 |
||
|
|
||
| |||||||||||
Riding both elephants and donkeys Republicans and Democrats may not agree on much, but both major political parties have sought the services of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide. The world's fifth-largest public relations and communications firm, Edleman has gained a reputation for impeccable services through its legion of diverse blue-chip clients. The company counts such companies as AT&T, General Motors, Microsoft, and Chrysler among its corporate clients. On the political front, Edelman has not only helped the governments of Mexico, Israel, and Chile, but has also provided strategy for the Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations (while often, and at the same time, serving the campaigns of Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, and other rival clients). Edelman's son Richard, who joined the firm in 1978, was named president of the agency in 1985 and CEO in 1996. The indomitable Edelman Edelman was founded in Chicago in 1952 by current chairman Daniel J. Edelman, a former CBS reporter and PR director at Gillette. In 1960, the firm opened its first branch office in New York. By 1970, the company had opened offices in Los Angeles, London, Washington, DC, and Frankfurt. Soon after, it launched Canadian outposts in Montreal and Toronto. Edelman began to open offices in Asia and the Pacific region during the 1980s, and in the '90s has made efforts to expand into Latin America. Bacardi and Butterball During the 1990s Edelman made a significant investment in technology. Since 1994, the firm has invested over $5 million in technological advancements. All of its offices are interconnected with area networks and video conferencing stations. Furthermore, the firm filters all newswire services to ensure immediate receipt of news stories relevant to its client base. Edelman was the first public relations firm to go online with a web site in 1995. In fact, that site was praised as a "model for public relations agencies." Edelman has also created award-winning web sites for Bacardi rum and Butterball turkey, as well as live Microsoft cybercasts. Anti-advertising Now the world's largest independent PR firm (since International Public Relations was bought by Interpublic Group in July 1998), Edelman maintains co-headquarters in New York and Chicago. Throughout its history, the firm has remained dedicated to maintaining its independence. Founder Daniel Edelman has also staunchly defended the firm's identity as an agency dedicated solely to PR rather than advertising. He is a firm believer that PR and advertising should be completely separate fields.
Edelman is constantly on the lookout for "self-motivated," "creative" leaders. And sources maintain that "we don't have to recruit. There are a lot of people just trying to get their foot in the door." Another insider observes, "In the past few years, we've seen a lot more people who come in knowing they want to do public relations, who even majored in public relations as undergrads." Although the firm favors experienced applicants, many of Edelman's offices hire candidates with no history in the public relations industry. Applicants should check Edelman's web site at www.edelman.com for a listing of current openings. The firm accepts resumes via e-mail, fax, and regular mail. Edelman offers paid, full-time summer internships at various offices around the country. Program information is available on the company web site. From there you can also download an application as a Word document.
Basking in the glow Edelman employees enjoy "basking in the glow" of the firm's international prestige. They report that the "genuine camaraderie" that exists between their "young, hip" colleagues makes the office "a fun and social place." One insider describes the work environment at Edelman as "aggressive, no-nonsense, energetic, and fast-paced." This energy often propels young employees, who say "if you prove yourself," there's "an incredible chance to move forward quickly." Bad energy? All this energy can have its downside, however. One insider notes that "people work very, very hard. I wouldn't say it's a sweatshop, but it's the closest thing to it I've seen." While some are "rather impressed" with the amount of "tangible and immediate responsibility" that they acquire, they add that the demands the firm places on junior employees is "immense and unreasonable." In addition, many entry-level employees describe Edelman's senior management as "unresponsive" and "unappreciative." One junior-level source notes that managers "give a lot of lip service to strategy," but that lower-level workers "do a lot of grunt media work that is usually not very important." The real money Entry-level salaries are "low by industry standards," say insiders. Nevertheless, once employees "move up to senior level," they "start seeing some real money." The consensus is that perks and benefits are minimal: "Well, [there's a] 401(k) plan," one source says, "and decent health care."
John Edelman Human Resources
Business to Business; Crisis Management; Event Marketing; Financial; Healthcare; Interactive Solutions; Marketing Innovations; Media Analysis and Relations; Product Introduction and Repackaging, Public Affairs; Reputation Management; Technology
Burson Marsteller;Hill & Knowlton;WWP Group More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
