2024 Corporate/B2B PR Agencies of the Year, North America

2024 Corporate PR Agencies of the Year

The 2024 North America PR Agencies of the Year are the result of an exhaustive research process involving more than 150 submissions and 50 meetings with the best PR firms across the US and Canada.

Winners are unveiled at the North American SABRE Awards ceremony, taking place on 1 May at Cipriani Midtown. Tickets and tables are available here. Analysis of all winners and finalists across 13 categories can be accessed via the navigation menu to the right or here.

Separately, you can find the 2024 SABRE Awards North America finalists here.

Finalists

Fahlgren Mortine (Eastport Holdings)

Backstory

Throughout its 62-year history, Fahlgren Mortine has aimed to continually reinvent itself to serve the changing needs of its clients. Since chairman and CEO Neil Mortine took the reins in 2010, the agency has tripled its revenue to become a truly-integrated PR, advertising, digital and social agency. After refocusing its efforts across data, design and creativity, 2023 marked another year of retooling as it continued a growth strategy of innovation, acquisition and consolidation. The agency has invested heavily in the digital ecosystem to support clients beyond PR, with SEO/ SEM, marketing analytics, marketing automation, generative AI, and digital and social media planning and buying; digital services now make up its second largest revenue source after PR. The firm’s travel, tourism and economic development practice, along with its B2B/tech offering, are nationally renowned, and it also owns subsidiary brands Turner (luxury, lifestyle and hospitality) and Mindstream Interactive, a digital analytics, design and UX shop that was integrated in 2022.

Locations

Fahlgren Mortine is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio and operates across five other US cities: New York; Denver; Cleveland; Dayton, Ohio; and Boise, Idaho.

Performance

After 32% growth in 2022 to $39.5 million, Fahlgren Mortine recalibrated a little in 2023, with fees down a fraction to $39.2 million and headcount reducing from 286 to 245. There was new business from Bath & Body Works, Allergan/AbbVie, Kent State University, the American Lung Association, Tupelo Honey, Seattle Aquairum and Australia Tourism, which joined a client roster featuring Abbott, Daimler Truck North America, DHL Supply Chain, Nevada Division of Tourism, Sonoma County Tourism and Copeland.

People & Culture

Marty McDonald was named president of Fahlgren Mortine in September 2022 – the first female president in the firm’s history – as part of a planned succession, overseeing consumer, travel, tourism, economic development, new business, corporate, HR, and as chair of the exco and operations. Other key leaders include SVPs and practice leads Mark Miller, Chrystie Reep. Aaron Brown and Sean Cowan. Several new initiatives improved DEI and employee retention metrics, including partnerships with several Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and working with The Diversity Movement to provide development resources such as an Inclusive Language Workshop, as ewll as an overhaul of the agency’s creative brief to ensure inclusivity and representation in client work. An in-house professional development program, FMU, is attended by 80% of associates, while FM Ignite provides self-directed funding for external education, professional certifications and conference attendance. FM Day of Action provides time off for community advocacy and volunteering – the agency has supported Ohio cancer nonprofit Pelotonia for 12 years – and there are ‘Home Huddles’ – virtual small group gatherings for comfortable conversations. such as a book club discussions on historian Ibram Kendi’s ‘How to Be an Antiracist.’ Fahlgren Mortine also has a comprehensive mental health and wellness program.

Thought Leadership & Work

As part of the expansion of its digital service offering, Fahlgren Mortine launched several new proprietary products: Customer Core is a three-part process to understand target audiences and bridging the gap between customer need and the business goal; Storylining maps effective storytelling to build engaging brand experiences that mirror brand values, with personalized content across earned, paid, owned and shared channels; and PlaceID is a new tool for travel, tourism and economic development clients that provides a pre-qualification process for visitors to match their desired experiences with destination offerings and attractions. The agency’s B2B practice hosted a Peer Summit, a large group of senior leaders who share best practices and collaborate on solutions facing communicators, which focused on shifts in team, talent and workforce alignment. Standout work last year included SABRE-nominated work for DHL Supply Chain, plus another SABRE nomination for the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks campaign for Ohio History Connection, and the agency also ran effective work for Sonoma County Tourism, Parkinson's Foundation, Swisslog and JobsOhio.

— Maja Pawinska Sims

LDWW (Independent)

Backstory

Founded in 2012 by big-agency veteran Ken Luce, LDWW has grown to become one of the largest integrated marketing agencies in the Southwest, blending high-level issues management counsel with robust services across digital/social, branding/creative, media buying and analytics. Now weighing in at more than 50 staff, LDWW retains a focus on progressive agency practices — measuring its work against client outcomes, ensuring partners lead every client engagement, and matching talent to client need instead of billable hours. All of which adds up to a hybrid agency that remains as comfortable producing paid content as it is in the earned media realm and combining the creativity of a hot consumer shop with the strategic savvy of a corporate communications firm.

