2024 Public Affairs Agencies of the Year, North America

2024 Public Affairs 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

Avoq (Coral Tree Partners)

Backstory

Public affairs firms Subject Matter and Kivvit came together in May of last year to create a new national agency with a team of 200 and fee income of around $88 million that offers strategic communications, data analytics and insights, government relations, digital strategy, creative content, and advertising services. Kivvit was known for data-driven insights that fuel large-scale digital advertising campaigns and communications strategy for clients in finance, higher education, energy, and healthcare. Subject Matter boasts one of Washington’s leading bipartisan government relations teams and an expansive creative capability for clients across public health, finance, education, technology, and transportation. The two firms operated under their legacy brands until the beginning of 2024, when they merged to become Avoq.

Locations

Avoq has 220 people across offices in Washington D.C., Chicago, New York, New Jersey, and Miami.

Performance

Given the merger of two roughly equal-sized firms, and the leadership team’s focus on post-merger integration strategy, it appears that organic growth was modest in 2023—but even so, the creation of a firm with 220 people and $89 million in fees constituted a significant achievement and the opportunities to cross-sell an augmented range of services bodes well for the year ahead—especially since private equity firm Coral Tree has indicated an appetite for additional acquisitions. Among the leading clients of the two merged agencies are names like Williams, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Sallie Mae, the Economic Investment Alliance, Abbott, New York State of Health, Anheuser-Busch, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and Johns Hopkins University, while new business over the past 12 months came from the Preserve Viewer Choice Coalition, Illinois State Board of Education, Boeing, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, University of Denver, and Fast Company & Inc.

People & Culture

While the five founders of the two firms remain active, the leadership team demonstrates the depth of talent the merger brought together: Nicole Cornish, previously CEO of Subject Matter, now serves in this capacity for the new company, while Kivvit’s Molly Scherrman will be chief operating officer. Managing partners from both firms, including Steve Elmendorf, Paul Frick, Jimmy Ryan, Dan Sallick, and Eric Sedler continue as part of the new leadership team and 14 team members were promoted to partner with the rebrand. Avoq sees transparent communication, workplace codes of conduct, DEI committees, employee surveys, exit interviews and harassment prevention training as table stakes for the 21st century agency, and while the staff is diverse, Avoq has set the goal of having the workforce reflect national census data.

Thought Leadership & Work

Kivvit in particular had developed a reputation as one of the most data-driven and technology-savvy of the new generation of public affairs firm, recognized in our Digital Agency of the Year category as well as for its public affairs capabilities, and it is clear that the merged agency will be in an even stronger position when it comes to incorporating AI into the campaign planning process. Last April, the firm launched its most recent Media Habits Report, tracking daily media consumption since 2018 and the growth of longer form social platforms like LinkedIn. Highlights of the client work included creative content for the Semiconductor Industry Association as it sought to secure a landmark investment in US-based chip manufacturing; work with the Preserve Viewer's Choice Coalition, which brought together content providers and streaming platforms advocating against regulation; help for the Economic Investment Alliance In response to the sunsetting tax provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; positioning Sallie Mae as a student advocate in the debate over student loan forgiveness; and the “I Teach 9/11” for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.

— Paul Holmes

Bully Pulpit International (Independent)

Backstory

Founded in 2009 by veterans of the previous year’s successful Obama presidential campaign, Bully Pulpit combines Washington policy smarts, Madison Avenue creative, and Silicon Valley tech savvy. Still perhaps best known for its political work—it continues to handle electoral campaigns—the firm has expanded well beyond that realm and now provides public affairs, issues management, and corporate reputation counsel to a broad range of companies, associations, and senior executives. Its capabilities include the full range of paid, earned, shared and owned media, delivered in a seamless, integrated, channel-neutral approach. The firm expanded internationally in 2023 with its first acquisition, European corporate and public affairs consultancy Boldt.

