Burson-Marsteller

Burson-Marsteller
Name	Burson-Marsteller
Type	Public relations firm (historical)
Industry	Public relations
Founded	1953
Founders	Harold Burson; Bill Marsteller
Headquarters	New York City
Fate	Merged into Burson Cohn & Wolfe (2018)

Contents

Burson-Marsteller Burson-Marsteller was a global public relations and communications firm founded in 1953 by Harold Burson and Bill Marsteller in New York City. The firm expanded through the Cold War era into markets across London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing, São Paulo and Mumbai, working with multinational corporations, governments, trade associations and non-governmental organizations such as World Bank, United Nations, and Red Cross. Over decades it advised clients involved in energy, technology, pharmaceuticals, finance and consumer brands, interfacing with institutions including U.S. Department of State, European Commission, Federal Reserve, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies like the African Union.

History

Harold Burson and Bill Marsteller launched the firm amid postwar expansion that paralleled the rise of agencies such as Hill & Knowlton, Weber Shandwick, Edelman and Ketchum. In the 1960s and 1970s it opened offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Frankfurt, Milan and Madrid, competing with Ogilvy and FleishmanHillard. During the 1980s and 1990s Burson-Marsteller advised on transactions involving firms like General Electric, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Philip Morris and Procter & Gamble, while engaging with policy issues alongside actors such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand. The 2000s saw expansion into digital communications to rival Havas, Publicis Groupe, WPP plc, and alliances with consultancies like McKinsey & Company and Accenture. The firm merged into Burson Cohn & Wolfe in 2018, joining networks that included WPP competitors and former partners.

Burson-Marsteller offered strategic counsel in corporate communications, crisis management, public affairs, media relations and investor relations, servicing sectors such as oil and gas clients like Chevron, BP, and Shell, technology clients like Intel, IBM, and Apple Inc., and pharmaceutical clients like Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck & Co.. It provided campaign work tied to events like World Cup, Olympic Games, and major mergers and acquisitions involving AT&T, Vodafone, and Sony Corporation. The firm maintained specialized practices for litigation communications intersecting with law firms such as Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Latham & Watkins, and investor relations aligned with exchanges such as New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Regional operations linked offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Johannesburg, Mexico City, Toronto and Sydney to global initiatives with organizations like International Chamber of Commerce, World Health Organization, and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Originally a partnership founded by entrepreneurs linked to Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School alumni networks, the firm developed governance structures similar to multinational firms such as Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG. It established a board with senior executives who previously worked at institutions including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, American Express and Ford Motor Company. Ownership and leadership transitions involved figures tied to corporate houses like Interpublic Group and strategies comparable to Omnicom Group and Publicis Groupe, culminating in integration with Cohn & Wolfe to form a new holding entity connected to global communications consolidations.

Burson-Marsteller ran high-profile campaigns for clients such as Microsoft during antitrust scrutiny, Exxon during environmental controversies, Philip Morris on public policy debates, Toyota in recall responses, and Coca-Cola on brand initiatives tied to global sporting events. The firm worked on reputation matters related to institutions like Barclays, Hyundai, BP during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and governments including United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and Ukraine on investment promotion and public diplomacy. Campaigns intersected with events such as Kyoto Protocol, Paris Agreement, G8 Summit, G20 Summit, and crises like Enron scandal, 2008 financial crisis, and public health episodes involving SARS, H1N1 influenza pandemic, and Ebola virus epidemic.

The firm faced criticism and scrutiny for work on behalf of contentious clients and regimes, drawing comparisons with controversies involving Hill & Knowlton's earlier work on Gulf War era narratives and debates around ethics similar to cases involving Lloyds, Cambridge Analytica, and G4S. Issues included allegations of astroturfing, lobbying strategies analogous to tactics debated in relation to Monsanto, Nestlé, BP, and representation of governments with problematic human rights records like Libya under Muammar Gaddafi, Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and Myanmar. Regulatory and media attention invoked institutions such as U.S. Congress, European Parliament, Department of Justice, and watchdogs like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, prompting industry-wide debates about codes of conduct similar to standards promoted by Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators, and Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

Burson-Marsteller received industry awards and recognition from organizations such as the Holmes Report, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, PRWeek, Financial Times rankings, Advertising Age lists, and regional honors from bodies like Asia-Pacific Agency of the Year and European PR Awards. Leadership figures were profiled in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Financial Times, and honored by institutions like Boston University, Syracuse University, University of Missouri, and Yale School of Management for contributions to communications and media practice.

Category:Public relations firms Category:Companies established in 1953