Locations

LDWW is based out of Dallas and Oklahoma City.

Performance

LDWW grew fee income by around 19% in 2023, all of it either organic or from former clients hiring the firm. Key clients include Legal Shield, Comerica, Winstar and Chickasaw Nation Casinos, Carnival Corporation, Carnival Cruise Line, and the National Football Foundation.

People & Culture

In addition to Luce, partners include Brandon Smulyan, Chris Cradduck, Erica Rockenstein, Kristy Morgan, and Jeff Orth. A flat organization focuses on helping all team members succeed based on their work, rather than their tenure or title.

Thought Leadership & Work

Motivas, LDWW’s wholly-owned media buying company, launched in 2023 as part of the company’s expansion into a full-service integrated marketing shop. In addition, the firm established an analytics unit to help clients measure campaigns and ensure accountability across all work. Campaign highlights include SABRE-nominated work for WinStar World Casino and Resort, Carnival Cruise Line. Comerica Bank, and Cars Commerce.

— Arun Sudhaman

The Levinson Group (Independent)

Backstory

Founded in 2013 by Molly Levinson, the Levinson Group (TLG) is probably best known for its crisis and risk management work, along with its public interest efforts on such issues as pay equity, press freedom and human rights. The firm is regularly called in to handle complex issues and crisis situations, on behalf of Fortune 50 corporations, tech/entertainment companies, major sports franchises, Olympic athletes, global celebrities and business leaders. That held true in 2023, where the firm was enlisted by major media, entertainment and streaming studios, by major universities, and by President Biden’s legal team during a special counsel investigation.

Locations

TLG is headquartered in Washington, DC with additional locations in New York and London.

Performance

TLG’s 22-strong consultancy is regularly cited among the best firms working in the legal and crisis areas. Accordingly, much of its client work is confidential but new business that can be disclosed includes the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Balenciaga, Cosentino, LionTree, Minerals Technologies, US Telecom and the Women’s Tennis Association. They join an existing client roster that features 3M, President Biden’s personal legal team, Delaware North, E. Jean Carroll, Georgetown University, LiveNation, National Audobon Society and Saint-Gobain North America.

People & Culture

Molly Levinson often serves as lead strategist, and is supported by Michael Crittenden, Abbie McDonough, and Kaye Verville, each of whom brings significant political, crisis and public affairs experience. Sarah Mann joined as MD from Dentons, while Harrison Wollman arrived following his role as press secretary for Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti. TLG also promoted Angela Hoague to senior MD to manage the firm’s growing client roster. TLG’s flat structure empowers employees to contribute equally, while there is also a significant focus on mentorship and pro bono work related to gender, press freedom and human rights, including advising the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation and Nadia’s Initiative. Levinson’s retention rate sits well above industry averages, thanks to considerable investment in professional development and staff benefits across salary, bonuses, PTO, parental leave and hybrid work. Over 90% of TLG’s accounts are directly managed by women, as are its three offices.

Thought Leadership & Work

TLG’s pro bono work lends itself to consistent thought leadership on social issues, while it also engages comms and law firms on DE&I issues to help boost industry leadership from traditionally under-represented groups. The firm’s focus on expanding its bankruptcy and restructuring practice has also borne fruit through assignments for Sorrento, Imerys Talc America, 3M and MTI, while other campaign highlights included work for AMPTP, US Telecom, Balenciaga, Live Nation/Ticketmaster and 3M.

— Arun Sudhaman

MikeWorldWide (Independent)

Backstory

MWW was founded in 1986 and for much of its first decade was noted primarily for its public affairs work (in its home state of New Jersey and in the nation’s capital) and for its corporate and financial expertise. It soon evolved into a full-service firm, and in 2000 it was acquired by Interpublic, which was its parent company until a management buyout, led by founder Michael Kempner, in 2010. In the 15 years since then, the firm has grown steadily, expanding its consumer capabilities—its “corpsumer” approach proving a good fit for clients equally concerned by brand purpose and reputation—and digital expertise.

Locations

MWW has historically been a potent force in its headquarters state of New Jersey, where it has two offices: East Rutherford and Trenton. But much of the recent growth has come in New York, in Washington, DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles—as well as in London, where the firm has made a couple of boutique acquisitions since regaining its independence.