Locations

Bully Pulpit has 250 people in offices in Washington, DC (HQ), New York, Chicago and San Francisco, although an increasingly remote workforce means it has people across the US. The Boldt acquisition added a team of 50 across six European offices.

Performance

Even for a firm like Bully Pulpit, which seems custom built to help companies navigate these polarizing times, 2023 was a challenge, and growth was modest (at least in comparison to previous years) with $67 million in fees by year’s end, with the Boldt acquisition providing a boost, bringing with it clients like McDonad’s and PepsiCo. Elsewhere growth came in the executive communications realm, helping C-suite leaders deal with the political and social issues for which many are ill-prepared, and in the increasingly polarized sports arena, where clients include the PGA and the NCAA. Other ongoing clients include Walmart, OneTen, the ACLU, Climate Power, Levi Strauss & Co., and McDonald's, and there was new business from Fidelity and Hyatt as well as numerous confidential assignments.

People & Culture

The leadership remains in place, including president and founder Andrew Bleeker, an Obama ‘08 campaign vet; Bradley Akubuiro, formerly Boeing’s chief spokesperson and now a leader of the firm’s reputation, executive communications, crisis management, and media relations work; public affairs lead Scott Mulhauser, former deputy chief of staff to Vice President Biden; Robert Gibbs, best known as a White House press secretary; and Christina Sheffey, executive creative director. New hires include managing director Adam Hodge, who held senior roles in the Biden Administration, and partner Jeff Nussbaum, a senior speechwriter to President Biden. Not surprisingly, given its roots, BPI is committed to recruiting, empowering, and sustaining a diverse team. Last year saw an expanded role for Employee Resource Groups as hubs of community and connection. The team is now 37% non-white.

Thought Leadership & Work

Reinforcing its expertise in employee communications, BPI conducted its second annual War for Talent research and executed its newest offering on behalf of clients including CBRE and Hyatt. Former Biden speechwriter Jeff Nussbaum strengthened the executive communications practice into a new era, supporting Fortune 150 executives. And the firm is developing new capabilities with AI, including a new internal AI copilot to maximize team efficiency. Work included the “Big Hope Plan,” a children’s book for Climate Power that generated influencer buzz; reputation management and employer branding for McDonald’s; a global leadership summit for 1300 senior people at Hyatt; and work to balance the narrative around the PGA Tour amid criticism of its partnership with LIV Golf.

— Paul Holmes

Precision Strategies (Independent)

Backstory

Precision’s status as a pioneering data-driven public affairs specialist has served the firm well since its inception in mid-2013, when it was founded by Obama campaign veterans Stephanie Cutter, Jen O’Malley Dillon and Teddy Goff. The firm demonstrates an ability to drive earned, digital and paid media via a sophisticated understanding of grassroots campaigning and new technologies. The foundation for success includes the firm’s own data integration and analytics platform, which runs alongside sophisticated capabilities in advertising, crisis management, branding, creative, website management, events and experiential marketing. The firm has also formalized a misinformation practice, which will sadly be more relevant than ever in the year ahead.

Locations

Precision is headquartered in Washington DC and also operates a New York office, with about 120 people split between the two locations.

Performance

Revenues increased modestly in 2023, ending the year at around $42.5 million, a consequence of the economic headwinds affecting the entire industry and an off-year in terms of the firm’s election campaign work, which is likely to kick into high gear over the next nine months. Having said that, there was plenty of new business, with external affairs work for Comcast, Jigsaw, and Cox Media Group; integrated digital campaigns for the Legal Aid Society, the Elton John Aids Foundation, and Guggenheim Partners; and advocacy work for Moderna, AI for America, and Coinbase. The firm also continues its work for The Gates Foundation, IBM, SAG-AFTRA, Welcome.US (a national effort to welcome and support Afghan refugees and Ukrainian families), Bank of America, Cherokee Nation, GE, and America 250, the organization that will lead the nation’s 250th birthday celebration in two years.

