported by the large holding companies, such as Omnicom and Interpublic, reflect revenue drops of 14-17%, with the ad agency subsidiaries such as McCann Erickson or Ogilvy down 15% or more. Ad agencies such as JWT are reinventing themselves by staging events for clients like DeBeers, filming couples kissing in a famous location, then posting the smooches online (sounds like PR to me).

So why am I optimistic amid the gloom? Here are ten good reasons to pop the cork on a decent bottle of bubbly:

1) We are attracting the best and the brightest—PR looks a lot better when media jobs are evaporating and investment banking hours exceed 80 per week. Young people are being given real responsibility, particularly in digital units. The bottom is on top now and for good reason.

2) The chief communications officer is at the table in the C suite, in every troubled sector, from automotive to banking to insurance. Policy is being formulated based on advice from the CCO—we are no longer just sent out to deflect and defend.

3) The business is officially global—more companies are looking for communications support from Jakarta to Mumbai, from Abu Dhabi to Moscow, premised on genuine level of stakeholder engagement, transparency, accountability and public leadership.

4) The budgets available to PR firms now include digital, HR, legal, government affairs plus PR.

5) Government is more fully involved in business than at any time since the Great Depression. Note the UK Government’s decision this week to tax investment bankers’ bonuses over UK £40,000 at 50% and Japan’s $81 stimulus investment, or the continued large government stakes in auto, financial and insurance concerns. Companies need assistance in making the case that societal and shareholder objectives are being met equally.

6) The devolution of mainstream media means that companies must engage an ever increasing number of new media in order to reach mass audience. We can do this more effectively than other forms of communications, with speed and accuracy.

7) Every company can be a media company, so said Andrew Heyward, former president of CBS News. How right he has proven to be. From BabyCenter.com to British Airways Metrotwin.com, companies are offering their unique expertise to the community and asking the community for personal experiences that enrich knowledge and content.

8) Employees are the new credible source for companies. The best practice today is inside out communications, informing the employees first, providing them with material that can be sent along to friends and family. They dominate the horizontal or peer-to-peer conversational axis that goes along with the vertical axis of authority or “talk to” mode.

9) The mantra for consumers is immediate justification, not immediate gratification. They seek broader purpose and a way to participate in their causes through their purchases—with brands that have a tie-in with cause, a relationship with a brand.

10) Advertising firms have lost their long-held primacy as the leading communications discipline. Companies and organizations are now actively seeking opportunities to fund any initiative, firm, channel that achieves its business outcome, and no longer simply default to advertising.

PR people, this is not the time for gloating or glib commentary (the amateurish advice offered through the media to the beleaguered Mr. Woods). We need to demonstrate superior results, an intelligent point of view premised on intellectual capital and creativity in linking client objective to societal goals.

'We are no longer just sent out to deflect and defend.'

Probably the most important shift in how we are viewed and utilized in my experience. We're depended upon to identify, support and participate in communities, not just thrown in later when 'it' gets angry. Excellent post and great news.

Great list here Richard.

I would be very interested to see a post from you about what trends/strategies/etc. you imagine for 2010. What do you think is in store for PR? How will our industry change throughout the year? How will the journalism industry alter the way we as professionals operate and draw attention for our clients? Any vision about how social media will be different in one month, six months, one year?

You noted how various social media tactics are being tapped by companies across all industries. It will be important as PR professionals to continually set new trends and develop effective uses for social media. Although other companies have done a terrific job implementing social media campaigns, our industry must take the lead here and continually ask ourselves how we can advance our ability for communication innovation - as budgets constrain, the need for sizable ROI will be in higher demand.

Richard,

Thank you for the inspiring and heart-warming post. The Dean Acheson’s quote regarding Louis Brandeis and the capacity of people to understand the truth, reminded me of the following passage:

According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:

1. Data: symbols

2. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions

3. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions

4. Understanding: appreciation of "why"

5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.

Ackoff indicates that the first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn't easy; people must move successively through the other categories.

Undoubtedly your father’s prediction, that the PR field is still only at the beginning, is evidence of his wisdom.