Performance

After a record year in 2022, Mike’s fees dipped around 10% in 2023 to $49m, but its corporate offering — which accounts for a little more than half of the agency — continues to thrive, supported by more integrated public affairs and public policy capabilities. The corporate practice grew at a double-digit clip for the fifth year in succession, winning 80% of its RFPs in 2023, for a client roster that includes Deloitte, Yeti, Millbank, DLA Piper, DQ, Esquire Bank, ConnectOne Bank, Trend Micro, NFL Alumni, Rite Aid, New York Power Authority and Hughes. The firm’s crisis practice also remains one of its strongest points of differentiation with rival firms.

People & Culture

Mike has completely shaken off the sweatshop reputation of the past, picking up best workplace awards from numerous organizations including Glassdoor and Fortune. The firm has also seen significant progress on the diversity and inclusion front, with 25% of the agency now BIPOC. A strong and stable team of senior leaders including founder and CEO Michael Kempner, president Bret Werner, and chief strategy officer Carreen Winters. The addition of a chief people officer has also helped elevate the firm’s team satisfaction ratings.

Thought Leadership & Work

In recent years, Mike has sought to develop a OneCX approach to client experience, built to meet the needs of media, audiences and algorithms, fueled by data and analytics and designed to deliver 360 messaging across all available platforms. MikeWorldWide now functions as agency of record across paid, earned and owned channels for several clients, such as Brown Forman and FanDuel, reflected in SABRE-nominated campaigns for the latter brand, alongside Dairy Queen, the Polish Development Bank and Deloitte.

— Arun Sudhaman

Reevemark (Independent)

Backstory

In September 2018, five former Sard Verbinnen & Co. colleagues banded together to launch Reevemark, a corporate and financial firm based on the idea of providing clients big agency expertise in reputation and value in a boutique setting. In the roughly five-plus years since, Reevemark has more than 75 clients including some with very high-profile stakes like Dominion Voting Systems, which won a massive lawsuit against Fox News, and Trian Partners, which hired Reevemark to support its campaign for Disney board seats.

Locations

Reevemark is headquartered in New York.

Performance

In 2023, Reevemark celebrated its fifth year with strong growth, 16 employees and 75 clients across industries and geographies — including some involved in some of the year’s high-profile dealings like Dominion Voting Systems, which sued Fox News for defamation ; Trian Fund Management, whose head, activist investor Nelson Peltz, is seeking seats on the Disney board; and Diamond Sports Group, the country’s largest regional sports broadcaster, which filed for bankruptcy in March. Reevemark was ranked as a No. 1 bankruptcy advisor for Q1, Q2 and Q3 2023 in The Deal and is consistently ranked as a top shareholder activism advisor in Bloomberg. The agency also ranked among the best PR & communications firms by Chambers and Partners in its 2023 Litigation Support Guide and has been every year since its 2018 founding. Reevemark saw growth from new business from companies including Dominion, Diageo, Chesapeake Utilities and Texas Pacific Land Corporation, which joined a client roster populated by the likes of Trian, Diamond, McKinsey, The Children’s Place and Haveli Investments.

People & Culture

Reevemark’s founders — Brandy Bergman, Hugh Burns, Paul Caminiti, Renée Soto, and Delia Cannan — have decades of experience serving as trusted advisors to boards of directors, management teams, corporations, non-profits, and high-profile individuals on communications issues including friendly and contested transactions, public offerings, SPAC-related transactions, shareholder activism, corporate governance, investor/public relations, earnings warnings and restatements, litigation and regulatory matters, crises, executive changes, and corporate positioning. The partners have been named as top PR executives by Business Insider and all five founding partners were recognized by Lawdragon as Global 100 Leaders in Legal Strategy & Consulting in 2021, 2022 and 2023.Reevemark is committed to providing opportunities for women, people from underrepresented communities, and those with non-traditional backgrounds. Notably, three of the firm’s five founders are women, one of whom is of Puerto Rican descent. Reevemark is an avid and regular supporter of Row New York, a charitable organization that brings the sport of rowing and academic tutoring to inner city teenagers, a significant portion of which are minorities and female.

Thought Leadership & Work

Reevemark played a key role in one of 2023’s most high-profile lawsuits, Dominion Voting System’s $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox News for false claims that the company’s voting machines helped steal the 2020 election for Joe Biden. Hired to engage the media, Reevemark focused on how Fox used its platform to lie to viewers and destroy Dominion, and how knowingly spreading lies precluded the network from First Amendment protection. The work was instrumental bringing Fox to the table for a record-breaking $787 million settlement. Other hallmark work included supporting Trian Partners’ highly publicized proxy contest against Disney with a multi-faceted effort to “restore the magic.” Reevemark also helped Diamond Sports Group, the country’s largest regional sports broadcaster, manage its $10 billion bankruptcy and restructuring leading to new BBA and NHL deals and renewal of agreements with distributors.

— Diana Marszalek