People & Culture

Precision’s mission is to be the employer of choice in the PR business and offers profit sharing, pays commissions on new business, and provides an annual allowance for continuing education. Back-to-office plans were based on an all-employee survey and allows each employee can work remotely 10 days per month as well as four “work from anywhere” weeks a year. Precision has made inclusion a core value from day one, and the team is made up of 45% non-white employees and 55% white employees, with an employee-led and employee-centered DEI committee focused on fostering allyship and building cultural competency. On the people front, founders Stephanie Cutter and Teddy Goff remain in their leadership roles, along with partner Mike Spahn, who worked in the Senate leadership for more than a decade, and chief operating officer Tom Reno. New hires in 2023 included four SVPs: Henry Connelly, who spent almost a decade at Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s right hand; Matt Williams, who spent almost two decades working for Democrats in the Senate; Krishana Davis, a digital content specialist; and Chris Splet, data and analytics.

Thought Leadership & Work

In 2023 Precision launched a Spanish language and Hispanic cultures service that has already provided support to SEIU, Brennan Center for Justice, Gilead Sciences and other clients. A new 'Multicultural Engagement' Service, meanwhile, provides diverse audience identification and multicultural digital engagement. Highlights of the firm’s work with clients last year included ensuring that the voice of film industry workers was heard during the SAG-AFTRA strike; working with Goldman Sachs on its 10,000 small business program, maintaining a digital network of small business owners, and its One Million Black Women initiative; extensive work in the healthcare space for clients such as Gilead (destigmatizing HIV) and Novo Nordsik (obesity); and promoting the efforts as America 250 as it prepares to celebrate the upcoming sestercentennial.

— Paul Holmes

ROKK Solutions (Independent)

Backstory

Nine-year-old bipartisan public affairs firm ROKK Solutions was founded on a simple premise: the best ideas emerge when people of diverse political and cultural backgrounds come together to tackle a challenge or solve a problem. The agency is led by founding partners Rodell Mollineau and Ron Bonjean, both of whom bring considerable political, public affairs and crisis communications experience to the business: Bonjean is the only person to have served as lead spokesman for both the Senate and House of Representatives, while Mollineau served as communications director for Senate majority leader Harry Reid. Public affairs remains at the heart of the firm, while its growth has allowed ROKK to build and expand its digital, creative and paid expertise.

Locations

ROKK is headquartered in Washington DC, where it now has a team of 50.

Performance

ROKK Solutions’ eighth year in business was undoubtedly its best yet, with fee income up 55% from $11 million to $17 million, with both the public affairs practice (roughly 80% of the business) and social impact work (the remaining 20%) thriving over the past year—with growth coming from expanded relationships with existing clients and a strategy of pursuing larger, more mission-critical assignments from new clients. The firm’s largest clients include : Anheuser-Busch, Delta Air Lines, Gap Inc., Hy Cite, NRDC, Southern Company, and the U.S. Travel Association, while there was new business from Dream.org, the Investment Company Institute, Independent Community Bankers of America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Sierra Pacific, among others.

People & Culture

Diversity is embedded in ROKK’s identity — with the firm’s three partners (including Kristen Hawn) sitting at different points of the political spectrum, and varying in race and gender. ROKK’s senior leadership team identifies as 63% women and 38% POC, while the broader agency is 67% women and 33% POC. ROKK’s culture is based on taking work seriously but giving employees permission to be themselves and have fun at work, supported by such initiatives as Women Who ROKK, which aims to create learning and networking opportunities on both side of the aisle. A year of strong growth brought promotions and new talent too: Lindsay Singleton was promoted to chief development officer; Elizabeth Northrup joined as chief client officer; Rebecca Sivy came on board as senior director of marketing. Top Hill talent included Laura Hernandez-Smith, most recently communications director for Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Michaela Sundermann, former comms director for Senator Chuck Grassley’s reelection campaign.

