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.