Thought Leadership & Work

As companies increasingly find themselves caught between the demands of stakeholders who expect them to speak and act on climate change, racism and other issues, and others who decry boardroom “wokeism”, ROKK has emphasized its ability to helps clients navigate contentious social issues in a divided country. Its Crisis Concierge service is a 24/7 team that brings decades of government, media and corporate experience to reputational challenges and legal proceedings. While much of its most interesting work is confidential in nature, last year saw the firm developing a risk assessment framework for a major American airline; providing crisis mitigation support for the Independent Community Bankers of America after the back-to-back collapses of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank; leading an educational campaign on the need for nationwide regenerative agriculture practices and policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council; and reputation management among influencers for a major consumer products brand.

— Paul Holmes / Arun Sudhaman

SKDK (Stagwell Group)

Backstory

Founded in 2004 by political strategists Anita Dunn, Bill Knapp and Josh Isay, SKDK was one of a handful of firms that shaped the modern public affairs business by bringing the political campaign mentality—heavy dependence on research and audience insights, integrated solutions, surprising creativity—to corporate campaigns. Since then, the firm has been at the forefront of complex issues—particularly progressive issues—from gay marriage to abortion rights, providing public affairs and crisis management support. At the onset of the pandemic, it acquired corporate and financial communications firm Sloane & Company, a sister agency in the Stagwell family. It has also continued its political campaign work, which promises to keep SKDK busy in 2024.

Locations

SKDK has twin headquarters in Washington, DC, and New York as well as smaller offices in Albany and Los Angeles.

Performance

Stagwell’s creativity and communications group saw revenue drop 3.5% for the full year in 2023, and while the group does not report individual agency performance, it seems likely that SKDK was approximately flat last year—which is actually a decent performance for a non-election year, when candidate work is less active. So the growth came from two other areas where SKDK excels: causes and corporate clients. New business included FIFA World Cup 2026, The 10/7 Project (a coalition of Jewish groups formed after the 10/7 attack on Israel), American Hospital Association, United Way Worldwide, New York City Public Schools, Kidney Care Access, and the Smithsonian Rural Initiative. They join a roster than includes America250 Foundation (which will be leading celebrations of the country’s 250th birthday in 2026), Mount Sinai Health System, Disney, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Howard University, American Airlines, NAACP, Diageo, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and UPS.

People & Culture

Doug Thornell, a veteran of the firm’s paid media and political consulting practice, stepped into the CEO role in 2022—making SKDK probably the largest public relations/public affairs firm with a Black chief executive. He is supported by founding partner Bill Knapp in DC, a veteran of six president campaigns, and partner Jill Zuckman, who oversees the DC public affairs team. New hires include Amber Macdonald, a former speechwriter to First Lady Jill Biden, as managing director and co-head of executive communications; Maxwell Nunes, executive vice president and head of digital ads (formerly with Pete for America; DC); and Bryan Lesswing, a former advisor to Governor Hochul of New York as senior VP. The firm is guided by what it calls the 5Cs: collaboration, culture, creativity, communications, and connectivity. a chief equity and inclusion officer works to ensure that every aspect of the business—from recruitment to staff initiatives—is an intentional effort to center equity and inclusion.

Thought Leadership & Work

The 2023 acquisition of C-suite advisory firm Jasper Advisors expanded SKDK’s reach into sports and entertainment; and a strategic partnership with Conexión built additional capacity in reaching an increasingly diverse America, while the firm continued to work with clients on some of the most urgent political and social issues facing the country: SKDK represented tribes including the Cherokee Nation and the Oneida Nation in a landmark case challenging the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act; worked with WIN (formerly Women in Need) to help pass legislation in New York City to improve housing vouchers for homeless families; supported the Black Economic Alliance’s Solutions Summit. Sloane & Co., meanwhile, helped the Atlanta Braves become the only MLB team to be a publicly traded franchise. And in October, the firm worked to support the 10/7 Project, an alliance of Jewish organizations, a communications hub for information on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

— Paul Holmes